News Operation
The station's newscasts were known as Eyewitness 7 News until 1994 when they were re-branded as NewsChannel 7. Leeza Gibbons, Jane Robelot, and Susan McGinnis are notables who have worked for the station in the past. Annette Estes was WSPA's first female news anchor in 1977. She left the station in 1987 to anchor the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts with Carl Clark at WYFF. WSPA also used to produce a newscast for Fox affiliate WHNS before that station launched its own news operation.
On September 16, 2007, WSPA began producing newscasts in high definition and adopted the new Media General HD graphics. It was the first television station in the western Carolinas to upgrade local news broadcasts to HD.
In addition to its main studios, WSPA operates two news bureaus and shares a third with its sister stations. The Greenville Bureau is located on Villa Road and the Anderson Bureau is located on South Main Street. There is one in Columbia as well, with costs of operating the bureau shared between Media General's stations in South Carolina - WSPA, WBTW, and WCBD. WSPA produces newscasts for its local sister station WYCW that air in high definition. This includes weekday mornings and evenings as well as on the weekends. The station operates an aerial news gathering helicopter with a gyrostabilized camera that is outfitted with a 72 power zoom lens and a motorized two power drop-in extender. The camera system is manufactured by Flir Systems International and the helicopter is maintained by U.S. Helicopters Inc. of Charlotte. It is referred to on-air as "Air 7".
"News Channel 7" and its popular "On Your Side" brand, has the reputation for being the most "aggressive" news operation in the market, when it comes to breaking stories, and breaking news, on-air and online.
WSPA is currently either #1 or #2 in most timeslots. The 11 p.m. weekday newscast was nominated for a 2010 Emmy Award for Best Newscast. The station won a 2010 Emmy for its breaking news coverage.
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