WJAR

WJAR. It is the NBC affiliate for the Providence, Rhode Island television market, licensed to the city itself. Owned by Sunbeam Television, the station has broadcast on virtual and VHF channel 10 since its sign-on in 1949, making it the oldest continuously operating television station in Rhode Island. Its studios are located in Cranston, Rhode Island, and its transmitter is based in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

History

The station signed on the air on July 10, 1949, originally owned by the Outlet Company, which also owned radio station WJAR (AM). It was an affiliate of the NBC television network from the start, also carrying programming from the defunct DuMont Television Network. In 1955, the station's call letters were briefly changed to WNAC-TV after a merger with the Shepard Broadcasting Company, but they reverted to WJAR in 1957 following a FCC ruling. The Outlet Company sold its broadcasting properties, including WJAR, to Providence Journal in 1996. After Providence Journal exited broadcasting, the station was acquired by its current owner, Sunbeam Television, in 1997. For many years, the station's news operation was produced through an agreement with the Providence Journal, a relationship that ended in 2005.

Programming

As the long-standing NBC affiliate for the market, WJAR carries the full slate of NBC programming, including morning show Today, nightly news program NBC Nightly News, and late-night shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The station also airs a significant amount of NBC Sports programming, including Sunday Night Football and coverage of the Olympic Games. Syndicated programming on the station has included popular talk shows such as Live with Kelly and Mark and court shows like Judge Judy. WJAR previously produced a notable local public affairs program called 10 News Conference and has historically broadcast Boston Red Sox games as part of the NESN network.

News operation

WJAR operates the highest-rated newscasts in the Providence market, broadcasting over 35 hours of local news each week. Its newscasts are branded as "NBC 10 News," with notable franchises including The Morning Buzz and NBC 10 News at 11. The station was an early adopter of high-definition television broadcasts for its local news, launching its HD newscasts in 2007. It maintains a strong emphasis on investigative journalism through its I-Team and has a longstanding weather team providing forecasts for Southern New England. WJAR also operates a helicopter for traffic and newsgathering, callsign N10NB, and shares a news partnership with The Boston Globe.

Technical information

The station's digital signal is multiplexed and broadcasts on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter tower located in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. WJAR's signal covers the entire Providence metropolitan area and much of Southern New England, including parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. It is carried on most cable providers in the region, including Cox Communications and Verizon Fios. The station activated its ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) signal in 2021, broadcasting from the same tower facility. Its studio facilities, located in Cranston, Rhode Island, were completely renovated and modernized in 2014.

Notable alumni

* Molly O'Neil – former reporter who later worked for The New York Times * Chris Jansing – news anchor at WJAR early in her career before joining NBC News and MSNBC * Jack Reed – former U.S. Senator from Rhode Island worked as a weekend anchor * Michele Musca – longtime anchor and reporter who spent over two decades at the station * Frank Coletta – veteran anchor who was a mainstay of the station's news team for more than 30 years Category:Television stations in Providence, Rhode Island Category:NBC network affiliates Category:Sunbeam Television