History of WGAL in Timeline

WGAL is a television station based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, serving the Susquehanna Valley as an NBC affiliate. It is owned by Hearst Television and operates studios in Lancaster Township. The station's broadcast transmitter is located near Hallam, PA. As a local news provider, WGAL is a key source of information for the region.

1922: Steinmans Sign On WGAL Radio

In 1922, the Steinmans signed on WGAL radio. This was the original investment that would earn a handsome return when they sold channel 8 and WTEV to Pulitzer in 1978.

March 18, 1949: WGAL Signs On

On March 18, 1949, WGAL went on the air as the fourth television station in Pennsylvania and the first outside of Philadelphia, broadcasting on VHF channel 4.

1952: FCC's Sixth Report and Order

In 1952, after the FCC's Sixth Report and Order ended the license freeze and opened the UHF band, a plan was devised for allocating VHF licenses, allowing most of the country to receive two commercial VHF channels, one noncommercial channel, and in some areas a third VHF channel.

December 31, 1952: WGAL Moves to Channel 8

On December 31, 1952, WGAL moved to channel 8 to prevent interference with WRC-TV in Washington, as required by the FCC. At the same time, WGAL increased its power from 1,000 to 7,200 watts.

January 1, 1954: First Color Television Broadcast

On January 1, 1954, WGAL presented its first color television broadcast, which was the Tournament of Roses Parade.

1955: Steinmans Sell WDEL-TV

In 1955, the Steinmans sold WDEL-TV in Wilmington, Delaware. They had launched this station around the same time as WGAL.

1963: Nielsen Collapses Lancaster and Harrisburg-York Areas

In 1963, Nielsen collapsed the Lancaster and Harrisburg–York areas into one large market. Before this WGAL carried some programs from CBS, DuMont and ABC.

1969: Sign Installations Begin

In 1969, WGAL began installing numerous signs on area highways, consisting of the WGAL logo, the phrase "Drive Carefully", and the borough or township where the sign is located.

1969: Sale of KOAT and KVOA

In 1969, the Steinman family sold KOAT in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and KVOA in Tucson, Arizona, to Pulitzer Publishing. The Steinman family had purchased three more television stations over the years.

1972: Spin Off of KVOA

In 1972, KVOA was spun off, from the Pulitzer company that had reunited WGAL-TV and WTEV with KOAT.

1976: Sale of WGAL Radio Stations

In 1976, the Steinmans sold off the WGAL radio stations, after having purchased them in 1922.

1978: Sale of WGAL-TV and WTEV

In late 1978, the Steinmans sold WGAL-TV and WTEV to Pulitzer, earning a return on their original investment.

1983: UHF Channels Reduced

In 1983, the number of UHF channels was reduced to 55. There were originally 69 UHF channels available in the early days of broadcast television.

1985: First Stereo Broadcast in Pennsylvania

In 1985, under Pulitzer's ownership, WGAL became the first television station in Pennsylvania to broadcast in stereo.

1990: End of Logo Usage

By 1990, the WGAL logo used on the signs was no longer in use, although the signs themselves remained commonplace.

1992: Callsign Change

In 1992, channel 8 dropped the "-TV" suffix from its callsign, becoming simply WGAL.

September 30, 1995: News 8 Today Premieres

On September 30, 1995, weekend morning editions of News 8 Today premiered.

1998: Sale to Hearst-Argyle Television

In 1998, Pulitzer sold its entire television division, including WGAL and KOAT, to Hearst-Argyle Television.

January 1, 2009: This TV on Subchannel 8.2

On January 1, 2009, WGAL began carrying This TV on digital subchannel 8.2.

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June 12, 2009: Analog Signal Shut Down

On June 12, 2009, WGAL ended regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 8, as part of the transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal relocated to its analog-era VHF channel 8.

February 2010: Updated Tickers Introduced

In February 2010, days before the Winter Olympics, WGAL began using updated tickers for weather warnings, school closings and breaking news.

November 2010: News Set Modified

Around late October or early November 2010, WGAL's news set was modified with new flat screen monitors to the left and right of the set, and an additional flat screen monitor was added to the front of the new anchor desk.

December 13, 2010: Widescreen Newscasts Begin

On December 13, 2010, WGAL became the first television station in the Harrisburg–Lancaster–Lebanon–York market to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in widescreen standard definition, and also introduced updated on-screen graphics.

August 29, 2011: HD Newscasts Begin

On August 29, 2011, WGAL became the second station in South Central Pennsylvania (behind Fox affiliate WPMT) to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.

February 5, 2012: New Set Debuts

On February 5, 2012, newscasts returned to Studio B with a new set.

April 14, 2012: All Major Stations Airing HD Newscasts

As of April 14, 2012, with WHP-TV's upgrade to HD newscasts, all four major stations in the Susquehanna Valley (WGAL, WPMT, WHP-TV and WHTM-TV) now air their local newscasts in HD.

2012: Decline in News Viewership Begins

In 2012, WGAL began experiencing declines in news viewership, primarily in Lancaster and York counties.

February 4, 2013: 10 PM Newscast Debuts on This TV

On February 4, 2013, WGAL debuted a nightly half-hour 10 p.m. newscast on its then This TV affiliated second digital sub channel.

May 2013: Decline in News Viewership

Starting in 2012, WGAL began experiencing declines in news viewership, with the largest decline occurring in May 2013.

February 14, 2014: Studio Roof Collapse

On February 14, 2014, a portion of the roof at WGAL's Columbia Avenue studio facility collapsed due to heavy snow and ice, leading to evacuations and the station going off the air, as well as the cancellation of its 5, 5:30, and 6 p.m. newscasts. Area Comcast systems piped in WBAL-TV or WCAU to restore NBC programming.