NBC4 News Anchor Barbara Harrison on the station's new HD news set
WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. (DMA 8), one of the last network affiliate holdouts to go local HD in any major market, finally made the transition on Thursday, April 22, with a new set that boasts no less than 16 anchor positions for news, weather, interviews, graphics and other coverage within its central studio set.
While Washington's NBC O & O ("NBC4") followed local CBS, ABC, PBS and Fox affiliates in the market by many months in going local HD (in NBC's case, 1080i), its long delay in transitioning did not significantly hurt its ratings. NBC4 has led the market in most dayparts for many years.
On its Web site, members of the NBC4 news team are providing a tour of the station's new HD set.
The NBC affiliate's HD transition came only 10 days prior to the HD jump for "Meet the Press," the Sunday morning mainstay whose newly expanded HD set also resides at WRC-TV. MTP makes its own 1080i debut this Sunday, May 2, and host David Gregory gives online viewers a tour of the show's new set.
Also, on April 26, KEZI-TV in Eugene, Ore., (DMA 119) began airing its local news in HD.
Television Broadcast has additional info on recent moves to HD news.
