About Us - WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 - Charleston News, Sports, Weather

About WCIV-TV | ABC News 4

WCIV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Lowcountry area of South Carolina licensed to Charleston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in Awendaw. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 4 as well as Comcast and Knology channel 8. There is a high definition feed offered on Comcast digital channel 431, Time Warner digital channel 815, and Knology digital channel 901. We are owned by the Allbritton Communications Company and located on Allbritton Boulevard along US 17/US 701 (Johnnie Dodds Boulevard) in Mount Pleasant. Syndicated programming on WCIV includes: Entertainment Tonight, The Dr. Oz Show, Ellen, and The Rachael Ray Show.

History

On Oct. 23, 2012, WCIV celebrated its 50th anniversary. For more stories from the people who build the station and led the way through Civil Rights, major investigations and rebuilding after Hurricane Hugo, click here.

The station launched October 23, 1962 as the third outlet in Charleston. The original license was granted to WTMA-TV but the call letters were later changed to WCIV before it signed-on. It took the NBC affiliation from WCBD-TV, leaving that station to become a full-time ABC affiliate. The station was originally owned by the Washington Star Company. In 1976, businessman Joseph Allbritton bought the Star and sold off the non-television assets in 1978 to form Allbritton Communications.

In 1989, WCIV was almost destroyed when Hurricane Hugo thundered ashore in September of that year. The station's building on the marsh just outside of Mount Pleasant near Sullivan's Island was flooded by the storm surge. WCIV aired from temporary studios near its transmitter site for a time and eventually moved to a new building in 1991.

The station became an ABC affiliate in 1996 as part of Allbritton's affiliation deal with the network. The station has successfully launched the careers of a number of journalists who have gone on to work in network and cable news including Joie Chen, Van Earl Wright, and Fredericka Whitfield. Many more including Dave Lucas, Monica McNeil, and Dan Potash have moved on to enjoy careers in bigger markets. WCIV coordinates a number of popular annual community events and programs.