WVEC, the ABC affiliate in Norfolk, is broadcasting newscasts this week from a brand-new set.

The station debuted the new set last week. The old set was constructed in 1990 and underwent several updates since then, most recently in 2008. Read more

Morning show staffers at WAVY, the NBC-affiliate in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, will have to set their alarms a little earlier next week when the station shifts its morning newscast to a 4:30 a.m. start time.

“More and more viewers are waking up early to begin their day in Hampton Roads,” WAVY general manager Doug Davis said. “WAVY News 10 Today now begins at 4:30 a.m. every weekday to bring viewers the latest overnight news and all the weather and traffic they need for the day ahead.”

The newscast will feature the same talent: co-anchors Kerri Furey and Don Roberts, meteorologist Jeremy Wheeler and traffic reporter Cheryl Tan. The expanded morning show will compete with a 4:30 a.m. newscast on ABC-affilate WVEC.

An Old Dominion University study found that, at least in one local news market, crime pays. An analysis four stations in Hampton Roads, Virginia shows that 25.7 percent of stories focus on crime in some form.

For the study, Old Dominion analyzed 1,132 stories from the weekday evening newscasts on the four major network-affiliated stations in the Hampton Roads, Virginia market: CBS-affiliate WTKR, NBC-affiliate WAVY, ABC-affiliate WVEC and Fox-affiliate WVBT. The stories were all from January 3-31 of this year, a time period chosen because it has no major political events that could skew the results of the study.

Crime reports were divided into three categories: violent crime, white-collar crime and general crime. Of the three, general crime was the highest, with 149 stories; violent crime was next, with 125, followed by white-collar crime with 17. Read more

Anchor Sandra Parker, who has been at Norfolk ABC-affiliate WVEC for 21 years, is moving back to the morning show beginning tomorrow.

Parker — who currently anchors the noon newscast on WVEC — has also served as the 5 p.m. anchor and the weekend anchor in her tenure at the station.

“We understand the importance of this time period, which is why we were the first local station to go live at 4:30 a.m. almost a year ago, and moving Sandra back to mornings is another way to continue improving this newscast,” WVEC president and general manager Tod Smith said in a statement.

Parker will join current anchors LaSalle Blanks and Vanessa Coria and meteorologist Craig Moeller on the newscast, which airs from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. She will continue to anchor the noon newscast.

Longtime WVEC anchor Jim Kincaid died Sunday at his home after suffering an apparent heart attack. He was 76.

After working as a correspondent for ABC News, Kincaid signed with WVEC in 1978 and was a staple of the ABC-affiliate’s newscasts for the next 18 years.

“Kincaid became an icon in Hampton Roads media,” WVEC recounted in a recent post about his life, “and was also known for closing WVEC newscasts with a personal thought.”

The station caught up with Kincaid recently (video inside)… Read more

Veteran news anchor Joe Flanagan will get a new role at the station he has called home for more than 26 years: weekend anchor.

Flanagan, who is currently WVEC‘s daybreak features reporter, will take over the morning anchor slot on the weekends for the Virginia ABC affiliate. He has been with the station since 1985 in a variety of roles, including feature reporter, meteorologist, and evening news anchor.

Tod Smith, WVEC’s president and general manager, said in a press release that Flanagan would be a good addition to the weekend team. “Joe’s presence and experience will be the perfect fit for our viewers on the weekends,” he said.

Flanagan will join meteorologist Julie Wilcox on “Weekend Daybreak.”