The two stations share studios on Rio East Court in Charlottesville; WCAV's transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city.
The history of WCAV begins in October 1986, when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated five applications for hearing, all proposing the construction of a new television station on channel 64, then allocated to Charlottesville.
An FCC administrative law judge (ALJ) in 1988 handed down an initial decision in favor of Lindsay, whose proposal was superior even without the NRQZ issue.
While the FCC's Mass Media Bureau recommended a clause requiring the channel 64 station to go off in overnight hours after receiving notice from the NRAO, the ALJ found the restriction inadequate and rejected both applications.
Two provisions in the latter put Achernar and Lindsay on the clock: one that authorized the FCC to encourage settlement proceedings in grandfathered comparative cases or force the parties into auction, and another that started the reallocation of channels 60 to 69 to non-television users.
Achernar and Lindsay merged their bids into Charlottesville Broadcasting Corporation, and after negotiations with the NRAO, an acceptable proposal was crafted and then modified to specify the use of channel 19.
[5] In 2004, Gray Television acquired the construction permit from Charlottesville Broadcasting for $1 million, having already secured a commitment from CBS for a 10-year affiliation.
WCAV and its sister stations employ the largest television news team dedicated exclusively to the Charlottesville market.
While WVIR dedicates some staff to adjacent areas, WCAV focuses its coverage solely on the counties that comprise the Charlottesville television market.
On September 21, 2007, WCAV launched The Local AccuWeather Channel on a new second digital subchannel and live streaming video on its website and mobile phone app.
The updated channel featured a daily simulcast of all Newsplex newscasts, previously recorded broadcasts and weather information provided by AccuWeather.