News media
What's up with local media?
Given the relatively small size of Charlottesville, there's lots of it. In a town that has a book festival, perhaps it's no surprise that print media endures and multiple newspaper boxes line prominent intersections. Despite hard-copy newspaper readership clinging to life support, the New York Times, Washington Post and Richmond Times-Dispatch can all be delivered to your door—although the price, at least of the Post at $92 for eight weeks— is increasingly prohibitive.
Lifestyle magazines are big in this area: the upscale Central Virginian lifestyle, the upscale fisherman's lifestyle, or the the upscale Nelson County lifestyle.
And the city has four network television station, about a dozen commercial radio stations as well as some well-regarded non-commercial stations.
Trying to stay abreast of local news? In Charlottesville, you've got options.
Local newspapers
The Hook
The Hook sprang to life in 2002 with many staffers who had previously worked at C-Ville Weekly, and the two papers enjoyed an intense rivalry until, oddly, they were joined again under the same parent company in 2011. The Hook is known for its investigative journalism and is the city's must-read paper every Thursday. Don't take our word for it. Ask our peers at the Virginia Press Association, which has bestowed 149 awards on us since our first year of eligibility in 2004. Our website may be the most comprehensive in town and is fully archived. Whatever you need to know about Charlottesville, you'll find it in the Hook. 295-8700
C-Ville Weekly
Charlottesville's other free weekly features extensive arts and news coverage, plus special supplements like Abode, a guide to cutting-edge home design, decor, and lifestyle. It also runs the popular Best of C-Ville issue, where the community votes on the top restaurants, bars, shops, venues, and other things around town. And let's not forget the Rant. 817-2749
The Daily Progress
Last year was a big year for the Daily Progress. Warren's Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought the paper, along with 63 other Media General newspapers, for $142 million. Snarky locals may call it the "Regress," due to the oft-green reporters, but when there's big news in town, they usually know it. 978-7200
Cavalier Daily
The University of Virginia's student-published newspaper claims to be Charlottesville's oldest daily– though they recently quit publishing on Fridays, and starting in August, will be primarily online with a twice-weekly news magazine. 924-1086
ARTS/TOURIST/NICHE PUBLICATIONS
Blue Ridge Outdoors
This all-outdoors, all-the-time monthly celebrates hiking, biking, running, climbing and paddling in Virginia and North Carolina. 817-2755
The Crozet Gazette
Published on the first Thursday of every month, the Crozet Gazette has made a name for itself by running timely, well-reported stories about our neighboring village to the west and surrounding areas. 434-466-8939 /434-249-4211
Charlottesville Guide
A tourist guide. 817-2000
Echo
Charlottesville's oldest new-age monthly is the best source to find a feng shui consultant or go shaman shopping. 295-3407
Keswick Life
Monthly tabloid that documents a sumptuous world most of us can only imagine. 296-8032
Blue Ridge Life
"Your source for everything Nelson" began as Nelson County Life in 2005 and has since morphed into Blue Ridge Life. 361-0104
Real Estate Weekly
The area's go-to guide for house-shopping. Published every Wednesday. 817-9330
Scottsville Monthly
Tales of the River City. 591-1000
MAGAZINES
Albemarle
This mag adorns the tonier coffee tables in Charlottesville and features lifestyles of the local rich, if not famous. Published bimonthly. Available at newsstands or by subscription for $12. 817-2000
AlbemarleFamily
From a black-and-white quarterly to a slick and award-winning monthly, this thing has grow from niche publications to our magazine section, it's so glossy. And its website has always been a good place for figuring out what to do with those darn kids. 984-4713
Virginia Sportsman
These folks like to fish and hunt, and they're well educated and well-heeled, according to its website. Subscriptions for this 80-page glossy are $20 for six issues, and it's available in Barnes and Noble. 964-1620
Virginia Living
Glossy bimonthly statewide publication knocks readers' socks off with its bold splashes of color on each glossy cover and stories celebrating the vibrant lives in the Commonwealth– many in our neck of the woods. 804-343-7539
Flavor Magazine
Bimonthy food mag covering the local food movement, and its people, in the Piedmont region. 540-987-9299
Forward/Adelante Virginia's first bilingual business journal (English and Spanish). 960-4037
Fresh news:
The Hook's newsblog! - local news and digest
Daily Progress - local daily
NBC29 - local televsion
CBS19, ABC16, FOX27 - local television
Cavalier Daily - student paper
WINA - news radio
UVAToday - school organ
WEATHER! - NWS station digest
C-Ville Weekly blogs - local news, arts
Newspapers:
EDGE-OF-AREA:
Staunton - The News Leader
Waynesboro - The News-Virginian
Waynesboro - Augusta Free Press
Fredericksburg - Free Lance-Star
Greene Co. - Greene Co. Record
Culpeper - The Star-Exponent
Culpeper - The Culpeper Times (weekly)
Fluvanna Co. - Fluvanna Review
Louisa Co. - The Central Virginian
Nelson Co. - Nelson County Times
Madison Co. - Madison Eagle
Harrisonburg - The Daily News-Record
Harrisonburg - The Breeze
Buckingham - Buckingham Beacon (monthly)
Scottsville area - Scottsville Weekly
FARTHER BUT BEEFY ONLINE:
Lexington - The News-Gazette
Lynchburg -The News & Advance
Roanoke -The Roanoke Times
Newport News -The Daily Press
Norfolk -The Virginian-Pilot
Washington Post
Washington Times
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Style Weekly - Richmond
Local blogs:
NEWS/CIVICS
• The Hook's newsblog! - breaking local news
• cvillenews.com - aka 'Waldo's site'
• Charlottesville Tomorrow - growth
• Real Central VA - real estate
• Nailgun - local music
• Bill Emory - amazing pix, comment
• Loper.org - local politics
• Rick Sincere - libertarianism
• UVA News Blog - PR from the U
• Monticello Avenue - a community network site
• Charlottesville Headlines - aggregator
• topix.net - aggregator
BLOGGY BLOGS
• The Book of Joe - fun new products
• Reading ... Covers - she went west
• Mas to Miller's - on food
• The Dish - Hook food news
• Fete - Hook wedding editor Stephanie Marie's blog
• Beyond the Flavor - food photos
• Charlottesville Blogs - aggregator
POLITICS
Waldo Jaquith
Bacon's Rebellion
Blue Virginia
BearingDrift
Sabato's Crystal Ball
SW Virginia Law
Multimedia:
MISC. PHOTOS
• Flickr pix tagged 'Charlottesville'
PODCASTING
• C'ville Podcasting Network
• UVA Podcasting
UVA SPORTS
• TheSabre - venerable and very newsy
• StreakingTheLawn - fan-based news
• Cavs Corner - part of rivals.com
COMMERCIAL RADIO
WWWV-FM 97.5, ("3WV") rock
WCYK-FM 99.7, country
WQMZ-FM 95.1, ("Z-95") light rock
WUVA-FM 92.7, ("Kiss") urban adult
WHTE-FM 101.9, ("Hot 101.9") contemporary hits
WFFX-FM 102.3, 94.1, ("Your Generation") '60s, '70s, '80s
WCNR 106.1 "The Corner" adult alternative music
WCHV-FM 107.15, news/talk
WCHV-AM 1260, news/talk
WINA-AM 1070, local news/sports/talk
WKAV-AM 1400, sports
WVAX AM 1450, sports talk (switched from liberal talk in 2011)
Charlottesville has six locally owned radio stations, which were snatched up in 2007 by Monticello Media when broadcast behemoth Clear Channel shed these and more than 400 other stations. Michigan-based Saga Communications owns the other radio group in town, which used to be locally owned until Eure Communications sold 3WV, Z-95 and WINA in 2004. Got that? And WUVA Kiss is independently owned. Listeners, of course, just want their tunes.
Non-commercial radio
WNRN-FM 91.9, "Listener supported independent music radio"
WTJU-FM 91.1, Eclectic, deejays bring in their CDs and vinyl
WMRA-FM 103.5, NPR from Harrisonburg
WVTF-FM 89.3 & 88.5, NPR from Roanoke
Radio IQ 89.7 & 91.5, BBC news and NPR talk
Commercial television
Depending on where you live, you can get everything– or nothing. Comcast has the local cable franchise, and there are still plenty of swaths of the county with no cable access.
Long a one-horse television town dominated by NBC29, Charlottesville is still adjusting to gaining three new stations and now having one for each major network. Gray Television moved into town in a big way and began broadcasting on WCAV Channel 19 (CBS) and WVAW Channel 16 (ABC) late in 2004. A FOX station, WAHU Channel 27, hit the airwaves in June, 2005.
Charlottesville has moved up in the 210 Nielsen designated market areas in the United States from number 186 a few years ago to 183, with approximately 75,000 television households.
Commercial stations:
NBC29 (WVIR broadcast 29, cable 4)
WAHU Fox 27 (broadcast 55, cable 9)
CBS19 (WCAV broadcast 19, cable 6)
ABC16 (WVAW broadcast 16, cable 3)
Non-commercial television
Yeah, an artsy town like Charlottesville has two public television stations, each claiming to be Charlottesville's own— but neither is based here.
WHTJ PBS (broadcast 41, cable 7) Richmond-based PBS station
WVPT PBS (broadcast 50, cable 11) Harrisonburg-based PBS station
Public access television
Comcast Cable channels 13 and 14 provide, respectively, public and education access. Watch government in action on Charlottesville TV 10, which broadcasts City Council meeting.