There’s a new kid in town for Baton Rouge’s nightly news – NBC 33 WVLA. “We’re the new choice for news,” said WVLA Station Manger Phil Waterman, reiterating his nightly news program’s slogan, which is currently splashed on billboards across Baton Rouge. In a city already home to two major news channels – WBRZ and WAFB, WVLA is the new kid on the block. After just 95 days of planning, the station went on-air Jan. 8 with 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. news broadcasts. Tonight they will also add a 6 p.m. broadcast. “It was kind of instant news,” laughed Waterman. “But it wasn’t really instant.” WVLA’s studio is located in the channel’s headquarters, a converted Ochsner Clinic off Bluebonnet Boulevard. The news studio was designed by students at the University’s School of Design in a secret contest last semester. Students kept their designs under wraps to avoid tipping off the competition to WVLA’s plans. The winners, interior design students Bethany Sphar and Tonya Dollar, created a brick and chrome set that “reflects Southwest Louisiana.” “We thought it had a different look from what was on the market. If you look at the other guys in town, they don’t look different,” Waterman said. “It kind of has a New Orleans feel to it – brick, arched doorways. The set was designed for our own market.” For the next order of business, the station found a pair of anchors – two people who would set the tone and serve as the face of the station. Waterman hired Stone Grissom and 1992 Manship School graduate Valentina Wilson of Pride, La. “There’s no big egos. The story is the story. They’re just the storytellers,” Waterman said. “That’s what we looked for.” Wilson, who previously worked at WAFB in Baton Rouge and KLFY in Lafayette, and who was an anchor in Las Vegas, said she is happy to be back in her home state as a part of WVLA’s new venture. “I’ve been away for about five years,” she said. “I enjoy every minute. This is what I trained for.” Wilson said her education at the Manship School has served her well throughout her 12-year broadcast career. “The Manship School is an excellent school for journalism professions,” Wilson said. “It provided a balanced program.” Grissom, who has also worked as a practicing attorney for nine years and was an on-air legal consultant for Court TV, said the situation at WVLA doesn’t have the hierarchy that often plagues newsrooms. “There’s a team environment. We all came in at the same time,” he said. But Baton Rouge market leader WAFB isn’t worried about its new competition. “WVLA’s newscasts at 5 [p.m.] and 10 p.m have had no effect on the way we are programming our news. The only change has been that I’ve added another monitor in my office so that I can watch all three newscasts at the same time,” said WAFB News Director Vicki Zimmerman. “I think competition is always good for the consumer.”
—–Contact Sarah Yokubaitis at syokubaitis@lsureveille.com