TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences is in the process of receiving a gift of part ownership in Montgomery television station WNCF-32, an ABC affiliate.

The gift comes from a group of investors in the station and represents some 18 percent ownership of the station. David DuBose, vice president/market manager of Cox Radio Inc. in Birmingham, and a C&IS graduate, is one of the investors who helped facilitate the partnership.

An ABC television affiliate in Montgomery for more than 40 years, WNCF-32 became the first station in Montgomery to broadcast in High Definition TV (HDTV). WNCF-32 is available over-the-air on UHF channel 32, on cable channel 4 in the Montgomery area systems, and its HDTV programming is available over-the-air on channel 51.

The College currently owns and operates a commercial television station from campus, WVUA-7, that was acquired in June 2001. This new addition will enhance the College’s development program for students who intern at the campus television station. Students will now have a more direct Montgomery option, said Dr. E. Culpepper Clark, C&IS dean.

“We are already a major pipeline for talent, with at least 35 students working at WVUA-7, students who can step into any station as interns or members of the professional staff. Now, we can offer opportunities in Montgomery as well as Tuscaloosa. What better way to study coverage of both education and government,” Clark said.

WNCF and WVUA may also work to share programming initiatives. A PAX affiliate, WVUA-7 is a local source for news, weather and sports specifically catered to West Alabama.

WVUA can be seen over-the-air on channel 7 near and around Tuscaloosa and Tuscaloosa County, channel 3 in Greensboro, and channel 25 in Demopolis, and on cable television systems throughout the area. WVUA serves a market of 250,000 viewers in West Alabama.

The College of Communication & Information Sciences is among the largest and most prestigious communication colleges in the nation. C&IS has graduated more than 12,000 students and consistently ranks among the top 10 in number of doctoral degrees awarded and in most of its research programs.