May 23, 2013
60 Moments: Evolution of WSAZ.com
Back in the mid-nineties before "Internet" became a household word, many had their doubts on how much it would become a mainstream platform for local news -- but not a few creative minds at WSAZ. They jumped on board the information super highway and started WSAZ.com.
The site, which first launched in 1995, wasn't pretty compared to today's standards -- but it looked good at the time.
In the early days, we linked to our local news stories that were posted on MSNBC.com. WSAZ.com also offered basic features like our local weathercams and school closing information.
Over the next few years, the design was updated and new content was added, including streaming video and our very popular featured links -- direct links to sites we mention on TV.
In 2001, we broke new ground with a live internet chat with then-Governor Bob Wise. He came to our Charleston studio and chatted with about 300 of our viewers.
The site's look was overhauled a few more times, and in 2005, WSAZ.com started offering more streaming video than ever before. Video was such a big hit, we started streaming all of our newscasts live in January 2008.
Today: WSAZ.com is the region's leading source for news, providing breaking news as it happens, live feeds, severe weather alerts, and even an iPhone app. The site averages more than 600,000 unique visitors each month.
Only the future will tell what will come next, but you can count on WSAZ.com to be on the cutting edge of tomorrow's technology.
Click here to return to the 60 Moments in WSAZ History page.
