Chronicle

Chronicle is an American newsmagazine television program that is produced by two New England television stations owned by Hearst Television: WCVB-TV (channel 5) in Boston, Massachusetts and WMUR-TV (channel 9) in Manchester, New Hampshire. The program premiered on WCVB on January 25, 1982, and the WMUR version premiered in September 2001. It airs weeknights at 7:00 p.m. on WMUR and 7:30 p.m. on WCVB, offering an informative lifestyle, cultural and news-related magazine format, most often covering a single topic within each broadcast. The introductions of each segment and of the program itself are broadcast live, while on-location material is pre-recorded. On October 25, 2006, the WCVB edition of Chronicle began broadcasting in high definition, converting all story segments to a letterboxed format. It is unknown as to whether the WMUR New Hampshire edition will follow suit. In addition, WTAE-TV (channel 4) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also owned by Hearst, has produced a series of specials based on the Chronicle format since 2013. Other Hearst stations have since done specials under the Chronicle format including WESH (channel 2) in Daytona Beach, Florida; WXII-TV (channel 12) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and WVTM-TV (channel 13) in Birmingham, Alabama (the latter of which will start in fall 2018). Synopsis Many of the stories on Chronicle involve those that are of interest to New Englanders, from landmarks, vacation getaways, and the fine arts, to inspirational stories of people who overcame adversity, made an important contribution to society or, those who are currently in the news. However, Chronicle tends to avoid sensational tabloid topics and, since its premiere, has never featured story content that underestimates the intellect of its audience. The program has been highly regarded for most of its existence, and its long-running segments, most notably The Main Streets & Back Roads, have become institutions. Main Streets and Back Roads Main Streets & Back Roads is Chronicles longest-lasting regular segment; each installment profiles a different rural town from around the region. Interviews with residents, business owners, and anyone else who has significance to the location are featured. Often, the basic lifestyles of the area are covered, but sometimes the legends or famous myths of the city or town are investigated.