WAVY airs thirty hours of local news a week. It operates its own weather radar, called "Super Doppler 10", at its studios. It was the first in the area to air a local morning broadcast at 5:30 a.m., beginning in 1992, and added weeknight newscasts at 5:00 p.m. in 1989 and 5:30 p.m. in 1994. It is known for being the first Hampton Roads station to use a helicopter to cover local news after introducing "Chopper 10" in 1982. The current Bell 206 Longranger helicopter has been used since 2000. On November 20, 2015; WAVY became the first station in the area to use drone aircraft in their newscasts, known as "Drone 10".