WGBP-TV

Last updated
"WLGA" redirects here. For the government association, see Welsh Local Government Association."WGBP" redirects here. For the former FM station in Wisconsin, see WGBP-FM.

WGBP-TV
WGBP logo.jpg
City Opelika, Alabama
Channels
BrandingWGBP-TV
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • CNZ Communications, LLC
  • (CNZ Communications SE, LLC)
History
First air date
May 16, 1982(41 years ago) (1982-05-16)
Former call signs
  • WSWS-TV (1982–2005)
  • WLGA (2005–2020)
  • WGBP (2020)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 66 (UHF, 1982–2009)
  • Digital: 47 (UHF, 2009–2013), 30 (UHF, 2013–2019)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 11113
ERP
  • DTS1: 550 kW
  • DTS2: 589 kW
HAAT
  • DTS1: 537 m (1,762 ft)
  • DTS2: 424 m (1,391 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
Links
Public license information
Website wgbptv.com

WGBP-TV (channel 66) is a television station licensed to Opelika, Alabama, United States, broadcasting the digital multicast network NBC LX Home and owned by CNZ Communications, LLC. WGBP-TV is broadcast from a two-site distributed transmission system, with transmitters at Cusseta and Warm Springs, Georgia. [2]

Contents

Channel 66 was allocated to Opelika in the early 1978 and went on air as WSWS-TV in 1982. It was an independent station for its first two years before airing the programs of the Christian Television Network for a decade. The station returned to secular programming in 1995 as an affiliate of The WB; it moved its programming to a cable channel in the Columbus, Georgia, market in 1998, leaving channel 66 an independent again until then-owner Pappas Telecasting affiliated some of its stations with UPN in 1999. The transmitter was moved from near Opelika to Cusseta, Georgia, in 2005. After The WB and UPN merged into The CW in 2006, channel 66 was an affiliate of that network until a sudden affiliation move in April 2009, amidst the bankruptcy of Pappas. The station was off the air for most of the period from June 2010 to June 2012 and was the last broadcast property held by a liquidating trust for Pappas, finally being sold in 2016 to CNZ Communications. CNZ built the Warm Springs transmitter, placing sufficient signal over parts of the Atlanta metropolitan area and allowing it to ask for must-carry pay television coverage within the far larger Atlanta market.

History

In Opelika: Early years

At the petition of Wardean, Inc., the Federal Communications Commission allocated channel 66 to Opelika in 1978. [3] Wardean then filed for and obtained a construction permit for the channel in 1979. [4] However, it opted to wait to start the station because of high interest rates stifling the economy. [5]

WSWS-TV went on the air on May 23, 1982, a week after starting test broadcasts, as an independent station. [6] Two years later, it was sold to the Christian Television Network (CTN) of Largo, Florida, airing Christian ministry programs as well as financial news from the Financial News Network. It was CTN's first television ministry outside of Florida. [7] As a ministry, the station was hindered by its location in Opelika and not the main population center in its coverage area, Columbus, Georgia. When station manager Ron E. Cottle proposed opening a Columbus studio in 1987, neighbors near the planned facility protested its location in a residential area. [8] Its signal was weak on local cable systems, and Phenix City Cable removed the station from its lineup in 1988 to add TNT. [9]

Affiliations with The WB, UPN, and The CW

After a decade, the station started to emerge from Christian programming. It was sold to RCH Broadcasting, also known as Genesis Broadcasting, of Tampa and affiliated with The WB after taking programming from America One to replace its Christian programs. [10] RCH then sold it to Pappas Telecasting. [11] The WB, however, was not a panacea for its poor signal, which continued to trouble local cable companies that refused to carry the station; a plan to move to the tower of WRBL and WTVM in Cusseta, Georgia, fell through. [12] In 1998, WSWS-TV announced it would switch from The WB to UPN. [13] However, by the fall, UPN still had not moved, though it had lost The WB to a cable channel; in October, UPN programs were only being seen on WCGT-LP (channel 16), [14] which had just gained the UPN affiliation in April. [15] It was not until September 1999 that UPN affiliated with WSWS-TV. [16]

In 2005, the station began to prepare to relocate from its original transmitter site at Salem Hill, near Opelika, to Cusseta, where it was building a new 1,766-foot (538 m) mast and high-power transmission facility near that used by WRBL and WTVM; it also planned to relocate its offices to Columbus. [17] However, the tower suddenly blew over in a storm on February 27. [18] During the rebuild, Pappas proceeded with its relaunch plans, including changing the call sign to WLGA on June 27, 2005. [19] The tower was rebuilt at a height of 1,814-foot (553 m) and brought into service late in 2005. [20] When The WB and UPN merged to form The CW in 2006, WLGA—the only broadcast affiliate between the two networks [20] —became its Columbus-area affiliate as part of a 10-year agreement between the new network and Pappas. [21]

Loss of CW affiliation

On April 2, 2009, it was announced that The CW would move to a subchannel of NBC affiliate WLTZ beginning April 27. The move came at a perilous moment for Pappas. The company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in May 2008; while the beginning of the Great Recession was primarily to blame, the company's bankruptcy filing specifically cited The CW's poor ratings. [22]

After operating as an independent, the station's on-air record became spotty while Pappas worked through bankruptcy. On June 4, 2010, Pappas took WLGA off the air citing its bankruptcy and "the scarcity of funds generally" at the venture. [23] It briefly went back on the air beginning June 1, 2011, to retain its license before leaving the air again on June 14, 2011. [24] The station went back on the air in 2012 with WeatherNation and later Antenna TV, but it continued to be in Pappas's liquidating trust. By 2015, just three former Pappas stations had not been sold: the combination of KCWI-TV and KDMI in Des Moines, Iowa, and WLGA. [25]

CNZ Communications ownership; Atlanta move-in

Pappas finally liquidated WLGA in 2016 by selling it to CNZ Communications for $500,000. [26]

CNZ invested in adding a second transmitter at Warm Springs, Georgia, converting the station into a distributed transmission system (DTS). The primary purpose of this was to extend the station's signal to include the Atlanta area, a move that allowed CNZ to successfully petition Nielsen Media Research to reclassify the station into the Atlanta designated market area in September 2020. At that time, the call sign changed to WGBP-TV. [27] In January 2022, the FCC denied a carriage complaint made by WGBP-TV against satellite TV provider DirecTV, but it signaled that the station would qualify for must-carry status in Columbus and Atlanta during the next round of retransmission consent elections. [27]

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WGBP-TV [28]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
66.1 720p 16:9 WGBPTV NBC LX Home → Merit Street Media (eff. 4/2/2024)
66.2 480i Twistblank
66.3Quest Quest
66.4HSN HSN
66.5QVC QVC
66.7TRUCRIM True Crime Network
66.8QVC2 QVC2
66.9DigiTVblank
66.10MajestaMajestad TV
66.11 4:3 ShopLC Shop LC
66.12CRTV Infomercials

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWHO</span> CW affiliate in Chillicothe, Ohio

WWHO is a television station licensed to Chillicothe, Ohio, United States, serving the Columbus area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Manhan Media, Inc., which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of ABC/MyNetworkTV/Fox affiliate WSYX, for the provision of certain services. Sinclair also operates TBD station WTTE under a separate LMA with Cunningham Broadcasting; however, Sinclair effectively owns WTTE as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The three stations share studios on Dublin Road in Grandview Heights ; WWHO's transmitter is located in the Franklinton section of Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSTR-TV</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Cincinnati

WSTR-TV, branded on-air as Star 64, is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Deerfield Media, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of dual CBS/CW affiliate WKRC-TV, for the provision of advertising sales and other services. The two stations share studios on Highland Avenue in the Mount Auburn section of Cincinnati; WSTR's transmitter, Star Tower, is located in the city's College Hill neighborhood.

WUPA, branded Atlanta 69, is an independent television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The station is owned by the CBS News and Stations group and maintains studios on Northeast Expressway (I-85) in unincorporated DeKalb County ; its transmitter is located near Shepherds Lane and Arnold Avenue in the Woodland Hills section of northeastern Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBQC-LD</span> Low-power Telemundo affiliate in Cincinnati

WBQC-LD is a low-power television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Fox affiliate WXIX-TV and 24/7 weather channel WZCD-LD. The three stations share studios at 19 Broadcast Plaza on Seventh Street in the Queensgate neighborhood just west of downtown Cincinnati; WBQC-LD's transmitter is located on Symmes Street in the Mount Auburn section of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKRC-TV</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Cincinnati

WKRC-TV is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to MyNetworkTV affiliate WSTR-TV under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Deerfield Media. The two stations share studios on Highland Avenue in the Mount Auburn section of Cincinnati, where WKRC-TV's transmitter is also located.

WUTB is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, airing programming from the digital multicast network TBD. It is owned by Deerfield Media, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate WBFF, for the provision of certain services. Sinclair also operates CW affiliate WNUV under a separate local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns WNUV as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The stations share studios on 41st Street off the Jones Falls Expressway in the Woodberry neighborhood of north Baltimore. Through a channel sharing agreement, WUTB and WBFF transmit using the latter station's spectrum from an antenna adjacent to the studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSKN</span> CW affiliate in Spokane, Washington

KSKN is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside CBS affiliate KREM. Both stations share studios on South Regal Street in Spokane, while KSKN's transmitter is on Krell Hill southeast of Spokane.

KSNB-TV is a television station licensed to York, Nebraska, United States, serving southeastern and central Nebraska as an affiliate of NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliates KOLN/KGIN in Lincoln and Grand Island, and CW+ affiliate KCWH-LD in Lincoln. KSNB-TV's transmitter is located near Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. Its news operations are primarily based at a studio located north of Hastings on US 281, with a secondary news bureau and sales office on West State Street in Grand Island. Master control and some internal operations are based at KOLN's facilities on North 40th Street in Lincoln. The KSNB-TV signal reaches Lincoln; in the Tri-Cities area of the market, KSNB-TV is broadcast as a subchannel of KGIN.

KSMO-TV is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate KCTV. The two stations share studios on Shawnee Mission Parkway in Fairway, Kansas; KSMO-TV's transmitter is located in Independence, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KCWE</span> CW affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri

KCWE is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside ABC affiliate KMBC-TV. The two stations share studios on Winchester Avenue in the Ridge-Winchester section of Kansas City, Missouri; KCWE's transmitter is located in the city's Blue Valley section.

KAUT-TV is a television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, serving as the local outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, alongside NBC affiliate KFOR-TV. The two stations share studios in Oklahoma City's McCourry Heights section; KAUT-TV's transmitter is located on the city's northeast side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KOCB</span> Independent station in Oklahoma City

KOCB is an independent television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Fox affiliate KOKH-TV. The stations' studios and transmitter facilities are co-located on East Wilshire Boulevard and 78th Street on the city's northeast side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The CW</span> American broadcast television network

The CW Television Network is an American English-language commercial broadcast television network controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75-percent ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the first letters of the names of its two founding co-owners CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.. Nexstar closed its acquisition of a controlling interest in the network on October 3, 2022, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery each retaining a 12.5-percent ownership stake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTIV</span> NBC/CW affiliate in Sioux City, Iowa

KTIV is a television station in Sioux City, Iowa, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on Signal Hill Drive in Sioux City, and its transmitter is located near Hinton, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WQWQ-LD</span> Low-power Telemundo affiliate in Paducah, Kentucky

WQWQ-LD is a low-power television station broadcasting from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, as an affiliate of the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television alongside KFVS-TV, a dual affiliate of CBS and The CW. The two stations share studios in the Hirsch Tower on Broadway Avenue in downtown Cape Girardeau; WQWQ-LD's transmitter is located northwest of Egypt Mills, in unincorporated Cape Girardeau County. Though WQWQ-LD is licensed to serve Paducah, Kentucky, its signal does not cover that city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCBI-TV</span> CBS/Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Columbus, Mississippi

WCBI-TV is a television station licensed to Columbus, Mississippi, United States, serving the Columbus–Tupelo market as an affiliate of CBS, Fox, and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Morris Multimedia, which provides certain services to West Point–licensed CW+ affiliate WLOV-TV under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Coastal Television Broadcasting Company. The two stations share studios on 5th Street South in Downtown Columbus; WCBI-TV's transmitter is located in northwestern Clay County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLTZ</span> NBC/CW affiliate in Columbus, Georgia

WLTZ is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of ABC affiliate WTVM, for the provision of certain services. Gray also operates Fox affiliate WXTX under a separate SSA with owner American Spirit Media. WLTZ's studios and transmitter are located on NBC 38 Drive off Buena Vista Road on the east side of the city. Master control and most internal operations are based at WTVM and WXTX's shared studios on Wynnton Road in the Dinglewood section of Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFXL-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska

KFXL-TV is a television station in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for southern and central Nebraska, including Hastings, Kearney, and Grand Island. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside the Nebraska Television Network (NTV), the ABC affiliate for the western portion of the Lincoln–Hastings–Kearney market, and is also broadcast as a subchannel of the NTV stations in Kearney, Hayes Center, and McCook. The two stations share studios on Nebraska Highway 44 in Axtell, about 14 miles (23 km) south of Kearney, with a secondary studio and news bureau at the Conestoga Mall in Grand Island; KFXL-TV's transmitter is located on Yankee Hill Road in southeast Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXTX</span> Fox affiliate in Columbus, Georgia

WXTX is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by American Spirit Media, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of ABC affiliate WTVM, for the provision of certain services. Gray also operates dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WLTZ under a separate SSA with owner SagamoreHill Broadcasting. WXTX and WTVM share studios on Wynnton Road in the Dinglewood section of Columbus; WXTX's transmitter is located in the Vista Terrace section of South Columbus.

WYBU-CD is a low-power Class A television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, owned by the Christian Television Network (CTN). The station's studios are located on 4th Place in Phenix City, Alabama, and its transmitter is located on Windtree Drive west of Phenix City.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WGBP-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "RabbitEars Contour Map for WGBP". RabbitEars . Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  3. ↑ Murphy, Mark (June 2, 1978). "FCC OKs Channel For Opelika-Auburn". The Columbus Enquirer. p. B-1. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Murphy, Mark (January 6, 1980). "Albany Venture Also Set: TV Station Planned for Opelika". The Columbus Ledger. p. B-1. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Murphy, Mark (January 8, 1981). "Interest Rates Hinder Chance of Lee TV Station". The Columbus Enquirer. p. B-1. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Okamoto, Sandra (May 23, 1982). "Opelika's WSWS-TV 66 Goes on the Air Today". The Sunday Ledger-Enquirer. Columbus, Georgia. p. TV Book 12. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Quinley, Pat (August 11, 1984). "New Christian Station to Have Local Segment". Ledger-Enquirer. p. A-14. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Edelstein, Ken (March 14, 1987). "TV Minister, Neighborhood Cross Wires: Residents Fight Plan for Studio". Ledger-Enquirer. p. A-5, A-13 . Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Walsh, Mick (October 14, 1988). "Phenix Cable scraps Channel 66 for TNT". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C-7. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Walsh, Mick (August 20, 1995). "WB Network kicks off with premier of 'Kirk'". Ledger-Enquirer. p. TV Book 3. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Walsh, Mick (November 28, 1995). "Sale of Opelika station awaits FCC approval". Ledger-Enquirer. p. D3. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Walsh, Mick (September 4, 1996). "Warner affiliate WSWS-TV hits snag in road". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C5. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Walsh, Mick (October 13, 1998). "In the Loop: Artist credits teacher for hobby". Ledger-Enquirer. p. B1, B2 . Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Walsh, Mick (October 20, 1998). "In the Loop: Irish author tells secret of dramatic storytelling at CSU". Ledger-Enquirer. p. B1, B2 . Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Walsh, Mick (April 30, 1998). "New venue for annual race sure to leave dogs barking". Ledger-Enquirer. p. B1, B2 . Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 13, 1999. p. 56.
  17. ↑ Adams, Tony (February 26, 2005). "Channel 66 prepares for power surge: Local UPN affiliate expects 'everything' to be better". Ledger-Enquirer. p. A1, A3 . Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Brasher, Bryan (March 1, 2005). "Tower crash cause unclear: Expanded UPN signal was to begin operating by May". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C1. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Adams, Tony (July 19, 2005). "TV tower ready to rise again". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C5. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  20. 1 2 Adams, Tony (January 25, 2006). "TV execs merge WB, UPN networks". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C7, C8 . Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "CW, Pappas sign affiliation agreement". Ledger-Enquirer. May 16, 2006. p. C8. Retrieved February 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Hernandez, Andrea V. (April 3, 2009). "WLTZ's parent firm to carry CW Network in Columbus". Ledger–Enquirer. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  23. ↑ "BLSTA - 20100628BFZ Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". Federal Communications Commission. June 28, 2010.
  24. ↑ "BLSTA - 20110623ADL Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". Federal Communications Commission. June 23, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Sinclair Buys Six Pappas Stations In Neb". TVNewsCheck. November 4, 2015.
  26. ↑ "BALCDT - 20160108ABR Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  27. 1 2 Eggerton, John (January 6, 2022). "FCC Denies Must-Carry Complaint Against DirecTV". Multichannel News. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  28. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for WGBP". RabbitEars .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.