![]() | |
| |
---|---|
Channels | |
Branding | Fox 16 Jackson |
Programming | |
Affiliations |
|
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
History | |
First air date | April 18, 1985 |
Former call signs |
|
Former channel number(s) |
|
| |
Call sign meaning | Jackson, Tennessee |
Technical information [1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 68519 |
ERP | 193 kW |
HAAT | 319 m (1,047 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°47′27.1″N89°5′58.2″W / 35.790861°N 89.099500°W |
Links | |
Public license information |
WJKT (channel 16) is a television station in Jackson, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with the Fox network and owned by Nexstar Media Group. Its advertising sales office is located on Oil Well Road in Jackson, and its transmitter is located in Alamo, Tennessee.
Channel 16 went on the air in April 1985 as WJWT, the first independent station in Jackson. It became a Fox affiliate in 1986. MT Communications, owner of then-Fox affiliate WLMT in Memphis, acquired the station at the end of 1989 and changed its call letters to WMTU in January 1990. Even though it lost the Fox affiliation for the Memphis market, WMTU continued to air Fox programming in the Jackson area until being turned into a full-time satellite station in 1992. Along with WLMT, it became an affiliate of UPN in 1995. The call letters were changed to WJKT in 2001, coinciding with the return of local advertising and an attempt to build a separate identity for the station.
Upon the merger of UPN and The WB into The CW in 2006, WJKT instead became a Fox affiliate again. It remained linked to WLMT through the simulcast of its local news programming and was sold along with WLMT and Memphis sister station WPTY-TV (now WATN-TV) twice. In 2019, Nexstar acquired Tribune Media and opted to divest WATN–WLMT in favor of WREG-TV in Memphis. WJKT shares management with WREG-TV and simulcasts some of its local newscasts.
In March 1980, Golden Circle Broadcasting, mostly owned by a Chattanooga company, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to build a new television station on channel 16 in Jackson. [2] Golden Circle intended to program the station as an independent station with family-friendly secular shows. [3] A construction permit was granted in November 1981; [4] little activity occurred on the permit until the end of 1983, when Golden Circle announced that construction on the proposed station, bearing the call sign WUAA, would begin in January 1984. [5]
In late 1984, the call letters on the permit were changed to WJWT (We're Jackson, West Tennessee). [6] Programming including classic reruns and movies as well as St. Louis Cardinals baseball was secured, as was studio space in a former Southern Supply Company building on Royal Street. [7] WJWT began broadcasting on April 18, 1985, and spent most of its early months on air fighting the local cable system for carriage in a timely manner. [8] The system had been holding off to ensure that customers without new converter equipment could continue to receive HBO, a channel whose space was needed for the new local station. [9] In 1986, WJWT became a Fox affiliate at the network's launch. [10] By 1988, it was owned by Lloyd Communications of Rockford, Illinois, and broadcast two local talk shows and weekday local newscasts. [11]
Golden Circle entered into financial problems in 1988, and an application was filed by a group of investors—Jackson Investment Corporation—in February 1989 to buy the station. The investors were associated with Memphis independent station WMKW-TV (channel 30), then the Fox affiliate in that city; the application was objected to by its primary competitor there, WPTY-TV, believing that the acquisition of the Jackson station would present an unfair advantage. Meanwhile, First American National Bank foreclosed on the station and moved to sell its assets in a courthouse auction. [12] No such sale occurred. However, channel 30—having been renamed WLMT by new owners MT Communications that year—bought the license from Golden Circle and the assets from First American National Bank in December. The Jackson station began rebroadcasting almost all of WLMT's programming from new local offices that December. [13] The only deviation at the time of the changeover consisted of two afternoon children's shows that only aired in Jackson. [14] In January 1990, the station changed its call sign to WMTU, becoming the fourth MT Communications station to have a designation reflecting the company's owner, Michael Thompson. [15]
On July 1, 1990, Fox moved its Memphis affiliation from WLMT to WPTY. However, WMTU continued to hold the Fox affiliation in the Jackson market, breaking away from channel 30 to air the network's programs. [16] This continued until March 1992, when the local operation in Jackson was closed: local commercials no longer aired on WMTU, and five jobs were eliminated. [17] That move came as three of the four MT stations—WMTU, WLMT, and WEMT in Greeneville—were being sold to former Virginia lieutenant governor Dick Davis. Max Media—a Virginia company founded by three former officers of TVX Broadcast Group, which had put the then-WMKW-TV on the air in 1983—then would manage the stations for Davis. [18] Max Media's involvement with WLMT–WMTU was comparatively brief, as in 1993, the two stations were leased to Clear Channel Communications, which owned WPTY-TV. [19] WLMT–WMTU joined UPN at its launch in January 1995. [20] That December, WPTY-TV became the ABC affiliate in the Memphis area. [21]
On September 17, 2001, WMTU adopted the new call sign of WJKT as Clear Channel began to give the station a separate identity for the first time in nearly a decade, building off the fact that it owned three radio stations in the Jackson market. [22] It partnered with local cable program producer TotalReach Television to sell advertising for WJKT in Jackson. [23] In 2003, the station began simulcasting WLMT's 9 p.m. Memphis newscast. [24]
In 2006, UPN and The WB merged to form The CW, of which WLMT became an affiliate. However, the merger presented a different opportunity in Jackson, where WJKT returned to the Fox network that August for the first time since 1992. It displaced Memphis Fox affiliate WHBQ-TV on local cable systems; Clear Channel at the time announced its intention to begin producing a local Jackson newscast on the station within 12 to 18 months. [25]
In 2007, Clear Channel spun off its television stations division to private equity firm Providence Equity Partners, forming Newport Television. Nexstar Broadcasting Group then purchased twelve of Newport's stations, including WPTY–WLMT in Memphis and WJKT, in 2012. [26] [27] The next year, WPTY-TV was renamed WATN-TV, and the Memphis operation moved to new facilities that also provided services to WJKT. [28] [29]
Nexstar acquired Tribune Media in 2019. While it retained WJKT, the purchase required Nexstar to choose between its existing Memphis holdings of WATN-TV and WLMT or Tribune-owned WREG-TV, the Memphis CBS affiliate. It chose the latter and spun off the other stations to Tegna Inc. [30] As a result, Nexstar began using WREG-TV's resources to operate WJKT. The two stations share a general manager, [31] and WJKT began airing WREG-TV's 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts. [32]
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
16.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WJKT-DT | Main WJKT programming / Fox |
16.2 | 480i | Escape | Ion Mystery | |
16.3 | Laff | Laff | ||
16.4 | Grit | Grit |
KETK-TV is a television station licensed to Jacksonville, Texas, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for East Texas. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Tyler-licensed low-power MyNetworkTV affiliate KTPN-LD ; Nexstar also provides certain services to Longview-licensed Fox affiliate KFXK-TV under a shared services agreement (SSA) with White Knight Broadcasting. The stations share studios on Richmond Road in Tyler, while KETK-TV's transmitter is located near FM 855 in unincorporated northwestern Cherokee County.
KFXK-TV is a television station licensed to Longview, Texas, United States, serving East Texas as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by White Knight Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Nexstar Media Group owner of Jacksonville-licensed NBC affiliate KETK-TV and Tyler-licensed low-power MyNetworkTV affiliate KTPN-LD, for the provision of certain services. The stations share studios on Richmond Road in Tyler; KFXK-TV's transmitter is located near FM 125 in rural northwestern Rusk County. It is rebroadcast by KFXL-LD in Lufkin, from a transmitter northwest of the city on SH 103 near Loop 287.
WHBQ-TV is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with the Fox network and owned by Imagicomm Communications. The station's studios are located on South Highland Street in East Memphis, and its transmitter is located on Raleigh-LaGrange Road on the city's northeast side.
WREG-TV is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Channel 3 Drive near the Mississippi River on the west side of Memphis, and its transmitter is located near Bartlett, Tennessee.
WATN-TV is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside dual CW/MyNetworkTV affiliate WLMT. The two stations share studios at the Shelby Oaks Corporate Park on Shelby Oaks Drive in the northeast section of Memphis; WATN-TV's transmitter is located in the Brunswick section of unincorporated northeast Shelby County.
WLMT is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with The CW and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside ABC affiliate WATN-TV. The two stations share studios at the Shelby Oaks Corporate Park on Shelby Oaks Drive in northeast Memphis; WLMT's transmitter is located in the Brunswick section of unincorporated northeast Shelby County.
WKNO is a PBS member television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The station is owned by the Mid-South Public Communications Foundation, a non-profit organization governed by a board of trustees composed of volunteers, and is operated alongside NPR member WKNO-FM (91.1). The two stations share studios on Cherry Farms Road with the TV station's transmitter on Raleigh LaGrange Road, both in the Cordova section of unincorporated Shelby County.
WLAX is a television station licensed to La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the La Crosse–Eau Claire market. It operates a full-time satellite, WEUX, licensed to Chippewa Falls and serving the Eau Claire area. The stations are owned by Nexstar Media Group. WLAX maintains studios at Interchange Place in La Crosse and a transmitter in La Crescent, Minnesota, while WEUX has offices on WIS 93 in Eau Claire and a transmitter southeast of Colfax.
KLJB is a television station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Quad Cities area. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of Rock Island, Illinois–licensed CBS affiliate WHBF-TV and Burlington, Iowa–licensed CW owned-and-operated station KGCW, for the provision of certain services. The stations share studios in the Telco Building on 18th Street in downtown Rock Island, while KLJB's transmitter is located near Orion, Illinois.
KCWI-TV is a television station licensed to Ames, Iowa, United States, serving as the CW affiliate for the Des Moines area. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside ABC affiliate WOI-DT, also licensed to Ames. Both stations share studios on Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, while KCWI-TV's transmitter is located in Alleman, Iowa.
WEMT is a television station licensed to Greeneville, Tennessee, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Tri-Cities area. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Bristol, Virginia–licensed dual NBC/CW affiliate WCYB-TV, for the provision of certain services. However, Sinclair effectively owns WEMT; the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. Both stations share studios on Lee Street on the Virginia side of Bristol, while WEMT's transmitter is located at Rye Patch Knob on Holston Mountain in the Cherokee National Forest.
WZDX is a television station in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, affiliated with Fox and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on North Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, and its transmitter is located on Monte Sano Mountain.
WLJT-DT, branded on-air as West TN PBS, is a PBS member television station licensed to Lexington, Tennessee, United States, serving western and northwestern Tennessee. The station is owned by the West Tennessee Public Television Council and maintains studios in Martin on rented space at the University of Tennessee at Martin; its transmitter is located on U.S. Route 412 midway between Jackson and Lexington.
KGCW is a television station licensed to Burlington, Iowa, United States, serving as the CW network outlet for the Quad Cities area. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside regional CBS affiliate WHBF-TV. Nexstar also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KLJB under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. The stations share studios in the Telco Building on 18th Street in downtown Rock Island, Illinois, while KGCW's transmitter is located near Orion, Illinois.
KVEO-TV is a television station licensed to Brownsville, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as an affiliate of NBC and CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Harlingen-licensed primary Antenna TV owned-and-operated station and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate KGBT-TV. Both stations share studios on West Expressway in Harlingen, while KVEO-TV's transmitter is located in Santa Maria, Texas.
Between 1994 and 1996, a wide-ranging realignment of television network affiliations took place in the United States as the result of a multimillion-dollar deal between the Fox Broadcasting Company and New World Communications, announced on May 23, 1994. Unprecedented in the broadcast industry, the deal resulted in twelve stations owned by, or in the process of being purchased by New World, switching network affiliations to Fox over the course of a two-year period when existing contracts expired. These stations were long-standing affiliates of the traditional "Big Three" television networks—CBS, NBC, and ABC—in some of the country's largest markets, with the majority having been aligned with CBS individually for over 40 years.
WWCW is a television station licensed to Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, serving as the CW outlet for the Roanoke–Lynchburg market. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Roanoke-licensed Fox affiliate WFXR. Both stations share studios at the Valleypointe office park on Valleypointe Parkway in northeastern Roanoke County; WWCW operates an advertising sales office on Airport Road, along Lynchburg's southwestern border with Campbell County. The station's transmitter is located on Thaxton Mountain in unincorporated central Bedford County. WFXR broadcasts WWCW's CW programming from its transmitter on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County as one of its subchannels and vice versa.
WYJJ-LD is a low-power television station in Jackson, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with several digital multicast networks. The station is owned by Innovate Corp., and maintains a transmitter on Radio Road on Jackson's north side.
KJNB-LD is a low-power television station in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States, affiliated with Fox and CBS. Owned by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company LLC, the station maintains a small office in the Regions Bank Building in Jonesboro, and its transmitter is located on Highway 91/Southern Avenue in unincorporated Lawrence County, southeast of Walnut Ridge.
KPMF-LD is a low-power television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with several digital multicast networks. It is owned by Innovate Corp. alongside WQEK-LD. The two stations' transmitters are co-located on the WATN/WLMT tower off Brief Road in the Brunswick section of unincorporated northeast Shelby County.