The station's digital signal extends only about 50 miles (80km) from Cordele; however, the station is carried on many cable providers in the region, including in Albany and Perry. Since April 22, 2019, in order to increase its over-the-air reach, WSST-TV's primary channel has been simulcast on WSWG's third digital subchannel.[3]
History
Former logo for WSST-TV
WSST-TV signed on May 22, 1989, as an independent station owned by Sunbelt-South Telecommunications Ltd.[4] The station grew out of a cable-only station for Cordele and Vienna that had started in 1981.[5] Though primarily independent, at various points WSST's schedule has included programming from Channel America,[6]America One, and Youtoo America. WSST was originally jointly owned by William B. Goodson and Phillip A. Streetman; Goodson died in 2006,[5] and Streetman assumed full control in 2007.[7]
Former logos for WSST-TV from 2019 to 2022
On June 18, 2018, Marquee Broadcasting agreed to purchase WSST from Sunbelt-South Telecommunications.[8][9] The sale was completed on September 3, 2018.[10] Marquee subsequently acquired CBS affiliate WSWG from Gray Television, making it a sister station to WSST.[11] In May 2019, WSST-TV affiliated with MyNetworkTV; the affiliation was transferred from a WSWG subchannel.
Local programming
WSST-TV aired a rebroadcast of sister station WSWG's early evening newscast and a prime time newscast, which launched on May 6, 2019;[12] prior to then, WSST produced its own evening newscast. Until 2022, WSST also produced South Georgia Sunrise, a two-hour morning news and talk program, and Midday, a half-hour talk and lifestyle program.
WSST-TV began broadcasting a digital signal in 2003.[5] Its digital transmitter facilities operated at low power for several years, due to Sunbelt-South Telecommunications, Ltd. being involved in bankruptcy proceedings.[needs update][14] The station ended regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 55, on April 15, 2009. WSST's digital signal broadcast on its pre-transition UHF channel 51.[15][16] The station moved to channel 22 in early 2017,[17] and to channel 34 in late 2018.[18]
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.
