WUPA

Last updated

WUPA
Channels
BrandingAtlanta 69
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
August 22, 1981
(43 years ago) (1981-08-22)
Former call signs
WVEU (1981–1995)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 69 (UHF, 1981–2009)
  • Digital: 43 (UHF, 2001–2019)
  • Independent (1981–1995)
  • Superstar TV (1981–1983)
  • UPN (1995–2006)
  • The CW (2006–2023)
Call sign meaning
 United Paramount Atlanta, for its former affiliation
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 6900
ERP 1,000 kW
HAAT 328.6 m (1,078 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 33°48′26.4″N84°20′21.5″W / 33.807333°N 84.339306°W / 33.807333; -84.339306
Links
Public license information
Website atlanta69.com

WUPA (channel 69), 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 (near North Druid Hills).

Contents

Channel 69 in Atlanta first began broadcasting in 1981 as WVEU. Years of technical issues provoked by interference to mobile radio users and consequent limitations on the station's operating hours and signal strength contributed to the failure of subscription television (STV) and a music video service that operated the station. WVEU's local founders sold the station to CBS in 1994 at a time when CBS needed to find a new affiliate in Atlanta, but the network was able to negotiate to affiliate with another, more built-up station instead. WVEU became an affiliate of UPN and was then sold to the Paramount Stations Group. Under the new WUPA call sign, Paramount substantially improved the station's programming and ratings in the years that followed before UPN was replaced with The CW in 2006. After successive owner Paramount Global sold the majority of its stake in The CW to Nexstar Media Group in 2022, WUPA disaffiliated from the network on September 1, 2023, reverting to independent status.

History

Construction, land mobile dispute, and STV years (1981–1984)

The Peachtree Plaza Hotel was the original transmitter site for WVEU. Westin Peachtree Plaza Atlanta.jpg
The Peachtree Plaza Hotel was the original transmitter site for WVEU.

In 1978, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received two applications for new television stations to use channel 69 in Atlanta; on August 19, 1980, the final decision was given to award it to a consortium of Atlanta-based investors known as Broadcast Corporation of Georgia (BCG), which proposed a hybrid operation consisting of conventional ad-supported programming in the daytime and a subscription television (STV) service in evening hours. [3] BCG's majority owner, Atlanta attorney David Harris, was approached by backers of a California STV company whom he thought were merely seeking advice on how to build the station. [4] The antenna atop the Peachtree Plaza Hotel from which channel 69 would radiate had been hoisted into place in mid-August, days before the license decision was publicized. [5] The subscription programming would be supplied under the Superstar TV name by Subscription Television of Greater Atlanta, a consortium originally reported to be co-owned by Clint Murchison—who had subscription television holdings in other cities, including the Super TV service in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore markets—and Atlanta electronics manufacturer Dynacom, which would produce the decoders subscribers would need to view Superstar programming. [6] In actuality, the owner was not Clint Murchison but Clyde A. Murchison, whom a 1982 article in The Atlanta Constitution described as Clint's great-nephew. [7] [lower-alpha 1]

WVEU began broadcasting on August 22, 1981. [12] However, a planned full launch on October 1 had to be scuttled because the station's broadcasts on channel 69—at the top of the TV band, 800 to 806 MHz—were interfering with two-way land mobile radio transmissions. Further, the station had planned to fill daytime hours with programming from a business news service known as The Market Report, which ran into financial difficulties and was unable to start on time. [13] Superstar TV was able to begin operating before the end of the year, [14] with an official kickoff held on January 8, 1982. [15] The FCC continued to curtail WVEU's operating hours; WVEU was only allowed to sign on after 7 p.m. on weekdays and after 3 p.m. on Saturdays, though it was allowed to operate all day on Sundays. It only offered commercial, non-STV programming on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 3 pm, running Superstar TV at all other times it was on the air. [7]

The two-way radio dispute continued to loom large over every facet of WVEU's operations for several years, as the station subsisted on production contracts. [16] In June 1983, the FCC ruled that the station could begin operating at 50 percent power before 7 p.m. if it paid an estimated $250,000 to relocate all of the land mobile users affected by interference. However, these users protested the decision and filed for reconsideration with the commission. [17] In February 1984, the FCC ordered the station to engage the users or pay them to relocate on penalty of losing the provisional program test authority under which WVEU had operated since 1981. [18] While the dispute was resolved by July 1984, when the FCC granted a full license to BCG, the issue had doomed Superstar TV, which filed for bankruptcy in April 1983 and made its last broadcasts on the morning of July 23 with fewer than 3,000 subscribers. [19] [20]

The independent years (1984–1995)

To replace Superstar TV, WVEU signed an operating agreement with VideoMusic Channel, which had broadcast music videos on Atlanta-area cable systems, to program nearly all of channel 69's airtime. [17] The station brought the programming in-house in August 1984 [21] before eventually canceling it altogether and replacing it with syndicated shows and reruns because, it learned, music videos were not very "salable" to advertisers. [22] That same year, negotiations were held and an initial agreement reached to sell the station to the RBP Corporation of Massachusetts, but no transaction was consummated. [23]

The station also made its first entry into the television sports market, airing what was to be a package of 30 Atlanta Hawks NBA games in the 1984–85 season, with John Sterling as the play-by-play announcer. [24] This package was whittled down to 19 games because of insufficient advertiser interest. [25] A new 20-game package was carried in the following season, this time with the Hawks selling the advertising time; [26] the Hawks later added a game at The Omni that sold out, their first home telecast in two years. [27]

We are owned by six people, none of whom is extremely wealthy. We are, then, at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to funds. At the same time, we never make a purchase for which we don't know how we are going to pay. We have almost no debt.

Vance Eckersley,general manager, WVEU, on the station's programming resources [16]

Through the mid-1990s, WVEU became Atlanta's television station of last resort while a stabilizing WATL (channel 36) and a growing WGNX (channel 46) became the city's primary local independents. In a 1991 article by Prentis Rogers in The Atlanta Constitution , it was described as the city's "quicker picker-upper", [28] constantly airing shows that the local network affiliates passed on. These included CBS's morning news program (under the titles of the CBS Morning News, The Morning Program , and CBS This Morning ) from 1986 through 1994 [29] [30] and its late night programming, [31] as well as numerous preempted network sports telecasts that the local affiliates could not air due to scheduling conflicts. Beyond displaced network programs, WVEU featured an eclectic mix, a function of being what Business Atlanta writer Russell Shaw called the "poor cousin" of Atlanta independent television. [16] There were telecasts of martial arts movies under the banner Black Belt Theater and later hosted by Morgus the Magnificent, a character first introduced decades prior in Detroit and New Orleans; [31] professional wrestling; a weekday public access show, Community; The Auto Doctor, a locally produced weekly magazine show about cars; [32] and jazz music video show Jazz Beat. [33] After another proposed sale, this one to the Home Shopping Network in 1989, [34] fell through, the station added Japanese-language programming under the title 600 Station to its morning lineup. [35]

Almost a CBS affiliate

On May 23, 1994, as a result of the network winning the rights to air NFC football games, [36] New World Communications announced an affiliation deal with Fox to switch the affiliations of most of New World's stations to the network. One of the stations involved was WAGA-TV (channel 5), which would replace Fox-owned WATL as that network's Atlanta outlet. This left CBS in the position of seeking a new Atlanta-area affiliate. [37]

In July, BCG approached CBS and proposed to sell WVEU to the network. Two months later, CBS had still not lined up a new affiliate in Atlanta, even though WAGA was due to join Fox at year's end. Unable to find a higher-profile station, CBS agreed to buy WVEU for $22 million and relaunch it as a CBS owned-and-operated station. [38] Bill Carter of The New York Times called CBS's purchases of WVEU and WGPR-TV in Detroit "little more than acquisitions of broadcasting licenses" because the stations lacked the facilities and staff typical of network affiliates. [39] For this reason, a CBS move to WVEU would have meant an unprecedented campaign to build up the station, including major expenses in promotion and starting a local news department. One consultant interviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution estimated that CBS would have to spend as much as $100 million over several years to build out WVEU. Those expenses potentially included replacing channel 69's facilities off I-85, which were of inadequate size for a full-service, news-producing station. [40] In return, while CBS was guaranteed to have an affiliate, it faced the prospect of steep ratings declines for the CBS Evening News [39] and had a much weaker signal than the outgoing WAGA. [41] For the outgoing Broadcast Corporation of Georgia, and particularly for majority owner David Harris, the sale to CBS was an unexpected windfall. WVEU had never turned a profit in its 13-year history; in 1993, it became cash flow–positive for the first time in its history. [4]

As 1994 continued, CBS took only minimal steps to close on the purchase and continued to campaign for a better partner. The network continued to negotiate with Fox and with Tribune Broadcasting, then-owner of WGNX. By mid-November, CBS had not filed paperwork for the deal at the FCC, even though WAGA was scheduled to join Fox within a month. CBS executives refused to confirm that they were still moving forward with the deal. [42] On November 16, it was announced that CBS would not be moving to WVEU but instead to WGNX. CBS had preferred to move to a station that already aired local news, even if it was only an affiliate; WGNX was the only independent station in the market that already had a functioning news department. [43] CBS committed to buy WVEU and immediately resell it. [44]

UPN affiliation (1995–2006)

Even though channel 69 was not to be the CBS affiliate in Atlanta, WVEU emerged from the sale to CBS having secured a valuable network affiliation. WATL aligned with the upstart WB network for January 1995, and the new United Paramount Network (UPN) still had not signed up an Atlanta affiliate. With no other realistic options available, UPN signed an agreement with WVEU in December, a month before its launch. [45] Behind UPN came a buyer: the Paramount Stations Group, which began to negotiate with CBS to acquire WVEU. [46] Paid programming was reduced from 40 hours a week to 13, and stronger syndicated and UPN shows lifted channel 69's ratings. [47]

In May 1995, CBS agreed to sell WVEU to Viacom, the parent company of the Paramount Stations Group, for $27 million; to stay under the 12-station ownership limit of the time, the company sold one of its non-UPN stations, KSLA in Shreveport, Louisiana. [47] After closing on the purchase, Viacom began a significant makeover of the station. This included a new call sign, WUPA (for United Paramount/Atlanta), which it assumed on December 11, as well as a more aggressive stance to purchasing syndicated programming. [48] Household ratings tripled, and the network recognized WUPA as its first affiliate of the year. [49]

In the late 1990s, WUPA began to add local sports programming. When TBS converted from a superstation to a basic cable channel, it was forced to reduce the number of Atlanta Braves baseball games it telecast. WUPA picked up an 11-game package of Braves games sold by TBS for the 1998 season, [50] which became a 30-game package for 1999 [51] before being reclaimed for the new Turner South regional cable channel in 2000. [52] When Atlanta got a hockey team, the new Atlanta Thrashers aired 15 games a year on WUPA. [53] The Hawks returned to channel 69 in 2001 after 15 years when their existing carrier, WHOT-TV (channel 34), was sold to be changed to Spanish-language programming. [54]

Over the course of the early 2000s, WUPA sought to bolster its local identity. It changed its branding from "UPN 69" to "UPN Atlanta" in 2003 and began producing non-news specials; it also sponsored the Music Midtown festival. [55]

The CW (2006–2023)

Former logo as CW 69 WUPA logo.svg
Former logo as CW 69

On January 24, 2006, the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner and CBS Corporation (which had been created as a result of the split of Viacom at the start of the year) announced that the two companies would shut down The WB and UPN and combine the networks' respective programming to create a new "fifth" network called The CW; the day of the announcement, it was revealed that 11 of CBS Corporation's 15 UPN affiliates, including WUPA, would become CW stations. [56] [57]

Return to independence (2023)

On October 3, 2022, Nexstar Media Group acquired majority ownership of The CW. [58] Under the agreement, CBS was given the right to pull its affiliations from WUPA and its seven other CW stations. On May 5, 2023, CBS announced it would exercise that right and WUPA would cease airing the network's programming at the end of August, returning to independent status. [59] The CW affiliation was moved to Gray Television-owned WPCH-TV as part of a larger contract extension between Gray and the network. [60] The station was rebranded as "Atlanta 69" as part of a larger naming convention among the disaffiliated stations highlighting the city and channel number. [61]

Local programming

An "Atlanta CW Road Crew" vehicle at the 2007 AJC Auto Show CW Atlanta Road Crew.png
An "Atlanta CW Road Crew" vehicle at the 2007 AJC Auto Show

Newscasts

On April 5, 2004, NBC affiliate WXIA-TV began producing a half-hour prime time newscast at 10 p.m. for WUPA titled UPN Atlanta News at Ten. This program, for which WXIA-TV sold the advertising, [62] was accompanied by a separately produced, live half-hour talk program at 10:30 p.m. titled Atlanta Tonight. [63] Up against stiff competition from the incumbent 10 p.m. newscast on WAGA, both programs seen on channel 69 suffered, and the 10 p.m. newscast and Atlanta Tonight were canceled on August 28, 2005, for "economic reasons". [64]

On January 17, 2020, CBS Television Stations announced that it would be introducing a nightly 10 p.m. newscast for WUPA, produced by New York City sister station WCBS-TV; the program debuted February 17. [65] [66] In March 2020, following the temporary shutdown of the CBS Broadcast Center during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, and for the next five months, WUPA began simulcasting WBZ News at 10 from sister station WSBK-TV in Boston, with local coverage limited to a news ticker and prerecorded weather forecasts. [67]

On August 11, 2020, the Atlanta-oriented newscast was relaunched, with production shifted to KTVT in Fort Worth, Texas. [68] On July 18, 2022, this newscast was relaunched as Atlanta Now News under a new hybrid local/national format which continues to be produced from Fort Worth. [69]

In addition to the newscast, WUPA produces a weekly public affairs program called Focus Atlanta. [70]

Sports

In 2014, WUPA became the official television station of the Atlanta Falcons, gaining rights to its preseason games and introducing weekly programs dedicated to the team. The preseason broadcasts were initially produced by CBS Sports but have been produced by Tupelo Raycom since 2017. [71] [72] The Falcons partnered with WAGA-TV in 2020. [73] For the 2024 season, WUPA serves as the Monday Night Football broadcaster for Falcons games under a deal between station management and the NFL, as WSB-TV, the local station with initial right of refusal, declined the offer to carry the ESPN-only games. [74]

In 2017, as part of a broadcasting deal with the city's new Major League Soccer franchise Atlanta United FC and Fox Sports Networks, WUPA began to air the team's overflow games. [75] [76] WUPA was replaced in this role by WPCH-TV for the 2022 season. [77]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WUPA [1]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
69.1 1080i 16:9 WUPA-DTMain WUPA programming
69.2 480i Start Start TV
69.3TBD TBD
69.4 MeTV MeTV (WGTA)
69.5FAVE Fave TV
69.6Charge! Charge!
69.7 H&I Heroes & Icons (WGTA)
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

The station shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 69, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television; its digital broadcasts remained on UHF channel 43, using virtual channel 69. [78]

The station was repacked from channel 43 to 36 in 2019. [1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Clyde Murchison was not related to Clint at all. This supposed connection became highly relevant when Clyde Murchison attempted to put together a radio station group known as Radioactivity Broadcast Group in 1988. Other investors in the firm conducted due diligence on Clyde. They discovered he was of no relation after a friend of the actual Murchison family—who had met one of the Radioactivity investors by chance at a party in New York [8] —failed to recognize him, while a background check did not substantiate degrees Clint claimed to have received from Harvard University and Stanford University, leading to the investors contacting the FBI. Murchison was then arrested on charges of wire fraud, having also forged documents including a supposed $6.4 million letter of credit from Chase Manhattan Bank. [9] [10] He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison in 1989. [11]

Related Research Articles

In American television in 1994, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and re-brandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes.

WANF is a television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is the flagship property of locally based Gray Television and is co-owned with CW affiliate WPCH-TV and low-power, Class A Telemundo affiliate WKTB-CD. WANF and WPCH-TV share studios on 14th Street Northwest in Atlanta's Home Park neighborhood, while WANF's transmitter is located in the city's Woodland Hills section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WATL</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Atlanta

WATL is a television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside NBC affiliate WXIA-TV. The two stations share studios at One Monroe Place on the north end of midtown Atlanta. WATL's transmitter shares a broadcast tower with several other local stations near North Druid Hills, just northeast of the city.

<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">KYTX</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Nacogdoches, Texas

KYTX is a television station licensed to Nacogdoches, Texas, United States, serving East Texas as an affiliate of CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station has studios near Loop 323 in the southeastern portion of Tyler, and its transmitter is located near State Highway 110 in rural east-central Cherokee County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJZY</span> Fox affiliate in Belmont–Charlotte, North Carolina

WJZY is a television station licensed to Belmont, North Carolina, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Charlotte area. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Rock Hill, South Carolina–licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYT-TV. WJZY and WMYT-TV share studios on Performance Road in unincorporated western Mecklenburg County ; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WJZY's spectrum from an antenna near Dallas, North Carolina, along the Catawba River.

WKBD-TV, branded as CW Detroit 50, is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside WWJ-TV, a CBS owned-and-operated station. The two stations share studios on Eleven Mile Road in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, where WKBD-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. The two stations share studios on South Regal Street in the Southgate neighborhood of Spokane; KSKN's transmitter is on Krell Hill to the southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLMT</span> TV station in Memphis, Tennessee

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.

WTOG is an independent television station licensed to St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group, and maintains studios on Northeast 105th Terrace in St. Petersburg, near the west end of the Gandy Bridge; its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida.

WUPL is a television station licensed to Slidell, Louisiana, United States, serving the New Orleans area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside CBS affiliate WWL-TV. The two stations share studios on Rampart Street in the historic French Quarter district; WUPL's transmitter is located on Cooper Road in Terrytown, Louisiana.

WBFS-TV is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside WFOR-TV, a CBS owned-and-operated station. The two stations share studios on Northwest 18th Terrace in Doral; WBFS-TV's transmitter is located in Andover, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUPV</span> CW affiliate in Ashland–Richmond, Virginia

WUPV is a television station licensed to Ashland, Virginia, United States, serving the Richmond area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Richmond-licensed NBC affiliate WWBT and WRID-LD. The stations share studios on Midlothian Turnpike in Richmond, while WUPV's transmitter is located northeast of Richmond in King William County, 1.6 miles (2.6 km) west of Enfield. WRID repeats its main channel from the WWBT transmitter behind the studios in the inner ring of Richmond on its third subchannel, mapped to WUPV-DT6.

WKYT-TV is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Winchester Road near I-75 on the east side of Lexington. In addition to WKYT-TV, Gray owns WYMT-TV in Hazard, Kentucky, a separate CBS affiliate serving eastern Kentucky with its own syndicated programming inventory and local newscasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPDE-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Florence, South Carolina

WPDE-TV is a television station licensed to Florence, South Carolina, United States, serving the Pee Dee and Grand Strand regions of South Carolina and affiliated with ABC and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which also operates Dabl affiliate WWMB under a shared services agreement (SSA) with owner Howard Stirk Holdings. The two stations share studios on University Boulevard in Conway; WPDE-TV's transmitter is located on Pee Dee Church Road in Floydale, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGBP-TV</span> Television station in Opelika, Alabama

WGBP-TV is a television station licensed to Opelika, Alabama, United States, affiliated with Merit Street Media. Owned by CNZ Communications, the station broadcasts from a two-site distributed transmission system, with transmitters at Cusseta and Warm Springs, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSHV-TV</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Shreveport, Louisiana

KSHV-TV is a television station in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Texarkana, Texas–licensed NBC affiliate KTAL-TV ; Nexstar also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KMSS-TV under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. The stations share studios on North Market Street and Deer Park Road in northeast Shreveport, while KSHV-TV's transmitter is located southeast of Mooringsport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 United States broadcast television realignment</span> Events around the launches of The CW and MyNetworkTV

In January 2006, the United States' two "second-tier" television networks, UPN and The WB, announced they would both cease operations on September 15 and 17 respectively, and their operations would be transferred to a new joint-venture "fifth" network, The CW. Meanwhile, Fox Television Stations signed up with MyNetworkTV, a new "sixth" network owned by then-parent company News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group.

CBS News and Stations is a division of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global that owns and operates a group of American television stations along with CBS News. As of January 2021, the division owns 28 stations: 14 are the core stations of the CBS television network, two are affiliates of The CW, eleven are independent stations, and one is a primary-channel affiliate of the digital subchannel network Start TV. It also maintains a half-interest in Start TV, which is co-owned with Weigel Broadcasting.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Digital TV Market Listing for WUPA". RabbitEars.Info. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WUPA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ King, Bill (October 16, 1980). "New UHF Station OK'd For Atlanta Area Viewers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1-B, 11-B. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Scott, Jeffry (October 1, 1994). "Shaky TV deal turns sweet for lawyer: Channel 69's sale to CBS may net him $16 million". The Atlanta Constitution. p. C3. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ King, Bill (August 15, 1980). "Look! Up In Sky! It's A Bird, It's..." The Atlanta Constitution. p. 8-B. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Zoglin, Richard (May 28, 1981). "WVEU Aiming For August 1 Screen Debut". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1-B. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "New Station Flying High—At Night". The Atlanta Constitution. February 4, 1982. p. 1-B, 9-B. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Ingram, Bruce (November 23, 1988). "Radioactivity's $9.8-Mil, 11-Station Acquisition Deal Goes Off Track". Variety . pp. 83, 94. ProQuest   1438517582.
  9. ↑ "FBI Arrests Radio Exec Murchison For Wire Fraud" (PDF). Radio & Records. November 11, 1988. pp. 1, 34. ProQuest   1017207858. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  10. ↑ Macias, Loretta (November 17, 1988). "Financial officer charged with wire fraud". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. p. 1A, 4A. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Scheme to Buy Radio Stations Nets Man One Year". The Atlanta Constitution. March 30, 1989. p. 6-C. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "WVEU". Television Factbook (PDF). Vol. 52. 1984. p. 236. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via World Radio History.
  13. ↑ Zoglin, Richard (September 30, 1981). "'Manion' Fragmented Into Soap Chips". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1-B, 6-B. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Oliver, Thomas (December 4, 1981). "Scripto Hopes Lighters Hot Among Young". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1-C. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Greppi, Michelle (November 29, 1981). "Small storm brews over meteorologist's salary". The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution. p. TV Week 42. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  16. 1 2 3 Shaw, Russell (October 1988). "The Dawning of Independents". Atlanta Business. p. 118. ProQuest   216433189.
  17. 1 2 King, Bill (November 4, 1983). "Channel 69 gets video music". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 4-B. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Prove it" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 13, 1984. p. 198. ProQuest   963276071. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Superstar TV goes off the air". The Atlanta Constitution. July 22, 1983. p. 2-D. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Creditors' hearing held". The Atlanta Constitution. June 17, 1983. p. 2-D. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ King, Bill (February 8, 1986). "Quick Cuts". The Atlanta Constitution. p. Weekend 19. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ King, Bill (December 4, 1985). "WVEU curtails music videos, goes to 'salable' programming". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 7B. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Herndon, Keith (August 19, 1985). "The big-bucks battle for top TV shows". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1C, 14C. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ Denberg, Jeff (November 7, 1984). "Hawks-Bucks game is on TV". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 3-D. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Denberg, Jeff (January 25, 1985). "Channel 69 cuts back on Hawks games". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1-C. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Denberg, Jeff (August 18, 1985). "Hawks return to WSB; Warriors seek Sterling". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 22D. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ Denberg, Jeff (January 16, 1986). "Hawks set Omni ticket-sales record". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 3-D. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ Rogers, Prentis (July 14, 1991). "CBS shuffles schedule to get Yankees-Angels". The Atlanta Constitution. p. E2. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ Grappi, Michele (October 12, 1986). "Forget Debbie; 'Dallas' does viewers...wrong". The Atlanta Constitution. p. TV Week 62. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ Kloer, Phil (January 8, 1987). "Atlanta's CBS affiliate not showing 'Morning Program'". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 11C. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  31. 1 2 Greppi, Michele (July 1, 1988). "Morgus Attempts The Magnificent For Channel 69". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1E, 4E. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ Bell, Chuck (August 11, 1988). "'Auto Doctor' Finds a New Vehicle: Television". The Atlanta Constitution. p. North DeKalb 8, 9. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ Bell, Chuck (July 23, 1987). "Eclectic programming transmits Channel 69 into Atlanta homes". The Atlanta Constitution. p. DeKalb Extra 4. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ Elie, L. Eric (March 11, 1989). "...As Fla. Firm Agrees to Buy Channel 69". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1E. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ Yandel, Gerry (February 15, 1990). "Touch of Asia inhabits WVEU's wake-up lineup". The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. p. E-10. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ "NBC Gets Final N.F.L. Contract While CBS Gets Its Sundays Off". The New York Times . December 21, 1993. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  37. ↑ Kloer, Phil (May 24, 1994). "TV shake-up in Atlanta; Keep your remote control handy this fall". The Atlanta Constitution. p. A1, A4. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  38. ↑ Kloer, Phil (September 24, 1994). "Clearing up the local TV picture: Price was right: But will viewers follow CBS to Channel 69?". The Atlanta Constitution. p. B1. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  39. 1 2 Carter, Bill (September 24, 1994). "CBS Buys 2 UHF Stations To Serve Atlanta and Detroit". The New York Times.
  40. ↑ Kloer, Phil (September 27, 1994). "CBS switch 'n' buy to cost megabucks". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. p. D10. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  41. ↑ "Memorandum Opinion and Order". Federal Communications Commission. October 30, 1997. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  42. ↑ Kloer, Phil (November 8, 1994). "CBS pursuing a channel switch". The Atlanta Constitution. p. C8. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  43. ↑ Kloer, Phil (November 16, 1994). "Channel surfing: CBS to flip from 69 to 46". The Atlanta Constitution. p. A1. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  44. ↑ Kloer, Phil (November 17, 1994). "The networks go channel surfing". The Atlanta Constitution. p. F1. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  45. ↑ Kloer, Phil (December 15, 1994). "New 'Trek' series may land on WVEU". The Atlanta Constitution. p. F10. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  46. ↑ Kloer, Phil (January 3, 1995). "WVEU likely to be Paramount property". The Atlanta Constitution. p. D8. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  47. 1 2 Zier, Julie A. (May 15, 1995). "Viacom takes WVEU off CBS's hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. p. 49. ProQuest   225333105. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via World Radio History.
  48. ↑ "On Television: O'Grady will quit 'Blue' for Fox deal". The Atlanta Constitution. December 5, 1995. p. D8. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  49. ↑ Karlin, Susan (June 4, 1996). "UPN launches an attack on WB Net 'lies'". The Hollywood Reporter . pp. 1, 8, 97. ProQuest   2362065232 – via ProQuest.
  50. ↑ Rogers, Prentis (March 18, 1998). "WUPA finalizes deal to broadcast 11 Braves games in TBS' absence". The Atlanta Constitution. p. E2. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  51. ↑ Rogers, Prentis (February 13, 1999). "UPA to carry 30 Braves games". The Atlanta Constitution. p. D2. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  52. ↑ Rogers, Prentis (February 26, 2000). "Braves will boost Turner South". The Atlanta Constitution. p. D2. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  53. ↑ Rogers, Prentis (March 26, 1999). "Ferrall ready for 'chance of a lifetime'". The Atlanta Constitution. p. D10. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  54. ↑ Rogers, Prentis (August 1, 2001). "Hawks add UPN 69 as new local partner". The Atlanta Constitution. p. D2. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  55. ↑ Davis Hudson, Eileen (September 29, 2003). "Atlanta". Mediaweek. pp. 14–20. ProQuest   213635377.
  56. ↑ Seid, Jessica (January 24, 2006). "'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September". CNN Money . Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  57. ↑ Carter, Bill (January 24, 2006). "UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network". The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  58. ↑ Hayes, Dade (October 3, 2022). "New Day Dawns For Broadcast TV As Nexstar Closes Deal For Control Of The CW". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  59. ↑ Rice, Lynette (May 5, 2023). "Eight CBS Stations To Ditch CW And Go Independent This Fall". Deadline . Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  60. ↑ Feldman, Beth; Weitman, Gary (August 30, 2023). "The CW Network and Gray Television Expand and Extend Affiliation Partnership" (Press release). Burbank, California: Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  61. ↑ Nelson, Mike (August 30, 2023). "CBS to transition eight company-owned stations from affiliates of The CW to independents on Friday, Sept. 1" (Press release). CBS News and Stations. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  62. ↑ Eggerton, John (February 1, 2004). "Station Break". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  63. ↑ Nicholson, Gilbert (April 12, 2004). "WUPA Splits News Hour". Mediaweek. p. 10. ProQuest   213650621 – via ProQuest.
  64. ↑ Eldredge, Richard L. (August 13, 2005). "UPN dumps news for Foxx reruns". The Atlanta Constitution. p. C2. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  65. ↑ "The CW launching a localized news program at 10 p.m. in February". Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  66. ↑ "Three CBS-Owned CW Stations Add Nightly News". January 17, 2020. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  67. ↑ Ho, Rodney (March 20, 2020). "CW69's 'localized' Atlanta newscast on March 20 felt very... Boston". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  68. ↑ Ho, Rodney (August 12, 2020). "CW69 brings back 10 p.m. Atlanta newscast after airing Boston simulcast for almost five months". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  69. ↑ Hill, Michael P. (July 19, 2022). "CBS-owned stations debut 'Now' newscasts". NewscastStudio. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  70. ↑ Ho, Rodney (December 11, 2019). "Why is the Atlanta CW affiliate (WUPA-TV) hiring two reporters when it has no news operation?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  71. ↑ "Falcons Announce New Local TV Partner". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  72. ↑ "Raycom Sports and Tupelo Will Produce Preseason Games for 4 NFL Teams". Sports Video Group. May 2017. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  73. ↑ "Falcons, FOX 5 Atlanta announce TV partnership starting in March". Atlanta Falcons. February 2, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  74. ↑ Vivlamore, Chris. "Atlanta 69 to simulcast Falcons at Eagles on 'Monday Night Football'". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Cox Media. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  75. ↑ Roberson, Doug. "Atlanta United announces TV partnership". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  76. ↑ "Analyzing the Atlanta United broadcast deal". Dirty South Soccer (SBNation). Vox Media. February 22, 2017. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  77. ↑ "Atlanta United Match vs. FC Cincinnati to air on Peachtree TV". Atlanta United FC. March 17, 2022. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  78. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
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.