WGBP-TV
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WGBP-TV (channel 66) is a
Channel 66 was allocated to Opelika in the early 1978 and went on air as WSWS-TV in 1982. It was an
History
In Opelika: Early years
At the petition of Wardean, Inc., the
WSWS-TV went on the air on May 23, 1982, a week after starting test broadcasts, as an
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
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
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.
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 both Columbus and Atlanta during the next round of retransmission consent elections.[27]
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
66.1 | 720p | 16:9 |
WGBPTV | Merit Street Media
|
66.2 | 480i | Twist | blank | |
66.3 | Quest | Quest | ||
66.4 | HSN | HSN | ||
66.5 | QVC | QVC | ||
66.7 | TRUCRIM | True Crime Network | ||
66.8 | QVC2 | QVC2
| ||
66.9 | DigiTV | blank | ||
66.10 | Majesta | Majestad TV | ||
66.11 | 4:3 |
ShopLC | Shop LC | |
66.12 | CRTV | Infomercials |
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WGBP-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- RabbitEars.info. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ Murphy, Mark (June 2, 1978). "FCC OKs Channel For Opelika-Auburn". The Columbus Enquirer. p. B-1. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Quinley, Pat (August 11, 1984). "New Christian Station to Have Local Segment". Ledger-Enquirer. p. A-14. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Walsh, Mick (October 14, 1988). "Phenix Cable scraps Channel 66 for TNT". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C-7. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Walsh, Mick (November 28, 1995). "Sale of Opelika station awaits FCC approval". Ledger-Enquirer. p. D3. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Walsh, Mick (September 4, 1996). "Warner affiliate WSWS-TV hits snag in road". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C5. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 13, 1999. p. 56.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Adams, Tony (July 19, 2005). "TV tower ready to rise again". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C5. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Adams, Tony (January 25, 2006). "TV execs merge WB, UPN networks". Ledger-Enquirer. p. C7, C8. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "CW, Pappas sign affiliation agreement". Ledger-Enquirer. May 16, 2006. p. C8. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "BLSTA - 20100628BFZ Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". Federal Communications Commission. June 28, 2010.
- ^ "BLSTA - 20110623ADL Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". Federal Communications Commission. June 23, 2011.
- ^ "Sinclair Buys Six Pappas Stations In Neb". TVNewsCheck. November 4, 2015.
- ^ "BALCDT - 20160108ABR Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ a b Eggerton, John (January 6, 2022). "FCC Denies Must-Carry Complaint Against DirecTV". Multichannel News. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WGBP". RabbitEars.