WMDN
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (August 2019) |
FCC | |
| Facility ID | 73255 |
|---|---|
| ERP | 616 kW |
| HAAT | 182.1 m (597 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°19′40″N 88°41′31″W / 32.32778°N 88.69194°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WMDN (channel 24) is a
History
The station started operations on channel 24 on June 10, 1968, under the call sign WHTV. It was originally owned by the Delta Communications Corporation,
On March 23, 1972,
The station had to leave the air for a second time because of financial troubles in 1991, leaving eastern Mississippi and portions of western
In 1995, WMDN entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) with WGBC. In January 2008, Austin, Texas businessman Wade Threadgill purchased the station and its LMA with WGBC, ending 36 years of Spain family, and Mississippi-based, ownership. On January 5, 2009, Fox moved its affiliation from WTOK to WGBC as the primary affiliation in full HD. Both Fox and NBC programming were then offered in HD on WGBC. This move provided WMDN and WGBC the full complement of three of the Big Four network affiliates.
In 2014, WMDN switched its AccuWeather service on the digital subchannel to entertainment programming Bounce TV on 24.2, and adding NBC-owned Cozi TV on 24.3.
WMDN's license was planned to be spun off to Lance Media,[8] which would have entered into a shared services agreement (SSA) with WGBC (which Standard Media would have acquired outright as part of its purchase of most of the Waypoint Media stations). However, with the collapse of the Waypoint-Standard Media deal in early January 2021, the sale to Lance Media also fell apart.
In July 2021, Waypoint announced that it would sell nine of its television stations, including WGBC, to Cumming, Georgia—based Coastal Television for $36.9 million. WMDN would be sold to Big Horn Television for $2.55 million and operated by Coastal under a LMA. The sale was completed on January 4, 2022.[9][10]
News operation
In 1994, local newscasts on weeknights at 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. were added to the schedules of WMDN and WGBC. From 1991 until 1994, WGBC aired news during the week under the branding WGBC News 30. Those broadcasts ended after local businessman Alex Shields bought majority control of the station. With the introduction of a news department, WMDN simulcasted all of its shows on WGBC as a result of the LMA. Therefore, the newscasts were branded as 24/30 News. The title changed to WMDN News when the broadcasts were dropped from WGBC's lineup. WMDN also aired an hour-long weekday morning show at 6:00 a.m. for a short time. Despite winning the award for the state's best newscast two years in a row, management decided to cease the production of local news on June 30, 2005. In 2008, under new ownership, the stations began producing and airing five-minute local news, community affairs and weather cut-ins during CBS and NBC morning programming. On September 25, 2017, local newscasts returned to WMDN when the station commissioned the
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.1 | 1080i | 16:9 |
WMDN-HD | Main WMDN programming / CBS |
| 24.2 | 480i | Bounce | Bounce TV | |
| 24.3 | Metv | MeTV | ||
| 24.4 | Grit | Grit | ||
| 24.5 | Laff | Laff | ||
| 24.6 | Mystery | Ion Mystery | ||
| 24.7 | Defy | Defy | ||
| 24.8 | Newsy | Scripps News |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WMDN shut down its analog signal, broadcast over
References
- ^ "WMDN TV - Big River - Asset Purchase Agreement - Execution - 7-19-21 - For FCC".
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WMDN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Mississippi-Meridian" (PDF). TV-Factbook. 1970–1971. p. 423-b.
- ^ "Broadcasting Yearbook 1969" (PDF).[dead link]
- ^ "Broadcasting Yearbook 1970" (PDF).[dead link]
- ^ "Broadcasting Yearbook 1975" (PDF).
- ^ "BC-1979-09-24-OCR-Page-0050" (PDF).
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ Jacobson, Adam (January 4, 2022). "Coastal Completes Its Waypoint Radio/TV Purchase | Radio & Television Business Report". Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Mark (August 4, 2021). "Station Trading Roundup: 7 Deals, $54,101,788". TV News Check. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ Ortega, Roly (September 22, 2017). "More newscasts have been added... one in Nebraska and two in Mississippi". Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "RabbitEars.Info". rabbitears.info. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.