WZBJ
FCC | |
Facility ID | 15507 |
---|---|
ERP | 1,000 kW |
HAAT | 603.6 m (1,980 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°11′42.7″N 80°9′22.1″W / 37.195194°N 80.156139°W |
Translator(s) | WZBJ-CD 24 (19 UHF) Lynchburg |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
WZBJ (channel 24) is a
WZBJ-CD (channel 24) in Lynchburg operates as a translator of WZBJ.
History
This section is in prose. is available. (June 2013) |
The channel 24 dial position was once occupied by WBTM-TV, which operated in the mid-to-late 1950s. The station only lasted a few years before attempting to become a hybrid commercial and educational station. This request to the FCC was denied, and the station went off the air not long after.
The station first signed on the air on August 18, 1994, as
Shortly after this change, WDRL signed on a
On January 24, 2006, the
On March 11, 2007, Liberty University (founded by pastor/televangelist Jerry Falwell) agreed to purchase WDRL from Eleazer; the station would initially continue to operate out its current studios with Eleazer serving as general manager, but would eventually move to Lynchburg, where it would be based along with religious independent WTLU-CA (channel 43, now WZBJ-CD). In May 2008, Liberty University and MNE Broadcasting dissolved the agreement, for unknown reasons. On October 30, 2008, Living Faith Television – whose flagship station is WLFG (channel 68) – announced that it would buy WDRL for $5.25 million.[5] On August 7, 2009, Living Faith Television failed to close due to the expiration date of its contract between the parties.[6]
On July 28, 2010, the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia placed the station into the receivership of Charter Communications. Millard S. Younts, representing Charter, shut down the station's over-the-air transmitter on Smith Mountain. The transmitter closedown was in response to a six-year copyright and financial dispute with Charter, which serves portions of the Roanoke–Lynchburg market. The station's owner appealed the decision.[7]
On December 1, 2011, WDRL-TV changed its call letters to WEFC-TV, which had previously been the callsign for the Roanoke-based station on channel 38 (now operating as Ion Television owned-and-operated station WPXR-TV) from 1986 until 1998. In March 2012, the bankruptcy court approved the sale of WEFC to Jones Broadcasting, owner of WAZT-CA (channel 10, now WDCO-CD) in Woodstock and its repeaters.[8] Jones intended to return the station to the air in August 2012; WEFC was to serve as the company's flagship station, as all of its properties were to be operated from facilities at the Crossroads Mall in Roanoke.[9]
Jones had planned to replace the station's low-power transmitter (which is being operated through special temporary authority) with a transmitter acquired from the Maine Public Broadcasting Network;[10] however, its purchase of the station was called off in April 2013,[11] forcing WEFC to again suspend operations.[10] The receiver continued to find a buyer for the station;[10] in June 2013, a deal was reached to sell WEFC to Morning Star Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Liberty University (marking its second attempt to purchase the station).[12] The new owners changed the station's call letters to WTLU on April 11, 2014.[13][14] The station's call sign was changed to WFFP-TV on March 6, 2015.
On April 30, 2018,
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
24.1 | 720p | 16:9 |
WZBJ | Main WZBJ programming / MyNetworkTV |
24.4 | 480i | DABL | Dabl |
From 1994 until 2008, WDRL-TV's analog broadcast was originated from a transmitter near Pelham, North Carolina, within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the border with Virginia. Coverage in Roanoke and Lynchburg was limited due to the tower's location and relatively short height.[citation needed]
WDRL-DT began broadcasting in digital in 2001 at its Pelham site, at low power. In 2004, the station won permission to move the digital transmitter to Smith Mountain northwestern
Analog-to-digital conversion
WZBJ (as WDRL-TV) discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over
On August 1, 2017, it was announced that Liberty University had auctioned off its broadcast spectrum for WFFP-TV on channel 24.[23] WFFP-TV can remain on the frequency for six months, and retained the right to continue broadcasting content by partnering with another broadcast station. On November 22, 2017, a channel sharing agreement with Gray Television-owned CBS affiliate (and future sister station) WDBJ was filed with the FCC.[1] With a move to WDBJ's Poor Mountain transmitter, this would enable WFFP-TV to greatly expand its over-the-air coverage area.[24][25]
References
- ^ a b Gray-Liberty CSA
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WZBJ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- CNNMoney.com. Time Warner.
- ^ Bill Carter (January 24, 2006). "UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network". The New York Times.
- ^ "Religious network wants TV station WDRL - Roanoke.com". Archived from the original on June 16, 2011.
- ^ "Evri - the New Hermes | Cheap Parcel Delivery & Courier Service".
- ^ "WDRL-TV goes silent in region - Roanoke.com". Archived from the original on August 1, 2010.
- ^ Seyler, Dave (March 15, 2012). "Court approves sale of Roanoke-Lynchburg indy". Television Business Report. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ Berrier Jr., Ralph (July 21, 2012). "Jones Broadcasting moving to Roanoke". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "Notification of Non-consummation". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 28, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
- ^ "Media Bureau Call Sign Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. September 10, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
- ^ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- ^ Adam Jacobson (April 30, 2018). "Gray: At Liberty To Expand In Virginia". Radio-Television Business Report. Streamline-RBR, Inc. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ "Station Trading Roundup: 7 Deals, $571.7M". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ Miller, Mark K. (August 13, 2018). "Gray To Acquire WFFP/WLHG-CD Roanoke - TV News Check". TV News Check. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 16, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WZBJ
- ^ "Roanoke, VA / Bluefield, WV - HDTV". June 2, 2003.
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ Moody, J. (August 1, 2017). "LU auctions off spectrum rights for TV station for $23.1M". Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ WFFP-TV Technical Statement
- ^ RabbitEars Coverage Map for WFFP-TV