WJFB

WJFB, virtual channel 44 (UHF digital channel 25), is a MeTV owned-and-operated television station licensed to Lebanon, Tennessee, United States and serving the Nashville television market. The station is owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting. WJFB's transmitter is located on Franklin Road, southwest of Lebanon.

WJFB
Lebanon/Nashville, Tennessee
United States
CityLebanon, Tennessee
ChannelsDigital: 25 (UHF)
Virtual: 44 (PSIP)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerWeigel Broadcasting
(TV-49, Inc.)
WKUW-LD
History
First air date
January 11, 1988 (1988-01-11)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:
  • 66 (UHF, 1988–2009)
  • Translator:
  • WJFB-LP 11 VHF Lebanon[1]
  • Digital:
  • 44 (UHF, 2009–2019)
Call sign meaning
Dr. Joe F. Bryant
(founding owner)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID7651
ERP950 kW
1,000 kW (CP)[2]
HAAT161 m (528 ft)
407 m (1,335 ft) (CP)[2]
Transmitter coordinates36°9′13″N 86°22′46″W
36°16′4.9″N 86°47′44.7″W (CP)[2]
Translator(s)WKUW-LD 40 (28 UHF) White House
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS
WebsiteWJFB page on MeTV.com

WKUW-LD (channel 40) in White House, Tennessee (owned by HC2 Holdings) operates as a low-power translator of WJFB.

History

The station signed on the air on January 11, 1988, broadcasting on UHF channel 66. Prior to the digital television transition, WJFB aired programming from different networks over the years, including The Weather Channel, American Independent Network, America One, The Military Channel, Shop at Home Network, ShopNBC, Jewelry Television, Youtoo TV and Pursuit Channel. The station also broadcast several local sports events and regional sports through America One. These included local auto racing, local high school football, University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin) football and basketball, Cincinnati Reds baseball (by way of SportsChannel Cincinnati) and Showtime All-Star Wrestling. The station also broadcast the Lebanon Christmas Parade for several years before it moved to local public access channels. The station once aired a morning news program, TV 66 Morning Report Live, hosted by the station's then-owner Joe F. Bryant, which aired weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. It featured news headlines as well as weather forecasts, traffic reports, local sports, and telephone calls from viewers. Bryant's terminal illness led to the cancellation of the program; he died on October 10, 2011. WJFB continued to be operated by his surviving family members. Local church services, the main locally originated programming, were also aired on Sunday mornings on the main channel until August 31, 2014, when they also moved to the cable-only access channels.

On February 4, 2013, WJFB reduced Jewelry Television programming on its main subchannel to an hour per day from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., since the network was available 24 hours a day on Nashville/Lebanon area cable providers and was considered a secondary affiliation. The station then relied on America One for all of its programming. (Jewelry Television was still listed in the internet and electronic programming guides as broadcasting 24 hours a day until about mid-April 2013, when the information was updated to feature only America One programming on WJFB.)[3]

On September 1, 2014, WJFB became an affiliate of the Pursuit Channel. WJFB broadcast its programming around the clock except on Saturday mornings when it aired educational and informational (E/I) programming through Youtoo TV to help meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements. America One programming was still carried full-time on WJFB's second digital subchannel until it merged with Youtoo TV in September 2014. Programming from Youtoo TV was also broadcast on WJFB's second digital subchannel until April 1, 2015, when the affiliation was discontinued and replaced with an Standard-definition television (SD) simulcast of the main channel.[4]

WJFB moved the Pursuit Channel programming from its main to its second subchannel on April 3, 2015. The main subchannel began broadcasting the TCT Network, which broadcast religious programming 24 hours a day.[5] WJFB discontinued all Youtoo TV programming—including its E/I programming—ending the affiliation. WJFB then broadcast E/I programming from TCT Kids on its main and second digital subchannels to help meet FCC requirements. However, on April 13, 2015, the Pursuit Channel affiliation was discontinued and its programming dropped from the second subchannel and replaced with an HD feed of TCT Network, branded as TCT-HD. On May 21, 2015, Bryant Broadcasting announced they were selling WJFB and W11BD to Dove Broadcasting, Inc. (a subsidiary of Tri-State Christian Television). The sale was finalized on August 17, 2015.[6] On September 3, 2015, TCT-HD was replaced with TCT Family on WJFB's main digital subchannel, while TCT Kids was placed on its second subchannel.

Dove Broadcasting announced they were transferring control of WJFB and sister translator WJFB-LP, to Radiant Life Ministries, Inc., another TCT subsidiary on March 8, 2017.[7] On August 30, 2017, WJFB launched the family-oriented subchannel network Light TV, owned by MGM Television on channel 44.3.[8] Under TCT ownership, the station maintained studios on Music Circle in Nashville until it ended local operations in June 2018.[9] On September 18, 2018, it was announced that Tri-State Christian Television was selling WJFB to HC2 Holdings for $5,750,000.[10][11] The sale was finalized on May 3, 2019.[12][13] TCT continued to operate the station under a local marketing agreement (LMA). WJFB-LP was not included in the sale.

On September 23, 2019, WJFB picked up all five of WKUW-LD's subchannels, owned by Weigel Broadcasting: MeTV on DT1, Heroes & Icons on DT2, Start TV on DT3, Decades on DT4 and Movies! on DT5. TCT and Light TV retained subchannel space on the signal, with TCT on DT6 and Light TV on DT7.[14]

On September 11, 2020, Weigel announced that it was buying WJFB from HC2 for $5.5 million. WKUW-LD was not included in the sale.[15][16] The sale was completed on November 11.[17] On that day, both TCT and Light TV were dropped from the station's sixth and seventh subchannels. DT6 now displays a test pattern, indicating a new subchannel is coming soon, while DT7 is now blank.[18]

On November 27, 2020, WJFB applied to the FCC to relocate its transmitter from Lebanon, Tennessee to Whites Creek, Tennessee (a suburb of Nashville), and to also increase its power to 1,000 kW to cover the Middle Tennessee area and better serve Nashville proper.[2][19] There is no word yet on how this will affect WJFB's current translator station, WKUW-LD.

Former translator

Prior to the digital transition, WJFB relayed its signal on a low-power translator station originally under the call sign W11BD in Lebanon. That station signed on in 1987, carrying the same programming from WJFB, and signed off sometime in 2009 during the digital television transition. There were three construction permits active for the translator: one to convert the translator station to digital broadcasting, another to return the station translator to the air, and a third to relocate the translator station to digital channel 18 when the conversion to digital for the translator station was to be completed.[20][21] On May 21, 2015, Bryant Broadcasting announced that they would sell W11BD along with WJFB to Dove Broadcasting. The sale of both stations was finalized on August 17, 2015.[22] On June 2, 2016, the call sign for W11BD was changed to WJFB-LP to match the call sign for the full-powered sister station WJFB.[23] WJFB-LP was silent while TCT evaluated plans for the translator,[1] however, as a result of being off the air for a maximum of 180 days and due to years of inactivity, WJFB-LP's broadcasting permit along with the construction permit to upgrade the translator to digital operations had been canceled, and TCT decided to surrender the translator's license to the FCC.[24][25] The license was canceled by the FCC on August 22, 2019.[26]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[27]
44.1720p16:9MeTV-HDMeTV
44.2480iH&IHeroes & Icons
44.3StartTVStart TV
44.4DecadesDecades
44.5Movies!Movies!
44.64:3TCTTest Pattern

Analog-to-digital conversion

WJFB shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 66, on June 12, 2009, the date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal broadcasts on its pre-transition UHF channel 44.[28]

References
  1. "20180914 -- Status of Operation (STA Request) -- WJFB-LP, Lebanon, Tennessee". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018. Radiant Life Ministries, Inc. (“RLM”) suspended operation of WJFB-LP on August 29, 2018. RLM is requesting special temporary authority to remain dark for a period of 180 days as it evaluates the feasibility of returning the station to air or alternatively seeking a buyer for the facility.
  2. "Modification of a Licensed Facility for DTV Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  3. "Programming". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  4. "Pursuit Channel Affiliates". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  5. "TCT in your Area - TCT Network". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  6. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  7. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  8. "LightTV in Nashville". September 2017.
  9. "WNYB-TV ends local productions, station site is for sale". The Buffalo News. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  10. "Station Trading Roundup: 5 Deals, $6.29M". September 2018.
  11. "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  12. "Application Search Details". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. May 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  13. "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. May 7, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  14. "Nashvilledtvnews.info". September 2019.
  15. "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  16. TVNewsCheck.com - Station trading roundup 2 deals for $5.5 Million
  17. "Consummation Notice", CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, 13 November 2020, Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  18. "Light TV and TCT Gone From WJFB 44". Nashville DTV News & More. November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  20. "TV Query Results -- Video Division (FCC) USA". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  21. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  22. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  23. Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Call Sign History". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  24. Application Search Details
  25. Application Search Details
  26. Cancellation form of WJFB-LP
  27. "RabbitEars.Info". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  28. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.