WBBJ-TV(channel 7) is atelevision stationinJackson, Tennessee,United States, affiliated withABCandCBS.Owned byBahakel Communications,the station maintains studios on Muse Street in Jackson, and its transmitter is located on Potts Chapel Road inunincorporatedeasternMadison County.
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding |
|
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | March 6, 1955 |
Former call signs | WDXI-TV (1955–1966) |
Former channel number(s) |
|
| CBS (1955–1967) | |
Call signmeaning | We're Bahakel Broadcasting of Jackson |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 65204 |
| ERP | 857 kW |
| HAAT | 303 m (994 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°38′16″N88°41′33″W/ 35.63778°N 88.69250°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
History
editThe station signed on March 6, 1955, as WDXI-TV, Jackson's first television station.[2]It operated ananalogsignal onVHFchannel 7, and was aCBSaffiliate owned by Aaron Robinson along withWDXI radio(1310 AM).Cy Bahakelbought the station in 1966[3]and changed the call letters to the current WBBJ-TV on December 7, 1966[2][4](as Robinson's estate held on to WDXI radio[3]). Since then, WBBJ has had the longest ownership tenure of any station in Tennessee, surpassing stations in much largermarketsin the state.
When the station changed its calls to WBBJ, it also simultaneously dropped CBS in favor of ABC (which WDXI-TV had carried as a secondary affiliation for some time beforehand). By the end of 1967, Bahakel's other stations it owned at the time,WABGin Mississippi,WCCBinCharlotte,andWOLOinColumbiawere all affiliated with ABC. Since 1967 until the launch of WBBJ's CBS-affiliated subchannel, Jackson has received CBS programming fromWREC-TV/WREG-TVinMemphis.[5]Like many of the stations that operated in analog on channel 7, the station has used various versions of thecircle 7 logoover the years; since 2003, WBBJ has used the original, ABC-trademarked version. Area viewers can also see ABC programming over-the-air in some areas fromWATN-TVin Memphis, but that outlet is not carried by localcableproviders.
WBBJ-DT3 (CBS) and WBBJ-DT4 (MeTV)
editOn January 1, 2012, WBBJ-DT3 became the area's CBS affiliate, bringing the network back to the market (and back to WBBJ, which carried the network until 1967). Between January 1, 2012, and September 2021, WBBJ-DT3 had served as a dual CBS/MeTV affiliate, offering programming from the MeTV service during select hours (on weekday afternoons and during overnight hours on weekends), in addition to the CBS affiliation, until MeTV programming was moved to a new fourth subchannel, which airs its full schedule uninterrupted. Prior to its CBS affiliation, WBBJ-DT3 served as a 24-hour live feed of aNOAANational Weather ServiceDopplerweather radarwith audio fromNOAA Weather Radio.[6][7][8][9]As of September 2018, WBBJ-DT3 has been airing in720phigh definition(upgraded from its original16:9widescreenstandard definitionpicture format), downconverted from the native resolution of1080ifor the CBS network. A direct-to-cable full 1080i high definition feed of WBBJ-DT3 is available on select cable providers.
News operation
editOn August 1, 2007, WBBJ debuted new graphics, logo, music, and an updated weather set. The station, which had been usingFrank Gari's "Image News" music package since 1999, switched to "In-Sink" byNashville-based company615 Music.Also on this date, the weeknight 5 p.m. newscast dropped theLive at 5branding and returned toABC 7Eyewitness Newsat 5which is simulcast on localradio stationWFHU(91.5 FM). The ninety-minute weekdaymorning showbecameGood Morning West Tennessee.
In addition to network and syndicated programming, there are local newscast offerings on WBBJ-DT3 through simulcasts with the main channel and broadcasts in new time slots. It offers local news weekdays at noon for thirty minutes as well as weeknights at 5:30 and 6:30 seen exclusively on the CBS subchannel. As a result,CBS Evening Newsairs weeknights at 6 p.m., which is a half-hour later than most affiliates in theCentral Time Zone.[10]
On January 23, 2013, the station debuted a brand new set that has a working newsroom behind the main anchor desk. Also, the new set shows theCircle 7logo, but no longer features the ABC logo, since the station is affiliated with both ABC and CBS.
Notable former on-air staff
edit- Courtney Friel– news anchor
- Lew Jetton– reporter, weather, and sports anchor
- Anne Pressly– reporter (one month at WBBJ; now deceased)
Technical information
editSubchannels
editThe station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WBBJ-DT | ABC |
| 7.3 | WBBJCBS | CBS | ||
| 7.4 | 480i | WBBJ-Me | MeTV | |
| 7.5 | MeTOONS | MeTV Toons |
Analog-to-digital conversion
editWBBJ-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 7, on June 12, 2009, as part of thefederally mandated transition from analog broadcasts to digital broadcasts.[12]
References
edit- ^"Facility Technical Data for WBBJ-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^abFCC History Cards for WBBJ-TV.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ab"A bumper crop of station sales"(PDF).Broadcasting.April 25, 1966. pp. 58–60.RetrievedNovember 8,2011.
- ^"For the record"(PDF).Broadcasting.November 7, 1966. p. 107.
- ^"WDXI-TV switches to fulltime ABC-TV"(PDF).Broadcasting.December 5, 1966. p. 50.RetrievedNovember 8,2011.
- ^"Where do I watch MeTV in New York – MeTV?".
- ^Knox, Merrill (November 7, 2011)."Jackson, TN Will Get CBS Affiliate In January 2012".TVSpy.RetrievedNovember 8,2011.
- ^Malone, Michael (November 7, 2011)."CBS Coming to Jackson, Tenn".Broadcasting & Cable.RetrievedNovember 8,2011.
- ^"WBBJ to Add CBS to 7.3 in January 2012 | WBBJTV West Tennessee's News Channel | Local News".Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2012.RetrievedNovember 8,2011.
- ^[1][dead link]
- ^"RabbitEars TV Query for WBBJ".RabbitEars.info.
- ^"The Switch from Analog to Digital TV".nielsen.RetrievedApril 10,2017.