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WREG-TV

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Not to be confused withKREG-TV.
WREG-TV
Channels
BrandingWREG News Channel 3
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
January 1, 1956(68 years ago)(1956-01-01)
Former call signs
WREC-TV (1956–1971)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:3 (VHF,1956–2009)
Call signmeaning
Variation of original calls, which stood for the Wooten Radio and Electric Company[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID66174
ERP906kW
HAAT313 m (1,027 ft)
Transmitter coordinates35°10′52″N89°49′56″W/ 35.18111°N 89.83222°W/35.18111; -89.83222
Links
Public license information
Websitewreg.com

WREG-TV(channel 3) is atelevision stationinMemphis, Tennessee,United States, affiliated withCBSand owned byNexstar Media Group.The station's studios are located on Channel 3 Drive near theMississippi Riveron the west side of Memphis, and its transmitter is located nearBartlett, Tennessee.

History

[edit]

The station first signed on the air on January 1, 1956, as WREC-TV, and began regular broadcasts the following day on January 2. It was originally owned by electrical engineer and radio dealer Hoyt Wooten (who had applied for one of the first television licenses in the country in 1928), along with WREC radio (600 AMand 102.7 FM, nowWEGR). The call letters stood for Wooten's radio store, the Wooten Radio-Electric Company, where he had founded WREC radio in 1922. It took the CBS affiliation fromWHBQ-TV(channel 13, which had been a CBS affiliate since it started in September 1953), as WREC-AM had been a CBS Radio affiliate since 1929. WREC-TV's original studios were located inside thePeabody Hotel,a noted tourist attraction, in downtown Memphis.

For its first six years, WREC-TV was the only locally owned station in Memphis (WHBQ-TV was owned byGeneral TireandNBCaffiliateWMC-TVwas owned byScripps-Howard). However, in 1963, Wooten sold WREC-AM-FM-TV toCowles Communications,earning a handsome return on his original investment of 40 years earlier. In turn, Cowles sold WREC-TV toThe New York Times Companyin 1971, marking their first foray into television broadcasting outside of its home city inNew York City.Cowles later sold the radio stations to other interests.[3]With the new owners came a slightly modified call sign, WREG-TV.

Four years later, the Times Company built new studio facilities for WREG on one of the highest points onChickasaw Bluff,overlooking theMississippi River.The station had long since outgrown the Peabody Hotel, and management felt that building a new studio near the Mississippi would be appropriate since Memphis has long been identified with the river. On March 2, 1975, channel 3 signed off from the Peabody Hotel for the last time, and returned to the air 45 minutes later from the new studios on Channel 3 Drive.[4]Years later, the station also maintained studio space in thePeabody Placeshopping center, adjacent to the Peabody Hotel, marking a partial return of sorts to the WREC-TV years. However, the studio was shut down in 2011 when Peabody Place closed.

On September 12, 2006, The New York Times Company announced its intention to sell its nine television stations. On January 4, 2007, the company entered into an agreement withprivate equity groupOak Hill Capital Partnersto sell the stations to the Oak Hill-operated holding companyLocal TV,[5][6]the sale was finalized on May 7.[7]On July 1, 2013, Local TV announced that it would sell its stations toTribune Broadcasting(which formed a management company that operated both Tribune and Local TV's stations in 2008) for $2.75 billion.[8]The sale was completed on December 27.[9]

Aborted sale to Sinclair; sale to Nexstar

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Main article:Attempted acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group

Sinclair Broadcast Groupentered into an agreement to acquire Tribune Media on May 8, 2017, for $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in Tribune debt.[10][11]The deal received significant scrutiny over Sinclair's forthrightness in its applications to sell certain conflict properties, prompting the FCC to designate it for hearing and leading Tribune to terminate the deal and sue Sinclair forbreach of contract.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][excessive citations]

Following the Sinclair deal's collapse,Nexstar Media GroupofIrving, Texas,announced its purchase of Tribune Media on December 3, 2018, for $6.4 billion in cash and debt.[24]As Nexstar already ownedABCaffiliateWATN-TV(channel 24) andCWaffiliateWLMT(channel 30), the company agreed on March 20, 2019, to divest the WATN/WLMT duopoly toTegna Inc.as part of a series of transactions with multiple companies that totaled $1.32 billion.[25][26]The sale was completed on September 19, 2019.[27]

Programming

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WREG is the only CBS affiliate that preemptsCBS Saturday Morningsince its September 1997 debut, airing a three-hour Saturday morning newscast in its place. The station also preempts the Sunday edition of theCBS Weekend Newsin order to air an hour-long 5 p.m. newscast. WREG is one of the few stations that preempts a big three network evening newscast (the hour-long early evening newscast inventories ofNorfolkNBC affiliateWAVY-TV,Grand RapidsNBC affiliateWOOD-TVandScrantonABC affiliateWNEP-TVare also limited in a similar fashion with the latter airing local programming in place of the network's evening newscast).[citation needed]Over the years, WREG has produced many local programs, such asNews Channel 3 Knowledge BowlandMid-South Outdoors(later known asNews Channel 3 Outdoors). The station also currently producesLive at 9,a weekday morning program that maintains atalk show-style format and thepublic affairsprogramInformed Sources,which airs on Saturday evenings and sometimes Sunday nights and discusses current local issues.

Throughout the early 1960s into the late 1980s, WREC/WREG claimed to possess the largestfeature filmlibrary of any television station in the United States, which was evidenced in its daily (late afternoons and late nights) and weekend programming lineup at the time. The station used some of those features for theme weeks (such as "GodzillaWeek "and"John WayneWeek "), which proved to be very popular with viewers. However, like most major network affiliates in the early 1980s, WREG-TV began cutting back on the large number of movies that occupied much of its off-network schedule, a move prompted by the presence ofcable,VCRs,and the emergence of then-independentcompetitors WPTY (channel 24, now ABC affiliate WATN-TV) in 1978 and WMKW (channel 30, now CW affiliate WLMT) in 1983.

News operation

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The station presently broadcasts40+1⁄2hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with6+1⁄2hours each weekday,4+1⁄2hours on Saturdays and3+1⁄2hours on Sundays). For more than two decades, WREG has been in aNielsen ratingswar for first place with longtime powerhouse WMC-TV. WREG did not actually win a ratings period, however, until February 2006 after it paired former WHBQ anchor Claudia Barr and former WMC morning anchor Richard Ransom as its main evening anchors. Since that time, WREG has gradually built on its wins in the all-important 10 p.m. slot and now consistently dominates that time period. Since the February 2014 sweeps period, the station's newscasts have placed first in all time slots.

On June 13, 2011, beginning with the 10 p.m. newscast, WREG-TV became the third station in the Memphis market (behind WMC-TV and WHBQ-TV) to begin broadcasting its local newscasts inhigh definition.The switch came with a refresh of the newsroom set and new graphics, however major technical glitches occurred during the week following the conversion. In mid-2011, the WREG news studio received a major overhaul with the unveiling of a "newsplex" set (designed by FX Group) that occupies a large studio with loft areas and continues into a smaller newsroom area in the back and includes numerous live areas and a set for theLive at 9program.

Technical information

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Subchannels

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The station's signal ismultiplexed:

Subchannels of WREG-TV[28]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
3.1 1080i 16:9 WREG-DT Main WREG-TV programming /CBS
3.2 480i NC3A News Channel 3 Anytime
3.3 4:3 AntenTV Antenna TV

The station became a charter affiliate ofAntenna TVupon its launch on January 1, 2011, and is carried on digital subchannel 3.3.[29]

Analog-to-digital conversion

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WREG-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, overVHFchannel 3, on June 12, 2009, as part of thefederally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[30]The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 28, usingvirtual channel3.

Out-of-market coverage

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WREG-TV, along with Little Rock's KTHV, previously served as the default CBS affiliates for theJonesboro, Arkansas,area. WREG's signal can reach at least the Jonesboro area, and it is available onSuddenlinkcable,[31]as well as the cable system of Paragould Light Water and Cable in theParagouldarea. This ended on August 1, 2015, when Jonesboro-based Fox affiliateKJNB-LDsigned on the Jonesboro market's first locally based CBS affiliate on its second digital subchannel.[32]This has resulted in the displacement of KTHV from Suddenlink cable, and may also result in the removal of WREG-TV.

WREG-TV also previously served as the default CBS affiliate for theJackson, Tennessee,media market, along with Nashville'sWTVF.This ended on January 1, 2012, when ABC affiliateWBBJ-TVconverted its third subchannel into a primary CBS affiliate and secondary MeTV affiliate for that area.[33]In spite of this, both WREG and WTVF remain on Jackson Energy Authority's E-Plus Broadband Cable system.[34]

References

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  1. ^"Call Letter Origins".Radio History on the Web.
  2. ^"Facility Technical Data for WREG-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^"'New York Times' buys first TV".Broadcasting,November 2, 1970, pg. 161.
  4. ^"TV-3, Memphis builds on the banks of the Mississippi".RCA Broadcast News, Vol. 157, December 1975, pg. 19.
  5. ^NY Times CO. Sell TV Group to Equity Firm for $530M; Second equity group to buy a media business in two weeks.,[NewsInc.], January 8, 2007.
  6. ^"New York Times Company: Investors: Press Release".Phx.corporate-ir.net.RetrievedMarch 24,2011.
  7. ^"The New York Times Company Reports April Revenues"(Press release).Business Wire.May 7, 2007. Archived fromthe original(The New York Times Company Financial Report)on July 22, 2012.RetrievedAugust 23,2008.
  8. ^Channick, Robert (July 1, 2013)."Acquisition to make Tribune Co. largest U.S. TV station operator".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedJuly 1,2013.
  9. ^Company Completes Final Steps of Transaction Announced in JulyArchivedDecember 28, 2013, at theWayback Machine,Tribune Company, December 27, 2013
  10. ^Battaglio, Stephen (May 8, 2017)."Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion plus debt".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 6, 2017.RetrievedJune 6,2017.
  11. ^Littleton, Cynthia (May 8, 2017)."Sinclair Broadcast Group Sets $3.9 Billion Deal to Acquire Tribune Media".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on June 5, 2017.RetrievedJune 6,2017.
  12. ^Shields, Todd (July 16, 2018)."Sinclair and Tribune Fall as FCC Slams TV Station Sale Plan".Bloomberg News.RetrievedJuly 19,2018.
  13. ^Neidig, Harper (July 16, 2018)."FCC chair rejects Sinclair-Tribune merger".The Hill.Capitol Hill Publishing Corp.RetrievedAugust 9,2018.
  14. ^Feder, Robert(July 16, 2018)."FCC throws Sinclair/Tribune deal in doubt".RobertFeder.com.RetrievedAugust 9,2018.
  15. ^Hart, Benjamin (July 16, 2018)."FCC Throws Wrench into Sinclair Media Megadeal".New York.New York Media, LLC.RetrievedAugust 9,2018.
  16. ^Lee, Edmund (July 18, 2018)."Sinclair Tries to Appease F.C.C., but Its Tribune Bid Is Challenged".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 9,2018.
  17. ^Mirabella, Lorraine (July 18, 2018)."FCC orders hearing even as Sinclair changes plans to sell TV stations to address concerns about Tribune deal".Baltimore Sun.Tronc.RetrievedAugust 9,2018.
  18. ^"Tribune Terminates $3.9 Billion Sinclair Merger, Sues Broadcast Rival".The Wall Street Journal.News Corp.August 9, 2018.
  19. ^Miller, Mark K. (August 9, 2018)."Tribune Kills Sinclair Merger, Files Suit".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheck Media.
  20. ^Dinsmore, Christopher (August 9, 2018)."Tribune Media pulls out of Sinclair Broadcast merger".Baltimore Sun.Tronc.
  21. ^Lee, Edmund; Tsang, Amie (August 9, 2018)."Tribune Ends Deal With Sinclair, Dashing Plan for Conservative TV Behemoth".The New York Times.
  22. ^Lafayette, Jon (August 9, 2018)."Tribune Ends Deal with Sinclair, Files Breach of Contract Suit".Broadcasting & Cable.NewBay Media.
  23. ^Fung, Brian; Romm, Tony (August 9, 2018)."Tribune withdraws from Sinclair merger, saying it will sue for 'breach of contract'".The Washington Post.Nash Holdings LLC.
  24. ^Lafayette, Jon (December 3, 2018)."Nexstar Announces Deal to Buy Tribune for $6.4B".Broadcasting & Cable.Archivedfrom the original on April 5, 2019.RetrievedDecember 6,2018.
  25. ^"Nexstar Selling 19 TVs In 15 Markets For $1.32B".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheckMedia. March 20, 2019.RetrievedMarch 20,2019.
  26. ^Ahmed, Nabila; Sakoui, Anousha (March 20, 2019)."Nexstar to Sell Stations to Tegna, Scripps for $1.32 Billion".Bloomberg News.Bloomberg, L.P.
  27. ^Miller, Mark K. (September 19, 2019)."Nexstar Closes On Tribune Merger".TVNewsCheck.Archivedfrom the original on September 20, 2019.RetrievedJuly 20,2021.
  28. ^RabbitEars TV Query for WREG
  29. ^"Antenna TV Affiliates - AntennaTV".Archived fromthe originalon November 27, 2010.RetrievedMarch 4,2016.
  30. ^List of Digital Full-Power Stations
  31. ^Suddenlink Cable Channel Lineup for Jonesboro, ArkansasArchivedApril 2, 2015, at theWayback Machine
  32. ^"CBS makes debut in northeast Arkansas"
  33. ^WBBJ to Add CBS to 7.3 in January 2012ArchivedApril 3, 2012, at theWayback Machine.WBBJ-TV (November 2011).
  34. ^Jackson Energy Authority - E+ Broadband Cable Channel Lineup for Jackson, Tennessee
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