WJCL (TV): Difference between revisions

| digital = 22 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]])

| affiliations = {{ubl|'''22.1:''' [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]<br />|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}

| licensee = WJCL Hearst Television [[Limited liability company|LLC]]

| callsign_meaning = [[Julius Curtis Lewis, Jr.|Julius Curtis Lewis]]<br />''(founding owner)''

| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 22 (UHF, 1970–2009)<br />|'''Digital:''' 23 (UHF, 2001–2009)}}

| former_affiliations = {{ubl|ABC (1970–1982)<br />|[[NBC]] (1982–1985)<br />|[[UPN]] (secondary, 1995–1997)}}

| erp = 350 [[kilowatt|kW]]

| coordinates = {{nowrap|{{coord|32|3|30|N|81|20|18|W|type:landmark_scale:2000_region:US-GA|name=WJCL}}}}

| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]

The station began operations on July 18, 1970.<ref>[https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=86370&.pdf FCC History Cards for WJCL]. [[Federal Communications Commission]].</ref> It was the fourth television station to launch in Savannah and immediately became the area's first-ever primary ABC affiliate. Prior to channel 22 signing on, [[CBS]] affiliate [[WTOC-TV]] (channel 11) and [[NBC]] affiliate [[WSAV-TV]] (channel 3) shared secondary affiliations with ABC. Originally owned by former Savannah mayor and avid amateur radio operator [[Julius Curtis Lewis, Jr.]] (whose initials provided the call sign), the station marked many "firsts". At the time, it built the tallest broadcast tower in the [[media market|market]] rising some {{convert|1500|ft|m}} above [[sea level]].

Local color news film and reel-to-reel videotape were introduced to the Savannah market by WJCL. It claims to have been the first station in the area to televise a live event ([[PresidentPresidency of theRichard United StatesNixon|President]] [[Richard Nixon]]'s Savannah visit and ride in a parade on Skidaway Road) as well as broadcasting in [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]]. WJCL-TV and [[WJCL-FM]] (96.5 FM) were both run by Lewis Broadcasting's [[Executiveexecutive Vicevice Presidentpresident]], J. Fred Pierce, from 1972 until the television station's first sale in 1999. Channel 22 dropped the ''"-TV''" suffix from the callsign in 1981.

In 1982, WJCL swapped affiliations with WSAV (due to the latter's action) and became an NBC affiliate. In 1985, WSAV was one of several ABC affiliates nationwide unhappy with the network's weak prime time programming offerings. However, a mere three yearsThat lateryear, itWJCL returned to ABC in 1985, while WSAV reverted to being an NBC affiliate full-time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Broadcasting Mar 4 1985 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/85-OCR/BC-1985-03-04-OCR-Page-0113.pdf |access-date=August 15, 2023 |website=worldradiohistory.com}}</ref> When Lewis purchased the [[WNOK]] television and radio stations in [[Columbia, South Carolina]] in 1977, he quickly sold off WNOK radio (for an undisclosed price) and immediately changed the television outlet's callsign to [[WLTX]]. In 1982, he purchased WYEA in [[Columbus, Georgia]] from [[Aflac|AFLAC]] and changed its calls to [[WLTZ]] to follow a similar call letter format used for his station in South Carolina's capitol ("LT" meaning "Lewis Television").

In the early 1990s, Lewis sold two of his radio stations, [[WSTZ-FM]] and WSTZ-AM in [[Jackson, Mississippi]] for an undisclosed price. In 1999, Lewis Broadcasting sold WJCL to Grapevine Communications, which merged with [[Piedmont Television]] around the same time. In the mid-to-late 1990s, Lewis decided to divest an even larger portion of his media interests and sold four of his combined eight owned and/or previously owned radio and television stations including WJCL, [[WTGS]], WJCL-FM, and WLTX. Lewis died in 2005, and on May 1, 2007, Lewis Broadcasting, by then owned by his son, Julius Curtis Lewis III, entered into an agreement with [[SagamoreHill Broadcasting]] to sell-off its last remaining television station, WLTZ.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://savannahnow.com/node/275838/print | title=Gun group packs legal heat | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201061656/http://savannahnow.com/node/275838/print | archive-date=2017-12-01}}</ref> In 1995, WJCL became a charter [[UPN]] affiliate as a secondary basis until 1997 when former [[The WB Television Network|WB]] affiliate [[WSCG (TV)|WUBI]] took over the UPN affiliation.

In 2001, WJCL partnered with Carleton Public Relations, Inc. to produce ''ABC 22 LawCall''. Radio on-air personality Lexie Kaye was hired by Carleton Public Relations as producer of the weekly live, legal call-in show. The program featured Mike Avery as host along with attorneys from the Carter & Tate firm with a weekly guest and various topics. This was the first legal call-in show in the nation to use the "LawCall" name. The show aired until June 2006 on Sunday nightsSundays from 11 to 11:30 p.m. WJCL and WTGS were sold to [[New Vision Television]] (in an ironic twist, a prior incarnation of New Vision once owned rival WSAV) and Parkin Broadcasting respectively in 2007.<ref>http{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadcastingcablenexttv.com/article/CA6439370.html|title=Nexttv {{Dead&#124; linkProgramming&#124; Busines &#124; Multichannel Broadcasting + Cable &#124; www.nexttv.com|date=August 202230, 2024|website=NextTV}}</ref> The station unveiled a new blog-based website in June 2007.

On May 7, 2012, [[LIN Media|LIN TV Corporation]] announced that it willwould acquire the New Vision Television station group for $330.4 million and the assumption of $12&nbsp;million in debt. Along with the outright ownership of WJCL, the agreement includesincluded the acquisition of New Vision's shared services agreement with Parkin Broadcasting, giving LIN operational control of WTGS.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/484100-LIN_Acquiring_New_Vision_Stations_for_330_Million.php|title=LIN Acquiring New Vision Stations for $330 Million|last=Malone|first=Michael|date=May 7, 2012|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|access-date=May 7, 2012}}</ref> On October 2, the FCC approved the proposed sale to LIN TV. The transaction was completed on October 12.

On March 21, 2014, LIN Media entered into an agreement to merge with [[Media General]] in a $1.6 billion deal. Because Media General already owned NBC affiliate WSAV-TV, the companies were required to sell either WSAV or WJCL to another station owner in order to comply with FCC ownership rules as well as planned changes to those rules regarding same-market television stations which would prohibit [[local marketing agreement|sharing agreements]].<ref>[https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/tv-station-mega-merger-media-general-lin-set-1-6-billion-deal-1201141567/ TV Station Mega Merger: Media General, LIN Set $1.6 Billion Deal] from ''Variety'' (March 21, 2014)</ref><ref>[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-lin-media-general-merge-20140321,0,5277028.story Media General acquiring LIN Media for $1.6 billion], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', March 21, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/74959/media-genlin-to-sellswap-in-five-markets Media Gen/LIN To Sell/Swap In Five Markets], ''TVNewsCheck'', March 21, 2014.</ref> On August 20, 2014, Media General announced that it would keep WSAV and sell WJCL, along with [[WVTM-TV]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], to [[Hearst Television]], with WTGS going to [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]].<ref name=tvnc-saletohearst>{{cite news|title=Media General, LIN Sell Stations In 5 Markets|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/78615/media-general-lin-sell-stations-in-5-markets|access-date=August 20, 2014|work=TVNewsCheck|date=August 20, 2014}}</ref><ref name=b&c-saletohearst>{{cite news|last1=Malone|first1=Michael|title=Media General, LIN Divest Stations in Five Markets|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/currency/media-general-lin-divest-stations-five-markets/133323|access-date=August 20, 2014|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=August 20, 2014}}</ref> The sale was completed on December 19,<ref>[http://www.mediageneral.com/press/2014/dec19_14_merger.html Media General Completes Merger With LIN Media] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219194453/http://www.mediageneral.com/press/2014/dec19_14_merger.html |date=2014-12-December 19, 2014 }}, Press Release, [[Media General]], Retrieved 19 December 19, 2014</ref> and Hearst closed on its purchase of WJCL and WVTM on December 22.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/81770/hearst-closes-on-wvtm-wjcl-names-gms| title = Hearst Closes On WVTM, WJCL; Names GMs - TV News Check| date = 22 December 22, 2014}}</ref>

Through a news share agreement established in 1996, WJCL produces a prime time newscast on its now-former sister station (known as ''WTGS Fox News at Ten''). For a while, WTGS also simulcastedsimulcast WJCL's ''Good Morning Show'' on weekdays (from 5 until 7) but it was dropped at some point. WTGS replaced WJCL's newscast with one produced by its own stations [[WPDE-TV]] in June 2016.

WJCL and WTGS combined operations with the ''[[Savannah Morning News]]'' and were relocated to the newspaper's facility on Chatham Parkway in Savannah. The stations began broadcasting at their new location on October 4, 2011. The station has an hour of news at 5 p.m. with a weekday morning show that airs WTGS from 7 untilto 8 a.m. WJCL does not air a midday show during the week, but did add weekend morning newscasts in March 2020.

* [[Rob Fowler (meteorologist)|Rob Fowler]] – meteorologist (1982; now at [[WCBD]] in [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rob-fowler/17/721/ab|title=Rob Fowler|work=Linked&nbsp;In|access-date=26 September 26, 2013}}</ref>

* [[Rich Edson]] – Washington correspondent, [[Fox News|Fox News Channel]]

The station's digital signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:

|+Subchannels of WJCL<ref>[http{{Cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WJCL#station |title=RabbitEars TV Query for WJCL].Info|website=www.rabbitears.info}}</ref>

| [[720p]] || rowspan="6" |[[16:9]] || WJCL-HD || Main WJCL programming / [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]

WJCL discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] channel 22, on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to [[Digital television transition in the United States|transition from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 23 to channel 22.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=2012-03-March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=2013-08-August 29, 2013 }}</ref>

[[Category:Television1970 channelsestablishments andin stationsGeorgia established(U.S. in 1970state)]]

[[Category:MeTVIon Plus affiliates]]

[[Category:1970MeTV establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)affiliates]]