WRBL

Last updated

WRBL
WRBL 3 CBS logo.png
City Columbus, Georgia
Channels
BrandingWRBL News 3
Programming
Affiliations3.1: CBS
3.2: Rewind TV
3.3: Ion Television
3.4: Laff
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
November 15, 1953(70 years ago) (1953-11-15)
Former call signs
WRBL-TV (1953–1980)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
4 (VHF, 1953–1960)
3 (VHF, 1960–2009)
Both secondary:
ABC (1953–1960)
NBC (1960–1970)
DT2:
RTV (2009–2011)
MeTV (2011–2022)
Call sign meaning
Wireless Radio Bill Lewis
(launch engineer for former sister radio station now known as WRCG)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 3359
ERP 1,000 kW
HAAT 507 m (1,663 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 32°19′16″N84°47′28″W / 32.32111°N 84.79111°W / 32.32111; -84.79111
Links
Public license information
Website www.wrbl.com

WRBL (channel 3) is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Nexstar Media Group. Its studios are located on 13th Avenue in Columbus, and its transmitter is located in Cusseta.

Contents

History

WRBL first went on the air on November 15, 1953—just over a month after NBC affiliate WDAK-TV (channel 28, now WTVM on channel 9). It is Georgia's third-oldest station outside of Atlanta (after Macon's WMAZ-TV) as well as the second-oldest in Columbus. It would have been the fourth-oldest in Georgia, had WROM-TV, channel 9 in Rome not moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1958, rebranded as WTVC. WRBL-TV was owned by Jim Woodruff along with WRBL radio (AM 1420, now WRCG, and FM 102.9, now WVRK). Originally on channel 4, it moved to channel 3 in 1960 as part of a regional frequency reallocation by the FCC, that saw WTVM move to channel 9 and WTVY in Dothan, Alabama move to channel 4. Ironically, the same company, Martin Theaters of Georgia, that purchased and moved WROM-TV and its channel 9 to Chattanooga, had also purchased WDAK-TV and oversaw its switch to the channel 9 VHF hi-band frequency in Columbus.

The station has always been a CBS affiliate owing to its radio sister's long affiliation with CBS Radio, but shared ABC with WTVM until the channel switch of 1960, when WTVM switched to ABC to get in line with then co-owned WTVC, also on channel 9. At that time, WRBL began sharing NBC with WTVM. WRBL is the only major station in Columbus that has never changed its original affiliation. Columbus was one of the very few two-station markets in the 1960s without its own primary NBC affiliate, although NBC affiliates in Albany, Atlanta and Montgomery could be picked up with relative ease. WYEA (channel 38, now WLTZ) took over the NBC affiliation when it opened in October 1970.

Woodruff owned the station until his death in a car crash in 1978. After his death, banks controlled the station until it was bought by Malcolm Glazer's Avant Corporation of Rochester, New York. He sold it to TCS Television Partners, who, in turn, sold it to Spartan Communications in 1995. Spartan later merged its company with Media General in 2000.

WRBL replaced RTV with MeTV on digital subchannel 3.2 on September 26, 2011, as part of a groupwide affiliation agreement with Media General; the channel replaced RTV on some Media General-owned stations in other markets. [2]

In early 2016, WRBL relaunched 3.3 as the Ion affiliate for the Chattahoochee Valley. 3.3 had been dark since the station closed the First Alert 24/7 Weather channel.

On January 11, 2017, Media General became part of the Nexstar Media Group.

On September 6, 2018, WRBL opened a news bureau on Columbus State University's downtown campus. The bureau is housed inside CSU's Carpenter Building. The bureau will allow interns from CSU to work alongside WRBL's news staff. [3]

News operation

WRBL presently broadcasts 22 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with four hours each weekday and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays).

Due to economic conditions from 2008 through 2009, WRBL's owner Media General enacted a series of staff reductions that noticeably affected the amount of news that WRBL offered. First, 6:00 p.m. weekend newscasts were canceled in fall 2008, and the remaining weekend newscasts were eliminated in early 2009. Soon after, the 5:00 p.m. and noon newscasts were dropped. However, as of August 2010, the noon newscast has been added back to the WRBL lineup. On October 17, 2010, WRBL reinstated the Sunday night edition of News 3 Nightwatch. Unlike the previous newscasts that were canceled, the duties of these newscasts are spread throughout remaining staff members, including the anchor team. On September 12, 2011, the station revived News 3 First Edition weekdays at 5:00 p.m. On September 14, 2013, WRBL revived the Saturday edition of News 3 Nightwatch at 11:00 and on September 29, 2013, WRBL added a Sunday edition of News 3 Evening Edition at 6:30 p.m. WRBL launched high definition newscasts on March 21, 2014, with News 3 Nightwatch at 12:30 a.m. (ran late after NCAA March Madness coverage).

Notable former on-air staff

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WRBL [4]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
3.1 1080i 16:9 WRBL-TVMain WRBL programming / CBS
3.2 480i 4:3 WRBL-ME Rewind TV
3.3WRBL-IO Ion Television
3.4WRBL-LF Laff

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCMH-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ohio

WCMH-TV is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Olentangy River Road near the Ohio State University campus, and its transmitter is located on Twin Rivers Drive, west of downtown Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWHO</span> CW affiliate in Chillicothe, Ohio

WWHO is a television station licensed to Chillicothe, Ohio, United States, serving the Columbus area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Manhan Media, Inc., which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of ABC/MyNetworkTV/Fox affiliate WSYX, for the provision of certain services. Sinclair also operates TBD station WTTE under a separate LMA with Cunningham Broadcasting; however, Sinclair effectively owns WTTE as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The stations share studios on Dublin Road in Grandview Heights, while WWHO's transmitter is located in the Franklinton section of Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSVN</span> Fox affiliate in Miami

WSVN is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is the flagship station of locally based Sunbeam Television. WSVN's studios are located on 79th Street Causeway in North Bay Village, and its transmitter is located in Miami Gardens, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCBD-TV</span> NBC/CW affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina

WCBD-TV is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station has studios on West Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, and its transmitter is located in Awendaw, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTNH</span> ABC affiliate in New Haven, Connecticut

WTNH is a television station licensed to New Haven, Connecticut, United States, serving the Hartford–New Haven market as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate WCTX, also licensed to New Haven. Both stations share studios on Elm Street in downtown New Haven; per a channel sharing agreement, the stations transmit using WTNH's spectrum from a tower in Hamden, Connecticut.

WTVC is a television station in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with ABC and Fox. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and maintains studios on Benton Drive in Chattanooga; its transmitter is located on Signal Mountain in the town of Walden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTHI-TV</span> CBS/Fox/MyNetworkTV/CW affiliate in Terre Haute, Indiana

WTHI-TV is a television station in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States, affiliated with CBS, Fox, MyNetworkTV and The CW Plus. Owned by Allen Media Broadcasting, the station has studios on 8th and Ohio Streets in downtown Terre Haute, and its transmitter is located along US 41/150 in unincorporated Sullivan County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTWO</span> NBC affiliate in Terre Haute, Indiana

WTWO is a television station in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to ABC affiliate WAWV-TV under joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. Both stations share studios on US 41/150 in unincorporated Sullivan County, where WTWO's transmitter is also located.

WAWV-TV is a television station in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of NBC affiliate WTWO, for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on US 41/150 in unincorporated Sullivan County, where WAWV-TV's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVM</span> ABC affiliate in Columbus, Georgia

WTVM is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television, which provides certain services to dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WLTZ and Fox affiliate WXTX under separate shared services agreements (SSAs). WTVM and WXTX share studios on Wynnton Road in the Dinglewood section of Columbus; WTVM's transmitter is located in Cusseta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVLA-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

WVLA-TV is a television station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by White Knight Broadcasting, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of Fox affiliate WGMB-TV, CW owned-and-operated station WBRL-CD and independent station KZUP-CD, for the provision of certain services. The stations share studios on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, while WVLA-TV's transmitter is located near Addis, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJBF</span> ABC affiliate in Augusta, Georgia

WJBF is a television station in Augusta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located in Television Park, near the Augusta Mall in Augusta, and its transmitter is located in Beech Island, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMAZ-TV</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Macon, Georgia

WMAZ-TV is a television station in Macon, Georgia, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., and maintains studios on Gray Highway on the northeast side of Macon; its transmitter is located on GA 87/US 23/129 ALT along the Twiggs–Bibb county line.

WDHN is a television station in Dothan, Alabama, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios and transmitter are located on AL 52 in Webb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDVM-TV</span> Independent TV station in Hagerstown, Maryland

WDVM-TV is an independent television station licensed to Hagerstown, Maryland, United States, serving the Washington, D.C., television market. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station WDCW. The two stations share studios on Wisconsin Avenue in the Glover Park section of Washington; WDVM-TV's transmitter is located on Fairview Mountain, west of Clear Spring, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLTZ</span> NBC/CW affiliate in Columbus, Georgia

WLTZ is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of ABC affiliate WTVM, for the provision of certain services. Gray also operates Fox affiliate WXTX under a separate SSA with owner American Spirit Media. WLTZ's studios and transmitter are located on NBC 38 Drive off Buena Vista Road on the east side of the city. Master control and most internal operations are based at WTVM and WXTX's shared studios on Wynnton Road in the Dinglewood section of Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFTA-TV</span> Fox/NBC affiliate in Fort Smith, Arkansas

KFTA-TV is a television station licensed to Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Arkansas River Valley and Northwest Arkansas. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Rogers-licensed NBC affiliate KNWA-TV and Eureka Springs–licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate KXNW. The stations share studios at the Underwood Building on Dickson Street in downtown Fayetteville, with a satellite studio in Rogers. KFTA-TV's transmitter is located in unincorporated northeastern Crawford County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXTX</span> Fox affiliate in Columbus, Georgia

WXTX is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by American Spirit Media, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of ABC affiliate WTVM, for the provision of certain services. Gray also operates dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WLTZ under a separate SSA with owner SagamoreHill Broadcasting. WXTX and WTVM share studios on Wynnton Road in the Dinglewood section of Columbus; WXTX's transmitter is located in the Vista Terrace section of South Columbus.

This article is intended to give an overview of the History of television in Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WROM (AM)</span> Radio station in Rome, Georgia

WROM is a commercial AM radio station in Rome, Georgia. It airs a variety hits radio format blending Top 40, Dance, Alternative and Rock music. The station is owned by Howard Toole, with Rome Radio Partners, LLC, holding the broadcast license.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WRBL". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Me-TV Beefs Up Roster With 10 New Stations, TVNewsCheck, September 15, 2011.
  3. ↑ "CSU and WRBL celebrate downtown news bureau, partnership". Ledger-Enquirer. September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WRBL
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.