WBGT-CD
  | |
| Rochester, New York United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding | My 18 |
| Channels | Digital: 46 (UHF/PSIP) |
| Subchannels |
46.1 MyNetworkTV 46.2 This TV 46.3 Tuff TV 46.4 Heroes & Icons 46.5 Decades 46.6 QVC 46.7 Movies! |
| Affiliations | MyNetworkTV (2006–present) |
| Owner | Vision Communications |
| First air date | February 2, 1998 |
| Call letters' meaning | We're BiG TeleVision |
| Sister station(s) | WJKP-LD, WYDC, WVTT-CD |
| Former callsigns |
W40AG (1987–1996) WBGT-LP (1996–2006) WBGT-CA (2006–2012) |
| Former affiliations |
Independent (February–November 1998) UPN (November 1998–2006) |
| Transmitter power | 10 kW |
| Height | 161 m |
| Class | Class A |
| Facility ID | 10318 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 43°10′14.0″N 77°40′23.0″W / 43.170556°N 77.673056°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website | www.visioncommunications.tv/ |
WBGT-CD is the Class A MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a low-powered standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 46 (or virtual channel 46 via PSIP) from a transmitter in the city's Northwest Quadrant. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 18 (hence the "My 18" on-air branding). Owned by Vision Communications, WBGT-CD has studios on Buffalo Road (NY 33) in the town of Gates (with a Rochester address). Syndicated programming on the station includes Roseanne, Family Feud, The Wendy Williams Show and The Cosby Show.
WBGT-CD was formerly also seen over-the-air on analog repeater W26BZ channel 26 in Victor, which is no longer licensed. This broadcast from a transmitter south of Perinton's Egypt hamlet along the Monroe and Ontario County line. This translator was replaced with another, WGCE-CD, some time before 2018; WGCE was spun off to HC2 Holdings in August 2018.[1]
History
WBGT-CD began operations as WBGT-LP on February 2, 1998. For its first ten months on-air, it was an independent station before it became an UPN affiliate in November of that year. The Victor translator was added in 1999, and in 2001, Time Warner Cable added WBGT-LP to its lineup. On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced that the networks would end broadcasting and merge to form The CW, which signed with cable-only WB affiliate WRWB (the forerunner of WHAM-DT2). Several weeks later, MyNetworkTV was announced by Fox as an alternative for UPN or WB affiliates not chosen by the CW. WBGT-LP quickly signed an affiliation deal with MyNetworkTV, and joined the network at its launch on September 5, 2006. Around this time, the suffix was changed from -LP to -CA.
The station has never been added to DirecTV; the station has no must-carry powers as a low-power operation. Eventually, when it signed on its digital facilities, the station's calls were changed to WBGT-CD.
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP short name | Programming[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.1 | 480i | 4:3 | WBGT-MY | Main WBGT-CD programming / MyNetworkTV |
| 46.2 | THIS TV | This TV | ||
| 46.3 | TUFF TV | Tuff TV | ||
| 46.4 | H&I | Heroes & Icons | ||
| 46.5 | DECADES | Decades | ||
| 46.6 | QVC | QVC | ||
| 46.7 | MOVIES! | Movies! |
A locally-originated independent station on 46.5 was dually branded as "My Rochester TV" during the daytime hours and "Roc Sports Network" (a regional sports network) in the evenings. Roc Sports Network has since begun simulcasting on the main 46.1 signal on Saturday evenings, and on June 1, 2018, the standalone "My Rochester TV" was dropped.