WJFB

WJFB
Lebanon/Nashville, Tennessee
United States
City Lebanon, Tennessee
Channels Digital: 44 (UHF)
(to move to 25 (UHF))
Virtual: 44 (PSIP)
Subchannels 44.1 TCT HD
44.2 TCT SD
44.3 Light TV
Translators WJFB-LP 11 VHF Lebanon
(currently silent[1])
Owner Tri-State Christian Television
(sale to HC2 Holdings pending[2])
(Radiant Life Ministries, Inc.)
First air date January 11, 1988 (1988-01-11)
Call letters' meaning Dr. Joe F. Bryant
(founding owner)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
66 (UHF, 1988–2009)
Former affiliations Pursuit Channel
Youtoo TV
America One
Jewelry Television
ShopNBC
Shop at Home Network
Military Channel
American Independent Network
The Weather Channel
Transmitter power 1000 kW
Height 161 m (528 ft)
Facility ID 7651
Transmitter coordinates 36°9′13.7″N 86°22′46.5″W / 36.153806°N 86.379583°W / 36.153806; -86.379583
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.tct.tv

WJFB, virtual and UHF digital channel 44, is a religious television station serving Nashville, Tennessee, United States that is licensed to Lebanon. The station is owned by Tri-State Christian Television. WJFB's transmitter is located on Franklin Road, southwest of Lebanon. The station maintained studios on Music Circle in Nashville until TCT ended local operations in June 2018.[3]

History

The station signed on the air on January 11, 1988, broadcasting on UHF channel 66. Prior to the digital television transition, WJFB aired programming from several different networks over the years including The Weather Channel, American Independent Network, America One (before adding the subchannel for that service, and then adding it again on its main channel, America One has since merged with Youtoo TV[4]), The Military Channel, Shop at Home Network, ShopNBC, Jewelry Television, Youtoo TV and Pursuit Channel. The station also broadcast several local sports events and regional sports through America One. Former local sports events included local auto racing, local high school football, UT Martin football and basketball, Cincinnati Reds baseball (by way of SportsChannel Cincinnati) and Showtime All-Star Wrestling. The station also broadcast the Lebanon Christmas Parade for several years, before moving to local public access channels. The station once aired a morning news program, TV 66 Morning Report Live, hosted by the station's then-owner Joe F. Bryant, which aired weekday mornings from 7 to 7:30 a.m., and featured news headlines as well as weather forecasts, traffic reports, some local sports, and some telephone calls from viewers. Bryant's terminal illness led to the cancellation of the Morning Report. Bryant died on October 10, 2011. WJFB was still operated by his surviving family members. Local church services was also aired on Sunday mornings on the main channel and was the main locally originated programming, until August 31, 2014, when those shows also moved to the cable only access channels.

On February 4, 2013, WJFB reduced Jewelry Television programming on its main subchannel, to only one hour a day from 10 to 11 a.m., since that network is now available 24 hours a day on Nashville/Lebanon area cable providers and was considered a secondary affiliation. The station relied on America One for all of its programming; Jewelry Television was still listed in the Internet and electronic programming guides as broadcasting 24 hours a day, until about mid-April 2013, when the information was updated to feature only America One programming on WJFB.[5]

On September 1, 2014, WJFB became an affiliate of The Pursuit Channel. WJFB broadcast The Pursuit Channel's programming around the clock except on Saturday mornings, when WJFB broadcast E/I programming through Youtoo TV to help meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements. The America One affiliation was still carried full-time on WJFB's second digital sub-channel, until America One merged with Youtoo TV in September 2014. Programming from Youtoo TV was also seen on WJFB's second digital sub-channel, until April 1, 2015 when the Youtoo affiliation was discontinued on that channel and replaced with an SD simulcast of the main channel. [6] On April 3, 2015, WJFB moved the programming from the Pursuit Channel to its second subchannel entirely and replaced the Pursuit Channel's programming on its main subchannel with programming from TCT Network, which broadcast religious programming 24 hours a day.[7] Though only E/I programming was still broadcast from Youtoo TV on both channels, WJFB discontinued all programming from Youtoo TV including its E/I programming, thus putting an end to the affiliation between Youtoo TV and WJFB. WJFB now broadcast E/I programming from TCT Kids on its main and second digital subchannel to help meet FCC requirements. However, on April 13, 2015, the Pursuit Channel affiliation was discontinued from the second subchannel and replaced with a HD feed of TCT Network, branded as TCT HD.

On May 21, 2015, Bryant Broadcasting announced that they would sell WJFB along with W11BD to Dove Broadcasting, Inc. (a subsidiary of Tri-State Christian Television). The sale of both stations was finalized on August 17, 2015.[8] On March 8, 2017, Dove Broadcasting announced that they would be transferring control of WJFB along with sister translator WJFB-LP to Radiant Life Ministries, Inc., another TCT subsidiary.[9]

On September 3, 2015, TCT HD was replaced with TCT Family on WJFB's main digital subchannel of 44.1 and TCT Kids was placed on digital subchannel 44.2.

On August 30, 2017, WJFB launched the family-oriented subchannel network Light TV, owned by MGM Television on channel 44.3. [10]

On September 18, 2018, it was announced that Tri-State Christian Television would sell WJFB to HC2 Holdings for $5,750,000, pending FCC approval. [11] This would make WJFB a sister station to WCTZ-LD (channel 35) and WKUW-LD (channel 40). It is unknown if WJFB will keep the TCT affiliation or go independent. WJFB-LP was not included in the sale.

WJFB-LP

Prior to the digital transition, WJFB relayed its signal on low-power translator station originally under the call sign, W11BD in Lebanon. That station signed on in 1987, carrying the same programming from WJFB, and signed off sometime in 2009 during the digital television transition. There are still construction permits active for the translator, the first one is to convert the translator station to digital broadcasting, the second one is to return the station translator to the air, and the third is to relocate the translator station to digital channel 18 when the conversion to digital for the translator station is completed.[12][13] On Thursday May 21, 2015, Bryant Broadcasting announced that they would sell W11BD along with Sister Station WJFB to Dove Broadcasting. The sale of both stations was finalized on August 17, 2015.[14] On June 2, 2016, The call sign for W11BD was changed to WJFB-LP to match the call sign for the full-powered sister station WJFB.[15] WJFB-LP is currently silent while TCT evaluates its plans for the translator.[1]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[16]
44.11080i16:9WJFB-HDTri-State Christian Television
44.2480i4:3WJFB-sd
44.3LIGHTLight TV [10]

Analog-to-digital conversion

WJFB shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 66, on June 12, 2009, the date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal broadcasts on its pre-transition UHF channel 44.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 "20180914 -- Status of Operation (STA Request) -- WJFB-LP, Lebanon, Tennessee". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018. Radiant Life Ministries, Inc. (“RLM”) suspended operation of WJFB-LP on August 29, 2018. RLM is requesting special temporary authority to remain dark for a period of 180 days as it evaluates the feasibility of returning the station to air or alternatively seeking a buyer for the facility.
  2. ↑ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  3. ↑ "WNYB-TV ends local productions, station site is for sale". The Buffalo News. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  4. ↑ Youtoo TV listings for WJFB
  5. ↑ "Programming". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  6. ↑ http://pursuitchannel.com/affiliates/
  7. ↑ "TCT in your Area - TCT Network". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  8. ↑ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  9. ↑ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  10. 1 2 "LightTV in Nashville". September 2017.
  11. ↑ "Station Trading Roundup: 5 Deals, $6.29M". September 2018.
  12. ↑ "TV Query Results -- Video Division (FCC) USA". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  13. ↑ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  14. ↑ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  15. ↑ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Call Sign History". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  16. ↑ "RabbitEars.Info". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  17. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
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