WJHL-DT2

WJHL-DT2
Johnson City/Kingsport/Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia
City Johnson City, Tennessee
Branding ABC Tri-Cities
Channels Digital: WJHL-DT 11.2 (VHF/PSIP)
Affiliations ABC (2016–present)
Owner Media General
(sale to Nexstar Broadcasting Group pending)
(Media General Communications Holdings, LLC)
First air date 2006 (2006)
Call letters' meaning see WJHL-TV
Former channel number(s) Digital:
58.2 (UHF, 2006–2009)
Former affiliations Independent/Local Weather (2006–2011)
MeTV (2011–2016)
Transmitter power 34.5 kW
Height 708 metres (2,323 ft)
Facility ID 57826
Transmitter coordinates 36°25′54.8″N 82°8′15.1″W / 36.431889°N 82.137528°W / 36.431889; -82.137528
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website WJHL.com

WJHL-DT2 is the ABC affiliated television station licensed to Johnson City, Tennessee, USA. It is a second digital subchannel of CBS affiliated WJHL-TV, which is owned by Richmond, Virginia-based Media General, and serves the Tri-Cities area of northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. WJHL-DT2’s parent station has studios on East Main Street in downtown Johnson City, and its transmitter is located on Holston Mountain.

Although the station is located in Johnson City, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires it to also include all three major cities of the market (Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia) in its legal station identification. [1]

History

In late 2006, WJHL-DT2 began broadcasting as an digital OTA relaunch of the station’s cable-exclusive local weather channel. The weather channel lasted for almost five years. In August 2011, WJHL-DT2 became a general entertainment outlet by joining the Weigel Broadcasting-operated Me-TV network.

On January 4, 2016, Media General and ABC announced that WJHL-DT2 would become the Tri-Cities' ABC affiliate on February 1 of that year, branded as ABC Tri-Cities.[2][3] The Tri-Cities market’s original primary ABC affiliate was WKPT-TV since that station’s 1969 launch. However, before WKPT had the ABC affiliation, WJHL carried that network as a secondary affiliation since that station’s launch in October 1953. WJHL also carried the NBC and DuMont networks on a secondary basis until 1956 when DuMont went off the air permanently and WCYB-TV signed on as an NBC affiliate, and began sharing the ABC affiliation with WJHL until WKPT’s 1969 sign-on.

Me-TV is still available in the Tri-Cities area, but via WAPK-CD (which is simulcast on WKPT-DT2), one of WKPT’s low-powered sister stations in the market. The MyNetworkTV affiliation that was previously on WAPK-CD/WKPT-DT2 is now on WKPT’s main channel. [4]

Programming

WJHL-DT2 clears the entire ABC schedule, except for Litton's Weekend Adventure, a children’s educational programming block, which is designed mainly for carriage by ABC affiliates. That block continues to air on WKPT, because it is syndicated by Litton Entertainment and is separate from that station's expired contract with ABC. Instead, WJHL-DT2 combines content from Xploration Station, a block designed for carriage by Fox affiliates (since the network's existing affiliate WEMT turned down that block in favor of Weekend Marketplace), and the open syndication market for their E/I contribution.

Newscasts

WJHL-DT2 did not air any newscasts from its parent station as a local weather channel or a MeTV affiliate. However, upon WJHL-DT2's switch to ABC, it began simulcasting WJHL's morning, 11 p.m., and weekend newscasts. In addition, WJHL-DT2 airs newscasts at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with ABC World News Tonight broadcast in between the two newscasts on a 30-minute tape-delay at 7 p.m. The newscasts are branded ABC Tri-Cities News and are exclusive to WJHL-DT2.

References

  1. ↑ Television Factbook #49, 1980 Edition, page 787-B, WJHL-TV
  2. ↑ "WKPT, WAPK announce new programming plan". Kingsport Times-News. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "Media General Announces ABC Affiliation in Tri-Cities DMA," press release via Yahoo!, 1/4/2016
  4. ↑ "WKPT's affiliation with ABC coming to an end". Retrieved January 4, 2016.
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