WPGA-TV is an Independent and Retro Television Network (RTV) affiliated television station serving Macon, Georgia and the Middle Georgiaregion. It broadcasts digitally on UHF channel 32. The transmitter for WPGA is located in Macon.
| |
| Perry/Macon, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
Macon TV |
| Subchannels | 58.1 Ind.
58.2 This TV |
| Affiliations | Independent/RTV
This TV (on DT2) |
| Owner | Register Communications
(Radio Perry, Inc.) |
| First air date | March 1, 1995 |
| Call letters' meaning | Perry, GeorgiA
(after the radio station) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog:
58 (1995-2009) |
| Former affiliations | Fox (1995)
ABC (1996-2009) |
| Transmitter power | 1000 kW |
| Height | 246 m |
| Facility ID | 54728 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°45′4.3″N83°33′26.7″W |
| Website | www.macon.tv |
Macon-TV is locally owned by Register Communications, owners of longtime area radio stations WPGA AM "News Talk AM-980" andWPGA-FM, Mix 100.9, Middle Georgia's Home for Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites. The radio stations were originally based in, and are still licensed to, Perry (which is also the city of license for WPGA-TV). All of Register Communications' broadcast properties are based in studios on Forsyth Street in downtown Macon.
History[]
WPGA started in March 1995 as the Macon area's first Fox affiliate. Before WPGA-TV began, the Macon area could only receive Fox network programing via a local cable station or via Atlanta's Fox affiliates, first WATL, and later WAGA. When Fox began airing NFL games in the early 1990s, the football game broadcasts were seen on ABC affiliate WGXA until WPGA arrived.
WPGA's Fox affiliation lasted only through the remainder of 1995; on January 1, 1996, WGXA and WPGA swapped affiliations, with WGXA taking the Fox affiliation, and WPGA becoming an ABC affiliate.
Some of the station's syndicated programming currently includes "Better", the "Wendy Williams Show", "Steven & Chris", "According to Jim", "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", "Real Housewives", a strong "justice block" weekday afternoons, "Cash Cab", "Law & Order SVU", "TMZ", "The Office" and Reno 911".
"ABC Macon" logo, used from July 2007 to November 2009; it is the basis of the current logo. For a time after this logo was dropped, the station's website used a modified version of this logo with the ABC logo omitted.
On January 1, 2010, WPGA-TV discontinued its ABC affiliation and became an independent. Owner Lowell Register said that due to ABC's new half-a-million dollar annual price-tag for affiliates to air the network's programming, he would sever ties with the network. [1] Former ABC affiliate WGXA took the affiliation on a digital subchannel, in addition to Fox.[2] WPGA also added some programming from the Retro Television Network, sharing the affiliation with sister station WPGA-LP, in addition to shows from This TV and retained the station's existing syndicated programming.[3] In preparation for the switch, WPGA began phasing out references to ABC from its branding in November 2009, and now brands simply as "Macon TV".
On April 7, 2010, WPGA launched a This TV digital subchannel on 58.2.
Digital television[]
On February 17, 2009, WPGA-TV terminated its analog signal on channel 58 at approximately 12 p.m. and currently broadcasts its digital signal on channel 32 [4] using PSIP to be displayed digital television as virtual channel 58.
Newscasts[]
WPGA has made some attempts to offer news programs. First, there were short morning and evening News Briefs featuring video narrated by former WCWB (later WMGT-TV), WMAZ-TV, and WGXA news anchor Ron Wildman. Later, the station began to offer a full newscast in June 2001[5], anchored by former WMAZ anchor Tina Hicks. These newscasts aired weeknights at 6:30 and 11 p.m., pushing ABC World News Tonight to 7 p.m. However, due to inadequate sales/promotional strategies, personnel and leadership, 58 News was unsuccessful, and was dropped in 2002. Afterwards, WPGA offered a daily sports news program called the 58 Sports Show;despite praise from middle Georgia sports fans, this programming followed the trend of being dropped as well.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WPGA_header_logo3.jpg ]
"ABC 58" logo, used until July 2007.
In April 2006, WPGA-TV and WPGA-FM began airing (as a simulcast) the community-affairs program Good Morning Middle Georgia. It was hosted by WPGA-FM program director and morning host Stephen B. The guest list was wide-ranging, spotlighting many important figures throughout middle Georgia and surrounding areas. Statewide and nationally-known guests had also appeared on Good Morning Middle Georgia. The program ended in late August 2008, when WPGA-TV and WPGA-FM entered into a partnership with The Telegraph for a new morning news/talk program, Kenny B and Charles E, Your Mix in the Morning. As a result, on September 2, 2008, channel 58 began airing a live simulcast of the 6 a.m. hour of the program, which is aired on WPGA-FM from 6 a.m.-9 a.m. on weekdays; upon the discontinuation of WPGA-TV's ABC affiliation, the remainder of the program was added as a replacement for Good Morning America.[3] The Telegraph's website, Macon.com, hosts its podcast.
Logo for ABC Macon News
In a report in The Telegraph, it was announced that Independent News Network filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on December 31, 2008, and ended all news productions, including those for WPGA, by January 9, 2009.[5] Most of INN's accounts were sold to another media company, LMG, Inc., part of Fusion Communications, also of Davenport, Iowa. In the transfer, INN terminated 12 of its staff of 40, and kept its client stations, except for WPGA-TV. The station has since reached a new deal with INN, and the company began producing weeknight newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. upon WPGA's disaffiliation from ABC.[6]On July 23, 2007, WPGA began airing a new newscast titled ABC Macon News, produced by the Independent News Network in Davenport, Iowa; this broadcast aired Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. (though the latter broadcast was subsequently dropped for economic reasons[5]). Also around the same time this newscast launched, WPGA-TV changed its on-air branding from "ABC 58" to "ABC Macon".
In a report in the May 28, 2010 edition of The Macon Telegraph, it was announced that The Telegraph’s talk show hosts Kenny Burgamy and Charles Richardson, as well as veteran news anchor Liz Fabian, will no longer be airing their morning show on WPGA-TV and Mix 100.9 after July 20. Register Communication management dismissed the "Telegraph" crew early, on July 2, 2010, in favor of moving forward with it's new "Mix In The Morning" show. It would begin the following week, July 5, 2010, with long-time radio veterans Rick Knight, Brad Majors, Gail Daniels, Thom Mead and Stephen B. The new team brought a refreshingly edgier and funnier vibe to the show. "Mix in the Morning" continues to broadcast on Macon-TV and Mix 100.9 weekdays from 6 until 9 a.m.
News/station presentation[]
Newscast titles[]
- 58 News (2001-2002)
- ABC Macon News (2007-2009)
Station slogans[]
[1] This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.==Current on-air staff==
Mix In The Morning[]
- Rick Knight, Co-host
- Brad Majors, Co-host
- Gail Daniels, News Anchor & Commentator
- Stephen B, Weather & Traffic Reporter, Commentator & Producer
- Professor Thom Mead, Commentator & Trivia Host
Former on-air staff[]
- Miranda Crissinger, Reporter (now Anchor at WFXL-Albany)
- Sara Walsh (Now at ESPN)
- Julie Wunder, (now at WLOS-Asheville, NC)
- Tina Hicks, Anchor 2001
- Ron Wildman, News Director 1996-2000
- Frank Sulkowski, Sports 2001-2003 (Now Sports Director @ WJCL (ABC) and Fox 28 in Savannah, Ga.)
- Hugh Zeitlin, Sports
- Kerry Phillips, Anchor 2007
- Greg Wilson, Anchor 2007-2008
- Libby Allison, Anchor 2007-2008
- Susie Martin, Meteorologist 2007-2008
- John Beard, 11 pm Anchor 2007-2008
- Jeremy Moss, Sports 2007-2008
- Sunya Walls, 11 pm Anchor 2008
- Kurt Liske, Sports 2007
- Mark Prater, Chief Meteorologist 2007-2008, 11:00pm (now at WIAT-Birmingham)
- Matthew Odom, Commercial Producer/Director 2005-2007 Sports Reporter/Hilight Zone Co-Anchor 2007-2008(now at Mercer University Sports Communications)
- George Jobin ,Hilight Zone Co-Anchor (only for 2007 season, now continues career at Georgia Public Broadcasting)
- Allen Lincoln, Reporter/Photographer 2007-2008 (now at 13WMAZ-Macon)
- Claire Simms, Managing Editor/Reporter/Hilight Zone Co-Anchor 2007-2008(now at WECT-Wilmington)
- Nathan O'Leary, News Anchor 2008
- Rachel Duddles, Reporter/Videographer 2007-2008
- Jami Gaudet, Morning Anchor, Reporter 2007-2008
- Eric Lee, Reporter/Videographer/Interim Morning Anchor 2007-2009
- Dick Birdman Byrd, News Director 2007-2009
- Kenny Burgamy, Morning Radio Host 2008-2010
- Charles E. Richardson, Morning Radio Host 2008-2010
- Liz Fabian, Morning News Reader 2008-2010
References[]
- ^ Macon Telegraph October 29, 2009 WPGA severing ties with ABC network
- ^ http://www.fox24.com/news/local/67337237.html
- ^ a b Stucka, Mike (October 30, 2009). "Changes ahead for Macon ABC affiliate". The Telegraph. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- ^ http://www.macon.com/102/story/613036.html
- ^ a b c Macon Telegraph: "Future of Macon TV station’s nightly newscast uncertain", 1/5/2009.
- ^ Ramati, Phillip (December 7, 2009). "Cox, WPGA at odds over channel placement". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 7, 2009.