| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Branding | WGMB Fox 44 Baton Rouge (general) Fox 44 News/Fox News Baton Rouge (news) |
| Slogan | So Fox 44 |
| Channels | Digital: 45 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | 44.1 Fox - HD 44.2 The CW - SD |
| Affiliations | Fox |
| Owner | Communications Corporation of America (Comcorp of Baton Rouge License Corporation) |
| First air date | August 11, 1991 |
| Call letters' meaning | Galloway Media Broadcasting or GuMBo |
| Sister station(s) | WBRL-CD, WVLA-TV, KZUP-CD |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 44 (UHF, 1991-2009) |
| Transmitter power | 1000 kW |
| Height | 424 m |
| Facility ID | 12520 |
| Website | www.fox44.com |
WGMB-TV ("Fox 44") is the local Fox affiliate for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is owned by Communications Corporation of America, and is sister station to the area's The CW affiliate, WBRL-CD. WGMB also shared facilities and staff with WVLA-TV (channel 33) and KZUP-CD (channel 19). WGMB's transmitter is located near Addis, Louisiana.
The stations transmits its analog signal on UHF channel 44, and its digital signal on UHF channel 45. The station is seen via satellite through DirecTV and Dish Network and on cable Cox Communications and AT&T U-verse.
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The station first signed on August 11, 1991, making Baton Rouge the last of the Top 100 Nielsen Designated Market Areas to receive a Fox affiliate. It has been owned by the Galloway family since its inception. It took five years to bring Fox to Baton Rouge, as the FCC licensed channel 44 to Baton Rouge in 1983 and several potential buyers sought a license. One company, Parish Family Television expressed an interest in broadcasting an independent station affiliated with the network in 1986 with the call letters WPFT. Delays occurred as Southwest Multimedia of Houston expressed an ownership interest in Parish Family Television and rival company Louisiana Super Communications objected to this sale. After Southwest Multimedia bowed out of the ownership stake, Thomas Galloway of Lafayette purchased the license from PFTV in November 1990. The station installed an antenna on WVLA's tower, bought from future sister station WNTZ's parent company at the time, Delta Media Corporation. From April 1990 to February 1991, local NBC affiliate WVLA aired week-delayed episodes of Fox shows such as The Simpsons, Married with Children, and In Living Color.
In addition to its Fox affiliation, WGMB also carried Universal Television's Action Pack and was a secondary affiliate of PTEN in its early years of operation. In 1996, WGMB became a sister station of WVLA when Thomas Galloway's son, Sheldon, purchased the NBC affiliate from businessman Cyril Vetter. Sheldon had previously held a stake in WGMB but sold it to his father to make it easier for him to buy WVLA.[1]
The station originally broadcasted from Florida Blvd. until the Galloways purchased WVLA. In 1999, WGMB, along with WVLA, WBBR (now WBRL), and WZUP (now KZUP), moved to their current studios on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge.
The station did not produce a local newscast until 2007; however, it usually broadcasted children's events and programming from around the Baton Rouge area in the 1990s as part of its "Fox 44 Kids Club." One locally-produced show was "Fox Rox Saturday," which aired in the late 1990s on Saturday mornings. WGMB also aired one high school football game each week during the fall from the Baton Rouge area in the early 2000s.
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
Digital channels
| Channel | Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 44.1 | WGMB-DT | Main WGMB-TV Programming / FOX |
| 44.2 | WGMB-DT2 | Simulcast of WBRL-CD |
WGMB-TV shut down analog transmissions on June 12, 2009. The station remained on its current pre-transition channel 45.[2] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display its virtual channel as 44.
WGMB currently airs all of FOX network programming in High Definition and a few of its syndicated programming such as The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men in HD. The station also airs infomercials, such as Jack Van Impe presents. WGMB also airs first run syndicated promgrams, including, America's Court with Judge Ross, Swift Justice with Nancy Grace, Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown, The People's Court, Judge Mathis, Divorce Court, and Judge Alex. And sitcom syndicated programming at the station includes: Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and TMZ.
On March 12, 2007, WGMB debuted a local newscast entitled Fox News Louisiana airing weeknights at 9 p.m. In the summer of 2008, the newscast was rebranded as Fox News Baton Rouge. WGMB also produces and pre-records the 9 p.m. newscast for sister station KADN in Lafayette, and formerly did so for KMSS-TV in Shreveport. The KMSS-TV evening newscast is now handled by KFXK of Tyler, Texas.
On August 20, 2007, WGMB debuted Fox News Louisiana AM to counter the national morning shows. The newscast, anchored by Rachel Slavik and Lauren Unger, featured eight weather updates an hour from meteorologist Jesse Gunkel. It also was simulcast on sister station WNTZ in Alexandria, although news from that area rarely made it to the program. On 2 December 2008, WGMB cancelled the newscast due to cost cuts; at the same time the station also laid off an undisclosed number of employees. WGMB’s sister station, NBC affiliate WVLA, will continue to air its 6 a.m. local newscast, which precedes The Today Show.
On April 28, 2009, WGMB announced the discontinuation of all locally produced newscasts.[3] The 9 p.m. newscast will originate from sister station KETK in Tyler, Texas.
WGMB also airs a 30-minute sports program called The Show on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. It is produced by KETK in Tyler, Texas, and is hosted by Tamara Jolee.
On January 3, 2011, WGMB started producing its 9 p.m. newscast locally from Baton Rouge.
Fox44 News Baton Rouge (Weeknights 9 to 9:30 p.m.)
In June 2006, owner ComCorp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ComCorp said in a press release viewers and staff would see no changes at the station.[4][5][6][7]
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