| Meridian, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
| Branding | CBS 24 |
| Slogan | Your Sports and Entertainment Leader |
| Channels | Digital: 24 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | 24.1 CBS 24.2 AccuWeather |
| Owner | Waypoint Media (WMDN-TV, LLC) |
| First air date | June 10, 1968 (original incarnation) March 23, 1972 (second incarnation) February 2, 1994 (third incarnation) |
| Call letters' meaning | MeriDiaN |
| Sister station(s) | WGBC, WHPM-LD |
| Former callsigns | WHTV (1968-1970, 1972-1986) WTZH (1986-1991) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 24 (1968-1972, 1980-1991, and 1994-2009) 26 (UHF digital) |
| Former affiliations | CBS (secondary, 1968-1970; primary, 1980-1991) ABC (secondary, 1968-1970 and 1972-1980) NBC (1972-1980, as satellite of WTVA) silent (1991-1994) Fox (1994-1997, NFL only) |
| Transmitter power | 616 kW |
| Height | 182.1 m |
| Facility ID | 73255 |
WMDN is the CBS-affiliated television station for Meridian, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter at its studios on Crestview Circle south of downtown. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 5 and in high definition on digital channel 433. Owned by Waypoint Media, WMDN is sister to NBC/Fox affiliate WGBC and the two share studios. Syndicated programming on this station includes: Inside Edition, The Dr. Oz Show, Entertainment Tonight, and Ellen.
Contents |
On WMDN-DT2 and Comcast digital channel 247 is The Local AccuWeather Channel.
| Subchannel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 24.1 | main WMDN programming/CBS HD |
| 24.2 | WMDN-DT2 "CBS 24 Local Weather Channel" |
The station first signed-on June 10, 1968 under the call sign WHTV. It was originally owned by local businessmen Weyman Walker and James Britton. WHTV aired programs from CBS and ABC in a secondary manner that longtime CBS affiliate WTOK-TV presumably turned down. [1] Unfortunately, like many UHF start-ups in a previously VHF market, this channel could not gain a significant foothold in ratings or local advertising and had to go dark on October 13, 1970. [2]
On March 23, 1972, Frank K. Spain bought WHTV and made it a full-time satellite of WTWV (now WTVA) in Tupelo which was affiliated with NBC with some ABC programs such as college football carried at other times. [3] Television guides during this time instructed viewers to consult WTWV's listings for WHTV's program schedule. This changed in 1980 when WHTV became the primary CBS affiliate for Meridian after WTOK became a primary ABC affiliate. In 1982, NBC returned to the market on WLBM (now WGBC) as semi-satellite of WLBT in Jackson. In 1986, WHTV changed call letters to WTZH.
The station went bankrupt in 1991 leaving Eastern Mississippi and portions of Western Alabama without a CBS affiliate. During the gap, Hattiesburg's WHLT and occasionally Selma, Alabama's WAKA were carried by Comcast to provide CBS programming to cable subscribers. Finally, the Spain family returned this channel to the air as WMDN on February 2, 1994. From that year until 1997, the station aired National Football League games from Fox (which had actually acquired these games from CBS).
That was shared with WTOK which also aired some additional programming from the network in late night time slots as a secondary affiliate. In 1995, WMDN entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) with WGBC. The Spains owned WMDN until January 2008 when Meridian businessman Michael Reed purchased the station along with WGBC, making them full sisters. Reed had to get a "failed station" waiver to buy WGBC because the Meridian market has only four full-power stations--not enough to legally permit a duopoly under normal circumstances.
With WMDN's third launch in 1994, local newscasts on weeknights at 6 and 10 were added to the schedule. This was the second attempt to take on longtime dominant WTOK in the ratings. From 1991 until 1994, WGBC aired news during the week that was known as WGBC News 30. Those broadcasts ended after local businessman, Alex Shields, bought majority control of the station. WTOK's continual status as the most watched station in Eastern Mississippi has been a result of being the only VHF station in the area.
With the introduction of a news department, WMDN simulcasted all of its shows on WGBC as a result of the LMA. Therefore, the newscasts were branded as 24/30 News. The title changed to WMDN News when the shows were dropped from WGBC's lineup. WMDN also aired an hour-long weekday morning show at 6 for a short time. All newscasts ended on June 30, 2005 as a result of being unable to gain consistent ratings and viewership. A few years later, WMDN and WGBC began airing local weather cut-ins during the national weekday morning shows.
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