WGNM

WGNM
Macon, Georgia
United States
Branding CTN Macon
Slogan TeleVISION for Middle Georgia
Channels Digital: 45 (UHF)
Virtual: 45 (PSIP)
Subchannels 45.1 CTN
45.2 CTN International
Affiliations CTN
Owner Christian Television Network, Inc.
First air date November 1990[1]
Call letters' meaning Good
News
Middle Georgia
Former channel number(s) Analog:
64 (1990–2008)
Former affiliations Independent (1990–1995)
UPN (1995–2006)
Transmitter power 1000 kW
Height 223 m
Facility ID 24618
Transmitter coordinates 32°45′52″N 83°33′32″W / 32.76444°N 83.55889°WCoordinates: 32°45′52″N 83°33′32″W / 32.76444°N 83.55889°W
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.wgnm.com

WGNM, virtual and UHF digital channel 45, is a CTN owned-and-operated television station located in Macon, Georgia, United States. The station is owned by the Christian Television Network. WGNM maintains studio facilities located on Steven Drive in northwestern Macon, and its transmitter is located on GA 87/U.S. 23/U.S. 129 Alternate (Golden Isles Highway), along the Twiggs-Bibb County line.

History

The station first signed on the air in November 1990, as an independent station. WGNM became a charter affiliate of the United Paramount Network (UPN), when the network launched on January 16, 1995.

On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation (which split from Viacom in December 2005) and Time Warner's Warner Bros. Entertainment (the division that operated The WB) announced that they would dissolve UPN and The WB, and move some of their programming to a newly created network, The CW.[2][3] Shortly afterward, the station was sold to religious broadcaster, the Christian Television Network. On September 2, 2006, thirteen days before UPN ceased operations, WGNM terminated its contract with network and became an owned-and-operated station of the CTN network.

On May 11, 2008, the station was knocked off the air due to severe thunderstorms that caused damage in the Macon area; WGNM returned to the air soon afterward.[4]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[5]
45.1 480i 4:3 WGNM DT Main WGNM programming / CTN
45.2 CTNi CTN International

Analog-to-digital conversion

WGNM discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 64, on February 1, 2008. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 45,[6] using PSIP to display its virtual channel as its UHF digital channel 45, instead of its former analog assignment of UHF channel 64, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition. The station originally planned to continue operating its analog signal until the digital television transition in 2009; WGNM was the only full-power television station in the state of Georgia to discontinue its analog signal prior to the original February 17, 2009 transition deadline.[7]

References

  1. ↑ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says November 30, while the Television and Cable Factbook says November 20.
  2. ↑ 'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September, CNNMoney.com, January 24, 2006.
  3. ↑ UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network, The New York Times, January 24, 2006.
  4. ↑ WGNM TV Middle Georgia Christian Television Network Affiliate
  5. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WGNM
  6. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  7. ↑ "STATIONS TERMINATING ANALOG SERVICE ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 17, 2009" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-05-04.

External links