WLJT-DT

WLJT-DT
Lexington/Martin/Jackson, Tennessee
Channels Digital: 47 (UHF)
Affiliations PBS (1970-present)
Owner West Tennessee Public Television Council, Inc.
First air date February 13, 1968
Call letters' meaning Lexington
Jackson
Tennessee
Former channel number(s) 11 (VHF analog, 1968-2009)
Former affiliations NET (1968-1970)
Transmitter power 282 kW
Height 167 m
Facility ID 71645
Transmitter coordinates 35°42′11.9″N 88°36′10.4″W / 35.703306°N 88.602889°W
Website www.wljt.org

WLJT-DT is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member station serving western and northwestern Tennessee on digital channel 47 (virtual channel 11). Its studios are located in Martin on rented space at the University of Tennessee at Martin; its transmitter and tower are located in Lexington, its city of license.

History

WLJT began operations on February 13, 1968. It was originally operated by the Tennessee Department of Education as a service to the schools of western Tennessee. At the time, this region was considered too small and too rural to support a full-fledged traditional educational station. As such, for its first 13 years of broadcasting, it repeated the signal of Memphis station WKNO, via contract, since WKNO was not, unlike WLJT, operated by the state. In 1981, the station inaugurated a separate schedule, including programs of local interest. A few years later, the state education board relinquished the license to a local community board, the West Tennessee Public Television Council. Until 1993, administrative offices were located in Martin, while the technical staff worked in Lexington, some 60 miles (100 km) away; microwave links to the transmitter enabled WLJT to consolidate its entire operation in Martin afterward.

WLJT especially emphasizes programs of community interest, in large part because commercial broadcasters in Memphis and Paducah, Kentucky devote little attention to rural western Tennessee in newscasts and other local programming. The only commercial news operation in the market explicitly devoted to the area is Jackson station WBBJ.

After the digital transition on February 17, 2009, WLJT stop transmitting on its analog signal, continuing to operate on digital channel 47. However, digital tuners with PSIP display its virtual channel as 11.

Digital television

WLJT has three subchannels, which are organized in an unusual way. The station's main signal is located on its third subcarrier.

Channel Video Aspect Name Programming
11.1 480i 4:3 WLJT-DT Create
11.2 PBS World
11.3 1080i 16:9 WLJT-HD Main WLJT-DT programming / PBS

External links

References