WJTV

WJTV on channel 25 and WSLI-TV on channel 12: Early years

During a years-long freeze on television applications imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to address a new allocation plan that included opening up the ultra high frequency (UHF) band, the Third Notice of Further Proposed Rule Making adopted in March 1951 included a proposed nationwide table wherein Jackson, Mississippi would receive three commercial TV channels: two on the very high frequency (VHF) band—3 and 12—and channel 25 on the UHF band.^[3] Jackson's two daily newspapers, The Clarion-Ledger and the Jackson Daily News, had initially intended to seek their own channels.^[4] They combined applications in June 1951 as the Mississippi Publishers Corporation, at which time they had initially specified channel 3.^[5]

Between the proposed table and the Sixth Report and Order in April 1952 which finalized the table, however, the minimum co-channel mileage separations had changed, especially near the Gulf of Mexico; amidst concerns of tropospheric propagation, VHF stations of the same channel 150 miles (240 km) from the gulf—designated by the FCC as Zone III—now had to be spaced 220 miles (350 km) apart.^[6.1] This caused channel 3 in Jackson to be short-spaced to channel 3 in Pensacola, Florida, by 2 miles (3.2 km), requiring the deletion of one of the assignments. Pensacola, which had been proposed channels 3 and 10, had already lost channel 10 to Albany, Georgia when those two assignments were short-spaced; rather than delete the other VHF assignment at Pensacola, the FCC deleted channel 3 in Jackson instead, replacing it with UHF channel 47.^[6.2][4] This application was unopposed^[7] and granted by the FCC in September 1952.^[8]

WJTV signed with CBS for an affiliation in October,^[9] by which time the studios were under construction south of Van Winkle.^[1] Ahead of the launch, the station took delivery of an outside broadcasting van and used it to deliver demonstrations of television in Jackson and other Mississippi cities.^[10][11] Construction work continued into January 1953 as every effort was made to try and finish the station so that it could telecast the inauguration of new president Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 20; this included chartering a plane from Maine to fly a crucial part.^[12] It barely made it. The first broadcast of WJTV, Mississippi's first television station, was not a test pattern but the inauguration—unusual at a time when a station might be expected to radiate a test pattern for a week or more before its first program.^[13] In addition to CBS, WJTV had an affiliation with the DuMont Television Network.^[14]

Two groups applied for channel 12: the Standard Life Insurance Company, owner of radio station WSLI, and Lamar Life, owner of WJDX.^[15] When the FCC re-added channel 3 to Jackson in September 1952 upon approval of a petition by Lamar to re-classify Jackson to Zone II, which lowered the co-channel separation to 190 miles (310 km),^[16] Lamar changed its application to specify channel 3 that November, leaving Standard the only applicant for channel 12.^[17] Rebel Broadcasting Corporation of Mississippi (WRBC) was one of two parties that had filed for channel 47.^[7] Rebel changed its application to specify channel 12 but withdrew in July 1953, clearing the way for Standard Life to begin constructing WSLI-TV on a property adjacent to WJTV.^[18] The station began broadcasting on March 27, 1954, and was affiliated with ABC. Owens Alexander arrived from WABT in Birmingham, Alabama, to serve as channel 12's general manager.^[19] With WLBT (channel 3), Lamar Life's NBC affiliate that began in December 1953, Jackson now had three TV stations.^[20][21]

Merger as WJTV on channel 12

WJTV on channel 25 and WSLI-TV on channel 12 operated independently for more than a year. On April 15, 1955, the two parties announced a merger agreement whereby Mississippi Publishers would acquire a 40% interest in the Standard Life Broadcasting Company and the two TV stations would combine as WJTV on channel 12, with both stations' staffs and network affiliations.^[22] The combination was effective June 1, creating one station with CBS, ABC, and DuMont affiliations. The WSLI-TV building was retained for use by the merged WJTV, whose previous quarters next door were used to relocate WSLI radio.^[23][24] The channel 25 permit was disposed as a condition of the merger; Standard Life acquired its equipment and facilities for a cost nearly equal to the interest it was selling.^[25] The merged firm was known as the Capitol Broadcasting Company.^[26][a] DuMont ceased its existence as a network later that year.^[27]

In 1957, the station began broadcasting with the full authorized power for channel 12—316,000 watts^[28]—and in 1962, the station began broadcasting from a 1,615-foot (492 m) tower at Raymond, Mississippi, among the tallest constructed to that time.^[29][30] ABC programs were split between WJTV and WLBT, the NBC affiliate, until 1970, when WAPT (channel 16) debuted to provide a primary ABC affiliate in the Jackson market.^[31]

During its early years, WJTV produced several local programs. For children, the station offered a program hosted by "Skipper Dick" Miller from 1958 through the mid-1960s; Miller remained with the station through 1992 as a news anchor.^[32] The Popeye Theater was another early local program.^[33]

News-Press and Gazette Company ownership

The Clarion-Ledger and Daily News were sold to Gannett in 1982, marking the end of newspaper ownership by their controlling owner—the Hederman family.^[34] That October, Capitol put its Jackson radio and TV stations and two other properties it owned—KNAZ-TV in Flagstaff, Arizona, and KKTV in Colorado Springs, Colorado—on the market.^[35] The News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG) of St. Joseph, Missouri, agreed to buy the station for $19 million in December 1982.^[36] Owens Alexander left his post as general manager in 1983 after nearly 30 years with the station.^[37] Two years later, NPG hired William Dilday—the first Black person to serve as general manager of a TV station in the United States—after WLBT fired him.^[38] In 1986, he was promoted to general manager of WJTV,^[39] and in 1989, he left the station after being promoted to the corporate office.^[40]

Under NPG, plans were unblocked to build a satellite station in Hattiesburg, which was on the outer fringe of WJTV's transmitter coverage. Capitol and Central Television of Meridian—the owner of that city's WHTV, the CBS affiliate there^[41]—had each proposed to build a TV station to serve as the Hattiesburg–Laurel area's CBS affiliate, but Capitol could not be awarded a construction permit as long as it also held newspaper interests. The sale of the Jackson newspapers allowed Capitol to win a permit for channel 18 at Laurel in 1982.^[42] Central also received its permit, for channel 22 at Hattiesburg, while challenging the Laurel permit; in 1984, it reached a deal to sell its permit to NPG in exchange for a consulting contract. Laurel's WDAM-TV protested, claiming the contract was an undue payment because FCC rules restricted the compensation that could be paid for a construction permit.^[43] In August 1986, the FCC allowed the sale but agreed with WDAM on the price.^[44] WHLT began broadcasting on January 12, 1987, and originated some local programming and news coverage.^[45]

Media General ownership

New Vision Television acquired all eight of NPG's stations for $110 million in 1993. The company of East Lansing, Michigan, and Atlanta was a newly formed entity.^[46] New Vision chairman and executive Jason Elkin considered WJTV the company's flagship station. Within 18 months, New Vision's investors were ready to sell and flipped the same portfolio to Ellis Communications for $220 million.^[47][48] Ellis was sold in 1996 and became part of Raycom Media.^[49] Raycom acquired Ellis on May 14, 1996, and Federal Broadcasting on May 30. Federal owned WDAM, a competitor to WHLT in the Hattiesburg–Laurel market, and had to divest one of the two stations.^[50] In January 1997, WJTV and WHLT, along with WSAV-TV in Savannah, Georgia, were traded to Media General for WTVR-TV in Richmond, Virginia, which it had just purchased but could not retain alongside the Richmond Times-Dispatch.^[51] During the various owners, 12 station positions were filled and $2 million was spent on capital expenditures.^[52] While WJTV increased its overall ratings, its newscasts continued to finish second to WLBT.^[53]

In October 2013, WJTV returned programming from The CW to the Jackson market after the previous affiliate, WRBJ-TV (channel 34), was sold to the Trinity Broadcasting Network. WJTV placed the network on its second digital subchannel.^[54]

Nexstar ownership

Media General initially agreed to merge with the Meredith Corporation^[55] but faced a shareholder revolt in the wake of an unsolicited offer from Nexstar Broadcasting Group,^[56] which agreed to acquire the company in January 2016.^[57] The sale was completed on January 17, 2017, at which time Nexstar changed its name to Nexstar Media Group.^[58]

WJTV lost its CBS affiliation to WAPT on August 1, 2026, as part of a modified renewal of most other Nexstar affiliations with CBS. At that time, it became a primary CW affiliate. Jackson was one of four markets where stations owned by Hearst Television assumed the CBS affiliation from Nexstar-owned stations in their markets.^[59] WJTV's semi-satellite station WHLT remained a CBS affiliate.^[60] WJTV's previous CW subchannel, "EJTV", would be converted into an independent station focused on syndicated court shows and sitcoms.^[61]

Notable former on-air staff

• Matt Winer – sports anchor, 1993–1995^[85]

Subchannels

WJTV's transmitter is located near Raymond, Mississippi.^[2] The station's signal is multiplexed:

Analog-to-digital conversion

WJTV began broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 52 on April 19, 2002.^[87] It shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009, as part of the digital television transition.^[88] WJTV's digital signal relocated to VHF channel 12 after the transition.^[89]