WMYV
Encyclopedia
WMYV is the MyNetworkTV
-affiliated television station
for the Piedmont Triad
area of North Carolina
that is licensed to Greensboro
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 33 (virtual channel
48) from a transmitter in Randleman
along I-73
/U.S. 220. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group
, the station is sister to ABC
affiliate WXLV-TV
and the two share studios on Myer Lee Drive in Winston-Salem
along I-40
. Syndicated
programing on WMYV includes: Two and a Half Men
, The Simpsons
, The Office, and Tyler Perry's House of Payne
. The station also airs Fox's Weekend Marketplace
Saturday morning infomercial
block as it is not carried by the area's Fox affiliate, WGHP-TV.
shows preempted by WFMY-TV
. It was owned locally by Guilford Broadcasting. The station was initially a strong competitor with the area's other independent station, WJTM-TV. However, it took a toll financially.
The Triad was too small at the time to support two independent stations, and there was not enough programming to go around. Also, WGGT's signal was considerably weaker than WJTM's. WGGT fell further behind when TVX Broadcast Group
bought rival WJTM in 1983 and changed its call letters to WNRW. With stronger ownership, WNRW was able to pick most of the better programming clean as well as outbid WGGT for the Triad's Fox
affiliation in 1986.
By 1987, WGGT was forced to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy
. However for a time, it stayed on-the-air, albeit with far more barter programming. The financial woes continued unabated and it was close to filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy
in 1991. In the mid-1980s, a new program aired on Sunday Morning called Pet Pals. This showcased a variety of information for people and pets. Co-hosted by Greensboro's Jerry Cunningham, Pet Pals was North Carolina's first weekly program dedicated to pets and became a hit.
The most visible on-air personality at WGGT was "Billy Bobb", (created by comedian Dana Lowell). He hosted "Billy Bobb's Action Theater" and "Billy Bobb's Fun Club" from January 14, 1987 until December 18, 1991. On that date, Lowell and the remaining skeleton crew of WGGT were let go due to the bankruptcy situation, and only one master control technician and the station secretary stayed on board as the station changed hands.
Act III Broadcasting
, which had bought WNRW in 1988, stepped in and bought WGGT's stronger programming, then merged it onto WNRW's schedule. WGGT began simulcast
ing WNRW, creating a strong combined signal with over 60% overlap in the market
. The two stations became known as the "Piedmont Superstation". The simulcast continued after Act III was bought by Abry in 1993.
WNRW and WGGT took a secondary UPN
affiliation on January 16, 1995 and became the market's ABC affiliates in September of that year after WGHP
dropped the network and became a Fox station. In 1996, Abry merged with Sinclair and Glencairn bought WGGT from Guiliford Broadcasters. However, since 90 percent of Glencairn's stock was owned by Sinclair's founders (the Smith family), the company effectively owned both stations and now had a duopoly
in the Triad in violation of Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) rules. Sinclair further circumvented the rules by ending the simulcast and taking control of WGGT's operations under a local marketing agreement
(LMA) with WNRW (now WXLV) as senior partner. Under the terms of the LMA, UPN programming remained on channel 48, which changed call letters to WUPN-TV after Glencairn officially took control on June 19. The station was purchased outright by Sinclair in 2001.
On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced that they would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters represented the first initial of its corporate parents: CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros.
unit of Time Warner
. On February 22, News Corporation
announced that it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also designed to compete with The CW.
Sinclair decided that all of its UPN and WB affiliates would join MyNetworkTV except for one station in those markets where it owned both UPN and WB affiliates. This cleared the way for WTWB-TV (now WCWG
) to take the CW affiliation. On June 19, WUPN changed its call letters to the current WMYV in anticipation of this affiliation switch. On February 2, 2009, Sinclair told cable and satellite television providers via e-mail that regardless of the exact mandatory switchover date to digital-only broadcasting, the station would cease airing in analog on February 17. At 11:59 p.m. on that date, its analog signal switched to "nightlight" service
and went dark permanently during the week ending March 13. This move made WMYV and WXLV the first digital-only broadcast stations in the market.
, WMYV is available on Charter Communications
in Siler City
, which is part of the Raleigh
DMA
. WMYV is also available on Fibrant in Salisbury
, which is part of the Charlotte
DMA.
In Virginia
, WMYV is available on DirecTV
in Grayson County
, which is part of the Roanoke
DMA.
From Fall 2003 until August 2005, WUPN aired a nightly 10 o'clock newscast known as UPN 48 News at 10 featuring former WFMY anchor Frank Fraboni. As part of Sinclair's News Central
operation, local news originated from its studios while national news, sports, and weather aired from Sinclair's headquarters in Hunt Valley, Maryland
. A broadcast on WXLV, known ABC 45 News Late Edition, aired weeknights at 11 from 2004 until 2005 that also featured the News Central format. Both newscasts were pulled by Sinclair due to poor ratings. WMYV currently airs no newscasts. However, there is a taped public affairs show called Triad Today that airs Sunday nights at 10 hosted by Jim Longworth.
Negotiations between the two parties were extended for another two weeks and are set to expire on January 15, 2011 if an agreement is not reached. Any blackout would, in effect, limit access for WMYV to a number of cable households within the Triad market. However, only local and syndicated programming from sister station WXLV would be affected, since TWC would likely replace ABC programming from an alternate feed.
Currently, TheCoolTV is not offered on Time Warner
or Charter
digital cable.
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for the Piedmont Triad
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad, or Triad, is a north-central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group or "triad" of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the...
area of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
that is licensed to Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 33 (virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
48) from a transmitter in Randleman
Randleman, North Carolina
Randleman is a city in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,557 at the 2000 census. It is the home of NASCAR's Petty family, the Richard Petty Museum, and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.-Geography:...
along I-73
Interstate 73
Interstate 73 is a main route of the Interstate Highway System, currently located entirely within the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of a longer planned corridor, defined by various Federal laws to run from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Grayling, Michigan, but only the part south of...
/U.S. 220. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
, the station is sister to ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate WXLV-TV
WXLV-TV
WXLV-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that is licensed to Winston-Salem. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 from a transmitter in Randleman along I-73/U.S. 220...
and the two share studios on Myer Lee Drive in Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
along I-40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programing on WMYV includes: Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, The Office, and Tyler Perry's House of Payne
Tyler Perry's House of Payne
Tyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama television series created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella...
. The station also airs Fox's Weekend Marketplace
Weekend Marketplace
Weekend Marketplace is a two hour Saturday morning block of paid programming airing on Fox that began airing on January 3, 2009, replacing the 4Kids TV Saturday morning cartoon block that aired using time leased by 4Kids from Fox from 2002 until the last Saturday of 2008...
Saturday morning infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
block as it is not carried by the area's Fox affiliate, WGHP-TV.
History
An earlier Independent station with the call letters WUBC had operated on analog UHF channel 48 in Greensboro during the late-1960s but went dark. The current incarnation of the station signed-on May 9, 1981 as WGGT-TV running a general entertainment format featuring cartoons, old movies, classic sitcoms, religious shows, and CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
shows preempted by WFMY-TV
WFMY-TV
WFMY-TV is a television station in Greensboro, North Carolina. Owned by the Gannett Company, WFMYis the CBS affiliate for the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem area...
. It was owned locally by Guilford Broadcasting. The station was initially a strong competitor with the area's other independent station, WJTM-TV. However, it took a toll financially.
The Triad was too small at the time to support two independent stations, and there was not enough programming to go around. Also, WGGT's signal was considerably weaker than WJTM's. WGGT fell further behind when TVX Broadcast Group
TVX Broadcast Group
The TVX Broadcast Group was an American media company that owned a group of UHF television stations during the 1980s. Originally known as the Television Corporation, the company was headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, and was founded by a group of Norfolk-area businessmen led by Timothy McDonald...
bought rival WJTM in 1983 and changed its call letters to WNRW. With stronger ownership, WNRW was able to pick most of the better programming clean as well as outbid WGGT for the Triad's Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliation in 1986.
By 1987, WGGT was forced to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
. However for a time, it stayed on-the-air, albeit with far more barter programming. The financial woes continued unabated and it was close to filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy
Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 7 of the Title 11 of the United States Code governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States...
in 1991. In the mid-1980s, a new program aired on Sunday Morning called Pet Pals. This showcased a variety of information for people and pets. Co-hosted by Greensboro's Jerry Cunningham, Pet Pals was North Carolina's first weekly program dedicated to pets and became a hit.
The most visible on-air personality at WGGT was "Billy Bobb", (created by comedian Dana Lowell). He hosted "Billy Bobb's Action Theater" and "Billy Bobb's Fun Club" from January 14, 1987 until December 18, 1991. On that date, Lowell and the remaining skeleton crew of WGGT were let go due to the bankruptcy situation, and only one master control technician and the station secretary stayed on board as the station changed hands.
Act III Broadcasting
Act III Broadcasting
Act III Broadcasting was a company that owned several television stations that started as independents, and later became Fox affiliates. The stations were located in medium-sized markets, and the company existed from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, eventually to be sold to Abry in 1994...
, which had bought WNRW in 1988, stepped in and bought WGGT's stronger programming, then merged it onto WNRW's schedule. WGGT began simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ing WNRW, creating a strong combined signal with over 60% overlap in the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
. The two stations became known as the "Piedmont Superstation". The simulcast continued after Act III was bought by Abry in 1993.
WNRW and WGGT took a secondary UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
affiliation on January 16, 1995 and became the market's ABC affiliates in September of that year after WGHP
WGHP
WGHP, channel 8, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, North Carolina designated market area...
dropped the network and became a Fox station. In 1996, Abry merged with Sinclair and Glencairn bought WGGT from Guiliford Broadcasters. However, since 90 percent of Glencairn's stock was owned by Sinclair's founders (the Smith family), the company effectively owned both stations and now had a duopoly
Duopoly (broadcasting)
In United States broadcast television and radio, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
in the Triad in violation of Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) rules. Sinclair further circumvented the rules by ending the simulcast and taking control of WGGT's operations under a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LMA) with WNRW (now WXLV) as senior partner. Under the terms of the LMA, UPN programming remained on channel 48, which changed call letters to WUPN-TV after Glencairn officially took control on June 19. The station was purchased outright by Sinclair in 2001.
On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced that they would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters represented the first initial of its corporate parents: CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
unit of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. On February 22, News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
announced that it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also designed to compete with The CW.
Sinclair decided that all of its UPN and WB affiliates would join MyNetworkTV except for one station in those markets where it owned both UPN and WB affiliates. This cleared the way for WTWB-TV (now WCWG
WCWG
WCWG , is the CW affiliate licensed to Lexington, North Carolina, and serves the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, North Carolina television market. The station is owned by New World TV Group...
) to take the CW affiliation. On June 19, WUPN changed its call letters to the current WMYV in anticipation of this affiliation switch. On February 2, 2009, Sinclair told cable and satellite television providers via e-mail that regardless of the exact mandatory switchover date to digital-only broadcasting, the station would cease airing in analog on February 17. At 11:59 p.m. on that date, its analog signal switched to "nightlight" service
Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act
The Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act, or SAFER Act, is a U.S. law to require the Federal Communications Commission to allow the continuation of full-power analog TV transmissions in 2009 for 30 more days, for the purpose of broadcasting public service announcements regarding the...
and went dark permanently during the week ending March 13. This move made WMYV and WXLV the first digital-only broadcast stations in the market.
Out-of-market cable and DirecTV coverage
In North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, WMYV is available on Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
in Siler City
Siler City, North Carolina
Siler City is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population is right at 8,747 within corporate limits and 14,005 within corporate limits and ETJ...
, which is part of the Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
DMA
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
. WMYV is also available on Fibrant in Salisbury
Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in Rowan County in North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. The population was 33,663 in the 2010 Census . It is the county seat of Rowan County...
, which is part of the Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
DMA.
In Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, WMYV is available on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
in Grayson County
Grayson County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,917 people, 7,259 households, and 5,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile . There were 9,123 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, which is part of the Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
DMA.
Newscasts
News Central
News Central was a primetime newscast on Sinclair television stations in the United States, mixing locally produced news with nationally produced news and an opinion segment from Sinclair's Hunt Valley, Maryland studios...
operation, local news originated from its studios while national news, sports, and weather aired from Sinclair's headquarters in Hunt Valley, Maryland
Hunt Valley, Maryland
Hunt Valley is an affluent unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It lies just north of the city of Baltimore, along Highway 145 off Interstate 83. Loch Raven Reservoir...
. A broadcast on WXLV, known ABC 45 News Late Edition, aired weeknights at 11 from 2004 until 2005 that also featured the News Central format. Both newscasts were pulled by Sinclair due to poor ratings. WMYV currently airs no newscasts. However, there is a taped public affairs show called Triad Today that airs Sunday nights at 10 hosted by Jim Longworth.
Issue With Time Warner Cable
Sinclair Broadcast Group is currently involved in a retransmission dispute with Time Warner Cable, whose original agreement ended on December 31, 2010. The issue involves fees that TWC is willing to pay for programming on MyNetworkTV.Negotiations between the two parties were extended for another two weeks and are set to expire on January 15, 2011 if an agreement is not reached. Any blackout would, in effect, limit access for WMYV to a number of cable households within the Triad market. However, only local and syndicated programming from sister station WXLV would be affected, since TWC would likely replace ABC programming from an alternate feed.
Digital programming
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 48.1 | Main WMYV programming / MyNetworkTV |
| 48.2 | TheCoolTV TheCoolTV THECOOLTV is a United States over-the-air digital subchannel launched in March 2009. The network's current program schedule consists of an all-music video lineup that can be customized to meet an affiliate's preference, along with the three hours per week of E/I programming as required by the... |
Currently, TheCoolTV is not offered on Time Warner
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
or Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
digital cable.