.svg) | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | Baton Rouge CW 21 |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | The CW |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WGMB-TV,WVLA-TV,KZUP-CD | |
| History | |
First air date | March 30, 1989 (36 years ago) (1989-03-30) |
Former call signs |
|
Former channel numbers | Analog: 65 (UHF, 1989–1992), 21 (UHF, 1992–2011), 20 (UHF, share with KZUP-CD, 2011–2020s) |
| |
Call sign meaning | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 24976 |
| ERP | 10kW |
| HAAT | 212.8 m (698 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 30°19′34.6″N91°16′36.1″W / 30.326278°N 91.276694°W /30.326278; -91.276694 |
| Translator(s) | WGMB-TV 44.2 Baton Rouge |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WBRL-CD (channel 21) is alow-power,Class A television station inBaton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, serving as the local outlet forThe CW. It isowned and operated by network majority ownerNexstar Media Group alongsideFox affiliateWGMB-TV (channel 44) andindependent stationKZUP-CD (channel 19); Nexstar also provides certain services toNBC affiliateWVLA-TV (channel 33) underjoint sales andshared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with White Knight Broadcasting. The four stations share studios on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge; WBRL-CD's transmitter is located nearAddis, Louisiana.
In addition to its own digital signal, WBRL-CD issimulcast in1080i fullhigh definition on WGMB's seconddigital subchannel (44.2) from the same transmitter site.
Communications Corporation of America broughtWB programming to Baton Rouge cable subscribers on February 1, 1999, as WBBR, a cable-only station onCox Communications channel 10 (WBBR's call sign was used in a fictitious manner).[2] Previously, WB programming was available on WTVK-LP, a low-power station owned by Gulf Atlantic Communications which was also affiliated withAmerica One. While WTVK was carried by several smaller cable providers in the greater Baton Rouge area, including those inClinton,Jackson, andWatson, as well as onLSU's cable system,TCI, then Baton Rouge's cable company, did not carry the station, and it only had a broadcasting range of six miles (9.7 km).[3] TCI, however, did carryWGN irregularly between 1995 and 1999, making WB programming available to subscribers. Eventually, WTVK signed off, and channel 11 became occupied byKPBN-LP, an America One affiliate.
The station now known as WBRL signed on the air March 30, 1989, as K65EF on channel 65. It was founded by Woody Jenkins of Great Oaks Broadcasting Corporation and initially served as a translator for independent stationWBTR, as that station initially had trouble getting picked up on local cable systems in the greater Baton Rouge area. In 1995, it became KANC-LP, channel 21 and served as Baton Rouge's first all-news station affiliated with theAll News Channel. On November 13, 2002, WTNC was purchased by ComCorp with the objective of bringing WBBR/WB programming over-the air. The call sign was changed to WBRL and was initially supposed to be on channel 19 before Communications Corporation decided to put it on channel 21 (sister stationKZUP-CD was on channel 19, but is now on channel 20; some station ids from 2002 erroneously branded the station as WB 19 instead of WB 21).[4][5] WBRL was previously used as the call letters to the FM counterpart toWJBO from 1941 to 1958—this station is nowWYNK-FM and is unrelated to WBRL-CD.
On March 7, 2006, Baton Rouge'sUPN affiliate,WBXH, announced that they would take affiliation withMyNetworkTV in September. On March 9, 2006, it was announced that WBRL would affiliate with The CW.
In June 2006, owner ComCorp filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ComCorp said in a press release viewers and staff would see no changes at the station.[6][7][8][9]
On April 24, 2013, ComCorp announced the sale of its entire group, including WGMB and WBRL-CD, to theNexstar Broadcasting Group.[10] Thelocal marketing agreement for WVLA and KZUP-CD (which is retaining ownership with White Knight Broadcasting) is included in the deal. The sale was completed on January 1, 2015.[11]
On July 1, 2020, WBRL relocated its digital channel from channel 21 to channel 20 to prevent co-interference fromWHNO in New Orleans, sharing channel space with its sister station, KZUP. On November 1, 2021, WBRL's simulcast on WGMB-DT2 was upgraded to 720p high definition.
Since March 2017, WBRL has reaired the 9 p.m. newscast from WGMB at 10:30 p.m.
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WBRL-CW | The CW |
| 20.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KZUP | KZUP-CD (Independent) |
Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state ofLouisiana | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Louisiana | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
| ||
Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state ofMississippi | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Mississippi | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Other | ||
| ||
| ABC | .svg){kind=logo} | |
|---|---|---|
| CBS | ||
| The CW |
| |
| Fox | ||
| MyNetworkTV | ||
| NBC | ||
| Other stations | ||
| TV network |
| |
| Other assets |
| |
| Acquisitions | ||
** Owned by third parties but operated by Nexstar through various agreements. | ||
