 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | 11 Alive |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WATL | |
| History | |
First air date | September 30, 1951 (73 years ago) (1951-09-30) |
Former call signs |
|
Former channel number(s) |
|
| |
Call sign meaning | "XI" is theRoman numeral for "11"; Atlanta |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 51163 |
| ERP | 80kW |
| HAAT | 303 m (994 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 33°45′24″N84°19′55″W / 33.75667°N 84.33194°W /33.75667; -84.33194 |
| Translator(s) | WATL 11.11 Atlanta[citation needed] |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WXIA-TV (channel 11) is atelevision station inAtlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated withNBC. It is owned byTegna Inc. alongsideMyNetworkTV affiliateWATL (channel 36). The two stations share studios at One Monroe Place on the north end ofmidtown Atlanta; WXIA-TV's transmitter is located in the city's east section, nearKirkwood. Atlanta is the largesttelevision market where the NBC station is notowned and operated by the network.[2]
WXIA-TV is popularly known within theAtlanta metropolitan area by its longtime on-airbrand,11 Alive, which the station has used since 1976.
What is known today as WXIA-TV originally signed on the air September 30, 1951, at 5 p.m., as WLTV onVHF channel 8. It was the first full timeABC affiliate for Atlanta, taking it over fromWSB-TV andWAGA-TV (channel 5), both originally primary NBC andCBS affiliates respectively that previously shared ABC programming as a secondary affiliation. It was the third Atlanta television station to sign-on after WSB-TV and WAGA, all signing on within a three-year time frame.
Owned and operated by a group of Atlanta businessmen organized as Broadcasting, Inc., WLTV was indirectly born from the 1950 merger ofAtlanta's two newspapers.The Atlanta Journal had originally owned channel 8 as WSB-TV, whileThe Atlanta Constitution held a construction permit for channel 2 as WCON-TV. Construction had already begun on the WCON-TV facilities when the Howell family, longtime owners of theConstitution, sold their paper toCox Enterprises, owners of theJournal. However, Cox had a problem. At the time, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) did not permit the sale of television station construction permits, considering it "trafficking". Cox had little option but to keep the WCON-TV construction permit rather than the already-operating WSB-TV.[3] As such, it announced plans to move the WSB-TV intellectual unit to the stronger channel 2 facility when it was completed and sell its channel 8 license, which was acquired by Broadcasting, Inc., for $525,000. The sale was challenged by applicants for additional stations that were affected by the then-ongoing freeze on new construction permits, includingGeorgia Tech (owners ofWGST radio)[4] andDecatur radio station owner E.D. Rivers,[5] in part because planned allocation changes meant that there would be no further commercial VHF stations for Atlanta, and they sought to operate the channel as well.[6]
The FCC dismissed the complaints and approved the sale of the channel 8 license to Broadcasting, Inc., in August 1951.[5] Testing for the new channel 2 began on September 25, 1951,[7] and WSB-TV moved there on September 30. Channel 8 returned at 5 p.m. that day as WLTV.[8] Due to the way the transfer was structured legally, WXIA operates under the license originally granted to WSB-TV, while the current WSB-TV license dates from 1951.[9] Thus, the present-day channel 11 is the second-oldest broadcasting facility in the South; WSB-TV signed on in 1948, four months afterWTVR-TV inRichmond, Virginia.
Several more large changes would come for WLTV in the years that followed. When the FCC lifted its freeze on new TV stations with the Sixth Report and Order in April 1952, it made several changes to television allocations and substituted channel 11 for 8 at Atlanta, modifying WLTV's license to specify channel 11.[9] The change coincided with the reallocation of channel 8 tonon-commercial educational use atAthens and mitigated interference withchannel 9 atRome. The station would not change channels until September 1953, by which time Broadcasting, Inc., had sold WLTV toCincinnati-basedCrosley Broadcasting Corporation. In line with its other television stations, Crosley changed the call letters to WLWA (often rendered as "WLW-A") on March 3, 1953.[9]
In 1962, WLWA was purchased byIndianapolis businessman Richard Fairbanks, via hisWIBC, Inc., as part of a settlement between Crosley and Fairbanks. Crosley had started WLWI (nowWTHR) in Indianapolis in 1957, but Fairbanks insisted that the last VHF allocation in Indianapolis should go to a local owner. Eventually, the two companies agreed to what amounted to a trade, in which Crosley kept WLWI while Fairbanks bought WLWA. The Atlanta station's call sign then became WAII-TV, using the slogan "The Eyes of Atlanta" and the calls standing for "Atlanta's 11" (II). The station was sold to Pacific & Southern Broadcasting in 1968 and on March 23 became known as WQXI-TV, aligning it withWQXI AM and FM (the calls had originally been used on channel 36, currentlyWATL, from 1954 to 1955). Pacific & Southern later merged with Combined Communications Corporation; the merged company could not purchase both WQXI radio and television, as the FCC had barred new radio-television combinations in top 50 markets.[10] The radio stations were sold toJefferson-Pilot Broadcasting; as a result of the split, the station assumed the WXIA-TV call letters on December 24, 1973.[11]
On September 20, 1976, WXIA first adopted "11 Alive" as its on-air branding, as part of Combined's practice of using the word "Alive" as part of the brand of most of their stations (two stations not owned by Combined also adopted the "11 Alive" branding that same year, then-independent stationWPIX (now aCW affiliate) inNew York City—which used the brand until 1986, and NBC affiliate WIIC inPittsburgh, nowWPXI—which used it until 1979). In 1979, Combined merged with theGannett Company in what became the largest media merger in history up to that time. Following the acquisition, most of the former Combined stations stopped using the "Alive" brand, though WXIA continued to call itself "11 Alive".[citation needed]
On September 1, 1980, WXIA swapped affiliations with WSB-TV and became an NBC affiliate. This move could be traced to ratings: NBC slid to a very poor third place; meanwhile, ABC was in first place for most of the late 1970s and was seeking out affiliates with higher viewership in many markets, including Atlanta. ABC thus jumped at the chance to affiliate with longtime market leader WSB-TV. Some network daytime programs switched stations in August, before the full affiliation switch occurred. In 1993, Gannett dropped the "11 Alive" moniker as part of the introduction of new on-air graphics for its newscasts and promos; however, the brand was so well established in Atlanta that viewer outcry forced Gannett to restore it after only a month; even so, the "11 Alive" brand was not fully restored until 1996, when the11 Alive News title was restored for its newscasts (which were retitled11 News with the removal of the "11 Alive" brand).[citation needed]
On June 5, 2006, Gannett entered into an agreement to purchase WATL from theTribune Company for $180 million, creating Atlanta's first televisionduopoly;[12] the sale was finalized on August 7, 2006. WATL occasionally airs NBC programs when WXIA is not able due to extended breaking news and severe weather coverage, or special programming. As a result of the WATL acquisition, WXIA management decided to house the combined operation at WATL's facility at One Monroe Place, leaving WXIA's longtime studios at 1611 WestPeachtree Street; WXIA and WATL began broadcasting from the new studios on July 27, 2008.
Around the first week of October 2012, Gannett entered adispute againstDish Network regardingcompensation fees and Dish's AutoHop commercial-skip feature on its Hopperdigital video recorders. Gannett ordered that Dish discontinue AutoHop on the account that it is affecting advertising revenues for WXIA and WATL. Gannett threatened to pull both stations should the skirmish continue beyond October 7 and Dish and Gannett fail to reach an agreement.[13][14] The two parties eventually reached an agreement after extending the deadline for a few hours.[15]
On June 29, 2015, the Gannett Company split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. WXIA and WATL were retained by the latter company, namedTegna.[16]
On January 24, 2019, WXIA debuted a new station logo for the first time in 26 years; the "11" in the new logo is similar toLouisville sister stationWHAS-TV.[17]
The station previously aired a program calledNoonday for many years, beginning with the news at noon and at 12:30 continuing on for the rest of the hour with features, akin somewhat to theToday Show. This program was canceled in 1997, but the half-hour noon newscast was preceded by the hour-longAtlanta & Company, a program which has some similar features, but is partlypaid for by the companies featured on it, until 2015, when the noon newscast was canceled. The program then expanded to 90 minutes, currently running from 11 to 12:30 p.m.[citation needed]
Owing toNBC's longstanding contract with theInternational Olympic Committee, WXIA was the local broadcaster for the1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. It also carried theAtlanta Braves'World Series victorythe previous year (coverage alternated between NBC andABC as part ofThe Baseball Network, so WSB had Games 1, 4 and 5, while WXIA received Games 2, 3 and the clinching sixth game; all Braves games onNBC'sMLB broadcast contract from1981 to1989 (and before that, from1976 to1980 with ABC's broadcast contract) and postseason games in select years from1996 to2000 were also broadcast on WXIA which include their1999 World Series appearance). WXIA also aired a Braves game in2023 as part of a simulcast between NBC andPeacock'sMLB Sunday Leadoff package. From its switch to NBC in1980 up to1997, allAtlanta Falcons involving them playing anAFC team at home were aired on WXIA. Today, the station airs any Falcons contests under NBC'sSunday Night Football banner (afternoon games air either onWAGA orWANF). The station also provided local coverage ofSuper Bowl XXVIII, which was hosted at theGeorgia Dome. WXIA also aired allAtlanta Hawks games carried throughNBC's NBA coverage from1990 to2002.[citation needed]
WXIA presently broadcasts 33 hours, 25 minutes of locally produced newscasts each week (with 5 hours, 35 minutes each weekday,3+1⁄2 hours on Saturdays and two hours on Sundays). It also produces a half-hour prime time newscast at 10 p.m. for sister station WATL, which competes with the longer-running hour-long 10 p.m. newscast on Fox-owned WAGA-TV. The station'sDopplerweather radar site is located west of Atlanta in far southernCobb County, south-southwest ofMableton, on the south side ofInterstate 20 not far west ofSix Flags Over Georgia.[citation needed]
The station began calling its newscastsNews Watch in 1963 and began broadcasting news in color for the first time on March 20, 1967. From the early 1970s onward, channel 11's newscasts waged a spirited battle with WAGA for second place behind long-dominant WSB-TV. When WAGA switched to Fox in 1994, WXIA surged to become a solidrunner-up, usually finishing well ahead of perennial third-place finisherWGCL-TV; however, by May 2009, WXIA's ratings had been surpassed by WGCL at noon and 11 p.m. The morning news programToday in Atlanta had experienced a 40% ratings drop, leaving them a very distant third behind the local morning shows on WSB and WAGA, and sometimes fourth behind WGCL.[citation needed]
WXIA formerly had a partnership withThe Weather Channel to use their weather forecasters and provide localweather forecasts (incidentally,NBCUniversal—which owns NBC through parent companyComcast, Atlanta's primary cable television provider—held a majority ownership stake in The Weather Channel until 2018). WXIA became the first Atlanta station to begin broadcasting its local newscasts inhigh definition on February 2, 2006. As part of the conversion to HD, a new HD-ready news set from Production Design Group, Ltd. was built and the station began using a new graphics package from Giant Octopus.[citation needed]
In February 2010, WXIA began a nightly news segment, "Bull Fighters", which consists of eight reporters/anchors; the segment is usually provided by former WAGA sports reporterJeff Hullinger. On April 28, 2010, a new 4:30 a.m. newscast calledWake Up with Chesley debuted, featuring meteorologist Chesley McNeil and travel producer Matt Holmes; in addition to news updates throughout the show, McNeil primarily gives weather updates while Holmes gives travel delays and information. On January 29, 2013, on the noon broadcast, WXIA debuted the new Gannett standardized graphics and music ("This is Home" byGari Media Group); their renovated studio debuted on February 12, 2013.[citation needed]
On January 29, 2015, WXIA announced that the 5 p.m. newscast would return for the first time since 2003, whenDr. Phil took over that time slot; that show moved to the 3 p.m. timeslot.[18] However, the new newscast came at the cost of ending its noon and 7 p.m. newscasts, which were replaced by an extension ofAtlanta & Company andWheel of Fortune, respectively (the latter reversing its 2007 move from WXIA to WATL). These changes went into effect on March 2, 2015.[19]
Between July 31 and August 28, 2017, WXIA underwent a significant relaunch of its news department, mirroring a similar move that was made by Tampa Bay sister stationWTSP in April of that same year. The station renamed its morning and late-night newscasts asMorning Rush ATL andThe Late Feed, respectively. Shiba Russell, who came over from NBC O&O stationWNBC the previous year, became the solo anchor ofMorning Rush ATL, while Vinnie Politan became the anchor ofThe Late Feed.[citation needed]
In March 2020, WXIA relaunched its noon newscast; however, it was meant to be temporary due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed]
In June 2021, WXIA re-titled its morning and late-night newscasts once again; the former is now titled11 Alive Morning News and the latter, which had been renamed fromThe Late Feed toUp Late following Vinnie Politan's departure from the station in November 2018, returned to the previous11 Alive News at 11 title.[citation needed]
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WXIA-TV | NBC |
| 11.3 | 480i | Crime | True Crime Network | |
| 11.4 | NEST | The Nest | ||
| 11.5 | ShopLC | Shop LC | ||
| 11.7 | 4:3 | GetTV | get | |
| 17.2 | 720p | 16:9 | Peachtree Sports Network (WPCH-TV) |
TheNBC Weather Plus service was discontinued on December 1, 2008; however, some stations, including WXIA, continued to air national and local radar with Weather Plus branding, supplied by The Weather Channel through the end of December. In January, WXIA rebranded the channel "11Alive Weather" and kept the "L-Bar" with weather information from The Weather Channel, but shifted the remainder of the content to a local radar loop, and eliminated thebackground music that aired with it. It was later rebranded as the "11Alive Weather Information Zone" or "WIZ" in 2010, along with the weather segments duringnewscasts on the main channel. This service was also carried ondigital cable in the Atlanta area throughCharter Spectrum andComcast.
In early December 2010, the WIZ was moved to WATL, and aired on channel 36.2, while 11.2 continued to air a static message graphic directingover-the-air viewers totune there and re-scan if necessary. One month later, on January 10, the channel was removed completely from WXIA, and 11.3 became 11.2, before being reversed the following day. In 2011, Atlanta-basedBounce TV launched on September 26 with WATL 36.2 as itsde factoflagship affiliate, with the WIZ channel being restored two weeks later on 36.3. In early October, 11.2 again becameUniversal Sports and 11.3 was deleted and was reversed again a week later, with WIZ bounced back to its original channel 11.2. In November 2011, 11.3 was deleted leaving 36.3 as the sole channel for Universal Sports until it became a cable channel in 2012. Eventually, WIZ was converted from being presented using internal station weather computers to presentation and programming fromThe Local AccuWeather Channel. But an agreement with WAGA-TV and AccuWeather has made WXIA switch its programming and presentation toWeatherNation TV.
The station added Universal Sports at the beginning of May 2009 on channel 11.3, added it to 36.3 in October 2011, and then deleted it from 11.3 in November 2011. However, it used severevideo data compression, which left very obviousblurriness and pixelation duringhigh-motion scenes common insports. This low-bitrate sacrifice protects the quality of the main HD channel and is unavoidable because Universal Sports transmits its programming viasatellite in this highly compressed form (4.48 Mbit/s). It was therefore not originally transmitted onsister station WATL (virtual channel 36.3, digital channel 25) because it would look the same there, and that station's bandwidth is being used formobile television (ATSC-M/H), including WXIA's mobile channels. Additionally,mobile communications work better on higher UHFTV channels than on low VHF ones.
In early 2018, the station added new networkQuest on new subchannel 11.4, taking over many of WXIA-DT2's cable slots and leaving that station for the most part exclusive to over-the-air customers.
In February 2020, WeatherNation TV was replaced by a VHF simulcast of WATL on subchannel 11.2. The simulcast ended on April 5, 2021, when it was replaced withTwist after the network launched.
WXIA-TV originally had the only VHFallotment fordigital television in the area, untilWGTV (channel 8) was moved from UHF 22 to VHF 12 (now 8). The station shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 11, on June 12, 2009, at 12:30 p.m., as part of thefederally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[22] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 10,[23] usingvirtual channel 11.
sorted by primary channel network affiliations | ||
| ABC |  | |
| CBS | ||
| The CW | ||
| Fox | ||
| MyNetworkTV | ||
| NBC | ||
| Other stations | ||
| Radio | ||
| TV networks | ||
| Defunct | ||
| Other asset |
| |
| Acquisitions | ||
| ||