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| Channels | |
| Branding | WECP-TV; My 7 (LD2) |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WJHG-TV | |
| History | |
| Founded | February 25, 2010 (15 years ago) (2010-02-25) |
First air date | September 24, 2012 (13 years ago) (2012-09-24) |
Former call signs | W18DR-D (2010–2012) |
Former channel numbers |
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Call sign meaning | "ECP" isIATA code for Panama Cityairport |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 182840 |
| Class | LD |
| ERP | 15kW |
| HAAT | 330 m (1,083 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 30°21′8″N85°23′28″W / 30.35222°N 85.39111°W /30.35222; -85.39111 |
| Translator(s) | WJHG-TV 7.3 Panama City |
| Links | |
Public license information | LMS |
WECP-LD (channel 21) is alow-power television station inPanama City, Florida, United States, affiliated withCBS,MyNetworkTV, andTelemundo. It is owned byGray Media alongsideNBC affiliateWJHG-TV (channel 7). The two stations share studios on Front Beach Road/SR 30 inPanama City Beach; WECP-LD's transmitter is located onSR 20 in unincorporatedYoungstown, Florida.
Due to its low-power status, WECP'sbroadcast range is effectively limited to Panama City and surrounding areas inBay County. In order to expand its off-air broadcasting reach, it issimulcast in16:9widescreenstandard definition on WJHG-TV's thirddigital subchannel (7.3) from the same transmitter site.
On April 20, 2012, then owner MIK LLC announced it was selling theconstruction permit for the station (which initially held thecall sign W18DR-D) to Gray Television. Under the transfer, MIK would receive $4,000 and would turn over the permit toDTV America Corporation which would, in turn, transfer the permit to Gray.[2] Gray exercised a purchase option that was part of the deal to acquire the station outright on May 11, 2012.[3] Gray changed the calls to WECP-LD on June 4, 2012.[4]
On July 17, 2012, Gray Television signed an affiliation agreement with CBS for WECP-LD and two other low-powered stationsWSVF-LD inHarrisonburg, Virginia, andWIYE-LP inParkersburg, West Virginia.[5] As a result, WECP-LD became the CBS affiliate for the Panama City area when the station took to the air on September 24, 2012.[6]
It is the second CBS affiliate that is licensed to the immediate Panama City market. WJHG had previously carried a secondary affiliation with the network from its December 1953 sign-on until 1961. Since then, sister stationWTVY inDothan, Alabama, had served as the default CBS affiliate for Panama City; in fact, WTVY's tower is located inBethlehem, Florida, in the Panama City market. In October 2012, WTVY was officially removed fromcable systems in themarket with WECP taking its place.[6]
On January 7, 2014, WECP applied to theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to move from channel 18 to channel 29. The reasoning is WJHG had a construction permit to relocate to channel 18.[7] The application was approved on November 14, 2014, giving WECP its construction permit. The switch of WECP to channel 29 (retaining 18 as virtual) and WJHG to channel 18 (virtual 7) took place on May 21, 2015, with the FCC issuing the station's license on June 5, 2015. WECP moved to RF channel 35 on August 21, 2019, as a result of the spectrum auction and to offset interference issues with adjacent stations.
Gray twice acquired other companies that owned Panama City-area television stations, selling them off to retain WJHG-TV and WECP-LD. In 2014, it acquired most ofHoak Media, owner ofABC affiliateWMBB; that station was spun off toNexstar Broadcasting Group.[8] When Gray acquiredRaycom Media in 2019, it spun offFox affiliateWPGX (channel 28) toLockwood Broadcast Group.[9]
On March 2, 2021, WECP transferred from channel 18 to channel 21.[10]
WJHG presently produces an hour of locally produced newscasts each weekday (at noon and 5:30 p.m.) for WECP-LD. As a result, the station airs theCBS Evening News via an additional live feed at 6 p.m. unlike most CBS outlets in theCentral Time Zone. WECP-LD does not air newscasts on weekends, opting forsyndicated programming. It has a dedicated anchor andmeteorologist for the two programs but the personalities can also contribute to WJHG.
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WECP-DT | CBS |
| 21.2 | 480i | 4:3 | MyNetworkTV | |
| 21.3 | 16:9 | Outlaw | ||
| 21.4 | 4:3 | Heroes & Icons | ||
| 21.5 | Telemundo |
Includes English-language stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Florida | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
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Includes English-language stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Florida | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
| ||
