| ATSC 3.0 station | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| City | Greensboro, North Carolina |
| Channels | |
| Branding | My48 |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WXLV-TV | |
| History | |
| Founded | May 1, 1981 |
First air date | May 9, 1981 (44 years ago) (1981-05-09) |
Former call signs |
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Former channel numbers |
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Call sign meaning | MyNetworkTV |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 25544 |
| ERP | 800 kW |
| HAAT | 574.8 m (1,886 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°52′2.6″N79°49′25.4″W / 35.867389°N 79.823722°W /35.867389; -79.823722 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | my48 |
WMYV (channel 48) is atelevision station licensed toGreensboro, North Carolina, United States, serving thePiedmont Triad region as an affiliate ofMyNetworkTV. It is owned bySinclair Broadcast Group alongsideWinston-Salem–licensedABC affiliateWXLV-TV (channel 45). The two stations share studios on Myer Lee Drive (alongUS 421) in Winston-Salem; WMYV's transmitter is located inRandleman (alongI-73/US 220).
The UHF channel 48 allocation in Greensboro was originally occupied by WUBC, anindependent station that operated from 1967 until 1970.
The current licensed station on channel 48 first signed on the air on May 9, 1981, as WGGT, running a general entertainment format featuringcartoons, classicmovies, classicsitcoms,religious programs, andCBS network shows that were preempted byWFMY-TV (channel 2), as well asbusiness news programming from theFinancial News Network. It was owned locally byGuilford Broadcasters. The station was initially a strong competitor with the area's other independent station, WJTM-TV (channel 45). However, it took a toll financially.
The Piedmont Triad region was too small at the time to support two independent stations, and there was not enough programming to go around. In addition, WGGT's signal was considerably weaker than rival WJTM's. WGGT fell further behind whenTVX Broadcast Group bought WJTM in 1983 and changed its call letters to WNRW. With stronger ownership, WNRW was able to pick clean most of the better programming that was available, and had also beat out WGGT for the Triad'sFox affiliation in 1986. In the mid-1980s, the station aired a program on Sunday mornings calledPet Pals, which showcased a variety of information for people and pets. Co-hosted by Greensboro native 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), who hostedBilly Bobb's Action Theater andBilly Bobb's Fun Club from January 14, 1987, to December 18, 1991.
WGGT was unable to fill the void left by WNRW joining Fox. Like most early Fox affiliates, WNRW was still essentially programmed as an independent; Fox would not air a full week's worth of programming until 1993. By 1987, WGGT was forced to file forChapter 11 bankruptcy. It managed to stay on the air, albeit with far more barter programming. The financial woes continued unabated and it was close to filing forChapter 7 bankruptcy in 1991. At the end of December 1991,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 begansimulcasting WNRW, creating a strong combined signal with over 60% overlap in themarket. The two stations became known as the "Piedmont Superstation". At that time, Act III took over management of WGGT as well, and nearly all of its employees were laid off, except for a secretary and a master control technician. The simulcast continued after Act III merged with Abry in 1993.
WNRW and WGGT took a secondary affiliation withUPN when it debuted on January 16, 1995, while retaining its primary Fox affiliation. The two stations then jointly became the market's ABC affiliate that September after longtime ABC stationWGHP (channel 8) became a Fox station following its purchase by the network. In 1995, Act III sold all stations to Sullivan Broadcasting, a company backed by ABRY Broadcast Partners for an undisclosed price.[2] In 1998, Sullivan Broadcasting was merged with theSinclair Broadcast Group, with alocal marketing agreement (LMA) with WGGT included in the deal.[3] Guiliford Broadcasters then sold WGGT toMission Broadcasting.[4] However, 90 percent of Mission's stock was owned by David S. Smith, as well as ABRY's own shareholders. In effect, Sullivan/Sinclair owned both stations and now had aduopoly in the Triad in violation ofFederal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. Sullivan/Sinclair further circumvented the rules by taking control of WGGT's operations under the LMA with WNRW (now WXLV) as the senior partner. Under the terms of the LMA, Sullivan/Sinclair dropped the simulcast, with UPN programming becoming exclusive to channel 48. WGGT changed its call letters to WUPN-TV after Mission officially took control on June 19. The station was purchased by Sinclair outright in 2001, creating the market's first legal duopoly.
On January 24, 2006, theWarner Bros. unit ofTime Warner andCBS Corporation announced that the two companies would shut downThe WB and UPN and combine the networks' respective programming to create a new "fifth" network calledThe CW.[5][6] On February 22, 2006,News Corporation announced the launch of a competing "sixth" network calledMyNetworkTV, which would be operated byFox Television Stations and its syndication divisionTwentieth Television.[7][8] On March 2, Sinclair announced that all of its UPN and WB affiliates, except for one of its stations in markets where the company owned affiliates of both networks, would join MyNetworkTV. This cleared the way for WTWB-TV to sign an affiliation deal with The CW on March 17, 2006. On June 19, channel 48 changed its call letters to the current WMYV in anticipation of this affiliation switch, which took place on September 5, 2006.
On May 8, 2017, Sinclair entered intoan agreement to acquire WGHP ownerTribune Media.[9] It intended to keep WGHP and WMYV, selling WXLV-TV and eight other stations toStandard Media Group.[10] The transaction was designated in July 2018 for hearing by an FCCadministrative law judge, and Tribune moved to terminate the deal the next month.[11]
WMYV started its newscasts in April 1983, titled48 Newsbreak, in partnership withWBIG-AM; hosted by Lloyd Gordon with 2-minute newsbreak segments, focusing on local and regional news and the weather.[12] In February 1985, the partnership replaced WBIG withWMAG due to Gordon's retirement,[13] with Frank Laseter taking over hosting duties.[14]
From the fall of 2003 until August 2005, WUPN aired a nightly prime time newscast at 10 p.m., titledUPN 48 News at 10; it was anchored by former WFMY anchor Frank Fraboni. As part of Sinclair'sNews Central operation, local news segments originated from its studios in Winston-Salem, while national news, sports and weather segments were produced from studios at Sinclair's corporate headquarters on Beaver Dam Road inHunt Valley, Maryland. News programming expanded to sister station WXLV (whose previous news department had shut down in January 2002), known asABC 45 News Late Edition, aired weeknights at 11 p.m. from 2004 until 2005 and also featured theNews Central format. Both newscasts were canceled in August 2005 due to poor ratings; theNews Central format would be phased out entirely in Sinclair's other markets by March 2006.
In lieu of newscasts, WMYV currently airs a rebroadcast ofTriad Today, a pre-recordedpublic affairs program produced for WXLV that is hosted by Jim Longworth, on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.
The station's ATSC 1.0 channels are carried on themultiplexed signals of other Piedmont Triad television stations:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | ATSC 1.0 host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WMYV | MyNetworkTV | WXLV-TV |
| 48.2 | 480i | REWIND | Rewind TV | WGHP | |
| 48.3 | Comet | Comet |
WMYV previously carriedTheCoolTV until August 31, 2012, when parent company Sinclair dropped the network from 35 of its stations.
On February 2, 2009, Sinclair told cable and satellite television providers via e-mail that regardless of the exactmandatory switchover date to digital-only broadcasting for full-power stations (which Congress rescheduled for June 12 days later), the station would shut down its analog signal on the original transition date of February 17,[17] making WMYV and WXLV the first stations in the market to convert to digital-only broadcast transmissions. WMYV shut down its analog signal at 11:59 p.m. on that date.[18] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 33, usingvirtual channel 48.
As part of theSAFER Act,[19] WXLV-TV kept its analog signal on the air until March 13 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop ofpublic service announcements from theNational Association of Broadcasters.
| Channel | Res. | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | 720p | WGHP | Fox (WGHP) |
| 12.1 | 1080p | WXII | NBC (WXII-TV) |
| 45.1 | 720p | WXLV | ABC (WXLV-TV) |
| 45.10 | 1080p | T2 | T2 |
| 45.11 | PBTV | Pickleballtv | |
| 48.1 | 720p | WMYV | MyNetworkTV |
In early 2011, Sinclair Broadcast Group became involved in a retransmission dispute withTime Warner Cable, whose original agreement ended on December 31, 2010.[21] Negotiations between the two parties were extended for another two weeks until January 15, 2011, to allow time for an agreement to be reached.[22] Sinclair and TWC struck a new carriage agreement on February 2, 2011, with no disruption to carriage of WXLV and WMYV;[23] this same deal resulted in the aforementioned news share agreement with News 14 Carolina.
In recent years, WMYV has been carried oncable in areas outside of theGreensboro television market including cable providers within theCharlotte,Raleigh andRoanoke, Virginia markets. OnDirecTV, WMYV has been carried inGrayson County, Virginia, which is part of the Roanoke market.[24]
Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state ofNorth Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of North Carolina | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Spanish | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
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Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the Commonwealth ofVirginia | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Virginia | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Spanish | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
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** Owned by third parties and operated by Sinclair through various operating agreements. *** Owned by Sinclair and operated byMarquee Broadcasting. JV Joint venture. | ||||||||||||||||||
