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| Channels | |
| Branding | Channel 2;Channel 2Action News |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WALR-FM,WSB,WSB-FM,WSBB-FM,WSRV | |
| History | |
First air date | September 29, 1948 (77 years ago) (1948-09-29) |
Former call signs | WCON-TV (CP for channel 2, 1950–1951) |
Former channel numbers |
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Call sign meaning | "Welcome South, Brother" (derived from sister stationWSB radio) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 23960 |
| ERP | 869 kW |
| HAAT | 326 m (1,070 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 33°45′51.7″N84°21′41.7″W / 33.764361°N 84.361583°W /33.764361; -84.361583 (WSB-TV tower) |
| Translator(s) | see§ Translators |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WSB-TV (channel 2) is atelevision station inAtlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated withABC. It is theflagship television property of locally basedCox Media Group, which has owned the station since its inception, and issister to radio stationsWSB (750 AM),WSBB-FM (95.5),WSRV (97.1 FM),WSB-FM (98.5) andWALR-FM (104.1). The stations share studios at the WSB Television and Radio Group building onWest Peachtree Street inMidtown Atlanta;WSB-TV's transmitter is located on the border of the city'sPoncey-Highland andOld Fourth Ward neighborhoods.
WSB-TV is the second largest ABC-affiliated station by market size that is notowned and operated by the network (the largest beingTegna-ownedWFAA inDallas).[2]
WSB-TV first began broadcasting on September 29, 1948, originally broadcasting on channel 8. It is the first television station in Georgia, and only the second station south of Washington, D.C., five months behindRichmond, Virginia'sWTVR-TV (channel 6). The station was founded byJames M. Cox, publisher ofThe Atlanta Journal, and who also owned WSB radio (AM 750 and 104.5 FM, now on98.5 FM).Cox Enterprises owned WSB AM-FM-TV under the banner of Miami Valley Broadcasting Inc., which later changed its name to the currentCox Media Group. The station was originally a primaryNBC affiliate, owing to its radio sister's longtime affiliation withNBC Radio. It also carried some ABC programming from 1948 until 1951.
In 1950, Cox bought Atlanta's other major newspaper,The Atlanta Constitution, from its longtime owners, the Howell family. Both newspapers owned broadcast properties. Included in the latter were AM station WCON (550 kHz), which ceased operations May 31, 1950, in favor of the clear channel WSB;[3] WCON-FM, which was merged with WSB-FM on the former's 98.5 MHz frequency;[4] and the construction permit for WCON-TV (channel 2), which before the merger had begun construction on itstower at 780 Willoughby Way that it billed as the world's tallest. However, Cox now had a problem. At the time, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) did not permit the sale of television station construction permits, considering it "trafficking". Cox thus had no choice but to keep the construction permit for WCON-TV rather than the already-operating WSB-TV.[5] To solve the problem, Cox sold the channel 8 license for $525,000 to Broadcasting, Inc., a group of local businessmen, in 1951, with plans to move the WSB-TV call letters and intellectual unit to channel 2. 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)[6] andDecatur radio station owner, E. D. Rivers,[7] 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.[8]
The FCC dismissed the complaints and approved the sale of the channel 8 license to Broadcasting, Inc., in August 1951.[7] In September 1951, channel 2 began broadcasting test patterns as WCON-TV—the only time the call letters were used on air—receiving reception reports from as far as 230 miles (370 km) away.[9] On September 30, WSB-TV officially moved to channel 2; channel 8 returned at 5 p.m. that day as ABC affiliate WLTV.[10] In 1953, WLTV became WLWA-TV (nowWXIA-TV) and was moved to channel 11 in order to resolve interference withchannel 9 at Rome, Georgia. (The channel 8 allocation was then moved toAthens and reserved fornon-commercial educational use; it is nowWGTV, aPBSmember station, and also the flagship television station ofGeorgia Public Broadcasting.) Due to the way the 1950–51 transactions were structured legally, WXIA operates under the license originally granted to WSB-TV in 1948, while the latter's present license is a new one dating from 1951.[11]
With the move to channel 2, WSB-TV significantly increased its coverage area; it now provided at least secondary coverage from theTennessee-Georgia state line toAlbany, as far west as theAlabama-Georgia line, and as far east as the outer fringes ofUpstate South Carolina. The analog channel 2 signaltraveled a very long distance under normal conditions, and WSB-TV could now better penetrate the more rugged parts of thenorth Georgia mountains.
In 1956, the WSB stations moved into the noted "White Columns" building, designed and built according to theColonial Revival style, a defining characteristic of Atlanta architecture.[12] They would remain there for 43 years, until a much moremodernist concrete and glass facility was built adjacent to it (on the same property) in 1998. The new building, which has been dubbed "Digital White Columns" by some, is located just off Atlanta's famedPeachtree Street, on thedead-end northern portion of West Peachtree Street which is actuallyeast of Peachtree Street. This is near theBrookwood Hills area, and just east of the "Brookwood split", ahighway interchange where theDowntown Connector splits intoInterstates 75 and85 on the north end. The older building wasrazed shortly after the new building was occupied. The originalcolumns that stood on the frontportico of the old building were placed in a garden area alongside the new building. Brand new white columns have been placed inside theglass-enclosedlobby of the newer building. WSB-TV is located less than one block south of the building formerly utilized by WXIA when that station moved its operations toWATL's studios in 2008.
In December 1965, WSB was the first television station in Georgia to broadcast live incolor, beginning with Ruth Kent'sToday in Georgia program.[13]
In 1972, the station aired the name of a murdered rape victim in violation of Georgia'sshield law. TheU.S. Supreme Court overturned the law inCox Broadcasting Corp. v. Cohn in 1975.
ABC was the highest-rated network for most of the late 1970s and, at that time, was looking for stronger affiliates across the country, including Atlanta. ABC's longtime Atlanta outlet, WXIA, frequently traded second place with WAGA. However, WSB-TV was the far-and-away market leader despite being affiliated with last-place NBC. In June 1980, WSB announced that it would drop NBC and affiliate with ABC; WXIA subsequently agreed to join NBC. Some network daytime shows changed stations in August, while the full affiliation switch occurred on September 1. In January 1986, the station debuted the current number "2" logo it continues to use to this day.
On March 12, 2011, WSB-TV andWGCL-TV turned on theirATSC-M/H signals for the first time, becoming the first stations in the Atlanta area to offerMobile DTV broadcasts.
On July 24, 2018, WSB-TV parent Cox Enterprises announced that it was "exploring strategic options" for Cox Media Group's television stations, which the company said could involve "partnering or merging these stations into a larger TV company".[14] Cox Media Group's president, Kim Guthrie, subsequently clarified to trade publicationRadio & Television Business Report that the company was solely seeking "a merger or partnership" and not an outright sale of the television stations.[15]
In February 2019, it was announced thatApollo Global Management would acquire Cox Media Group andNorthwest Broadcasting's stations.[16][17] Although the group planned to operate under the name Terrier Media, it was later announced in June 2019 that Apollo would also acquire Cox's radio and advertising businesses, and retain the Cox Media Group name.[18] The sale was completed on December 17, 2019.[19]
As an NBC affiliate, WSB-TV preempted programs airing from noon to 2 p.m. in favor of airing a feature film presentation during that time. It would also air at least one film from its lineup in prime time, and it would also preempt the non-NFL-relatedNBC Sports programs in favor of carrying still another film, plusThe Lawrence Welk Show.[20]
In 2004, WSB-TV and the other two ABC stations under Cox ownership (WSOC-TV in Charlotte andWFTV in Orlando) declined to telecast theSteven Spielberg filmSaving Private Ryan due to the graphic violence and profanity in the film after the FCC stepped up its vigilance on these matters following theJanet Jackson–Justin Timberlake Super Bowl incident that year. The FCC declared the film as not indecent once the telecast of the war drama concluded.[21]
The station was the original local television broadcaster of the relocatedAtlanta Braves baseball team, carrying the games from1966 to1972, until the Braves telecasts moved to WTCG (nowWPCH-TV) in1973. Its sister AM station was the longtime radio flagship of the Braves, carrying the broadcasts for 38 out of the 46 years that the franchise has been in Atlanta, dating back to 1966.Ernie Johnson, Sr., a former Braves pitcher and father ofhis namesakeTurner Sports broadcaster, with futureHall of Fame announcerMilo Hamilton (who simultaneously pulled double-duty anchoring Channel 2's sportscasts during this time) were the main announcers for what was then the largest television network in the history of baseball. WSB-TV also aired all Braves games whenever they appeared onNBC's coverage from 1966 to 1980, and then withABC from 1981 to 1989, along withThe Baseball Network regional coverage in 1994 and 1995, including games 1, 4, and 5 in the1995 World Series, which the Braves won (games 2, 3, and the clinching game 6 aired on NBC, thus locally on WXIA).
WSB-TV has also been involved with the NFL'sAtlanta Falcons; from 1970 to 1979, it aired sold-out games atAtlanta Fulton County Stadium where Falcons hosted anAFC team from NBC, then from 1980 to 2005,Monday Night Football from ABC. The station has served as the local outlet for Falcons games which are a part ofESPN Monday Night Football since2006, when it moved from ABC to ESPN as part of the NFL's requirements to syndicate cable games to local markets. WSB-TV served as the official local broadcaster ofSuper Bowl XXXIV, held at theGeorgia Dome.
The station airs selectAtlanta Hawks games throughABC's contract with the NBA. It also broadcastsGeorgia Bulldogs andGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets football games throughABC College Football.
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WSB-TV presently broadcasts 47 hours, 35 minutes of locally produced newscasts each week (with 7 hours, 5 minutes each weekday, 5 hours, 35 minutes on Saturdays and 6 hours, 35 minutes on Sundays).
Local news programming has had a strong presence on channel 2 since its debut, and it has led the newsratings in Atlanta for as long as records have been kept. WSB-TV is one of the few Big Three affiliates to carry a midday newscast on weekends (sister stationsWFTV inOrlando,WSOC-TV inCharlotte andWHIO-TV inDayton also offer a half-hour noon newscast on weekends).[citation needed] In addition, WSB-TV's weekend newscast output is larger than that of Fox owned-and-operated station WAGA-TV (channel 5), which offers a larger overall weekly (and weekday) newscast output than WSB-TV.
WSB-TV became the second station in the Atlanta market (behind WXIA-TV) and the second Cox-owned station (behind WFTV) to begin broadcasting its local newscasts inhigh definition. The first HD broadcast was on September 27, 2006; during its noon broadcast. With the switch came a new HD-ready set and a graphics package designed by Giant Octopus.
In mid-November 2009, reporter Tom Jones and a cameraman escaped serious injury when thetelescopingradio mast of theirelectronic news-gathering van (holding amicrowaveantenna for theremote pickup unit used foroutside broadcasting) contacted 115-kilovolthigh-voltagepowerlines while leaving theFulton County Jail.Georgia Power staff were surprised that anyone survived, but the two were treated for minor burns andsmoke inhalation atGrady Memorial Hospital and released later in the day. The massiveelectric spark caused an explosion, left acrater underneath the van, arced to and broke a water main, and caused a briefpower outage; the vehicle was atotal loss.[22][23][24]
In August 2018, WSB-TV added two additional hours to its weekday morning newscast duringGood Morning America, an expansion exclusive to its 24-hour streaming channel,WSB NOW, available on its website and apps.[25]
In April 2020, WSB-TV changed the name of its 11 p.m. newscast toWSB Tonight. The station's nightly newscast had been called theChannel 2 Action News Nightbeat since the early 1990s. The newscast began as a nightly update on theCOVID-19 pandemic, but the name change appears to be permanent. TheNightbeat name was still used for weekend newscasts, but the station began using the new name for weekend newscasts later in the year.[26] Unlike theNightbeat, which was a rundown of the day's top stories,WSB Tonight goes into detail about the biggest stories of the day.
On September 5, 2020, WSB-TV became the first station in the Atlanta market to expand its weekend morning newscast to 5 a.m.
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Athens | Gainesville | ||||
| 2.1 | 2.11 | 2.21 | 720p | 16:9 | WSB-HD | ABC |
| 2.2 | 2.12 | 2.22 | 480i | BOUNCE | Bounce TV | |
| 2.3 | 2.13 | 2.23 | Dabl | Dabl | ||
| 2.4 | 2.14 | 2.24 | WEST | WEST | ||
| 2.5 | 2.15 | 2.25 | ION | Ion Television | ||
| 17.3 | 17.13 | 17.23 | 480i | 16:9 | COURT | Court TV (WPCH-TV) |
WSB's digital channel went on the air on November 21, 1998. The over-the-airdigital subchannel 2.2 started carrying theRetro Television Network on January 28, 2008.[31] Prior to this, the channel wasblank, or later with a smallstation ID in the lower corner. RTV programming was replaced with MeTV on June 1, 2011. Later on March 25, 2017, MeTV was replaced withEscape and on September 25, 2017, Escape was replaced withBounce TV.
In 2021, a simulcast ofWKTB-CD's Telemundo subchannel moved to WSB-TV fromWPXA-TV. After WGCL-TV's owner,Gray Television, bought WKTB-CD the following year, the subchannel simulcast moved to WGCL-TV's spectrum (remaining mapped to virtual channel 47.1).
WSB-TV shut down its analog signal, overVHF channel 2, on June 12, 2009, at 12:30 p.m., during alive broadcast from the station'stransmitter room on the noon newscast, as part of thefederally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[32] The switchover was led by Don McClellan, one of the station's veteran journalists who was celebrating his 50th year at the station during the switchover. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transitionUHF channel 39,[33] usingvirtual channel 2.
During late August and into September 2009, the station removed its analogtransmitter from the top of the tower, and moved its side-mounted digital antenna up from its previous lower location on the tower.
On September 6, 2019, at 9 a.m., WSB-TV shifted from physical channel 39 to 32 because of thespectrum incentive auction, which removed channels 38 to 51 from the televisionbandplan, repacking those stations into channels 2 to 36.
In March 2009, the station filed applications for two digital fill-intranslators (both of which also carry the WSB-TV callsign), due to expected loss of signal strength toward the east and northeast of Atlanta as a result of the shortcomings of theATSC digital broadcast standard. The station'sGainesville-licensed translator broadcasts on UHF channel 20, and began operations on June 26. It is located on the sameradio tower as Cox'sWSRV FM andWSBB-FM, and reaches as far into Atlanta's north-northeastern suburbs asLilburn. The Athens-licensed translator broadcasts on UHF channel 17, with its transmitter located southwest ofWinder, and its signal also reaches as far west as Lilburn. WSB-TV requested special temporary authority to begin immediate operation of these stations, pending approval of its regular applications.
Thesignal coverage of both stations largely overlap with one another, and are almost entirely within the estimated coverage area of the main station; however,distributed transmission (on-channelboosters) would not be used. The translators are intended to overcome the terrain obstructions caused byStone Mountain to the east of the WSB transmitter, and were in operation by January 2011. The Athens translator uses virtual channels 2.11 to 2.15 instead of 2.1 to 2.5, while the Gainesville translator uses 2.21 to 2.25, allowing viewers to choose whichever station whose signal is better receivable at a given time (certain ATSC tuners may have trouble with two stations using the same virtual channel, and even if not, the user would have to enter the channel number and press "channel-up" or "channel-down" buttons to access the alternates, which would not be separately labeled or identified by the tuner).
In late June 2009, the station also applied for a translator on channel 14 just southwest ofRome. That translator would cover a significant portion ofnorthwest Georgia from the same tower asWQTU (102.3 FM) andWSRM (93.5 FM), and the same site asWGPB (97.7 FM), W212AR (90.3 FM), and W215BA (90.9 FM).[34] The application was dismissed on August 21, 2019.[35] In October 2010, WSB-TV applied for and later received aconstruction permit for another translator southwest of Atlanta inNewnan on channel 17. This translator would be co-located on the same tower as Cox-ownedWALR-FM (104.1), and less than .25 miles (0.40 km) west of another tower holdingWRDG (105.3 FM; which is not owned by Cox).[36]
In northwest Georgia, WSB-TV was carried in some of the counties covered by theChattanooga DMA:Catoosa,Dade,Murray, andWalker, but remains on line-ups inWhitfield County. WSB is carried in the farnortheast Georgia counties in theGreenville–Spartanburg–Asheville DMA inElbert,Franklin,Hart andStephens counties.
Incentral Georgia, WSB-TV was available to subscribers of then-co-owned cable providerCox Communications in theMacon area, although ABC programming was usuallyblacked out by another local ABC affiliate,WGXA-DT2. Given the long distance to Middle Georgia, it was likely that WSB-TV wasuplinked to theAMC-10TV satellite. WSB was also carried inVidalia in theSavannah DMA.
In south Georgia (as far south as the Florida border), it was carried on Cox Communications, and virtually all TCI, laterMediacom systems, with the exception of theColumbus operation due to a historic lack of an ABC affiliate in the Albany media market coveringsouthwest Georgia. Since the market's NBC affiliateWALB began carrying ABC on its 10.2 digital subchannel in 2010, WSB has been dropped by almost all systems. Given the long distance to South Georgia, it was likely that WSB-TV was uplinked to the AMC-10 TV satellite.Charter Communications also carried WSB for its subscribers in the town ofDouglas inCoffee County.
Inwestern North Carolina it is carried in theCherokee County town ofMurphy, alongside Asheville ABC affiliateWLOS.
In northeast Alabama, it was carried on the cable systems in Gadsden (Comcast) and Anniston (New Channel, nowSparklight) in the 80s.
Center Latitude: N 33 24 43.00 Center Longitude: W 84 50 3.00
Center Latitude: N 33 24 43.00 Center Longitude: W 84 50 3.00
Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the U.S. state ofGeorgia | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Georgia | ||
| 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 state ofAlabama | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Alabama | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS |
| |
| Religious | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
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