WMGT-TV
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| Macon, Georgia | |
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| Branding | 41 NBC (general) 41 NBC News My 41.2 (on DT2) |
| Slogan | Clear. Accurate. To the Point. |
| Channels | Digital: 40 (UHF) Virtual: 41 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 41.1 NBC 41.2 MyNetworkTV |
| Owner | Morris Multimedia (Morris Network, Inc.) |
| First air date | September 30, 1968 |
| Call letters' meaning | We're Middle Georgia Television |
| Former callsigns | WCWB-TV (1968-1983) WMGT (1983-2003) |
| Former channel number(s) | 41 (UHF analog, 1968-2009) |
| Transmitter power | 110 kW |
| Height | 189 m |
| Facility ID | 43847 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°45′11.2″N 83°33′47.3″W / 32.753111°N 83.563139°W |
| Website | 41nbc.com |
WMGT-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central Georgia that is licensed to Macon. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on GA 87/U.S. 23/U.S. 129 Alternate along the Bibb and Twiggs County line. The station is the flagship of owner Morris Multimedia and has studios on Poplar Street in Downtown Macon. Syndicated programming on WMGT includes: Judge Judy, Inside Edition, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Maury.
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[edit] Digital programming
WMGT operates the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate on a second digital subchannel. Known on-air as My 41.2, it can also be seen on Cox digital channel 111, Charter digital channel 123, and Comcast digital channel 235. Syndicated programming on WMGT-DT2 includes: Frasier, My Name Is Earl, Access Hollywood, and The Simpsons.
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | Main WMGT-TV programming / NBC |
| 41.2 | 480i | 4:3 | WMGT-DT2 "My41.2" |
[edit] History
The channel began broadcasting on September 30, 1968 as WCWB-TV and was the first commercial station in the Macon area since WMAZ-TV launched in 1953. It has always been an NBC affiliate. However, unlike many stations in (then) two-station markets, WCWB did not assume a secondary ABC affiliation. Macon did not get a full ABC affiliate until 1982 with WGXA. WCWB was founded by Dothan, Alabama broadcaster and perennial Alabama political candidate Charles Woods, who owned the station for about six years. He sold it to a local group known as Bibb Television, Inc. in 1974.[1]
Morris bought the station from Bibb four years later. Since then, Morris has had a history of purchasing other stations and cutting staff and capital funding to the stations. The result is a slow decline in all Morris properties. WCWB marked that company's entry into the broadcasting business. The original studios were located at the transmitter site fifteen miles east of Macon on what locals term the "Cochran Short Route". The station adopted a new call sign, WMGT, in 1983 to reflect the Middle Georgia area it serves. In 2000, the station moved into a two-story renovated warehouse in Downtown Macon which promises to add to the revitalization of the historic area and signify future growth for the station. Morris maintains its corporate headquarters on the second floor of WMGT's studios. One final change to the station's legal call sign took place in 2003 when the -TV suffix was added because a radio station in Minnesota also held the WMGT calls.
On April 3, 2006, WMGT retired its "41" logo and "41 NBC" branding in favor of a new logo and branding "Today's MGT". WMGT's broadcasts have been digital-only since Noon on February 17, 2009.[2] On that date, the station terminated its analog signal on UHF channel 41 and continued to broadcast a digital signal on UHF channel 40. On March 23 of that year, WMGT re-branded itself as "41 NBC" again and launched a new logo. On July 6, 2009, the station began carrying MyNetworkTV on a new second digital subchannel. This had previously been carried as a secondary affiliation on Fox station WGXA since that network's launch on September 5, 2006. In the Summer of 2011, WMGT-DT2 was rebranded "My41.2".
[edit] News operation
During its first years on-air, the channel's newscasts were not viewable in some area households because they did not have UHF-capable television sets (the All Channel Receiver Act did not come into effect until 1961). It faced even more competition when WGXA started up in 1982 and immediately surged to second place due to a more modern on-air look. In 1992, WMGT shut down its news department and for the next twelve years aired no local newscasts at all. In September 2004, the station relaunched its news department with local broadcasts airing on weekdays in the morning for an hour as well as weeknights at 6 and 11.
Unlike most NBC affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone, it does not air newscasts weekdays during the midday, 5 o'clock hour, or on weekends. When WMGT-DT2 launched, two new local shows were added weeknights at 7 and 10. The earlier broadcast competes with a newscast on ABC affiliate WGXA-DT2. That channel also simulcasts the weekday morning broadcast. There is no sports department but a high school football highlight show airs on Friday nights during the 6 and 11 o'clock news.
[edit] Newscast titles
- TV-41 News (1970s)
- 41 Newswatch (late 1980s–1992)
- Middle Georgia News (2004–2006)
- Today's MGT News (2006–2009)
- 41 NBC News (2009–present)
- 41 NBC News Daybreak (weekday morning newscast)
- 41 NBC News at 6:00 (6 p.m. newscast)
- 41 NBC News at 10:00 on My 41 (10 p.m. newscast on WMGT-DT2)
- 41 NBC News at 11:00 (weeknight 11 p.m. newscast)
[edit] Station slogans
- "We Are Your Place...41 NBC" (2000–2004)
- "Where Middle Georgia Turns For News" (2004–2006)
- "Clear. Accurate. To the Point." (2006–present)
This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.[edit] News team
[edit] Current on-air staff
Current anchors
- Coreen Savitski – 6 p.m. and 11 p.m Anchor/Reporter
- Andrew Reeser – 6 p.m. and 11 p.m Anchor/Reporter
- Melissa Lee – Daybreak Anchor/Reporter
- Kyle Warnke – Daybreak Anchor/Reporter
- Bill Shanks – The End Zone and High School Game Day Host; also heard on WPLA-AM 1670
Weather team
- Michael Estime (AMS member; NWA member) – Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
- Samantha Smith –Daybreak Meteorologist
- Dino Hill – Fill-In Forecaster
Reporters
- Rachad Hollis – General Assignment Reporter/In Depth Reporting
- Brittany Gonzalez – General Assignment Reporter
- Ashley Minelli – General Assignment Reporter
- Dustin Wilson – General Assignment Reporter
- Jane King – Bloomberg Business Report Correspondent
- Bill Maier – "Focus on the Family" Host and Segment Producer
[edit] References
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1975
- ^ WMGT-TV Goes Digital, Brandon Long, WMGT-TV, 17 February 2009
[edit] External links
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