WTBS-LD - History

History

It was originally W56CD in Rome, Georgia, then became W26BT, then WANX-LP in January 2000, and finally WTBS-LP on October 15, 2007. It is not related to former WANX-TV, now WGCL-TV 46, or the former WTBS, now WPCH-TV 17.

WTBS-LP has a construction permit (CP) to increase its analog TV coverage somewhat, switching from a mostly omnidirectional antenna to a somewhat directional antenna, preventing it from covering any further to the west after the upgrade. Its effective radiated power (ERP) will be 150 kW at the angle of beam tilt, or 103.5 kW in the horizontal plane.

It also had a one-watt CP for WTBS-LD, its digital TV companion on channel 30, which could not begin operating until the analog shutdown of WPBA TV 30 in June 2009. The permit was atop Bank of America Plaza (33°46′15″N 84°23′10″W / 33.77083°N 84.38611°W / 33.77083; -84.38611 (WTBS-LP TV construction permit), NAD27 datum), along with Prism's WANN-CA 32 and WANN-LD 29 digital (all four diplexed from the same antenna), as well as WDTA-LP 53 (which has since left) and several amateur radio repeaters. This would only reach a small area of east Atlanta, barely over to Decatur however.

In April 2009, it applied to go to 15 kW and move to the North Druid Hills site along with WANN-LD's application from the prior month (which was in turn due to an objection filed by WIRE-CA's owners, who had applied for the same channel 29 at that site). This modification was approved, and the FCC map shows that at a HAAT of 333 meters (1,100 ft), it is theoretically be able to reach all of metro Atlanta except for some far exurbs (although ATSC reception is problematic even at higher signal strengths, and actual reception is normally far less than predicted by FCC computer models).

In mid-October 2009, analog WTBS-LP applied for a change to digital channel 14, vacated by analog WPXA-TV. However WSB-TV has already applied on the same channel for a broadcast translator near Rome, though the two may be far enough apart to avoid co-channel interference. WTBS-LD also applied on the same day for channel 28, vacated by analog WJSP-TV, but this application is no longer active. The applications are for 10 kW and 15 kW respectively, but at the same location as the current digital permit.

In January 2011, the digital station came on the air, transmitting the same programming as WANN. At the end of the month, it began adding its own channels, and was granted a broadcast license to cover its permit. The audio-only channels were removed, but half (excluding duplicates) were restored in early February, and deleted again in early March. In mid June, The Country Network was removed from 26.1, France 24 moved from 26.4 to 26.1, and JTV moved from 26.10 to 26.4, with Spanish Christian network Vida TV arriving on 26.10. In late October, "prism" was renamed as "MOXIE" on 26.6, and "SPORTS" was relabeled "LWN" on 26.2, after Untamed Sports was changed to Live Well Network several weeks prior. Additionally, sometime over the summer, France 24 (which is transmitted from France in widescreen) was changed from compressed to letterboxed display format.

After other changes late in 2011, the early-January 2012 reassignment leaves the two stations with no identical channels (including 26.5 and 26.6, which two are different programs). Previously most (originally all) channels were simulcast with WANN, pending the addition of new TV networks.

In late July or early August 2012, the lineup changed again, with MundoFox becoming the first network to be transmitted in HDTV on a local LPTV station in metro Atlanta. Other channels were removed to make way for the bitrate necessary for this, however what appears to be a scan conversion issue makes for a strange appearance on MundoFox, as if warped glass with horizontal lines were placed over the picture. Other ATSC tuners may instead show severe pixelation instead of watchable digital video.