WGCB-TV
Encyclopedia
WGCB-TV is a television station
serving the Harrisburg
/Lancaster
/York
(Susquehanna Valley) region of Pennsylvania
, United States
. Broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 30, it is an independent station
producing mainly Christian
programs.It is also affiliated with Me-TV. Its studio and transmission facilities are located in Red Lion.
Previously, the channel 49 frequency in the Susquehanna Valley region was occupied by WNOW-TV, which was located in York and was originally affiliated with the DuMont Television Network
(and later the NTA Film Network
).. It could not compete with WGAL-TV and eventually went off the air. http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:NWRTW-4qcc0J:www.broadcast.net/pipermail/radio-tech/2002-July/025907.html+WNOW+DuMont&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2
On November 27, 1964, the WGCB radio stations, both AM and FM carried a 15-minute religious broadcast that would spawn a monumental case that ended with Supreme Court of the United States
approval of the Fairness Doctrine
. The Court ruled that the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) could enforce the Fairness Doctrine, which prohibits broadcasters from using their monopoly on a broadcast frequency to monopolize discussion on controversial issues.
John Harden Norris, an engineer for Sinclair Oil and Refining Company in Claymont, Delaware
, left his position and joined his father in establishing Red Lion Broadcasting. In 1950, WGCB-AM - the call letters stand for "the World for God, Christ and the Bible" - went on the air, followed by WGCB-FM in 1958, one of the first FM stations in the US. In 1962, they added WINB short-wave broadcasts, and in 1979, WGCB-TV. At the time, Norris was the only individual in the US to operate AM, FM, short-wave, and TV in one location, and under one ownership.
Norris died September 28, 2008 at the age of 82. The FCC granted a change in control for WGCB on November 5, 2008 to the Estate of John H. Norris, Anna L. Plourde-Norris, Executrix.
DirecTV
ceased carriage of WGCB on January 1, 2009.
The shortwave station, WINB, originally "World In Need of the Bible" is now "World Inter National Broadcasters". It is the oldest commercial shortwave station on the air in the United States, although in 1995, the original transmitter failed, and it took until 1997 to resume full-power broadcasts. http://www.winb.com/
The other radio stations no longer belong to Red Lion Broadcasting. WGCB-AM became WGLD
-AM 1440, an ESPN affiliate, and WGCB-FM became "Oldies 96.1" WSOX
-FM, a Cumulus station.
On Monday, August 17, 2009 WGCB-TV began a new lineup of classic shows and sitcoms in the evening. The Cosby Show
, My Three Sons
, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
, Happy Days
, Laverne & Shirley
, Little House on the Prairie
, McHale's Navy
, Hogan's Heroes
, and Matlock
are some of the new classic shows and sitcoms that WGCB-TV began broadcasting from 3 until 10 at night. WGCB-TV is now affiliated with MeTV.
Digital channels>
Channel
Programming
49.1
Main WGCB-TV programming/ Me-TV
49.2
Universal Sports
On January 1, 2012, Universal Sports will no longer be available to WGCB-TV. The plans for subchannel 49.2 are unknown at this time.
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
serving the Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
/Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
/York
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
(Susquehanna Valley) region of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 30, it is an independent station
Independent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
producing mainly Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
programs.It is also affiliated with Me-TV. Its studio and transmission facilities are located in Red Lion.
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
(and later the NTA Film Network
NTA Film Network
The NTA Film Network was an early American television network founded by Ely Landau in 1956. The network was not a full-time television network like CBS, NBC, or ABC. Rather, it operated on a part-time basis, broadcasting films and several first-run television programs from major Hollywood studios...
).. It could not compete with WGAL-TV and eventually went off the air. http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:NWRTW-4qcc0J:www.broadcast.net/pipermail/radio-tech/2002-July/025907.html+WNOW+DuMont&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2
On November 27, 1964, the WGCB radio stations, both AM and FM carried a 15-minute religious broadcast that would spawn a monumental case that ended with Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
approval of the Fairness Doctrine
Fairness Doctrine
The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission , introduced in 1949, that required the holders of broadcast licenses to both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was, in the Commission's view, honest, equitable...
. The Court ruled that the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) could enforce the Fairness Doctrine, which prohibits broadcasters from using their monopoly on a broadcast frequency to monopolize discussion on controversial issues.
John Harden Norris, an engineer for Sinclair Oil and Refining Company in Claymont, Delaware
Claymont, Delaware
Claymont is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 9,220 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, left his position and joined his father in establishing Red Lion Broadcasting. In 1950, WGCB-AM - the call letters stand for "the World for God, Christ and the Bible" - went on the air, followed by WGCB-FM in 1958, one of the first FM stations in the US. In 1962, they added WINB short-wave broadcasts, and in 1979, WGCB-TV. At the time, Norris was the only individual in the US to operate AM, FM, short-wave, and TV in one location, and under one ownership.
Norris died September 28, 2008 at the age of 82. The FCC granted a change in control for WGCB on November 5, 2008 to the Estate of John H. Norris, Anna L. Plourde-Norris, Executrix.
DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
ceased carriage of WGCB on January 1, 2009.
The shortwave station, WINB, originally "World In Need of the Bible" is now "World Inter National Broadcasters". It is the oldest commercial shortwave station on the air in the United States, although in 1995, the original transmitter failed, and it took until 1997 to resume full-power broadcasts. http://www.winb.com/
The other radio stations no longer belong to Red Lion Broadcasting. WGCB-AM became WGLD
WGLD
WGLD is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio format. Licensed to Red Lion, Pennsylvania, USA. The station is currently owned by Susquehanna License Co., LLC and is currently broadcasting ESPN.-History:...
-AM 1440, an ESPN affiliate, and WGCB-FM became "Oldies 96.1" WSOX
WSOX
WSOX is a classic hits radio station licensed to Red Lion, Pennsylvania. The station serves the metro areas of York, Hanover, Harrisburg, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania...
-FM, a Cumulus station.
On Monday, August 17, 2009 WGCB-TV began a new lineup of classic shows and sitcoms in the evening. The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.The show renders the title as Gomer Pyle - USMC. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot was aired as the finale of the fourth season of The Andy...
, Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976, to May 10, 1983...
, Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
, McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
, Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
, and Matlock
Matlock (TV series)
Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
are some of the new classic shows and sitcoms that WGCB-TV began broadcasting from 3 until 10 at night. WGCB-TV is now affiliated with MeTV.
Digital television
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:Universal Sports
Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
On January 1, 2012, Universal Sports will no longer be available to WGCB-TV. The plans for subchannel 49.2 are unknown at this time.