WJAL
Encyclopedia
WJAL, "Family 68", is an independent television station
serving Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. It is one of only six English-language
stations owned by Entravision, a company better known for its ownership of Spanish-language
stations across the United States
.
Despite being licensed to Hagerstown, WJAL's offices are located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
(within the Harrisburg
television market), and its transmitter located fifteen miles (24 km) west of Chambersburg, near the town of McConnellsburg
(within the Washington, D.C.
market).
, WDCA
, and WCQR
, and the first outside Washington. For a time in the late 1990s, WJAL became a WB
affiliate. http://www.ellwanger.tv/collect/tvg/eds/b/bl.html
During the late hours of January 14, 2009, WJAL's transmitter building caught fire. An automated alarm had tripped at 5:45 p.m. that day, but upon visiting the building, firefighters found no sign of fire. 911
was called about an hour later to report the fire. The transmitter's location on top of Tuscarora Mountain
and snow and ice that was occurring made it difficult for firefighters to reach the building. Chainsaws were needed to clear away fallen branches. Two firefighters from McConnellsburg
suffered injuries when they slipped on a patch of ice. Both transmitter and building were completely destroyed. WJAL returned to the air, via fiber feed to cable companies, within a day of the fire.
WJAL carries "West Virginia Tonight Live" from WBOY-TV
in Clarksburg, West Virginia
.
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....
serving Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. It is one of only six English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
stations owned by Entravision, a company better known for its ownership of Spanish-language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
stations across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Despite being licensed to Hagerstown, WJAL's offices are located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is miles north of Maryland and the Mason-Dixon line and southwest of Harrisburg in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley. Chambersburg is the county seat of Franklin County...
(within 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...
television market), and its transmitter located fifteen miles (24 km) west of Chambersburg, near the town of McConnellsburg
McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania
McConnellsburg is a borough in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fulton County....
(within the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
market).
History
The station first broadcast on August 1, 1984, as the third television station in Hagerstown, the fourth independent station in the Washington DMA, after WTTGWTTG
WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
, WDCA
WDCA
WDCA, virtual channel 20, is a television station in Washington, D.C.. Owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, WDCA is a sister station to Fox network outlet WTTG , and is affiliated with the co-owned MyNetworkTV programming service...
, and WCQR
WDCW
WDCW, channel 50, is the CW-affiliated television station for Washington, D.C. It transmits from the Hughes Memorial Tower located in the Brightwood section of the city. Owned by the Tribune Company, the station has studios on Wisconsin Avenue Northwest in the Glover Park section of Washington...
, and the first outside Washington. For a time in the late 1990s, WJAL became a WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
affiliate. http://www.ellwanger.tv/collect/tvg/eds/b/bl.html
During the late hours of January 14, 2009, WJAL's transmitter building caught fire. An automated alarm had tripped at 5:45 p.m. that day, but upon visiting the building, firefighters found no sign of fire. 911
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
was called about an hour later to report the fire. The transmitter's location on top of Tuscarora Mountain
Tuscarora Mountain
Tuscoarora Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains in the Ridge and Valley province in central Pennsylvania. It reaches its highest point on Big Mountain at 2,458 feet above sea level....
and snow and ice that was occurring made it difficult for firefighters to reach the building. Chainsaws were needed to clear away fallen branches. Two firefighters from McConnellsburg
McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania
McConnellsburg is a borough in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fulton County....
suffered injuries when they slipped on a patch of ice. Both transmitter and building were completely destroyed. WJAL returned to the air, via fiber feed to cable companies, within a day of the fire.
Programming
WJAL currently airs a mix of religious programming (especially on Sunday),public affairs programming, syndicated shows, sitcom reruns, movies, and children's programs.WJAL carries "West Virginia Tonight Live" from WBOY-TV
WBOY-TV
WBOY-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for North-Central West Virginia that is licensed to Clarksburg. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter east of downtown and U.S. 50. Owned by West Virginia Media Holdings, the station has studios on West...
in Clarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...
.