WMGT-TV
Encyclopedia
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
.
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
.
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.
Morris bought the station from Bibb four years later. 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. 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".
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.
Weather team
Reporters
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-affiliated television station
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...
for Central Georgia
Central Georgia
Central Georgia refers to the region containing the metropolitan region surrounding the city of Macon, in Bibb County in the U.S. state of Georgia....
that is licensed to Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on GA 87/U.S. 23/U.S. 129 Alternate
U.S. Route 129
U.S. Route 129 is an offshoot route of U.S. Route 29, which it intersects near Athens, Georgia. US 129 currently runs for 582 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Chiefland, Florida, at U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 98. It passes through the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida...
along the Bibb
Bibb County, Georgia
Bibb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 153,887. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 154,709...
and Twiggs
Twiggs County, Georgia
Twiggs County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 14, 1809. As of 2000, the population was 10,590. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 10,280...
County line. The station is the flagship of owner Morris Multimedia
Morris Multimedia
Morris Multimedia, Inc. is a media company based in Savannah, Georgia, founded in 1970 by Charles H. Morris. Morris Multimedia, among the largest privately held media companies in the United States, is the parent company of Morris Newspaper Corporation and Morris Network.- Newspapers :The Morris...
and has studios on Poplar Street in Downtown Macon. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WMGT includes: Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
, and Maury
Maury (TV series)
Maury is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich.When the series first aired in 1991, the show was called The Maury Povich Show and was produced by MoPo Productions in association with Paramount Domestic Television...
.
Digital programming
WMGT operates the area's MyNetworkTVMyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate on a second
WMGT-DT2
WMGT-DT2 is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Georgia. The station is a second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate WMGT-TV that is the flagship of owner Morris Multimedia....
digital subchannel. Known on-air as My 41.2, it can also be seen on Cox
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
digital channel 111, Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
digital channel 123, and Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
digital channel 235. Syndicated programming on WMGT-DT2 includes: Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
, My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
, Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
, and The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
.
| Channel | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41.1 | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
Main WMGT-TV programming / NBC |
| 41.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | WMGT-DT2 "My41.2" |
History
The channel began broadcasting on September 30, 1968 as WCWB-TV and was the first commercial station in the Macon area since WMAZ-TVWMAZ-TV
WMAZ-TV, channel 13, is the CBS affiliate television station in Macon, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Gannett.-History:The station signed on for the first time on September 27, 1953, owned by Southeastern Broadcasting Company along with WMAZ radio...
launched in 1953. It has always been an NBC affiliate. However, unlike many stations in (then) two-station markets
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
, WCWB did not assume a secondary ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliation. Macon did not get a full ABC affiliate until 1982 with WGXA
WGXA
WGXA is the Fox affiliated television station for Central Georgia that is licensed to Macon. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 16 from a transmitter on GA 87/U.S. 23/U.S. 129 Alternate along the Twiggs and Bibb County line. The station can also be seen on Cox channel 2...
. WCWB was founded by Dothan, Alabama
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US state of Alabama, situated approximately west of the Georgia state line and north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County...
broadcaster and perennial Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
political candidate Charles Woods
Charles Woods
Charles Woods was an Alabama businessman and broadcaster, and aspiring politician. Woods was raised in an orphanage. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II...
, who owned the station for about six years. He sold it to a local group known as Bibb Television, Inc. in 1974.
Morris bought the station from Bibb four years later. 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
Cochran, Georgia
Cochran is a city in Bleckley County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,150. The city is the county seat of Bleckley County.- History :...
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
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
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. 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".
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
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
, 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
WGXA-DT2
WGXA-DT2 is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Georgia. The station is a second digital subchannel of Fox affiliate WGXA that is owned by Frontier Radio Management. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 16.2 from a transmitter on GA 87/U.S. 23/U.S. 129 Alternate...
. 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.
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)
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)
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 ShanksBill ShanksBill Shanks is a sports broadcaster and writer.Shanks hosts "The Bill Shanks Show" on WPLA Fox Sports 1670 in Macon. He is also a columnist for The Macon Telegraph and hosts a weekly high school football show called The End Zone on WMGT-TV 41 NBC. Shanks is a writer and the publisher of The Atlanta...
– The End Zone and High School Game Day Host; also heard on WPLAWPLAWJGH is a classic hits formatted radio station located in Jacksonville, Florida. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.-History:...
-AM 1670
Weather team
- Michael Estime (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
member; NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
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 KingJane King (journalist)Jane King is an American journalist. King does syndicated business and financial reports for Bloomberg News from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Formerly, King covered local Business News for CNN's Newsource division, CNN Marketsource...
– Bloomberg Business Report Correspondent - Bill Maier – "Focus on the Family" Host and Segment Producer