WZRB
Encyclopedia
WZRB, channel 47, is The CW Television Network
affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina
, USA. It is owned by St. Louis
-based Roberts Broadcasting
and its transmitter is located in Columbia
.
WZRB was launched on January 1, 2005, as a UPN affiliate. Because it was granted an original construction permit
after the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) finalized the DTV
allotment plan on April 21, 1997, http://www.transmitter.com/FCC97115/chanplan.html, the station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station
. Instead, during the week of January 19, 2009, before February 17, 2009, which was the end of the digital TV conversion period for most full-service stations, WZRB turned off its analog signal
and turned on its digital signal
(called a "flash-cut
"). The station had indicated on its website that it would do its switch in the middle of January.
Up until WZRB's launch, Elgin-based WBHQ
carried UPN programming on a secondary basis along with The WB
programming. WZRB became the sixth commercial station to go on the air in the Columbia viewing area. When CBS and Warner Brothers announced on January 24, 2006 that the UPN and The WB would merge into a new network called The CW, WBHQ (now WKTC, and at the time a WB affiliate) and WZRB did not immediately announce which station would carry the network. In September 2006, WZRB became Columbia's The CW affiliate, and WKTC took the My Network TV affiliation.
On March 29, 2011, WZRB's license was initially cancelled by the FCC for failure to file for either a license to cover or an extension of its digital construction permit (the license for sister station WRBJ in Jackson, Mississippi
was initially cancelled for the same reasons two days later). However, Roberts Broadcasting filed an appeal, stating that the licenses to cover were improperly filed upon the digital transition. The FCC agreed, and reinstated the licenses of the two stations on April 19. Roberts had to file for new licenses to cover.
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, USA. It is owned by St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
-based Roberts Broadcasting
Roberts Broadcasting
Roberts Broadcasting Company is a media company based in St. Louis, Missouri. It is a subsidiary of the parent company, the Roberts Companies, one of the largest African American owned conglomerates and is co-owned by brothers Steven and Michael Roberts. The company owns four network affiliates,...
and its transmitter is located in Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
.
WZRB was launched on January 1, 2005, as a UPN affiliate. Because it was granted an original construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
after 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) finalized the DTV
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
allotment plan on April 21, 1997, http://www.transmitter.com/FCC97115/chanplan.html, the station did not receive a companion channel for a digital 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...
. Instead, during the week of January 19, 2009, before February 17, 2009, which was the end of the digital TV conversion period for most full-service stations, WZRB turned off its analog signal
Analog signal
An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
and turned on its digital signal
Digital signal
A digital signal is a physical signal that is a representation of a sequence of discrete values , for example of an arbitrary bit stream, or of a digitized analog signal...
(called a "flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
"). The station had indicated on its website that it would do its switch in the middle of January.
Up until WZRB's launch, Elgin-based WBHQ
WKTC
WKTC, "My63" is the MyNetworkTV affiliate for Columbia, South Carolina. It is licensed to Sumter, with studios in the Pontiac Business Center complex in Elgin...
carried UPN programming on a secondary basis along with The 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...
programming. WZRB became the sixth commercial station to go on the air in the Columbia viewing area. When CBS and Warner Brothers announced on January 24, 2006 that the UPN and The WB would merge into a new network called The CW, WBHQ (now WKTC, and at the time a WB affiliate) and WZRB did not immediately announce which station would carry the network. In September 2006, WZRB became Columbia's The CW affiliate, and WKTC took the My Network TV affiliation.
Digital television
WZRB turned off its analog signal during the week of January 19, 2009 and remained on channel 47.On March 29, 2011, WZRB's license was initially cancelled by the FCC for failure to file for either a license to cover or an extension of its digital construction permit (the license for sister station WRBJ in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
was initially cancelled for the same reasons two days later). However, Roberts Broadcasting filed an appeal, stating that the licenses to cover were improperly filed upon the digital transition. The FCC agreed, and reinstated the licenses of the two stations on April 19. Roberts had to file for new licenses to cover.