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47-729: WSFA (channel 12) is a television station in Montgomery, Alabama , United States, affiliated with NBC . It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power , Class A Telemundo affiliate WBXM-CD (channel 15). The two stations share studios on Dexter Avenue in downtown Montgomery; WSFA's transmitter is located in Grady along the Montgomery – Pike county line. WSFA was one of two flagship television properties (alongside CBS affiliate WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina ) of previous owner Raycom Media , which had headquarters downtown at

94-418: A barter in some cases. Raycom Media Raycom Media, Inc. was an American television broadcasting company based in Montgomery , Alabama . Raycom owned and/or provided services for 65 television stations and two radio stations across 44 markets in 20 states. Raycom, through its Community Newspaper Holdings subsidiary, also owned multiple newspapers in small and medium-sized markets throughout

141-547: A digital ad platform focused on automotive sales, for $ 125 million in November 2015. On April 4, 2017, Raycom reached an agreement to acquire WVUE outright, and the sale was finalized on August 8. In May 2017, Raycom purchased Calkins Media 's WWSB and WTXL-TV . A sale of Calkins' WAAY-TV to Raycom affiliate American Spirit Media was blocked by the Department of Justice due to Raycom's ownership of WAFF-TV , and

188-641: A loan from the RSA. The three groups merged to form Raycom Media. John Hayes initially headed up the company until 2001. In 1998, Raycom took a 35% stake in Worldnow , an internet publishing provider for broadcast media. That same year, Raycom purchased Malrite Communications, owner of five stations: two Puerto Rico stations (counting a semi-satellite station), three Ohio stations, and one Florida station. In 2001, Paul McTear took over as Raycom's president and CEO from Hayes. In 2003, Raycom Media bought out all of

235-415: A much shorter wavelength, and thus requires a shorter antenna, but also higher power. North American stations can go up to 5000 kW ERP for video and 500 kW audio, or 1000 kW digital. Low channels travel further than high ones at the same power, but UHF does not suffer from as much electromagnetic interference and background "noise" as VHF, making it much more desirable for TV. Despite this, in

282-501: A sister station of WSFA, launched WRGX-LD as an NBC affiliate on June 1, 2013. The station's call letters—SFA—are an acronym for "South's Finest Airport". They can be traced back to 1930, when Gordon Persons (years before becoming Governor of Alabama ) opened a radio station at the Montgomery Regional Airport (now Gunter Annex of Maxwell Air Force Base ). The new station was the state's fourth station but

329-425: A variety of ways to generate revenue from television commercials . They may be an independent station or part of a broadcasting network , or some other structure. They can produce some or all of their programs or buy some broadcast syndication programming for or all of it from other stations or independent production companies. Many stations have some sort of television studio , which on major-network stations

376-496: Is non-commercial educational (NCE) and considered public broadcasting . To avoid concentration of media ownership of television stations, government regulations in most countries generally limit the ownership of television stations by television networks or other media operators, but these regulations vary considerably. Some countries have set up nationwide television networks, in which individual television stations act as mere repeaters of nationwide programs . In those countries,

423-484: Is Raycom Media's production company formed from the merger of Tupelo Honey Productions and WebStream Sports. Clients of the company include NBC , CBS , ESPN , Turner Sports , Fox, Travel Channel, Bounce TV and Live Nation . Raycom acquired the assets of live and studio sports programming production company Tupelo-Honey Productions in January 2012. Tupelo Honey assets included a 50% share of MY Tupelo Entertainment,

470-535: Is also on the subchannel during the time that its primary channel is airing network programming. Not long after the Gaylord family bought the station in 1955, they dispatched Frank McGee , top anchorman at company flagship WKY-TV (now KFOR-TV ) in Oklahoma City , to Montgomery as News Director. Under McGee, WSFA gained a national reputation for its coverage (fed periodically to the network) of local events in

517-470: Is broadcast via terrestrial radio waves. A group of television stations with common ownership or affiliation are known as a TV network and an individual station within the network is referred to as O&O or affiliate , respectively. Because television station signals use the electromagnetic spectrum, which in the past has been a common, scarce resource, governments often claim authority to regulate them. Broadcast television systems standards vary around

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564-677: Is mostly unchanged except for originating from WSFA's primary set. It continued to be simulcast on WDFX until 2020. The station's signal is multiplexed : WSFA-DT2 had been part of the NBC Weather Plus but reverted to a local weather channel after the national service was discontinued on December 31 , 2008. In February 2010, Retro Television Network (RTV) moved from WSFA-DT3 to WSFA-DT2, combined with weather updates and other shows. On September 26, 2011, WSFA replaced RTV with Bounce TV , as part of Raycom's affiliation deal with that network. WSFA-DT2 also includes repeats of newscasts from

611-792: Is often used for newscasts or other local programming . There is usually a news department , where journalists gather information. There is also a section where electronic news-gathering (ENG) operations are based, receiving remote broadcasts via remote pickup unit or satellite TV . Outside broadcasting vans, production trucks , or SUVs with electronic field production (EFP) equipment are sent out with reporters , who may also bring back news stories on video tape rather than sending them back live . To keep pace with technology United States television stations have been replacing operators with broadcast automation systems to increase profits in recent years. Some stations (known as repeaters or translators ) only simulcast another, usually

658-796: The Civil Rights Movement such as the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 involving Rosa Parks and the varied activities of Martin Luther King Jr. during his pastorate at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church . McGee eventually joined NBC News as a correspondent and hosted Today from 1971 until his death in 1974. By the time Liberty bought WSFA in 1959, it had developed an image as a news-intensive station. Wanting to repeat WSFA's success, Liberty began developing strong news departments at its other stations as well. On January 15, 2007, it added an entertainment/lifestyle magazine-type program known as Alabama Live . Airing weekday mornings at 11,

705-611: The Fox -affiliated television stations from Waitt Broadcasting. In April 2005, Raycom tested The Tube Music Network on station WFLX , a Fox affiliate, for three weeks. Raycom announced on April 25, 2005, it was the launch station group for The Tube affiliating 29 stations. Raycom launched the network in June 2005 on 30 stations. Raycom Media was an initial round investor in The Tube Music Network . On January 31, 2006,

752-912: The RSA Tower . The station boasts one of the largest coverage areas in Alabama, providing at least secondary coverage from the geographical center of the state to the Florida state line and from the Black Belt region to the Chattahoochee River bordering Georgia . WSFA was formerly the default NBC affiliate for Dothan and the Wiregrass Region , which had been one of the few areas without an NBC station of its own. That status ended when WTVY in Dothan, which would eventually become

799-405: The broadcast range , or geographic area, that the station is limited to, allocates the broadcast frequency of the radio spectrum for that station's transmissions, sets limits on what types of television programs can be programmed for broadcast and requires a station to broadcast a minimum amount of certain programs types, such as public affairs messages . Another form of television station

846-534: The electricity bill and emergency backup generators . In North America , full-power stations on band I (channels 2 to 6) are generally limited to 100 kW analog video ( VSB ) and 10 kW analog audio ( FM ), or 45 kW digital ( 8VSB ) ERP. Stations on band III (channels 7 to 13) can go up by 5 dB to 316 kW video, 31.6 kW audio, or 160 kW digital. Low-VHF stations are often subject to long-distance reception just as with FM. There are no stations on Channel 1 . UHF , by comparison, has

893-482: The Gaylord family's Oklahoma Publishing Company , earning a handsome return on his original investment of a quarter-century earlier. At that time, WSFA-AM-TV was operated by a staff of 35. In 1956, the radio station was sold and moved to downtown Montgomery under a new set of call letters, WHHY (and then later still, WLWI ). The television station was sold again, in 1959, to the Broadcasting Company of

940-572: The Liberty banner. The company merged with Raycom Media in 2006. Since Raycom was headquartered in Montgomery, WSFA became the corporation's flagship station. However, with Raycom's 2008 purchase of Lincoln Financial Media 's television stations, WSFA shared flagship status with Charlotte's WBTV. On June 25, 2018, Atlanta -based Gray Television announced it had reached an agreement to merge with Raycom Media in $ 3.6 billion transaction. The sale

987-538: The South of Columbia, South Carolina . A subsidiary of the Liberty Life Insurance Company, the company renamed itself Cosmos Broadcasting Corporation in 1965. Later in the decade, Liberty reorganized itself as Liberty Corporation with Cosmos and Liberty Life as its subsidiaries. WSFA was the area's only VHF station until 1985, when Selma -based WAKA (channel 8) built a new transmitter that

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1034-647: The U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking another large portion of this band (channels 52 to 69) away, in contrast to the rest of the world, which has been taking VHF instead. This means that some stations left on VHF are harder to receive after the analog shutdown . Since at least 1974, there are no stations on channel 37 in North America for radio astronomy purposes. Most television stations are commercial broadcasting enterprises which are structured in

1081-692: The United States. Raycom's three founding owners were Stephen Burr (a Boston lawyer), Ken Hawkins (general manager) and William Zortman (news director) with funding from Retirement Systems of Alabama . In 1996, Raycom purchased 15 television and two radio stations and Bert Ellis's Raycom Sports from Ellis Communications for over $ 700 million. In mid-1996, the company agreed to purchase eight stations from Federal Enterprises Inc. of suburban Detroit for $ 160 million. Raycom bought Aflac 's broadcast division of five TV stations in August 1996, using, in part,

1128-736: The broadcast was simulcasted on then-WSFA sister station and fellow Fox affiliate WDFX-TV in Dothan . A weekend half-hour edition began in summer 2008. On August 3, 2008, WSFA upgraded its newscasts to high definition level, becoming the first station in Montgomery to do so. The news set and graphics were redesigned in the transition. Initially, the 9 p.m. shows were not included because they originated from an older, secondary set at WSFA's studios. However, in spring 2010, those broadcasts began airing in HD with updated graphics separate from programs seen on WSFA. Since WDFX and WCOV both aired Fox News at 9 , there

1175-413: The city's first. WSFA radio quickly became a landmark in Montgomery and was most famous in its early days for launching the career of country music legend Hank Williams , a native of nearby Georgiana , in the 1940s. By the mid-1950s, the new medium of television was sweeping the nation and Persons won the construction permit for Montgomery's second television station on VHF channel 12. This allocation

1222-614: The company acquired the Liberty Corporation . Raycom agreed to affiliate its NBC stations' subchannels with NBC Weather Plus , a joint venture between the affiliates and the NBC station group. In August, Raycom sold a dozen of its stations to Barrington Broadcasting . On November 12, 2007, Raycom announced its intention to acquire some of the television broadcasting properties of Lincoln National Corporation 's Lincoln Financial Media for $ 583 million. Lincoln Financial Sports

1269-420: The highest point available in the transmission area, such as on a summit , the top of a high skyscraper , or on a tall radio tower . To get a signal from the master control room to the transmitter, a studio/transmitter link (STL) is used. The link can be either by radio or T1 / E1 . A transmitter/studio link (TSL) may also send telemetry back to the station, but this may be embedded in subcarriers of

1316-400: The local television station has no station identification and, from a consumer's point of view, there is no practical distinction between a network and a station, with only small regional changes in programming, such as local television news . To broadcast its programs, a television station requires operators to operate equipment, a transmitter or radio antenna , which is often located at

1363-419: The main broadcast. Stations which retransmit or simulcast another may simply pick-up that station over-the-air , or via STL or satellite. The license usually specifies which other station it is allowed to carry. VHF stations often have very tall antennas due to their long wavelength , but require much less effective radiated power (ERP), and therefore use much less transmitter power output , also saving on

1410-485: The main channel, live local weather updates, syndicated programming, and broadcasts from Raycom Sports . The third digital subchannel , WSFA-DT3, currently broadcasts the country music-oriented network Circle . WSFA-DT3 had originally aired The Tube Music Network until its shuttering on October 1, 2007. RTV then took its place. WSFA-DT3 was shut down on December 31, 2009, in order to start beta testing of applications that would transmit its signal to mobile devices, but

1457-408: The only VHF station in town for 31 years, WSFA has been the dominant news station in Montgomery for as long as records have been kept. It has always aired a considerable amount of news programming for what has always been a small market (it is currently the 118th market). Today, WSFA airs over thirty hours of local newscasts per week, far and away the most of any station in Montgomery. News programming

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1504-476: The programmes seen on its owner's flagship station, and have no television studio or production facilities of their own. This is common in developing countries . Low-power stations typically also fall into this category worldwide. Most stations which are not simulcast produce their own station identifications . TV stations may also advertise on or provide weather (or news) services to local radio stations , particularly co-owned sister stations . This may be

1551-731: The seven markets where CNHI and Raycom both owned properties. On June 14, 2018, Raycom announced the launch of InvestigateTV , an OTT app that showcased longer-form content from Raycom as well as content from ProPublica , News21 at Arizona State University ’s Cronkite School of Journalism , and NerdWallet . On June 25, 2018, Gray Television announced its intent to acquire Raycom for $ 3.65 billion, pending regulatory approval. The combined company would be led by Raycom's current president and CEO Pat LaPlatney, with current Gray CEO Hilton Howell acting as executive chairman and co-CEO. The acquisition, which Gray expected to close in late 2018, would give Gray 142 stations in 92 markets , making Gray

1598-523: The show reflects on its slogan of "Coverage. Community. Commitment." because it incorporates special features and guest interviews usually not conducted in traditional newscasts. WSFA established a news share agreement with Fox affiliate WCOV (owned by the Woods Communications Corporation) on January 7, 2008. This resulted in a 35-minute newscast being added on that station, weeknights at 9. It was known as Fox News at 9 because

1645-672: The third quarter of 2014, Raycom purchased RTM Productions, based in Nashville and produces PowerNation branded auto-oriented shows for the Paramount Network , NBCSN , and CBS Sports Network . Raycom acquired the assets of live and studio sports programming production company Tupelo-Honey Productions in January 2012. In 2011, Raycom was an initial investor in Bounce TV , a broadcast subchannel network. Raycom News Network Digital Hub, an online news aggregator and exchange,

1692-745: The third-largest owner of television stations in the United States, with a total market share of 24%. CNHI, which was sold separately, was not included in the sale to Gray. The sale was approved by the FCC on December 20. The deal was completed on January 2, 2019. Prior to its merger with Gray, Raycom owned and/or operated 65 television stations and two radio stations in 44 markets located in 20 states, covering over 16% of U.S. television households. Raycom also employed more than 4,800 individuals in full- and part-time positions. Stations are arranged alphabetically by state and by city of license. In addition to television stations, Raycom also owned: Tupelo Raycom

1739-399: The world. Television stations broadcasting over an analog system were typically limited to one television channel , but digital television enables broadcasting via subchannels as well. Television stations usually require a broadcast license from a government agency which sets the requirements and limitations on the station. In the United States, for example, a television license defines

1786-716: Was approved on December 20, 2018, and was completed on January 2, 2019. On September 17, 2024, Gray and the New Orleans Pelicans announced a broader deal to form the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network, which will broadcast nearly all 2024–25 Pelicans games on Gray's stations in the Gulf South , including WSFA. Local programming includes WSFA's major commitment—regional and local news—with shows such as Alabama Live , WSFA 12 News First at 4 , WSFA 12 News at 6 , and WSFA 12 News at 10 . As

1833-570: Was completed on December 1, 2015. Raycom acquired Indianapolis-based sports production company WebStream Sports on September 14, 2015. WebStream was subsequently merged with existing Raycom entity Tupelo Honey to form Tupelo Raycom. In October 2015, Raycom acquired Fox affiliate KNIN-TV for $ 14.5 million from E. W. Scripps Company ; the FCC required that the station be divested during Scripps' acquisition of Journal Communications , but Scripps entered into shared services agreements with Raycom to continue operating KNIN. Raycom purchased PureCars,

1880-414: Was halfway between Selma and Montgomery, thus giving it good coverage in Montgomery proper (but is still licensed to Selma to this day) and replaced WCOV as the area's CBS affiliate. In 1986, it dropped the "-TV" suffix, though as mentioned above channel 12 and its radio sister had gone their separate ways three decades earlier. Liberty exited the insurance business in 2002, bringing the station directly under

1927-427: Was instead sold to Heartland Media . The deal increased Raycom's reach to 16% of U.S. television households. On September 25, 2017, Raycom announced that it would merge with Community Newspaper Holdings (CNHI), which was principally owned by Retirement Systems of Alabama. CNHI would continue to operate as a subsidiary of Raycom. To comply with FCC newspaper cross-ownership restrictions, Raycom divested newspapers in

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1974-616: Was merged into Raycom Sports later that year. The purchase of the stations were completed on April 2, 2008. Around 2010, Raycom moved into producing its own programming. In September 2011, Raycom partnered with E.W. Scripps and Cox Media to produce Right This Minute . Also in 2011, the company partnered with ITV Studios America and launched America Now , a lifestyle-oriented news magazine. The magazine lasted until September 2014. In partnership with Bellum Entertainment Group in 2014, Flip My Food and Fix It and Finish It were launched as lead in strips to Raycom early newscasts. In

2021-506: Was regional coverage provided by reporters based at WDFX's studios (referred to on-air as the Wiregrass Newsroom). After WCOV's contract with WSFA expired at the end of 2010, that station entered into a new agreement with CBS affiliate WAKA to produce a nightly prime time newscast at 9 covering Montgomery. On January 1 , 2011, WSFA transitioned its prime time show, renamed The News at 9 , to its RTV digital subchannel. The format

2068-598: Was started in 2011 at the company's main office in Montgomery, Alabama. Raycom Media was an initial investor in Katz Broadcasting , launched in 2014 and a Bounce affiliated subchannel network group. On November 20, 2013, Raycom entered into a shared services agreement to operate Louisiana Media Company's WVUE-TV in New Orleans. On August 10, 2015, Raycom announced that it would purchase stations owned by Drewry Communications for $ 160 million. The sale

2115-695: Was supposed to be occupied by Montgomery's first television station, CBS affiliate WCOV-TV (it is now a Fox affiliate). However, due to a delay in getting a transmitter for channel 12, WCOV was forced to move to UHF channel 20. Persons built a state-of-the-art facility on Delano Avenue to house both the television and radio stations in 1954, and WSFA-TV aired its first broadcast on December 25, 1954—a Christmas present to Alabama. Owing to WSFA radio's long affiliation with NBC, channel 12 has been Montgomery's NBC affiliate for its entire existence. Only two months later, in February 1955, Persons sold WSFA-AM-TV to

2162-678: Was the first regular television service in the world. It was on the air from 22 March 1935, until it was shut down in 1944. The station was named after Paul Gottlieb Nipkow , the inventor of the Nipkow disk . Most often the term "television station" refers to a station which broadcasts structured content to an audience or it refers to the organization that operates the station. A terrestrial television transmission can occur via analog television signals or, more recently, via digital television signals. Television stations are differentiated from cable television or other video providers as their content

2209-605: Was then re-opened in October 2014 carrying Grit TV . WSFA shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 12, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandated. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 14 to VHF channel 12. Television station The Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow ( TV Station Paul Nipkow ) in Berlin , Germany ,

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