WACP
WACP is a religious television station licensed to Atlantic City, New Jersey, serving South Jersey and the Philadelphia television market.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WACP is a full-power television station serving Atlantic City, South Jersey, and the Philadelphia television market. The station operates on digital channel 4 and is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Its studios are in Millville, while its transmission facilities are in Waterford Works, New Jersey. The station’s identity is associated with religious television following its acquisition by Total Christian Television, although its earlier schedule also included infomercials, home-shopping programs, children’s programming, and locally produced news. The station originated in a Federal Communications Commission allocation process rather than through the conversion of an older broadcast outlet. In December 2009, the FCC proposed new VHF channel allocations for Atlantic City and Seaford, Delaware. The two licenses were subsequently offered at auction, and Western Pacific Broadcast LLC, a company created by Richland Towers, won the relevant full-power license in February 2011. The FCC issued a construction permit in May of that year, and an application to use the WACP call letters was filed in June 2011. The construction authorization was approved in February 2012, and the station license was granted on July 9, 2012. To support transmission, Richland Towers Management Waterford acquired an existing tower site in Waterford Works in April 2012. WACP began testing its signal in June, initially showing a tower-camera feed and station identification before moving to a full-screen identification presentation. The station gained an important cable-distribution foothold when Comcast Xfinity added WACP to channel 4 in much of its Philadelphia-area service territory on October 23, 2012. The carriage arrangement gave the new station access to viewers beyond the immediate Atlantic City area. WACP’s early programming model was built around syndicated and paid programming rather than a large original-production operation. Its schedule included infomercials, home-shopping content, and children’s programs designed to meet FCC educational and informational requirements. From 2015 through 2019, WACP also carried local newscasts produced by SNJ Today in Millville. Those broadcasts were staffed substantially by personnel associated with the former WMGM-TV news department. WACP and WMGM simulcast the newscasts for a period, before changes connected with WMGM’s sale to Univision altered that arrangement. Beginning July 1, 2019, WACP carried a weekday morning simulcast of News 12 New Jersey from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. A major ownership transition occurred in 2021. Total Christian Television, a Marion, Illinois-based religious broadcaster, announced an agreement on August 31 to purchase WACP for $10 million. The transaction closed on November 1, 2021, bringing the station into TCT’s religious television portfolio. Since that acquisition, WACP has been identified with TCT ownership while continuing to serve its New Jersey and Philadelphia-area coverage region. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate corporate brand architecture, a distinct consumer product range, or a roster of named station executives. WACP is therefore best understood as a local broadcast-station brand and distribution outlet rather than as a standalone national media company.
History
WACP was established through a Federal Communications Commission process to allocate new VHF television facilities. On December 17, 2009, the FCC proposed a channel 4 allocation for Atlantic City, New Jersey, alongside a channel 5 allocation for Seaford, Delaware. The agency announced in January 2011 that the two allocations would be offered in a license auction scheduled for February 15. Western Pacific Broadcast LLC, an entity created by Richland Towers, ultimately won the relevant full-power license on February 26, 2011. The FCC granted Western Pacific Broadcast a construction permit on May 4, 2011, authorizing construction of a digital transmitter for the Atlantic City channel 4 facility. The station’s call-sign application, using WACP, was filed on June 23, 2011. The FCC approved the construction permit on February 13, 2012. To provide a transmission site, Richland Towers Management Waterford purchased an existing tower in Waterford Works from Univision Communications on April 18, 2012. The site had previously been associated with facilities acquired by Univision through its purchase of USA Broadcasting television stations. WACP began testing its signal around June 6, 2012. Early test transmissions displayed a tower-camera feed from WIAT in Birmingham, Alabama, accompanied by a WACP identification graphic. The test presentation was later replaced by a full-screen station identification display. The FCC issued the station license on July 9, 2012. The station expanded its practical reach through cable carriage. On October 23, 2012, Comcast Xfinity added WACP to channel 4 in much of its Philadelphia service area. This gave the station distribution in a larger regional television market in addition to its over-the-air service to South Jersey. During its initial operating period, WACP scheduled a mixture of infomercials, home-shopping programs, and children’s programming intended to satisfy FCC educational and informational obligations. It also carried local news produced by SNJ Today from 2015 through 2019. The news operation was based in Millville and relied substantially on former WMGM-TV news staff. WACP and WMGM simulcast the newscasts for a time; the arrangement changed after WMGM’s announced sale to Univision in 2017. On July 1, 2019, WACP began airing News 12 New Jersey on weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. On August 31, 2021, Total Christian Television announced that it would purchase WACP for $10 million. The buyer, based in Marion, Illinois, operates religious television services. The transaction closed on November 1, 2021, making TCT the station’s owner. Under TCT ownership, WACP’s principal identity became that of a religious television station serving the Atlantic City, South Jersey, and Philadelphia viewing areas. The available reference material does not identify named current or former executives, a distinct product-development program, or any verified scandals involving the station.
- 2021
TCT acquisition closes
[1]Total Christian Television completed its purchase of WACP on November 1.
- 2019
News 12 New Jersey simulcast begins
[1]WACP began carrying News 12 New Jersey on weekday mornings.
- 2015
SNJ Today news partnership begins
[1]WACP began airing local newscasts produced by SNJ Today.
- 2012
Construction permit approved
[1]The FCC approved the construction authorization for the WACP transmitter in February.
- 2012
Signal testing begins
[1]WACP began testing its broadcast signal in June from its New Jersey transmission facilities.
- 2012
FCC grants station license
[1]The FCC granted WACP its station license on July 9.
- 2012
Philadelphia-area cable carriage begins
[1]Comcast Xfinity added WACP to channel 4 in much of its Philadelphia service area.
- 2011
Western Pacific Broadcast wins the license auction
[1]The Richland Towers-created Western Pacific Broadcast LLC won the federal auction for the full-power Atlantic City television license.
- 2009
FCC proposes Atlantic City VHF allocation
[1]The FCC proposed a new VHF channel 4 allocation for Atlantic City, creating the regulatory basis for the future WACP facility.
Products and positioning
A full-power local television station serving South Jersey and the Philadelphia market, with a religious-programming identity under Total Christian Television ownership and a history of carrying paid, children's, news, and syndicated content.
Broadcast television station · 2012
WACP over-the-air television service
WACP is a full-power digital television service licensed to Atlantic City and serving South Jersey and the Philadelphia television market. Its broadcast operation uses a transmitter in Waterford Works and is complemented by cable distribution in portions of the Philadelphia area.
Religious television programming · 2021
TCT religious programming
Following its 2021 acquisition by Total Christian Television, WACP became associated with TCT’s religious television programming. The available reference material does not specify a complete current schedule or individual program lineup.
News television · 2015
Local and regional news programming
WACP has carried regional news in more than one format. SNJ Today produced local newscasts for the station from 2015 through 2019, and WACP later began a weekday morning simulcast of News 12 New Jersey.
Brand decisions
2021
Sale to Total Christian TelevisionM&ABackground
WACP was owned by the Richland Towers-related broadcasting interests before the announced transaction.
Action taken
Total Christian Television announced the purchase of WACP on August 31 and completed the transaction on November 1.
Aftermath
WACP became part of TCT’s religious television portfolio and adopted a stronger religious-broadcasting identity.
Purchase price. $10 million (Announced August 31, 2021; transaction completed November 1, 2021)
2019
Adoption of News 12 New Jersey morning programmingStrategyBackground
WACP’s earlier SNJ Today-produced news arrangement ended in the same period as changes involving WMGM-TV.
Action taken
WACP began simulcasting News 12 New Jersey on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Aftermath
The change gave WACP a regional morning-news offering without requiring the station to maintain a separate full local news production.
2015
Launch of SNJ Today-produced newscastsProduct launchBackground
WACP’s schedule included local programming alongside paid and children's content.
Action taken
The station began airing local newscasts produced by SNJ Today from Millville.
Aftermath
The newscasts continued through 2019 and were connected to former WMGM-TV news personnel.
2012
Expansion through Comcast carriageStrategyBackground
After launching a new broadcast facility, WACP needed distribution across the wider Philadelphia viewing area.
Action taken
Comcast Xfinity added WACP to channel 4 in much of its Philadelphia service area.
Aftermath
The station obtained cable reach beyond its primary South Jersey over-the-air audience.
2011
Participation in the FCC license auctionOtherBackground
The FCC made new VHF television allocations for Atlantic City and Seaford available through a federal auction process.
Action taken
Western Pacific Broadcast LLC bid for and won the full-power Atlantic City channel 4 license.
Aftermath
The award enabled construction and eventual launch of the WACP facility.
Recent events
- 2021
Total Christian Television announces WACP acquisition[1]
M&A
Total Christian Television announced an agreement to acquire WACP, marking a shift to ownership by a religious television broadcaster.
- 2021
Total Christian Television completes WACP purchase[1]
M&A · Leadership change
The acquisition of WACP by Total Christian Television was completed on November 1.
- 2019
WACP starts News 12 New Jersey morning simulcast[1]
Product launch
Beginning July 1, WACP simulcast News 12 New Jersey on weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- 2015
WACP begins SNJ Today local newscasts[1]
Product launch
WACP began carrying local newscasts produced by Millville-based SNJ Today, using personnel largely associated with the former WMGM-TV news operation.
- 2012
FCC grants WACP station license[1]
Other
The FCC granted the WACP station license on July 9, completing the authorization process for the new digital television station.
- 2012
Comcast adds WACP to Philadelphia-area cable systems[1]
Other
Comcast Xfinity added WACP to channel 4 in much of its Philadelphia service area, expanding the station's distribution beyond its over-the-air footprint.
- 2011
Western Pacific Broadcast wins the Atlantic City channel license auction[1]
Other
Western Pacific Broadcast LLC, created by Richland Towers, won the federal auction for the full-power VHF license associated with the proposed Atlantic City channel 4 station.
Sources1 sources
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