WBGT-CD

WBGT-CD is a low-power, Class A television station serving the Rochester, New York, market. The station broadcasts on digital channel 46 and is carried on Charter Spectrum channel 18, a cable position reflected in its “My 18” branding. It is owned by Vision Communications and operates studios on Buffalo Road in the town of Gates, using a Rochester postal address; its transmitter is located on Pinnacle Hill. The station began broadcasting on February 2, 1998, under the call sign WBGT-LP. During its first ten months, it operated as an independent outlet using the Big TV brand. In November 1998, it became an affiliate of UPN, although it continued to use the Big TV identity for much of the network’s existence. Before WBGT’s UPN affiliation, UPN programming in the Rochester area was available primarily through cable and satellite distribution of WWOR-TV, while WUHF carried the network on a secondary basis. WBGT expanded its distribution during its early years. A translator serving Victor was added in 1999, and Time Warner Cable, later succeeded by Charter Spectrum, added the station to its cable lineup in 2001. In addition to its principal network relationship, the station carried selected programming from America One, including films and children’s programs during daytime and overnight periods. It also aired Bloomberg Television during morning hours and selected programming from Urban America Television. When UPN and The WB announced in January 2006 that they would cease operating as separate networks and that their programming would be combined into The CW, WBGT was not selected for the new network. Fox subsequently introduced MyNetworkTV as an alternative for UPN and WB affiliates that had not joined The CW. WBGT signed an affiliation agreement with MyNetworkTV and joined the service when it launched on September 5, 2006. Around that transition, the station’s call sign changed from WBGT-LP to WBGT-CA. The station later converted to digital broadcasting, after which its call sign became WBGT-CD. It has remained a locally distributed television outlet with a primarily independent programming profile and a secondary MyNetworkTV relationship. Because it operates as a low-power station, it has not had must-carry rights and has not been carried by DirecTV or Dish Network according to the referenced station history. Its former analog translator, W26BZ in Victor, was eventually replaced by WGCE-CD and was no longer licensed as a WBGT facility.

WBGT-CD began operations in Rochester, New York, on February 2, 1998, as WBGT-LP. It initially operated as an independent station under the Big TV branding. This initial period lasted approximately ten months, after which the station became a UPN affiliate in November 1998. The UPN affiliation gave Rochester viewers a local low-power outlet for programming that had previously been available mainly through cable and satellite carriage of WWOR-TV, while WUHF had carried UPN on a secondary basis. Although it joined UPN, WBGT retained the Big TV identity through most of the network’s operating period and did not abandon that branding until after 2003. During its formative years, the station also developed supplementary programming relationships. It carried selected America One films and children’s programming during daytime and overnight hours, simulcast Bloomberg Television in the morning, and aired selected programs from Urban America Television. These arrangements gave the station a mixed schedule rather than a single-network programming profile. Distribution expanded in 1999 when a translator serving Victor was added. In 2001, Time Warner Cable added WBGT-LP to its Rochester-area lineup. Time Warner Cable later became part of Charter Spectrum, and the station’s cable placement on channel 18 became central to its later “My 18” identity. The station was not distributed by DirecTV or Dish Network and, as a low-power operation, did not possess must-carry rights. A major programming change followed the January 24, 2006, announcement that The WB and UPN would end separate operations and combine their programming under The CW. Rochester’s CW affiliation went to the cable-originated WB affiliate that later became WHAM-DT2. WBGT-LP therefore became one of the stations seeking an alternative network relationship. Fox announced MyNetworkTV as a service for UPN and WB affiliates that had not been selected for The CW, and WBGT quickly signed an agreement to join it. The station began carrying MyNetworkTV programming at the service’s launch on September 5, 2006. Around the MyNetworkTV transition, the station changed its call sign from WBGT-LP to WBGT-CA. It later activated digital facilities and adopted the current WBGT-CD call sign, reflecting its digital Class A status. The station continues to be described primarily as an independent outlet while maintaining a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation. WBGT also had a former analog translator, W26BZ, serving Victor from a transmitter south of Perinton’s Egypt hamlet near the Monroe–Ontario county line. That facility was eventually replaced by another station, WGCE-CD, and was no longer licensed as a WBGT translator. WBGT-CD’s current identity is consequently centered on its Rochester-area digital signal, its Pinnacle Hill transmitter, its Gates studios, and its Charter Spectrum channel 18 distribution.

• 2006

  MyNetworkTV affiliation begins

  [1]WBGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  WBGT joins MyNetworkTV when the service launches on September 5, following the planned closure and consolidation of UPN and The WB.

• 2006

  Call sign changes to WBGT-CA

  [1]WBGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station changes its call sign from WBGT-LP to WBGT-CA around the transition to MyNetworkTV.

• 2001

  Time Warner Cable carriage begins

  [1]WBGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  Time Warner Cable adds WBGT-LP to its Rochester-area cable lineup.

• 1999

  Victor translator added

  [1]WBGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station adds a translator serving Victor, New York.

• 1998

  WBGT-LP begins broadcasting

  [1]WBGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station begins operations in Rochester on February 2 as a low-power independent outlet using the Big TV branding.

• 1998

  UPN affiliation begins

  [1]WBGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  After its initial independent period, WBGT-LP becomes a UPN affiliate in November.

• Digital conversion and WBGT-CD designation

  [1]WBGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  After signing on digital facilities, the station adopts the WBGT-CD call sign.

A Rochester-area low-power television outlet combining independent programming with a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation and local cable distribution.

• Broadcast television

  WBGT-CD digital television service

  The station’s primary broadcast service serves Rochester and surrounding communities from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill. It operates as a low-power, Class A digital television station and combines independent programming with a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation.

• Cable television brand

  My 18

  The My 18 identity reflects WBGT-CD’s carriage on Charter Spectrum channel 18, formerly a Time Warner Cable channel position. The cable placement provides a principal form of access to the station in the Rochester market.

• Network affiliation · 2006

  MyNetworkTV programming

  WBGT-CD carries MyNetworkTV programming as a secondary affiliation. The relationship began with the network’s launch in 2006 after WBGT was not selected for the Rochester-area CW affiliation.

• 2006

  Select MyNetworkTV instead of The CWStrategy

  Background

  The announced merger of UPN and The WB into The CW left WBGT-LP without the Rochester CW affiliation, which went to another outlet.

  Action taken

  WBGT signed an affiliation agreement with Fox's MyNetworkTV and began carrying the service at its September 5 launch.

  Aftermath

  The station retained a network programming relationship while continuing to be characterized primarily as an independent outlet.

  Source

• Convert to digital facilitiesOther

  Background

  The station transitioned from its earlier analog low-power operation to digital broadcasting.

  Action taken

  After its digital facilities went on air, the station adopted the WBGT-CD call sign.

  Aftermath

  WBGT-CD became the station's continuing digital Class A identity.

  Source

1. 1WBGT-CDen.wikipedia.org