WECP-LD

WECP-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Panama City, Florida, and serving the Panama City area. The station operates on channel 21 and is owned by Gray Media alongside NBC affiliate WJHG-TV. Its studios are shared with WJHG on Front Beach Road, also designated State Road 30, in Panama City Beach, while its transmitter is located near State Road 20 in unincorporated Youngstown, Florida. The station was developed from a construction permit that initially used the call sign W18DR-D. In 2012, the permit was transferred through an arrangement involving MIK LLC, DTV America Corporation, and Gray Television. Gray subsequently exercised an option to acquire the station outright and changed its call sign to WECP-LD. The station began broadcasting on September 24, 2012, after Gray entered into a CBS affiliation agreement. This restored a CBS-affiliated service licensed directly to the immediate Panama City market after a long period in which CBS programming was supplied principally by WTVY in Dothan, Alabama. WECP-LD's principal broadcast identity is its CBS affiliation, complemented by MyNetworkTV and Telemundo programming. Because it is a low-power station, its direct over-the-air coverage is concentrated in Panama City and nearby parts of Bay County rather than extending across a large regional footprint. To broaden its practical reach, WECP-LD is also carried on WJHG-TV's third digital subchannel, 7.3, in 16:9 widescreen standard definition from the WJHG transmitter site. The station has undergone several technical channel changes. It originally operated under a channel 18 allocation, later received authorization to move to channel 29 while retaining virtual channel 18, and completed the associated change in May 2015. It moved to RF channel 35 in August 2019 as part of the United States broadcast-spectrum repacking process and to address interference considerations. On March 2, 2021, the station transferred its virtual channel presentation from channel 18 to channel 21. Local news for WECP-LD is produced by sister station WJHG-TV. The schedule includes locally produced weekday programs at noon and 5:30 p.m., with a dedicated anchor and meteorologist assigned to the WECP broadcasts while also contributing to WJHG. The station carries the CBS Evening News through an additional live feed at 6 p.m., a scheduling arrangement associated with its Central Time Zone location. It does not generally air locally produced weekend newscasts, instead using syndicated programming. Gray has retained WECP-LD and WJHG-TV while divesting other Panama City-area stations acquired through larger corporate transactions. Gray's acquisition of most of Hoak Media in 2014 included ABC affiliate WMBB, which was later spun off to Nexstar Broadcasting Group. Gray's 2019 acquisition of Raycom Media brought Fox affiliate WPGX into the broader ownership history of the market; WPGX was subsequently divested to Lockwood Broadcast Group. These transactions left WECP-LD and WJHG-TV as Gray's principal Panama City television properties.

WECP-LD originated as a low-power television construction permit using the call sign W18DR-D. On April 20, 2012, MIK LLC announced an arrangement to sell the permit to Gray Television through DTV America Corporation. Under the arrangement, MIK was to receive $4,000 and transfer the permit to DTV America, which would then transfer it to Gray. Gray exercised an option to purchase the station outright on May 11, 2012. The call sign was changed to WECP-LD on June 4, 2012. Gray entered into a CBS affiliation agreement for WECP-LD on July 17, 2012. The agreement also covered WSVF-LD in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and WIYE-LP in Parkersburg, West Virginia. WECP-LD began broadcasting on September 24, 2012, becoming the CBS affiliate directly licensed to the Panama City area. The market had previously received CBS service primarily from WTVY in Dothan, Alabama. WJHG-TV, which is now WECP-LD's sister station, had carried a secondary CBS affiliation from its sign-on in December 1953 until 1961. In October 2012, WTVY was removed from Panama City-area cable systems and WECP-LD replaced it as the local CBS outlet. The station's technical facilities changed several times. On January 7, 2014, WECP-LD applied to move from channel 18 to channel 29 because WJHG-TV held a construction permit to relocate to channel 18. The FCC approved the application on November 14, 2014. The transition occurred on May 21, 2015, with WECP-LD using channel 29 while retaining channel 18 as its virtual designation; the FCC issued the station's license for the change on June 5, 2015. On August 21, 2019, WECP-LD moved to RF channel 35 following the federal spectrum auction and associated repacking process, as well as efforts to address interference with adjacent stations. On March 2, 2021, the station changed its virtual channel presentation from 18 to 21. WECP-LD shares studios on Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach with WJHG-TV, which is owned by Gray Media. The station's transmitter is on State Road 20 near Youngstown. Its low-power classification limits its direct terrestrial coverage largely to Panama City and nearby Bay County communities. The station is therefore also carried in 16:9 widescreen standard definition on WJHG-TV's third digital subchannel, 7.3, to provide broader local access. WJHG-TV produces WECP-LD's local news. The current described schedule consists of weekday newscasts at noon and 5:30 p.m., supported by a dedicated anchor and meteorologist who may also work on WJHG programming. WECP-LD uses an additional live feed of the CBS Evening News at 6 p.m. and does not ordinarily offer weekend local newscasts, relying instead on syndicated programming. Gray's ownership history in the Panama City market also intersects with several broader broadcast transactions. Gray acquired most of Hoak Media in 2014, including ABC affiliate WMBB, but WMBB was later divested to Nexstar Broadcasting Group. Gray acquired Raycom Media in 2019, a transaction that brought Fox affiliate WPGX into its portfolio; WPGX was later sold to Lockwood Broadcast Group. Gray retained WECP-LD and WJHG-TV through these transactions.

• 2021

  Virtual channel changed to 21

  [1]WECP-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The station transferred from channel 18 to channel 21 in its virtual channel presentation.

• 2019

  RF channel changed to 35

  [1]WECP-LDen.wikipedia.org

  WECP-LD moved to RF channel 35 during the post-spectrum-auction repacking process.

• 2015

  Channel transition completed

  [1]WECP-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The station moved from its channel 18 arrangement to channel 29 while retaining virtual channel 18.

• 2012

  Gray acquired the station permit

  [1]WECP-LDen.wikipedia.org

  Gray Television completed the permit acquisition process involving MIK LLC and DTV America Corporation and later exercised an option to acquire the station outright.

• 2012

  Call sign changed to WECP-LD

  [1]WECP-LDen.wikipedia.org

  Gray changed the station's call sign from W18DR-D to WECP-LD on June 4.

• 2012

  CBS service launched

  [1]WECP-LDen.wikipedia.org

  WECP-LD began broadcasting as the CBS affiliate for the Panama City area on September 24.

A locally focused low-power broadcast station that extends Gray Media's Panama City television portfolio through CBS network service, additional network programming, and locally produced news supplied by sister station WJHG-TV.

• Network television · 2012

  CBS programming

  WECP-LD's core network service is CBS programming for the Panama City area. The station began its CBS affiliation in September 2012, replacing the area's previous reliance on WTVY in Dothan, Alabama, for local CBS distribution. Its schedule includes the CBS Evening News, carried through an additional live feed at 6 p.m.

• Television news

  Local news

  Local news programming for WECP-LD is produced by sister station WJHG-TV. The described weekday service consists of broadcasts at noon and 5:30 p.m., with a dedicated anchor and meteorologist for the WECP programs. The station does not generally air weekend local newscasts.

• Digital television distribution

  WJHG-TV digital subchannel 7.3 simulcast

  To extend access beyond the limited direct coverage of its low-power transmitter, WECP-LD is simulcast on WJHG-TV's third digital subchannel, 7.3. The simulcast is presented in 16:9 widescreen standard definition from the WJHG transmitter site.

• Network television

  MyNetworkTV programming

  WECP-LD is identified as carrying MyNetworkTV programming in addition to its CBS service. Available reference material does not specify the precise schedule or launch date for this programming.

• Spanish-language television

  Telemundo programming

  WECP-LD is also identified as affiliated with Telemundo. The available reference material does not provide a detailed description of the station's Telemundo schedule or the date that affiliation began.

• 2019

  Spectrum-repacking channel changeStrategy

  Background

  The nationwide television-spectrum repacking process and interference considerations required changes to some broadcast facilities.

  Action taken

  WECP-LD moved to RF channel 35.

  Aftermath

  The station continued serving the Panama City market from its low-power facility under the revised RF assignment.

  Source

• 2014

  Channel relocation authorizationStrategy

  Background

  WJHG-TV had a construction permit involving channel 18, creating a need to revise WECP-LD's channel assignment.

  Action taken

  WECP-LD applied to move to channel 29, and the FCC approved the application.

  Aftermath

  The transition was implemented in May 2015, with channel 18 retained as the virtual designation at that time.

  Source

• 2012

  Acquisition of the construction permitM&A

  Background

  The station began as a construction permit held by MIK LLC and identified as W18DR-D. The permit was arranged for transfer through DTV America Corporation to Gray Television.

  Action taken

  Gray exercised its purchase option and acquired the station outright, then changed the call sign to WECP-LD.

  Aftermath

  The transaction established Gray as the station's owner and positioned WECP-LD for a CBS launch later in 2012.

  Permit consideration. $4,000 to MIK LLC under the transfer arrangement (2012)

  Source

• 2012

  CBS affiliation launchProduct launch

  Background

  Panama City had previously depended primarily on WTVY in Dothan, Alabama, for CBS programming, while WJHG-TV had carried a secondary CBS affiliation decades earlier.

  Action taken

  Gray signed a CBS affiliation agreement and launched WECP-LD as the CBS affiliate for the Panama City area.

  Aftermath

  WECP-LD became the market's locally licensed CBS outlet, and WTVY was removed from area cable systems in October 2012.

  Source

1. 1WECP-LDen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WECP-LD station websitewjhg.com