WGNM

WGNM is a religious television station based in Macon, Georgia, United States. The station broadcasts under the WGNM call sign and is associated with the Christian Television Network (CTN), which acquired it in February 2004. Its studios are located on Steven Drive in northwestern Macon, while its transmitter is positioned along the Golden Isles Highway corridor, identified as Georgia State Route 87, U.S. Route 23, and U.S. Route 129 Alternate, near the Twiggs–Bibb county line. The station began broadcasting on November 30, 1990. It was established by Macon Urban Ministries, operating under the name Good News Television, and initially functioned as an independent station. WGNM later entered the commercial network television environment when it became affiliated with UPN in the summer of 1996. Although religious programming remained central to its identity, the station carried some syndicated secular programming during the CTN ownership period. It also maintained an overnight affiliation with the Shop at Home Network for part of that period. A significant strategic change occurred after the January 2006 announcement that UPN and The WB would be combined into The CW. CTN chose not to affiliate WGNM with The CW or with MyNetworkTV. Instead, it used the transition to remove the station from its secular-programming model. The withdrawal was completed on September 2, 2006, after which WGNM adopted a fully religious broadcast schedule. This shift made the station's programming identity more consistent with CTN's faith-oriented network model and distinguished it from general-entertainment and network-affiliated stations in the Macon market. WGNM also completed two major technical changes. On February 1, 2008, it ended analog transmission and began operating exclusively as a digital station. On April 24, 2020, the station changed its digital radio-frequency assignment from RF channel 45 to RF channel 33 and began transmitting in 1080i high definition. Its over-the-air signal is multiplexed into subchannels, although the available reference material does not specify the individual subchannel services. The station's principal business is television broadcasting rather than a broad consumer-product brand. Its public identity is built around religious programming, local broadcast distribution, and CTN ownership. Detailed information about current executives, audience figures, financial performance, and the precise present-day subchannel lineup is not established in the supplied reference material.

WGNM began broadcasting on November 30, 1990, in Macon, Georgia. The station was created by Macon Urban Ministries and operated as Good News Television. It initially held an independent status, with religious programming forming the foundation of its schedule. In the summer of 1996, WGNM became an affiliate of UPN. The affiliation added network programming to the station's schedule, although it did not displace the station's religious orientation. After Christian Television Network acquired WGNM in February 2004, the station continued carrying UPN programming for a time. CTN also retained some syndicated secular programs and an overnight connection with the Shop at Home Network, but religious content remained the dominant part of the broadcast day. The station's programming strategy changed during the 2006 realignment of American broadcast television. In January of that year, UPN and The WB announced plans to merge their programming into The CW. CTN decided that WGNM would not become a CW affiliate and would not affiliate with MyNetworkTV. Rather than seek another general-entertainment network relationship, CTN began removing secular programming from the station. That process concluded on September 2, 2006, when WGNM moved to a fully religious schedule. The decision aligned the station more closely with CTN's religious broadcasting mission. WGNM subsequently completed the transition from analog to digital transmission. It turned off its analog transmitter on February 1, 2008, making the station digital-only. The station later changed its digital frequency assignment on April 24, 2020, moving from RF channel 45 to RF channel 33. At the same time, it began transmitting in 1080i high definition. WGNM's signal is multiplexed, allowing multiple digital services or subchannels to be carried within its broadcast allocation, although the supplied reference does not enumerate those services. The station's facilities remain associated with Macon. Its studios are on Steven Drive in northwestern Macon, and its transmitter is along the Golden Isles Highway route near the Twiggs–Bibb county line. WGNM's documented history is therefore defined by three related developments: its origin as a locally established religious independent station, its temporary participation in commercial network television, and its later consolidation as a CTN-owned religious broadcaster with digital and high-definition transmission capabilities.

• 2020

  Frequency and HD transition

  [1]WGNMen.wikipedia.org

  WGNM moves from RF channel 45 to RF channel 33 and begins broadcasting in 1080i high definition on April 24.

• 2008

  Digital-only operation

  [1]WGNMen.wikipedia.org

  The station turns off its analog transmitter on February 1 and continues exclusively through digital transmission.

• 2006

  Return to a fully religious schedule

  [1]WGNMen.wikipedia.org

  WGNM completes its withdrawal from secular programming on September 2 after CTN declines affiliations with The CW and MyNetworkTV.

• 2004

  CTN acquisition

  [1]WGNMen.wikipedia.org

  Christian Television Network acquires the station in February.

• 1996

  UPN affiliation begins

  [1]WGNMen.wikipedia.org

  WGNM becomes a UPN affiliate during the summer while continuing to carry substantial religious programming.

• 1990

  WGNM signs on

  [1]WGNMen.wikipedia.org

  WGNM begins broadcasting on November 30 as an independent station established by Macon Urban Ministries and operating as Good News Television.

A faith-oriented local television station serving Macon and central Georgia through the Christian Television Network.

• Religious television broadcasting · 1990

  WGNM television service

  WGNM's principal offering is a broadcast television service centered on religious programming for viewers in Macon and surrounding areas of central Georgia. The station operated with a UPN affiliation from 1996 until its later programming realignment, but since September 2006 its documented schedule has been fully religious. The service is distributed over the air through a digital, multiplexed signal.

• Digital television transmission · 2020

  WGNM digital HD transmission

  WGNM became a digital-only station in February 2008. On April 24, 2020, it moved its digital RF assignment from channel 45 to channel 33 and began transmitting in 1080i high definition. The station's signal is multiplexed, although the supplied material does not identify each current subchannel.

• 2020

  Move to RF channel 33 and high definitionGeneration change

  Background

  WGNM's digital transmission previously operated on RF channel 45.

  Action taken

  On April 24, 2020, WGNM moved to RF channel 33 and began broadcasting in 1080i high definition.

  Aftermath

  The station continued its digital religious service with a new RF assignment and HD transmission.

  Source

• 2008

  Transition to digital-only broadcastingGeneration change

  Background

  WGNM operated an analog transmitter before the station's digital transition.

  Action taken

  The station shut down its analog transmitter on February 1, 2008, and continued broadcasting exclusively in digital form.

  Aftermath

  WGNM became a digital-only television service.

  Source

• 2006

  CTN declines The CW and MyNetworkTV affiliationsStrategy

  Background

  The planned combination of UPN and The WB created a programming realignment for stations that had carried either network. WGNM was then owned by Christian Television Network and already had a strongly religious schedule alongside its UPN programming.

  Action taken

  CTN chose not to affiliate WGNM with The CW or MyNetworkTV and withdrew the remaining secular programming. The change was completed on September 2, 2006.

  Aftermath

  WGNM became a fully religious station, bringing its programming identity into closer alignment with CTN's stated broadcasting model.

  Source

1. 1WGNMen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WGNM official websitewgnm.com