WGTA

WGTA is a television station on virtual channel 32, licensed to Toccoa, Georgia, and operated by Marquee Broadcasting. Its signal primarily serves northeast Georgia, including Stephens, Habersham, Franklin and surrounding counties, while also reaching portions of the Greenville–Spartanburg–Asheville and Atlanta television markets. The station's transmitter is located northwest of Black Rock Mountain in unincorporated Stephens County, and its studios are on Big A Road in Toccoa. The station began broadcasting on September 9, 1984, as WNEG-TV. It was established by Toccoa businessman Roy Gaines and Stephens County Broadcasting Company, which also owned local radio station WNEG. Gaines believed that northeast Georgia received insufficient local television coverage from stations based in Atlanta, Augusta and the Carolinas. WNEG-TV therefore began as a commercial independent station intended to provide programming and news for a largely rural service area. Its limited population and advertising base made the station difficult to operate profitably, however, and its financial viability depended heavily on a small number of successful programs, including The Billy Dilworth Show. Gaines also worked to expand the station's cable distribution by helping local systems install the equipment needed to carry the signal. After failing to find a buyer for several years, Gaines entered into a time-brokerage arrangement with Spartan Communications in 1995. Spartan later acquired the station outright in 1997. The relationship enabled WNEG-TV to become a CBS affiliate, restoring CBS service to much of northeast Georgia after WAGA-TV in Atlanta switched from CBS to Fox. Spartan expanded the station's news operation and promoted it as NewsChannel 32. Media General acquired Spartan Communications in 2000, making WNEG-TV part of the Media General station group. Media General announced in 2007 that it was considering a sale. In 2008, the University of Georgia Research Foundation agreed to acquire the station, and the University of Georgia assumed control later that year. The university dropped CBS programming and replaced it with a mixture of America One, This TV, syndicated programs and university-related content. Operations moved from Toccoa to the university's Athens campus in 2009, where the station was used partly as a training and educational facility for journalism students. The call sign changed to WUGA-TV in May 2011 after the station moved toward noncommercial operation and began carrying programming associated with Georgia Public Broadcasting's GPB Knowledge service, including World programming. The university's operating model was affected by declining advertising revenue, the loss of the CBS affiliation and broader economic pressure. The station ended its traditional local news operation in early 2011, replacing it with a student-produced program, UGA Newssource, and underwent a staff restructuring. In 2015, the University of Georgia agreed to sell WUGA-TV to Marquee Broadcasting for $2.5 million. The transaction closed on July 1, 2015. Marquee returned channel 32 to commercial operation, restored the WGTA call letters, moved the studios back to Toccoa and replaced the educational and public-television schedule with multicast network programming. Following the relaunch, WGTA carried Heroes & Icons, Decades and Movies!, and later became the Atlanta-area MeTV affiliate in March 2017. Its programming portfolio has subsequently included services such as MeTV, Heroes & Icons, Catchy Comedy, Movies! and Story Television, all associated with Weigel Broadcasting's multicast network portfolio. The station is therefore positioned primarily as a regional over-the-air and multichannel television outlet rather than as a conventional full-service local-news station. Its reach depends on both its terrestrial signal and carriage agreements with cable, satellite and telecommunications distributors.

WGTA signed on September 9, 1984, as WNEG-TV, using call letters associated with northeast Georgia. The station was founded by Toccoa businessman Roy Gaines and Stephens County Broadcasting Company, which also owned local radio station WNEG. Gaines sought to address what he viewed as a shortage of local television service in a rural area located between the Atlanta, Augusta and Greenville–Spartanburg–Asheville markets. The station began as a commercial independent outlet, but its small audience and limited advertising base made profitability difficult. The Billy Dilworth Show was one of the few programs that consistently attracted viewers, and Gaines personally promoted cable carriage, at times helping cable operators with antennas and technical equipment. Gaines placed the station on the market in 1990 but did not find a buyer immediately. In August 1995, WNEG entered a time-brokerage agreement with Spartan Communications, making it a sister station to WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Spartan acquired WNEG outright in 1997. Under Spartan's ownership, the station affiliated with CBS. This gave northeast Georgia access to CBS programming after WAGA-TV in Atlanta switched to Fox, while the replacement Atlanta CBS affiliate had weaker reach in parts of the region. Spartan also expanded the station's news operation and adopted the NewsChannel 32 identity. Media General acquired Spartan Communications in 2000. WNEG retained elements of the earlier Spartan visual identity even as other stations in the group adopted Media General's standardized branding. Media General announced in 2007 that it was exploring a sale. The University of Georgia Research Foundation agreed to purchase the station in 2008, and the university assumed control on October 15 of that year. CBS programming was dropped, and the schedule shifted toward America One, This TV, syndicated programs and university-related programming. The university moved station operations to Athens in 2009 and used the facility as a training resource for students in the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The university's ownership coincided with declining advertising revenue and the loss of the CBS affiliation. In January 2011, WNEG announced a restructuring that eliminated twelve permanent and five temporary positions and ended the conventional news department. A student-produced newscast, UGA Newssource, replaced the station's former local-news operation. The station also moved toward noncommercial programming. Its call sign officially changed from WNEG-TV to WUGA-TV on May 2, 2011, following the start of programming supplied through Georgia Public Broadcasting's GPB Knowledge service. World programming began airing through that arrangement on May 1. The University of Georgia later determined that the station was not a sustainable fit with its revised operating model. On March 25, 2015, the university agreed to sell WUGA-TV to Marquee Broadcasting, the owner of WMDT in Salisbury, Maryland. The transaction closed on July 1, 2015. Marquee returned the license to commercial operation, restored the WGTA call letters, moved the studios from Athens back to Toccoa and replaced GPB Knowledge and World programming with multicast entertainment services. The initial schedule included Heroes & Icons, Decades and Movies!. On March 25, 2017, the station's primary channel became an Atlanta-area affiliate of MeTV, replacing WSB-TV. Heroes & Icons remained available on another digital subchannel, with additional multicast services including Movies! and other Weigel Broadcasting networks appearing as the station's digital lineup developed. WGTA's broader programming profile has included MeTV, Heroes & Icons, Catchy Comedy, Movies! and Story Television. The station continues to serve northeast Georgia from Toccoa, with a signal that also provides secondary coverage in parts of the Atlanta market and reaches viewers in the Greenville–Spartanburg–Asheville region.

• 2017

  WGTA adds MeTV as its primary affiliation

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The primary digital channel becomes the Atlanta-area MeTV affiliate, with other multicast networks continuing on additional channels.

• 2015

  Marquee Broadcasting purchase closes

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  Marquee Broadcasting completes its acquisition, restores the WGTA identity and returns the station to commercial operation.

• 2011

  Station becomes WUGA-TV

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The call sign changes to WUGA-TV, and the station begins carrying programming associated with GPB Knowledge and World.

• 2009

  Operations move to Athens

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The university relocates station operations to its Athens campus and increases locally produced and educational programming.

• 2008

  University of Georgia assumes control

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The University of Georgia Research Foundation acquires the station, after which CBS programming is discontinued.

• 2000

  Media General acquires Spartan Communications

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  WNEG-TV becomes part of Media General's television station portfolio.

• 1997

  Spartan acquires WNEG-TV

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  Spartan Communications completes its purchase of the station and subsequently provides it with a CBS affiliation.

• 1995

  Spartan Communications enters a time-brokerage agreement

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  Spartan Communications begins operating WNEG under a time-brokerage arrangement, linking it with WSPA-TV.

• 1984

  WNEG-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station signs on September 9 as WNEG-TV, a commercial independent station serving Toccoa and northeast Georgia.

A regional commercial broadcast station serving northeast Georgia with national classic-television, film and niche multicast-network programming, while maintaining reach into portions of the Atlanta and Greenville–Spartanburg–Asheville markets.

• Broadcast television channel · 1984

  WGTA main channel

  WGTA's primary digital television service is a commercial broadcast channel licensed to Toccoa. Its schedule is centered on national multicast-network programming rather than a large local-news operation. The channel serves northeast Georgia and provides secondary coverage into parts of the Atlanta market, including communities such as Athens, Gainesville and Braselton.

• Multicast television network · 2017

  MeTV

  MeTV supplies WGTA's primary-channel programming with a schedule focused on classic American television series. WGTA became an Atlanta-area MeTV affiliate in 2017, replacing WSB-TV in that role. The service forms the core of the station's current entertainment-oriented positioning.

• Multicast television network · 2015

  Heroes & Icons

  Heroes & Icons is a Weigel Broadcasting multicast service carried by WGTA as part of its post-2015 commercial relaunch. Its programming is oriented toward action, crime, western and other genre television series aimed at viewers seeking established library content.

• Multicast television network · 2015

  Movies!

  Movies! is a film-focused multicast service that has been carried by WGTA since the station returned to commercial operation under Marquee Broadcasting. It extends the station's over-the-air schedule beyond episodic classic television into feature-film programming.

• Multicast television network

  Catchy Comedy

  Catchy Comedy is among the Weigel Broadcasting multicast services carried in WGTA's programming portfolio. The network specializes in comedy-oriented library television and complements the station's broader classic-television strategy.

• Multicast television network

  Story Television

  Story Television is a documentary and factual-programming multicast service included among WGTA's available network offerings. It adds history, biography and other nonfiction content to a schedule otherwise concentrated on classic series and films.

• 2017

  MeTV becomes primary-channel affiliationProduct launch

  Background

  After returning to commercial ownership, WGTA continued refining its digital multicast lineup and sought a stronger entertainment proposition for viewers in the Atlanta-area coverage zone.

  Action taken

  The primary digital channel began carrying MeTV, while Heroes & Icons, Decades and Movies! occupied additional digital subchannels.

  Aftermath

  WGTA became more clearly associated with classic television and library entertainment programming rather than educational or local-news content.

  Source

• 2015

  Sale to Marquee Broadcasting and commercial relaunchM&A

  Background

  The University of Georgia determined that operating the station was no longer aligned with its resources and strategic objectives. Marquee Broadcasting agreed to acquire the station.

  Action taken

  Marquee purchased WUGA-TV, restored the WGTA call letters, moved the studios to Toccoa and replaced public-television programming with commercial multicast networks.

  Aftermath

  WGTA resumed commercial operation and established an entertainment-focused identity built around MeTV, Heroes & Icons, Movies! and related services.

  Purchase price. $2.5 million (Announced March 25, 2015; transaction completed July 1, 2015)

  Source

• 2011

  Local-news restructuring and transition to student productionStrategy

  Background

  The university cited economic pressure and the station's reduced commercial role while restructuring WUGA-TV.

  Action taken

  The traditional news operation was eliminated, staffing was reduced and UGA Newssource, a student-produced newscast, replaced the former local-news format.

  Aftermath

  The station no longer operated as a conventional full-service local-news outlet and continued its transition toward educational and public-media programming.

  Source

• 2008

  End of CBS affiliation after university acquisitionStrategy

  Background

  The University of Georgia took control of WNEG-TV while the station faced limited advertising revenue and a difficult rural market. The university planned to use the operation for education and training rather than maintain its previous commercial-network model.

  Action taken

  CBS programming was removed and replaced with America One, This TV, syndicated programs and university-related programming.

  Aftermath

  The station moved toward noncommercial and educational programming, eventually adopting the WUGA-TV call sign and carrying programming associated with Georgia Public Broadcasting.

  Source

1. 1WGTA (TV)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2WGTA official websitewgtatv.com