WJBF
WJBF is an ABC-affiliated television station serving Augusta, Georgia, and the surrounding Central Savannah River Area.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WJBF is a television station licensed to Augusta, Georgia, and identified with virtual and digital channel 6. It serves the Augusta metropolitan area and nearby communities in eastern Georgia and western South Carolina. The station is affiliated with ABC, while its second digital subchannel operates as an owned-and-operated affiliate of The CW. WJBF is owned by Nexstar Media Group, one of the largest local television groups in the United States. The station began broadcasting on November 26, 1953, becoming Augusta's first television station. It was established by the Georgia-Carolina Broadcasting Company, the broadcasting arm of entrepreneur J. B. Fuqua, whose interests also included radio and later motion-picture exhibition. WJBF initially operated as a primary NBC affiliate, with selected programming from CBS, ABC, and DuMont. Its competitive position changed after WRDW-TV began broadcasting in 1954 and took the CBS affiliation. In 1967, WJBF became a primary ABC affiliate, a relationship that has defined the station's network identity for most of its history. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Augusta's television market had an unusual network arrangement. WJBF and WRDW-TV continued to carry selected NBC programs even after a UHF station, WATU-TV, began operating. This practice reflected the limited penetration of UHF receivers at the time and the difficulty of sustaining a full-time third commercial station in a relatively small market. Once WATU returned as a full-time NBC affiliate, federal affiliation rules required WJBF to end its remaining NBC programming. WJBF changed ownership several times as the American local television industry consolidated. Fuqua began selling his broadcasting properties in 1980, and WJBF was acquired by Western Broadcasting Company. Western transferred its broadcast holdings to the SFN Companies in 1984; the stations were subsequently associated with Pegasus Broadcasting and GE Capital before Spartan Radiocasting purchased WJBF in 1992. Spartan became Spartan Communications in 1995 and merged with Media General in 2000. Media General later became part of Nexstar Media Group, which remains WJBF's owner. The station's business combines local news, weather, traffic, sports, community information, syndicated programming, network programming, digital video, and local advertising. Its news operation has historically been one of the most prominent in the Augusta market, competing primarily with WRDW-TV and, at various times, WAGT. The station has used the NewsChannel branding for much of the period following the Spartan acquisition and has maintained a recognizable Channel 6 identity through multiple logo and graphics changes. WJBF also has a substantial local-programming tradition. Parade of Quartets, a Sunday gospel-music program that began in 1954, is among the longest-running local television programs in the United States. It has presented African-American gospel performers and public figures, including nationally known musicians and civic leaders. The station also produces Power Hitz, an urban music-video program that began in 2001. From 1954 through 1992, WJBF carried a Southern gospel program featuring the Lewis Family and continued producing an annual Christmas special associated with the group until its retirement in 2009. The station moved its operations from its long-standing downtown facilities to a remodeled former retail location at Augusta West Shopping Center in 2011. It also launched local high-definition newscasts that year. WJBF continues to operate as a regional broadcast and digital-news brand, with its core identity anchored in ABC programming, local journalism, weather coverage, and long-running community-oriented shows.
History
WJBF-TV signed on November 26, 1953, as Augusta, Georgia's first television station. Its founder was the Georgia-Carolina Broadcasting Company, the broadcasting division of local entrepreneur J. B. Fuqua. The station shared its call letters with Fuqua's radio station, WJBF, which operated on AM radio. At launch, WJBF was primarily affiliated with NBC but also carried selected programs from CBS, ABC, and DuMont. The station lost CBS programming after WRDW-TV began broadcasting in 1954. WJBF remained part of a two-station market in which network programming was divided in an unusual way. In 1967, Fuqua changed WJBF's primary affiliation from NBC to ABC. The decision reflected Fuqua's broader effort to align several of his television properties with ABC and the network's limited full-time presence in the area at that time. The arrival of WATU-TV on channel 26 in 1968 did not immediately produce a conventional three-network market. Because many households still lacked UHF-capable television sets, NBC permitted WJBF and WRDW-TV to retain selected high-value NBC programs. WJBF continued to carry programs such as Today and The Tonight Show while preempting some ABC offerings. WATU struggled with the resulting program lineup and left the air in 1970. After WATU returned in 1974 as a full-time NBC affiliate, WJBF ended its remaining NBC programming in response to an FCC requirement that VHF stations in markets with at least three commercial outlets maintain a single primary network affiliation. Fuqua began dismantling his wider business holdings in 1980. WJBF and WTVM were sold to Western Broadcasting Company, while WTVC was sold separately. Western transferred its broadcast holdings to the SFN Companies in 1984. In 1986, SFN's broadcasting assets moved to Pegasus Broadcasting, a management-backed company that later became associated with GE Capital. Spartan Radiocasting acquired WJBF in 1992, and Spartan adopted the name Spartan Communications in 1995. Spartan merged with Media General in 2000. The station's branding developed alongside these ownership changes. Its local news was branded NewsWatch 6 during the 1980s. After the Spartan purchase, WJBF adopted the NewsChannel identity used across much of the Spartan group and later retained by Media General stations. The station's long-running stylized '6' logo was replaced in 2002 by an arc design associated with Media General. WJBF expanded its local and distribution activities over the years. In the 1990s it operated a closed-circuit service known as Mall TV in Augusta Mall, showing news and local-event material on in-mall screens. It also supplied a rebroadcast of its evening newscast to a Comcast cable channel until that arrangement ended in 2004 after WFXG launched a local 10 p.m. newscast produced using WJBF resources. In 2009, Media General and Schurz Communications established joint-sales and shared-services arrangements connected to WJBF and WAGT. WJBF assumed responsibility for significant portions of WAGT's news and advertising operations. The stations initially considered expanding WJBF's downtown facility, but instead moved into a renovated former Barnes & Noble location at Augusta West Shopping Center in October 2011. The stations shared some infrastructure while continuing to maintain separate news identities and competing newscasts. WJBF also introduced local high-definition newscasts in 2011. The WAGT arrangement became contentious in 2016, when Gray Television acquired WAGT from Schurz and the agreement was terminated. Media General obtained an injunction after alleging that Gray had not honored the transition terms of the shared-services contract. The dispute illustrated the legal and operational complexity of local-station consolidation and shared-service structures. WJBF's local programming history is unusually extensive. Parade of Quartets began in 1954 and has featured gospel performers and public figures, becoming a durable part of the station's relationship with Augusta's African-American community. The station also aired a Southern gospel program featuring the Lewis Family from 1954 through 1992 and continued to produce a related annual Christmas special until the group's retirement in 2009. Power Hitz, an urban music-video program, joined the schedule in 2001. Today, WJBF operates as an ABC-affiliated local television station owned by Nexstar Media Group. Its principal activities are local news, weather, traffic, community programming, network television, digital publishing, and advertising. Its second digital channel carries The CW, extending the station's role beyond its primary ABC service.
- 2016
WAGT shared-services dispute
[1]The WJBF-WAGT operating arrangement ends after Gray Television acquires WAGT, leading to litigation over contract obligations and personnel transition.
- 2011
WJBF moves to Augusta West and launches HD local news
[1]The station opens a renovated facility at Augusta West Shopping Center and begins local high-definition newscasts.
- 2009
Shared-services relationship with WAGT begins
[1]WJBF takes on news, advertising, and other operational responsibilities for WAGT under agreements involving Media General and Schurz Communications.
- 2001
Power Hitz launches
[1]WJBF adds a Sunday urban music-video program to its local schedule.
- 2000
Spartan merges with Media General
[1]WJBF becomes part of Media General's television portfolio.
- 1992
Spartan Radiocasting purchases the station
[1]The acquisition begins WJBF's association with Spartan and its NewsChannel branding.
- 1967
Primary affiliation changes to ABC
[1]WJBF shifts its principal network relationship from NBC to ABC.
- 1954
Parade of Quartets begins
[1]The station launches its long-running Sunday gospel program, which becomes one of its signature local productions.
- 1953
WJBF-TV signs on
[1]WJBF begins broadcasting as Augusta's first television station and initially operates primarily as an NBC affiliate.
Products and positioning
A long-established local broadcast and news brand serving Augusta and the Central Savannah River Area, combining ABC network content with regional journalism, weather, community programming, and digital distribution.
Local television news
WJBF NewsChannel 6
WJBF's core local-news service includes regularly scheduled morning, midday, evening, and weekend newscasts, supported by weather, traffic, regional reporting, sports, and community coverage. The service is distributed through the broadcast channel, the station's website, and digital video platforms.
Broadcast network affiliation · 1967
ABC programming
WJBF carries programming from the ABC television network as its primary affiliation. The relationship began in 1967 and forms the principal national-programming component of the station's broadcast schedule.
Digital multicast television
The CW on digital channel 6.2
The station's second digital subchannel carries The CW as an owned-and-operated service, giving WJBF an additional network offering beyond its main ABC channel.
Local gospel and music programming · 1954
Parade of Quartets
Parade of Quartets is WJBF's long-running Sunday gospel-music program. It has presented regional and nationally recognized gospel performers and has provided a platform for political, religious, and community figures since its debut in 1954.
Local music programming · 2001
Power Hitz
Power Hitz is a Sunday evening urban music-video program produced by WJBF. It has been part of the station's locally oriented programming lineup since 2001.
Brand decisions
2016
Contest the termination of the WAGT shared-services arrangementOtherBackground
Gray Television acquired WAGT, while Media General maintained that the existing shared-services contract imposed continuing obligations and governed the handling of personnel.
Action taken
Media General sought and obtained an injunction against Gray, alleging that Gray had improperly ended the arrangement and interfered with the agreed transition process.
Aftermath
The dispute highlighted the contractual and employment issues created by shared-services arrangements in local broadcasting. No financial settlement is specified in the reference material.
2011
Upgrade local newscasts to high definitionOtherBackground
Local television stations were transitioning production and transmission workflows from standard definition to high definition.
Action taken
WJBF introduced locally produced high-definition newscasts, beginning with its morning broadcast.
Aftermath
The upgrade modernized the station's presentation and placed its local-news production among the Augusta market's high-definition operations.
2011
Replace RTV with MeTV on digital subchannel 6.2Product launchBackground
Media General arranged a groupwide change in some digital multicast affiliations.
Action taken
WJBF replaced RTV programming on its second digital channel with MeTV.
Aftermath
The subchannel later became associated with The CW as the station's additional network service.
2009
Enter shared-services and joint-sales arrangements involving WAGTStrategyBackground
Media General and Schurz Communications sought to combine selected operational functions while keeping the stations' news identities and programming operations distinct.
Action taken
WJBF assumed responsibility for significant WAGT news, advertising-sales, and administrative functions, and planned to colocate the operations.
Aftermath
The stations moved into a shared Augusta West facility in 2011, but the arrangement ended amid a legal dispute after Gray Television acquired WAGT in 2016.
1967
Switch primary network affiliation from NBC to ABCStrategyBackground
Augusta was a relatively small two-station market, and ABC lacked a full-time signal with strong coverage in the region. Owner J. B. Fuqua was also aligning other stations in his portfolio with ABC.
Action taken
WJBF made ABC its primary network affiliation while continuing to carry selected NBC programs for a transitional period.
Aftermath
The ABC relationship became the station's defining network affiliation and continued after the market gained a full-time NBC outlet.
Recent events
- 2016
Dispute follows the termination of the WJBF-WAGT shared-services agreement[1]
Lawsuit · M&A
The shared-services arrangement ended after Gray Television acquired WAGT. Media General sought an injunction, alleging that Gray had improperly unwound an agreement that was scheduled to continue for a longer term; Gray disputed aspects of the transition.
- 2011
WJBF replaces RTV with MeTV on digital subchannel 6.2[1]
Product generation
The station changed its second digital subchannel from RTV to MeTV as part of a broader Media General affiliation arrangement.
- 2011
WJBF moves into renovated Augusta West facilities[1]
Other
After determining that its downtown building could not accommodate the planned expansion, WJBF moved to a remodeled former retail location at Augusta West Shopping Center.
- 2011
WJBF launches local high-definition newscasts[1]
Product generation · Product launch
WJBF began broadcasting local newscasts in high definition, starting with its morning program.
- 2009
WJBF begins producing local news for WAGT under a shared-services arrangement[1]
Other
WJBF's owner, Media General, entered into a joint-sales and shared-services arrangement involving WAGT's news operation, advertising sales, and other functions.
- 2001
WJBF launches Power Hitz[1]
Product launch
The station introduced Power Hitz, a Sunday evening urban music-video program that became part of its local programming lineup.
- 1992
Spartan Radiocasting acquires WJBF[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Spartan Radiocasting purchased WJBF, beginning a period in which the station adopted the NewsChannel branding used by much of the company's television group.
- 1971
WJBF ends remaining NBC programming after market affiliation changes[1]
Regulation
Following the return of a full-time NBC affiliate in Augusta and an FCC affiliation requirement, WJBF ultimately dropped its remaining NBC programming.
- 1967
WJBF becomes a primary ABC affiliate[1]
Other
The station changed its primary network affiliation from NBC to ABC, beginning the affiliation that remains central to its identity.
- 1953
WJBF begins broadcasting as Augusta's first television station[1]
Other
WJBF-TV began operations in Augusta on November 26, establishing the market's first television station.
Sources2 sources
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