WJHG-TV

WJHG-TV is a full-power television station based in the Panama City Beach area of Florida and serving the Panama City, Florida, designated market area. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 7 and is affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Media and operates alongside the company's low-power WECP-LD, which carries CBS, MyNetworkTV, and Telemundo programming in the same broad market. WJHG's studios are located on Front Beach Road, also designated State Road 30, in Panama City Beach, while its transmitter is situated near State Road 20 in the Youngstown area of unincorporated Bay County. The station began broadcasting on December 1, 1953, under the call sign WJDM-TV. Its early schedule consisted largely of locally produced material, including religious services and wrestling, and it initially operated as an independent station. It later obtained a primary NBC affiliation while also carrying CBS and ABC programs on a secondary basis. Technical difficulties during its early years led viewers to associate the call letters with the joking phrase “Wait Just a Darn Minute,” reflecting the station's reputation for frequent outages rather than a formal brand identity. Ownership changed in 1957 when Mel Wheeler acquired the station. In 1960, James Harrison Gray, founder of the company now known as Gray Media, purchased it and changed the call sign to WJHG-TV, using his initials. The acquisition made WJHG the second television station in Gray's portfolio, following WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia, and established a long-running connection between the station and Gray's expanding regional broadcast group. WJHG's network history has included several important changes. It dropped CBS during the 1960s as WTVY in nearby Dothan, Alabama, became the area's principal CBS outlet. On August 1, 1972, WJHG switched its primary affiliation from NBC to ABC, leaving Panama City without a primary NBC station until WDTB, now WMBB, launched in 1973. In 1982, WJHG and WMBB exchanged affiliations, returning WJHG to NBC. The station also carried UPN programming during late-night hours from 1998 through 2006, when UPN and The WB were combined into The CW. The station has remained part of Gray through several ownership transactions involving competing or nearby broadcasters. Gray acquired most of Benedek Broadcasting's stations in 2002, including WTVY, whose coverage extended into portions of northwestern Florida. The two stations exchanged some regional news material, although WJHG concentrated on Panama City and the surrounding coastal area. Gray later launched WRGX-LD as a Dothan-based NBC affiliate in 2013, ending WJHG's availability as an NBC service in that market. In 2014, Gray acquired most of Hoak Media, whose holdings included Panama City's WMBB; WMBB was subsequently divested to Nexstar. Gray's 2019 acquisition of Raycom Media also brought WPGX into its portfolio, but the Panama City Fox station was sold to Lockwood Broadcast Group to satisfy ownership requirements. WJHG's principal service is local television news, supplemented by NBC network programming, syndicated content, weather, sports, public-service reporting, and digital journalism. The station produces more than 32 hours of locally originated newscasts each week for WJHG and additional weekday newscasts for WECP-LD, creating a combined local-news operation of more than 37 hours weekly. Its programming is aimed at residents of Bay County and nearby communities, with particular emphasis on coastal weather, hurricanes, local government, tourism, schools, business, and regional sports. WJHG began presenting its newscasts in 16:9 enhanced-definition widescreen in 2010. Its on-air identity changed substantially in June 2018, when it discontinued the long-used Circle 7-style logo. The station completed the transition from analog to digital broadcasting in 2009 and later moved its digital transmission facilities to UHF spectrum, followed by a subsequent FCC spectrum-repack change.

WJHG-TV originated as WJDM-TV, signing on December 1, 1953, in Panama City, Florida. Local businessman J. D. Manley owned the station at launch. Its first programming included church services, wrestling, and other locally produced material. It operated initially as an independent station before obtaining a primary NBC affiliation and secondary access to CBS and ABC programming. Recurrent technical failures in the early period inspired the unofficial viewer nickname “Wait Just a Darn Minute,” a pun on the station's call letters. Mel Wheeler purchased the station in 1957. Three years later, James Harrison Gray acquired it for Gray Communications and changed the call sign to WJHG-TV, reflecting his initials. WJHG became the second station in Gray's growing group, after WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia. The station's ownership continuity under Gray later became significant as the company expanded into other southeastern television markets. During the 1960s, WJHG discontinued its CBS affiliation after WTVY in Dothan became the area's practical CBS provider. On August 1, 1972, WJHG changed its primary affiliation from NBC to ABC. This change was reversed in 1982, when WJHG and WMBB exchanged network affiliations and WJHG resumed its role as an NBC affiliate. Between 1998 and 2006, the station also aired UPN programming in late-night or other secondary time periods. That arrangement ended when UPN and The WB were combined to create The CW. WJHG's visual identity included a Circle 7-style mark dating back to at least the 1950s. After the station moved back to NBC in 1982, ABC objected to its continued use of a logo associated with ABC-owned channel 7 stations. Station manager Ray H. Holloway assembled archival material indicating that WJHG had used the design before ABC adopted its own network-associated version. The dispute was resolved through a modified mark with an opening at the bottom of the circle. WJHG retained a variation of the design for decades before replacing it entirely in June 2018. Gray's later acquisitions affected WJHG's regional relationships. In 2002, Gray bought most of Benedek Broadcasting, including WTVY. Because WTVY's signal reached parts of northwestern Florida and both stations were commonly available on cable, the two operations sometimes shared stories involving the Florida Panhandle and southeastern Alabama. Gray launched WRGX-LD in Dothan as an NBC affiliate on June 1, 2013, reducing WJHG's role in the Dothan market. Gray's acquisition of most of Hoak Media in 2014 included competing Panama City station WMBB, which was later sold to Nexstar. After Gray acquired Raycom Media in 2019, it sold WPGX to Lockwood Broadcast Group to address ownership concerns. The station completed its analog shutdown on February 17, 2009, and continued with a digital signal on its virtual channel 7. A later FCC construction authorization moved its physical digital transmission from VHF channel 7 to UHF channel 18, with the change taking place in May 2015 and the license issued in June. The station subsequently moved from RF channel 18 to RF channel 16 during the 2019 spectrum repack. Today, WJHG-TV is a major local news and information outlet for Panama City and surrounding coastal communities. It produces more than 32 hours of WJHG-branded local newscasts per week and also supplies weekday newscasts for sister station WECP-LD. Its coverage emphasizes weather, hurricanes, public safety, local government, schools, tourism, business, and community events, while NBC supplies national network programming. Former on-air personnel associated with the station include Kristen Berset, Earl Hutto, Shepard Smith, and David Steele.

1. 2019RF channel changes during spectrum repack

   The station moves from RF channel 18 to RF channel 16 as part of the FCC spectrum repack.

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2. 2018Circle 7-style logo retired

   WJHG introduces a major logo change and abandons its long-running Circle 7 variation.

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3. 2015Digital signal moves to UHF channel 18

   WJHG moves its physical digital signal while retaining virtual channel 7.

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4. 2013WRGX-LD launches in Dothan

   Gray launches a Dothan-based low-power NBC affiliate, reducing WJHG's reach in that market.

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5. 2009Analog television shutdown

   WJHG ends analog broadcasting and continues as a digital station.

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6. 2002Gray acquires Benedek stations

   Gray expands its regional portfolio through the acquisition of most Benedek Broadcasting stations, including WTVY.

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7. 1982WJHG returns to NBC

   An affiliation exchange with WMBB restores WJHG as an NBC station.

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8. 1972Primary affiliation changes to ABC

   WJHG switches from NBC to ABC on August 1.

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9. 1960Gray Communications acquisition and call-sign change

   James Harrison Gray buys the station and changes its call letters to WJHG-TV.

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10. 1957Mel Wheeler acquires the station

    Ownership passes to broadcaster Mel Wheeler.

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11. 1953Station launches as WJDM-TV

    WJDM-TV begins broadcasting in Panama City on December 1 as a locally owned independent station.

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A locally focused NBC affiliate combining regional news, severe-weather coverage, community reporting, and network entertainment for Panama City and the Florida Panhandle.

• WJHG local newscastsTelevision news

  WJHG produces more than 32 hours of locally originated newscasts each week, covering Panama City, Bay County, the Florida Panhandle, weather, public safety, government, schools, business, and community affairs. The operation also produces weekday newscasts for sister station WECP-LD.

• WJHG weather coverageWeather information

  Weather reporting and severe-weather information are central parts of the station's local service, particularly because the Panama City area is exposed to tropical systems, hurricanes, flooding, and other coastal hazards.

• WJHG digital newsDigital media

  The station's website extends its broadcast operation with local articles, video, weather information, alerts, schedules, and other material for audiences who consume news online.

• NBC programmingNetwork television1982

  As the market's NBC affiliate, WJHG carries national NBC news, entertainment, sports, and special-event programming alongside its locally produced schedule.

• 2018Replace the long-running Circle 7-style identityOther

  WJHG had used a Circle 7-style logo for decades, including a modified version created after ABC objected to the station's use of a design associated with ABC-owned channel 7 stations.

  What changed. The station introduced a new logo on June 6 and discontinued the Circle 7-style mark.

  Aftermath. The change represented the station's most significant logo redesign to that point.

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• 1982Return to NBC affiliationStrategy

  WJHG and WMBB were operating with network affiliations that did not match their earlier market roles.

  What changed. The two stations exchanged network affiliations, making WJHG an NBC affiliate again.

  Aftermath. WJHG has continued as an NBC-affiliated station.

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• 1972Switch primary affiliation from NBC to ABCStrategy

  WJHG had previously carried NBC as its primary network and also handled programming from other networks on a secondary basis.

  What changed. On August 1, WJHG moved its primary affiliation to ABC.

  Aftermath. The change left the area without a primary NBC affiliate until WDTB, later known as WMBB, began service in 1973.

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• 2018WJHG retires Circle 7-style logo

  The station adopts a new visual identity and drops the Circle 7-style logo it had used for many years.

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• 2015WJHG changes digital transmission channel

  WJHG moves its digital signal to UHF channel 18 while retaining virtual channel 7; its later RF assignment changes again during the FCC spectrum repack.

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• 2010WJHG begins widescreen newscasts

  The station begins presenting local newscasts in 16:9 enhanced-definition widescreen.

  Product generation
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• 1982WJHG returns to NBC affiliation

  WJHG and WMBB exchange network affiliations, restoring WJHG as the Panama City market's NBC affiliate.

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• 1972WJHG switches from NBC to ABC

  WJHG changes its primary network affiliation to ABC, leaving the Panama City area without a primary NBC affiliate until a new station launches.

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• 1953WJDM-TV begins broadcasting

  The station signs on in Panama City as WJDM-TV, initially operating as an independent station with locally produced programming.

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1. WJHG-TV
2. WJHG-TV official website