WJLP
WJLP is a television station licensed to Middletown Township, New Jersey, serving the New York metropolitan area as a MeTV affiliate.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WJLP is a commercial television station licensed to Middletown Township, New Jersey, and serving the wider New York City television market. The station currently broadcasts the classic television network MeTV and is owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Its studios are shared with low-power station WNWT-LD in Freehold Township, New Jersey, while its transmission facilities are located at One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. WJLP operates alongside other Weigel properties in the region, including WZME and WNWT-LD. The station began in a very different market. It was established by Harris Broadcasting in 1998 and signed on from Ely, Nevada, on July 9, 2001, under the call sign KBJN. In its original configuration, it served as a satellite of KVBC, the NBC affiliate in Las Vegas, now known as KSNV. Valley Broadcasting Company, KVBC's owner, subsequently acquired the station and changed its call letters to KVNV in November 2005. Valley Broadcasting sold KVNV to PMCM TV, LLC, an affiliate of Press Communications, in 2008. After the transaction, the station was relaunched with a weather-focused format branded Intelliweather 3. It later affiliated with My Family TV and gradually added locally produced material, including public-affairs and children's programming intended in part to satisfy federal educational and informational programming requirements. It also carried selected newscasts and political programming associated with sister operations in Nevada. PMCM pursued a major change in the station's identity and service area by seeking to move KVNV from Nevada to New Jersey. The proposal relied on a regulatory provision concerning the relocation of VHF stations to states without FCC-licensed commercial VHF stations. The FCC initially rejected the request, but a federal appeals court overturned that decision in 2012. The station then obtained authority to construct a facility serving Middletown Township, with a transmitter positioned to reach the New York market. In 2014, MeTV selected KVNV as its New York-area affiliate, replacing WZME as the network's principal outlet in that market. KVNV began test transmissions in September 2014 and launched regular MeTV programming on October 1, initially using virtual channel 3.10. The station adopted the WJLP call letters on October 3. Its use of the virtual channel 3 designation generated objections from broadcasters whose facilities or cable distribution arrangements already used channel 3. The FCC subsequently directed the station to move to virtual channel 33, producing a legal and regulatory dispute that temporarily interrupted broadcasting. WJLP ultimately returned to the air under an emergency stay and completed the move to virtual channel 33 in March 2015. Over time, WJLP expanded its digital offering beyond the main MeTV service. Its subchannels have included True Crime Network, Laff, Ion Mystery, Grit, and local maritime and weather information. It also carried audio feeds from Press Communications radio stations for a period, but those feeds were removed before the station changed ownership. The station has also aired New Jersey-focused public-affairs programs, including Your New Jersey and New Jersey Politics with Laura Jones, while at times preempting portions of the MeTV schedule for infomercials. PMCM announced the sale of WJLP and WNWT-LD to Weigel Broadcasting in October 2021. The transaction, reported at $62.5 million, closed on January 7, 2022. Under Weigel ownership, WJLP remains a MeTV affiliate and continues to function as a regional broadcast outlet combining national classic-television programming with selected New Jersey-oriented public-affairs content.
History
WJLP traces its origins to a station established by Harris Broadcasting in 1998. It signed on July 9, 2001, from Ely, Nevada, as KBJN, operating as a satellite of KVBC, the NBC affiliate serving Las Vegas. Valley Broadcasting Company, which owned KVBC, later acquired the station. The call sign changed to KVNV on November 15, 2005. In 2008, Valley Broadcasting agreed to sell KVNV to PMCM TV, LLC, associated with Press Communications. The FCC approved the transaction in September, and the sale closed in November. PMCM initially relaunched the station with a weather-oriented service called Intelliweather 3. KVNV joined My Family TV in 2009 and subsequently increased its locally produced programming. Its additions included a weekend public-affairs program, a children's program designed to meet educational and informational obligations, selected newscasts from sister station KRNV-DT in Reno, and the political program Nevada's Eye on Washington. PMCM then pursued relocation of the station from Nevada to New Jersey. The company argued that a regulatory provision allowed a VHF station to move into a state without an FCC-licensed commercial VHF station. The FCC rejected the request in 2009 and upheld that position in 2011, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed the agency's decision in December 2012. KVNV filed a construction-permit application in 2013 for a facility licensed to Middletown Township, New Jersey, with a transmitter intended to serve the New York metropolitan area. MeTV announced in January 2014 that KVNV would become its New York-area affiliate. The station's planned launch faced objections from WFSB, CBS, and Ion-related interests concerning virtual-channel conflicts and possible signal or carriage complications. KVNV began test transmissions in September 2014 and started regular MeTV programming on October 1, initially using virtual channel 3.10. The call sign changed to WJLP on October 3. The channel dispute escalated when the FCC assigned virtual channel 33 on an interim basis and later directed WJLP to stop operating unless it remapped from 3.10 to 33.1. WJLP briefly went off the air in November 2014, then returned after receiving an emergency stay. A federal court continued the stay later that month, allowing the station to operate while the dispute was reviewed. In March 2015, WJLP formally remapped its virtual channel from 3 to 33 on an interim basis. WJLP expanded its digital services during the following years. Its multicast channels included True Crime Network, later replaced by Laff, as well as Escape, later known as Ion Mystery, Grit, and a local maritime and weather service. Several radio audio feeds owned by Press Communications were also carried temporarily. These audio channels were removed in January 2022 before the ownership transition. The station has generally carried most of the MeTV schedule, although it has also aired New Jersey-oriented programs such as Your New Jersey, hosted by Lisa Marie Falbo, and New Jersey Politics with Laura Jones. Earlier schedules included substantial infomercial preemptions. In October 2021, PMCM announced a sale of WJLP and WNWT-LD to Weigel Broadcasting. The transaction closed on January 7, 2022, and WJLP continued as a MeTV affiliate under its new owner.
- 2022
Weigel ownership begins
[1]The acquisition of WJLP and WNWT-LD by Weigel Broadcasting closed.
- 2021
Sale to Weigel announced
[1]PMCM announced an agreement to sell WJLP and WNWT-LD to Weigel Broadcasting.
- 2015
Virtual channel changes to 33
[1]WJLP remapped its virtual channel from 3 to 33 after the FCC channel dispute.
- 2014
New Jersey MeTV launch
[1]The station moved its service to New Jersey, began MeTV programming, and adopted the WJLP call sign.
- 2012
Relocation appeal succeeds
[1]A federal appeals court reversed the FCC's rejection of PMCM's proposed move to New Jersey.
- 2009
My Family TV affiliation
[1]KVNV affiliated with My Family TV and expanded its local programming.
- 2008
PMCM acquires the station
[1]PMCM TV completed its purchase of KVNV from Valley Broadcasting Company.
- 2005
Call sign changes to KVNV
[1]The station adopted the KVNV call letters.
- 2001
KBJN signs on in Ely
[1]The station began broadcasting from Ely, Nevada, as KBJN, a satellite of KVBC.
- 1998
Station founded
[1]Harris Broadcasting established the station that would later become WJLP.
Products and positioning
A local New Jersey broadcast outlet centered on classic television through MeTV, supplemented by regional public-affairs and digital multicast programming.
Broadcast television network affiliation · 2014
MeTV
WJLP's principal service is the MeTV classic-television schedule, comprising older scripted series and other library programming. The station carries most of the network's lineup for viewers in the New York metropolitan area, while reserving portions of its schedule for local public-affairs programming and other station content.
Digital television · 2015
Digital multicast channels
WJLP has used its digital capacity for additional services, including True Crime Network, Laff, Escape or Ion Mystery, Grit, and local maritime and weather information. The exact lineup has changed over time as network brands and ownership arrangements changed.
Local public affairs
Your New Jersey
Your New Jersey is a locally oriented public-affairs program focused on people, issues, and communities in the Garden State. It is hosted by Lisa Marie Falbo and has aired on weekends alongside the station's MeTV programming.
Local public affairs
New Jersey Politics with Laura Jones
This program examines political developments in Trenton and municipal government across New Jersey. It provides a local-news and public-affairs complement to WJLP's nationally supplied classic-television schedule.
Brand decisions
2021
Sale to Weigel BroadcastingM&ABackground
PMCM decided to sell WJLP and WNWT-LD after operating the stations as part of its New Jersey broadcast holdings.
Action taken
PMCM announced a transaction with Weigel Broadcasting valued at $62.5 million.
Aftermath
The sale closed in January 2022, and WJLP continued as a MeTV affiliate under Weigel ownership.
Reported transaction value. $62.5 million (Announced October 11, 2021; completed January 7, 2022)
2015
Virtual-channel remappingGeneration changeBackground
The FCC determined that WJLP's use of virtual channel 3 created conflicts with other broadcasters and cable arrangements.
Action taken
WJLP changed its virtual channel from 3 to 33 on an interim basis.
Aftermath
The station continued its New York-area service under the WJLP identity and channel 33 branding.
2014
Relocation from Nevada to New JerseyStrategyBackground
PMCM pursued a move designed to make the VHF station serve the New York metropolitan area from a New Jersey license.
Action taken
The station obtained authority to construct a Middletown Township facility and began test transmissions in 2014.
Aftermath
The move enabled WJLP to become a New York-area MeTV affiliate but led to a prolonged virtual-channel dispute.
- WFSB — WFSB raised concerns about signal overlap and proposed that the station use a virtual channel other than 3.
- CBS Television Stations — CBS joined filings urging the FCC to address the conflict involving virtual channel 3.
- Ion Media Networks — Ion joined objections related to virtual-channel and cable-channel use in the New York market.
2014
Launch of MeTV service in the New York marketProduct launchBackground
MeTV selected KVNV to replace WZME as its New York-area affiliate.
Action taken
The station began regular MeTV programming on October 1, initially using virtual channel 3.10.
Aftermath
WJLP became a regional outlet for classic television, later continuing the affiliation under Weigel ownership.
2008
PMCM acquisition of KVNVM&ABackground
Valley Broadcasting Company sought to sell the Nevada station to PMCM TV, an affiliate of Press Communications.
Action taken
The FCC approved the transaction in September 2008, and the sale closed in November.
Aftermath
PMCM relaunched the station with a weather-focused format and later expanded its local and affiliated programming.
Sources1 sources
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