WJYS

WJYS is an independent television station broadcasting on virtual channel 62 in the Chicago market. Although its license is associated with Hammond, Indiana, the station's studio facilities are in Tinley Park, Illinois, and its primary transmission facilities are located atop Willis Tower in downtown Chicago. The station is owned by Millennial Telecommunications, Inc. and operates as a commercial, non-network-affiliated broadcaster. The station's origins lie in a long and complicated FCC licensing process for a television allocation intended to serve Hammond and Northwest Indiana. An earlier proposal in the 1960s sought to establish a station connected with an Action Network concept, but the permit was ultimately surrendered after disputes over transmitter siting, objections from Chicago-area broadcasters, and financing difficulties. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, several groups pursued the channel. The FCC eventually selected Jovon Minority Broadcasting Corporation, controlled by Joseph and Yvonne Stroud, after determining that its ownership and management plan had comparative advantages over competing applications. The Strouds selected the WJYS call letters from their initials. After zoning, tower, and Federal Aviation Administration issues delayed construction, WJYS began broadcasting on March 2, 1991. The station initially operated as a round-the-clock home-shopping outlet using Home Shopping Spree programming. This launch format reflected the high cost of acquiring a full general-entertainment schedule and the financial constraints facing a new independent station. WJYS had originally been envisioned as a broader entertainment service, but shopping programming provided a more practical way to fill the schedule during its first years. WJYS gradually added locally oriented programs, including shows directed toward Chicago's Black community. Its 1990s schedule included programs about blues music, music videos and entertainment, and a program hosted by radio personality Doug Banks. In November 1994, the station abandoned home shopping and moved to a general-entertainment independent format. It benefited from the conversion of WGBO-TV to Univision programming by acquiring syndicated programming that became available in the Chicago market. Its schedule included classic television series, local sports, late-night anime, syndicated programs, lottery-related entertainment, and infomercials. Over time, the station's programming mix shifted substantially. By 2009, religious programming and infomercials made up most of its schedule, making WJYS distinct from larger entertainment-focused independent stations. The station has nevertheless continued to operate as a multifaceted local broadcast outlet, using its digital capacity for additional services and channel partnerships. WJYS began digital broadcasting on August 1, 2002. It became a digital-only station in 2009, retained virtual channel 62, and later moved its physical digital assignment to channel 21 as part of the nationwide spectrum repacking process following the 2016 wireless spectrum auction. From October 2024 through June 8, 2025, WJYS also served as the over-the-air flagship outlet for the Chicago Sports Network, carrying the network's principal and overflow feeds. This arrangement brought selected Chicago White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games to antenna households, although technical changes to MPEG video standards and transmission resolution generated reception and compatibility issues for some viewers. Following a broader carriage agreement involving Comcast, the network ended its over-the-air operation on WJYS at midnight on June 9, 2025. The station subsequently replaced those subchannels with Stadium for a period ending in November 2025.

The channel allocation associated with WJYS was first proposed for construction in Hammond during the 1960s. Aben E. Johnson Jr. sought to build a station originally associated with channel 56 and an Action Network concept, but the allocation was shifted to channel 62. The proposal encountered difficulty finding a transmitter location that would satisfy the Hammond license while reaching the Chicago metropolitan area. After focusing on a related Detroit-area project, the applicant faced broadcaster objections and financing problems and surrendered the construction permit to the FCC in November 1970. The allocation remained available and attracted additional applicants. Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting, a group connected with the public broadcasting community in St. John, Indiana, expressed interest, while a later round of applicants proposed full-service commercial stations. Whiteco Industries submitted a plan through Northwest Indiana Television in 1981, emphasizing commercial programming for underserved Northwest Indiana. In 1982, the FCC designated eight applications for comparative hearing. The initial administrative decision in 1984 favored Pan American Broadcasting Corporation, which proposed a full-time Spanish-language station for the Chicago market. The FCC review board reversed that decision several months later and selected Jovon Minority Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Joseph and Yvonne Stroud. The board credited the Strouds' stronger integration of ownership and management and found a technical weakness in Pan American's management proposal. The Strouds adopted the WJYS call sign and pursued a transmitter site in Tinley Park, Illinois. Local zoning approval was obtained in 1988, but a change in tower height required additional FAA authorization. The resulting delays led the applicants to seek several extensions before construction could be completed. WJYS ultimately began broadcasting on March 2, 1991, nearly a decade after the principal comparative-hearing proceedings. The original plan called for a general-entertainment independent station. Because programming costs were high, however, WJYS launched with Home Shopping Spree programming and operated as a 24-hour shopping service. It initially lacked facilities in Indiana despite its Hammond license. During the 1990s, the station supplemented shopping and acquired programming with local-interest productions, many of them aimed at Chicago's Black audience. Examples included a blues-focused talk program, an entertainment and music-video show, and a program hosted by radio personality Doug Banks. In November 1994, WJYS replaced the shopping format with general entertainment. The station acquired syndicated inventory released when WGBO-TV changed to a Univision format, allowing WJYS to expand its schedule with classic television programs and other syndicated fare. It also carried local sports, a late-night anime block, infomercials, and the Indiana-produced Hoosier Millionaire. The variety of its schedule made it resemble a broad-based independent or cable-style service rather than a narrowly focused station. The programming balance changed again in the 2000s. By 2009, religious programs and infomercials had become the dominant components of the schedule. In parallel, WJYS developed its digital broadcast operation. Digital transmission began on August 1, 2002, using a signal originating from the Willis Tower rather than the earlier Tinley Park analog site. The station ended analog broadcasting in 2009, retaining virtual channel 62 while using physical digital channel 36. As part of the national spectrum repacking process, its physical assignment later changed to channel 21. In 2024, WJYS added a significant sports role when it became the over-the-air flagship for the newly established Chicago Sports Network. From October 1, 2024, through June 8, 2025, its digital subchannels carried the network's main and overflow services, including coverage involving Chicago's Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League teams. The arrangement exposed technical limitations for some antenna viewers because the subchannels initially used MPEG-4 video. Following complaints, WJYS shifted the sports feeds to MPEG-2, which improved compatibility but required a 720p transmission format. The network's over-the-air service ended after a Comcast carriage agreement, and the affected capacity was later used for Stadium programming. WJYS remains an active independent station serving the Chicago and Northwest Indiana region.

• 2025

  Chicago Sports Network carriage ends

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  The network's over-the-air operation on WJYS ended at midnight on June 9 after a Comcast carriage agreement.

• 2024

  Chicago Sports Network carriage begins

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  WJYS began carrying the Chicago Sports Network's main and overflow feeds on October 1.

• 2019

  Physical channel repack

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  WJYS moved to physical digital channel 21 as part of the nationwide spectrum repacking process.

• 2009

  Digital-only operation

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  The station ended analog broadcasting and continued with virtual channel 62 on its digital service.

• 2002

  Digital broadcasting begins

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  WJYS began digital transmission on August 1 using physical channel 36.

• 1994

  Conversion to general entertainment

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  The station discontinued home shopping in November and adopted an independent general-entertainment schedule.

• 1991

  WJYS begins broadcasting

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  WJYS launched on March 2 as a 24-hour home-shopping station.

• 1988

  Tinley Park zoning approval

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  Tinley Park approved the zoning needed for the station's planned transmitter site, although further FAA authorization was required.

• 1985

  FCC review board selects Jovon Minority Broadcasting

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC review board overturned the initial decision and selected the Stroud-owned Jovon Minority Broadcasting Corporation.

• 1984

  Initial comparative-hearing decision

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  An FCC administrative law judge initially favored Pan American Broadcasting Corporation's proposal for a Spanish-language station.

• 1970

  Original construction permit surrendered

  [1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  An earlier proposal for the Hammond channel was abandoned after transmitter-location disputes, broadcaster opposition, and financing problems.

A commercially operated independent television station serving the Chicago metropolitan area, with a schedule combining syndicated content, religious programming, infomercials, local-interest shows, and digital multicast services.

• Broadcast television service · 1991

  WJYS Main Channel

  The station's principal over-the-air service, identified by virtual channel 62, has carried several formats during its history. It launched with home-shopping programming, moved to general entertainment in 1994, and later developed a schedule centered largely on religious programs and infomercials, supplemented by syndicated and local-interest content.

• Television programming

  Local-interest programming

  WJYS has produced or carried locally oriented programs aimed at Chicago-area audiences, including programming associated with the region's Black community, blues music, entertainment, music videos, and local sports. These programs helped broaden the station's identity beyond its initial shopping format.

• Digital multicast sports television · 2024

  Chicago Sports Network over-the-air feeds

  From October 2024 through June 8, 2025, WJYS carried the Chicago Sports Network's main and overflow feeds on digital subchannels. The service provided antenna access to selected games involving the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Blackhawks before ending after the network reached a Comcast carriage agreement.

• 2025

  Change to MPEG-2 transmission for sports subchannelsOther

  Background

  Some viewers reported difficulty reliably receiving the Chicago Sports Network feeds when they were transmitted using MPEG-4.

  Action taken

  WJYS changed the sports feeds to MPEG-2, while reducing both channels to 720p; its other services remained in MPEG-4.

  Aftermath

  Compatibility with older receiving equipment improved, but the sports-network carriage ended on June 9 after Comcast reached a carriage agreement with the network.

  Source

• 2024

  Launch of Chicago Sports Network over-the-air carriageProduct launch

  Background

  The newly formed Chicago Sports Network sought over-the-air distribution in the Chicago market.

  Action taken

  WJYS assigned its second and third digital subchannels to the network's principal and overflow feeds beginning October 1.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement brought selected White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games to antenna households but later required transmission-standard changes because of reception complaints.

  Source

• 1994

  End of home-shopping formatStrategy

  Background

  The station had launched in 1991 as a round-the-clock shopping service because a full independent schedule was expensive to assemble.

  Action taken

  WJYS discontinued Home Shopping Spree programming and adopted a general-entertainment independent format.

  Aftermath

  The station expanded its syndicated inventory and added classic series, local sports, anime, and other entertainment programming.

  Source

• 2025

  WJYS modifies digital transmission standards for Chicago Sports Network feeds[1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After viewers reported difficulty receiving the Chicago Sports Network subchannels, WJYS changed those feeds from MPEG-4 to MPEG-2. The change improved compatibility but required the channels to transmit at 720p.

• 2025

  Chicago Sports Network ends over-the-air operation on WJYS[1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product generation

  Following a Comcast carriage agreement, Chicago Sports Network stopped its over-the-air broadcasts on WJYS at midnight on June 9, 2025. The affected WJYS subchannels were subsequently used for Stadium programming for a limited period.

• 2024

  WJYS selected to carry Chicago Sports Network over the air[1]WJYSen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  The newly formed Chicago Sports Network announced that WJYS would carry its main and overflow feeds on digital subchannels beginning October 1, 2024, providing over-the-air access to selected White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games.

1. 1WJYSen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WJYS official websitewjys.tv