WLJC-TV

WLJC-TV is a television station on channel 65 licensed to Beattyville, Kentucky, and serving the Lexington television market. The station is owned by local minister Margaret Drake and The Hour of Harvest, Inc., a ministry organization that also operates Christian radio outlets in Kentucky. WLJC-TV began broadcasting on October 16, 1982, and has described itself as Kentucky’s oldest Christian television station. The station’s identity has historically been shaped by religious broadcasting and regional service rather than by the scale of a large commercial network group. Its studios are located on Radio Station Loop north of Beattyville, while its transmitter is situated on Tip Top Road. Although licensed to a relatively small eastern Kentucky community, the station’s high transmitter site and digital operating power give it a broad theoretical coverage area. Its primary signal reaches the Lexington metropolitan area as well as communities around London and Hazard, with fringe reception extending toward Maysville, Pikeville, Frankfort, and the Tennessee border near Middlesboro. WLJC-TV has used a combination of locally produced material, syndicated programming, network affiliations, and digital multicast services. From 2017 through 2022, it carried a half-hour 9 p.m. newscast produced by Lexington ABC affiliate WTVQ. The program, branded “ABC 36 News at Nine on WLJC,” provided a local-news option on the station while extending WTVQ’s news output to WLJC viewers. From 2022 through late 2023, WLJC also simulcast the 6:30 p.m. newscast of Lexington Fox affiliate WDKY-TV. In November 2018, the station shifted Cozi TV programming from a digital subchannel to its main channel. The former Cozi TV subchannel subsequently carried Start TV. This change broadened the station’s entertainment-oriented service while retaining its wider digital multicast structure. WLJC-TV’s technical history also includes the shutdown of its analog UHF channel 65 signal in July 2007 as part of the transition to digital television. Its digital signal continued using virtual channel 65 while operating on VHF channel 7. The station was granted authorization to raise effective radiated power from 70 kilowatts to 185 kilowatts, supporting its extensive regional reach. On July 22, 2026, The Hour of Harvest filed an application to assign WLJC-TV’s license to Gray Media for a reported $2.3 million. If approved and completed, the transaction would make WLJC-TV a sister station to Gray’s WKYT-TV in Lexington. The filing indicated that Gray was negotiating a future affiliation aimed at underserved audiences in the Lexington market and that WKYT lacked sufficient multiplex bandwidth for additional high-definition subchannels. Because Gray also owns WYMT-TV, whose Perry County location is within the Lexington market, the filing included a request for an ownership exemption that would permit WYMT to operate as a satellite station. The proposed transaction would leave The Hour of Harvest with the WLJC call sign and its two radio stations, while potentially ending its direct ownership of the television license.

WLJC-TV began broadcasting on October 16, 1982, from Beattyville, Kentucky. The station developed around a Christian broadcasting identity and has claimed to be the oldest Christian television station in Kentucky. Its owner, The Hour of Harvest, Inc., is associated with local minister Margaret Drake and also operates Christian radio stations, including WLJC-FM, an Air1 affiliate, and WEBF, a K-Love affiliate. The station is licensed to Beattyville but serves a much larger area centered on the Lexington television market. Its studios are located north of Beattyville on Radio Station Loop, and its transmitter is located on Tip Top Road. WLJC-TV’s elevated antenna site and high-power digital operation allow its signal to cover substantial portions of eastern and central Kentucky. Its primary service area includes Lexington, London, and Hazard, while the station’s fringe contour extends toward Maysville, Pikeville, Frankfort, and the Tennessee state line near Middlesboro. WLJC-TV participated in the United States digital television transition by shutting down its analog UHF channel 65 signal in July 2007. The station retained virtual channel 65 for digital viewers and operated its digital transmission on VHF channel 7. It later received authorization to increase effective radiated power from 70 kilowatts to 185 kilowatts. That combination of VHF operation, increased power, and a high antenna height strengthened the station’s ability to reach rural and mountainous communities across Kentucky. In the 2010s and early 2020s, WLJC-TV supplemented its religious and locally oriented identity with programming partnerships. From 2017 through 2022, it carried a 9 p.m. newscast produced by WTVQ, the Lexington ABC affiliate. The program was branded “ABC 36 News at Nine on WLJC” and gave the station a regular locally produced news window. WLJC-TV later carried WDKY-TV’s 6:30 p.m. newscast from 2022 through late 2023, creating another news-distribution arrangement with a Lexington commercial station. The station also changed its multicast programming configuration. In November 2018, Cozi TV programming moved from a digital subchannel to the main WLJC-TV channel. The subchannel that had previously carried Cozi TV subsequently aired Start TV. The shift reflected the station’s use of digital television not only for its historic religious service but also for network-affiliated entertainment and specialized programming. On July 22, 2026, The Hour of Harvest submitted a filing seeking to assign the WLJC-TV license to Gray Media for a reported $2.3 million. Under the proposed transaction, WLJC-TV would become a sister station of Gray-owned WKYT-TV in Lexington. Gray stated in the filing that it was negotiating with a programmer serving audiences that it considered underserved in the Lexington market. The filing also said WKYT did not have sufficient bandwidth to add more high-definition subchannels to its existing multiplex. Since Gray also owns WYMT-TV, whose Perry County base lies within the Lexington market, the transaction documents sought an ownership exemption under which WYMT could continue operating as a satellite station. The Hour of Harvest would retain the WLJC call sign and its two radio stations. The proposed assignment remained subject to regulatory review and completion.

• 2026

  Proposed license assignment to Gray Media

  [1]WLJC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The Hour of Harvest files to assign the WLJC-TV license to Gray Media for a reported $2.3 million, subject to regulatory approval.

• 2022

  WDKY-TV news simulcast begins

  [1]WLJC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WLJC-TV begins carrying WDKY-TV’s 6:30 p.m. newscast, an arrangement that lasts until late 2023.

• 2018

  Cozi TV moves to the primary channel

  [1]WLJC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Cozi TV programming moves from a digital subchannel to WLJC-TV’s main channel, with Start TV taking over the former Cozi subchannel.

• 2017

  Local news partnership with WTVQ begins

  [1]WLJC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WLJC-TV starts carrying WTVQ’s half-hour 9 p.m. newscast, branded ABC 36 News at Nine on WLJC.

• 2007

  Analog television service ends

  [1]WLJC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station shuts down its analog transmission on UHF channel 65 and continues digital service using virtual channel 65 and VHF channel 7.

• 1982

  WLJC-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]WLJC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WLJC-TV signs on the air on October 16 as a station licensed to Beattyville, Kentucky.

A locally owned eastern Kentucky television station with roots in Christian broadcasting, regional over-the-air service, and digital multicast programming for the Lexington market.

• Television station · 1982

  WLJC-TV channel 65

  WLJC-TV’s principal over-the-air television service is licensed to Beattyville and serves the Lexington market and much of eastern and central Kentucky. The station combines religious, regional, news, and network-affiliated programming. Its digital transmission uses virtual channel 65 and operates on VHF channel 7, with a high-power signal designed to reach a broad and geographically challenging service area.

• Digital television affiliation · 2018

  Cozi TV programming

  Cozi TV is a multicast entertainment network carried by WLJC-TV. In November 2018, the programming moved from a digital subchannel to the station’s main channel, giving the service greater prominence within WLJC-TV’s lineup.

• News programming · 2017

  Regional news distribution

  WLJC-TV has distributed news produced by larger Lexington stations. WTVQ’s ABC 36 News at Nine on WLJC aired from 2017 through 2022, and WDKY-TV’s 6:30 p.m. newscast was simulcast from 2022 through late 2023.

• 2026

  Proposed sale of WLJC-TV license to Gray MediaM&A

  Background

  The Hour of Harvest sought to transfer the television license while retaining the WLJC call sign and its two radio stations. Gray Media already owned WKYT-TV and WYMT-TV in the broader market.

  Action taken

  The Hour of Harvest filed for assignment of the WLJC-TV license to Gray Media in a reported $2.3 million transaction. Gray also sought an ownership exemption related to WYMT-TV’s operation as a satellite station.

  Aftermath

  If approved and completed, WLJC-TV would become a sister station to WKYT-TV. The filing indicated that Gray was exploring an affiliation serving audiences it considered underserved in the Lexington market.

  Reported transaction value. $2.3 million (2026 proposed transaction)

  Source

• 2018

  Reconfiguration of Cozi TV distributionStrategy

  Background

  WLJC-TV used its digital multicast capacity to carry Cozi TV programming, which had previously appeared on a subchannel.

  Action taken

  The station moved Cozi TV to its main channel and placed Start TV on the former Cozi TV subchannel.

  Aftermath

  The change altered the station’s primary programming identity and continued its use of digital subchannels for specialized network services.

  Source

1. 1WLJC-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WLJC-TV official websitewljc.com