WPCH-TV
An Atlanta television station branded Peachtree TV and affiliated with The CW.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WPCH-TV is a commercial television station serving Atlanta, Georgia, on channel 17. It is branded as Peachtree TV and is affiliated with The CW. The station is owned by Gray Media and operates alongside Gray's Atlanta flagship station WANF and low-power Telemundo affiliate WKTB-CD. WPCH-TV and WANF share studio facilities in Atlanta's Home Park neighborhood, while WPCH-TV's transmitter is located in the Woodland Hills section of northeastern Atlanta. The station began broadcasting on September 1, 1967, as WJRJ-TV. It was established as an independent station at a time when Atlanta had relatively limited independent commercial television service. Its early schedule consisted principally of older films, syndicated reruns, a short local news program, and other low-cost programming. Technical and financial difficulties affected the station's first years, but its position changed after entrepreneur Ted Turner acquired control through the merger of Rice Broadcasting and Turner Communications. After the acquisition, the station adopted the WTCG call sign in 1970. Turner invested in color broadcasting, expanded the schedule, and built a programming strategy around inexpensive syndicated series, classic films, and sports. The station became a strong Atlanta independent, carrying games involving the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, and Atlanta Flames, as well as professional wrestling. These programs later became central to the station's national distribution strategy. On December 17, 1976, WTCG was transmitted by satellite to cable systems outside Atlanta. This made it one of the first local broadcast stations to achieve nationwide distribution and established it as the first major American television superstation. The nationally distributed feed eventually developed into the cable network TBS, while the Atlanta terrestrial station continued to serve the local market. The station was renamed WTBS in 1979, aligning its call letters with the Turner cable operation. In 2007, the former superstation feed was separated from the Atlanta broadcast station. TBS became a conventional national basic-cable network, while channel 17 was relaunched as WPCH-TV and reformatted as a locally focused independent station. The Atlanta station was added to local cable lineups, but it was no longer generally distributed by American multichannel providers outside its home market. Its signal continued to have a distinctive international presence because the former Atlanta-originated feed remained available through many Canadian cable and satellite systems. WPCH-TV later became a CW affiliate. Since the 2017 sale of the station by Turner-related ownership to Meredith, and subsequently its acquisition by Gray Media, WPCH-TV has operated as part of a locally based television group in Atlanta. As of September 2024, it was described as the largest CW affiliate not owned or operated by Nexstar Media Group, the network's majority owner. The station's identity combines a local Atlanta broadcast service with a legacy rooted in the development of satellite-delivered television and the superstation model.
History
WPCH-TV's history began with an application by Rice Broadcasting Inc. for a new Atlanta UHF station. The Federal Communications Commission approved the construction permit in 1965, and the proposed allocation was moved from channel 46 to channel 17. The station selected the call letters WJRJ-TV and began broadcasting on September 1, 1967. Its first facilities were located on West Peachtree Street in a building formerly used by WAGA-TV. Operating with limited resources, WJRJ-TV initially broadcast only during afternoon and evening hours, relying on older movies, syndicated reruns, and a brief news program. Equipment failures and other technical problems were common during the early period. In 1969, Rice Broadcasting agreed to merge with Turner Communications, an Atlanta company controlled by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III. The transaction was approved by the FCC in December 1969 and completed in 1970. Turner changed the call sign to WTCG, generally explained as referring to "Watch This Channel Grow," although the initials formally reflected Turner Communications Group. The new owner retained the independent entertainment format but gradually improved the station's technical capabilities, including the transition from black-and-white to color broadcasting. WTCG faced competition from other independent and religiously oriented UHF stations, but its low-cost acquisition strategy helped it build a durable schedule. Turner purchased syndicated shows and film packages that larger network affiliates no longer wanted, often at substantially reduced prices. The schedule featured classic films, situation comedies, dramas, cartoons, and locally relevant sports. Telecasts of Atlanta Braves baseball, Atlanta Hawks basketball, Atlanta Flames hockey, and professional wrestling became important audience attractions. The station's programming mix made it a leading independent outlet in Atlanta and supplied much of the content later distributed nationally. During the first half of the 1970s, cable systems in Georgia and neighboring states began receiving the station through microwave relays. Turner then pursued satellite distribution to reach communities that could not receive an independent broadcast signal. Southern Satellite Systems uplinked the WTCG signal to Satcom 1, and on December 17, 1976, the station became available to cable systems in several regions of the United States. Unlike conventional network programming, the same local signal was distributed beyond its original market, including local Atlanta commercials and announcements. The arrangement created the first major American television superstation and dramatically expanded WTCG's audience. The station changed its call sign to WTBS in 1979. Its national feed grew into the TBS brand, while the Atlanta broadcast signal remained the originating station. Turner used the enlarged audience and programming library as foundations for a broader cable-television business. The station also became one of the first American superstations to gain carriage in Canada during the 1980s. A major structural change occurred on October 1, 2007. Turner converted the former superstation feed into TBS, a conventional national basic-cable network, and relaunched the Atlanta channel as WPCH-TV. The new station adopted the Peachtree TV identity and maintained a schedule intended for the Atlanta market rather than national distribution. Although the local station was added to Atlanta cable systems, it ceased to be broadly carried by American providers outside the market. The former Atlanta-originated service nevertheless continued to be available through many Canadian cable and satellite systems. The station left Turner ownership in 2017 when it was transferred to Meredith. Gray Television acquired Meredith in 2021, subsequently making WPCH-TV part of Gray's Atlanta operations. The station shares studios with WANF and continues to broadcast locally under the Peachtree TV name. Its CW affiliation gives it a network role, while its programming and advertising remain oriented toward the Atlanta market. WPCH-TV's importance in television history derives less from its present scale than from its role in demonstrating that a local broadcast station could be distributed nationally by satellite and transformed into a major cable brand.
- 2021
Gray acquires Meredith
[1]WPCH-TV joined Gray's Atlanta portfolio following Gray's acquisition of Meredith.
- 2017
Turner ownership ends
[1]The station was transferred to Meredith.
- 2007
Peachtree TV launches
[1]The Atlanta station separated from the national TBS feed and was relaunched as WPCH-TV.
- 1985
Canadian distribution expands
[1]The superstation became available to television providers in Canada.
- 1979
Call sign changes to WTBS
[1]The station adopted the WTBS call letters as its national cable operation expanded.
- 1976
National satellite distribution begins
[1]WTCG was distributed by satellite to cable systems outside Atlanta, establishing the superstation model.
- 1970
Turner takes control
[1]The Rice Broadcasting and Turner Communications transaction was completed, and the station became WTCG.
- 1967
WJRJ-TV signs on
[1]The station began broadcasting on September 1 as Atlanta's channel 17 independent outlet.
- 1965
FCC grants construction permit
[1]Rice Broadcasting received approval to construct a new commercial UHF station for Atlanta.
Products and positioning
A locally focused Atlanta broadcast station with a nationally significant superstation heritage, now positioned as a Peachtree TV-branded CW affiliate.
Local broadcast television station · 2007
Peachtree TV
The station's current consumer-facing brand for its Atlanta broadcast service. Peachtree TV combines CW network programming with syndicated entertainment, local commercial inventory, and other programming intended for viewers in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Satellite-distributed television service · 1976
WTCG superstation service
The predecessor service that distributed the Atlanta station's signal by satellite to cable and C-band satellite subscribers across the United States. Its national reach made the station a pioneering superstation and provided the foundation for the later TBS cable network.
Television programming
Sports programming
Sports telecasts were a central part of the station's Turner-era schedule. The station carried games involving Atlanta professional teams, including the Braves, Hawks, and Flames, helping create repeat viewing and supplying attractive programming for the later superstation audience.
Brand decisions
2017
Transfer from Turner-related ownership to MeredithM&ABackground
The Atlanta station was separated from the Turner portfolio.
Action taken
Ownership of WPCH-TV was transferred to Meredith.
Aftermath
The station continued operating in Atlanta under the Peachtree TV identity outside the Turner corporate structure.
2007
Separation of WPCH-TV from TBSStrategyBackground
Turner was restructuring the former superstation feed as a conventional national cable network.
Action taken
The national feed became TBS, while the Atlanta channel 17 station adopted WPCH-TV and a separate local schedule.
Aftermath
WPCH-TV became a locally oriented Atlanta station, although the former Atlanta-originated service retained substantial carriage in Canada.
1976
Satellite distribution of the local signalStrategyBackground
Many communities lacked access to an independent station, while cable systems were seeking additional programming.
Action taken
Turner arranged for WTCG to be uplinked to satellite and distributed to cable systems beyond Atlanta.
Aftermath
The station became the first major American superstation and its programming reached a national audience.
Sources2 sources
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