WPGA-LD
WPGA-LD is a low-power television station serving Macon, Georgia, with programming distributed through local broadcasting infrastructure and network affiliations.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WPGA-LD is a low-power television station licensed to serve Macon, Georgia, on digital channel 50. The station operates alongside the Perry-licensed MeTV affiliate WPGA-TV and is owned by Gray Media. Its offices are located at the intersection of Second and Cherry streets in downtown Macon, while master-control functions and much of its internal technical operation are based at Gray's Atlanta flagship WANF facility in the Home Park neighborhood. The station's transmitter is situated along Georgia State Route 87, U.S. Route 23, and U.S. Route 129 Alternate near the Twiggs–Bibb county line. The station began broadcasting on April 13, 1998, under the call sign W52CL on channel 52. It initially served as an owned-and-operated translator of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, reflecting its original role as a low-power relay rather than a locally originated general-entertainment service. In July 2004, it moved to channel 50 and adopted the call sign W50DA. Register Communications, then the owner of ABC affiliate WPGA-TV, purchased the station from TBN in 2009 for $6,000. Later that year, W50DA discontinued TBN programming and announced a transition to the Retro Television Network. The station's call sign changed to WPGA-LP shortly after the affiliation change. WPGA-LP subsequently pursued a transition from analog low-power broadcasting to digital operation. The Federal Communications Commission had issued a digital flash-cut construction permit in 2006, but that permit expired in March 2009. In August 2011, the station changed its primary affiliation to This TV. This TV had previously been carried on a digital subchannel of WPGA-TV, so the move made WPGA-LP the principal local outlet for the network in the Macon area. For a period, the station also simulcast the Mix in the Morning radio program, a weekday morning production shared with WPGA-FM, WPGA 980 AM, WNEX 1400 AM, and WPGA-TV. The station's affiliation structure changed again in 2015. This TV moved back to WPGA-TV's third digital subchannel on July 2, and WPGA-LP subsequently went silent for an undetermined period. On July 14, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission licensed the station for digital operation, and its call sign changed from WPGA-LP to WPGA-LD. WPGA-LD returned to the air on October 26, 2021, after approximately six years off the air, carrying programming from Newsy, the Atlanta-based 24-hour news network that was later renamed Scripps News. Beginning October 1, 2023, WPGA-LD changed its programming affiliation to Peachtree Sports Network. Today, WPGA-LD's role is that of a locally licensed, low-power broadcast outlet within Gray Media's Central Georgia station group. Its identity has been shaped less by original local programming than by successive relationships with national and regional programming services, including TBN, Retro TV, This TV, Newsy/Scripps News, and Peachtree Sports Network. The station's history illustrates the changing economics and technical structure of American local television: a low-power analog translator evolved into a digital station, affiliations moved between primary channels and subchannels, and core operational functions became integrated with a larger regional broadcast network.
History
WPGA-LD began service on April 13, 1998, as W52CL, a channel 52 low-power translator operated by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Its initial function was to relay TBN programming into the Macon, Georgia area. On July 14, 2004, the station moved to channel 50 and changed its call sign to W50DA. In 2009, Register Communications, owner of WPGA-TV at the time, acquired W50DA from TBN for $6,000. The purchase connected the low-power station to a locally based broadcasting group rather than its former national religious-network owner. In September 2009, W50DA announced that it would discontinue TBN programming and affiliate with the Retro Television Network. The call sign became WPGA-LP shortly after the affiliation transition. The station had received a Federal Communications Commission construction permit in 2006 to convert its operation to digital through a flash cut. That authorization expired in March 2009. WPGA-LP later changed its primary affiliation to This TV in August 2011. This TV had previously been available through a digital subchannel of WPGA-TV, making the change part of a broader reallocation of programming across the related stations. At one point, WPGA-LP also simulcast Mix in the Morning, a weekday morning radio program carried by several WPGA and WNEX outlets. On July 2, 2015, This TV returned to WPGA-TV's third digital subchannel. WPGA-LP then went silent for an unspecified period. The station's technical status changed substantially in 2021: on July 14, it was licensed for digital operation and adopted the call sign WPGA-LD. It resumed broadcasting on October 26, 2021, carrying Newsy, a 24-hour news service based in Atlanta that was subsequently renamed Scripps News. The affiliation changed again on October 1, 2023, when WPGA-LD began carrying Peachtree Sports Network. The station is owned by Gray Media alongside WPGA-TV, which is licensed to Perry and carries MeTV. WPGA-LD's offices remain in downtown Macon, while master control and much of its operational support are handled through Gray's WANF facility in Atlanta. Its transmitter is located near the Twiggs–Bibb county line along the Golden Isles Highway route formed by Georgia 87, U.S. 23, and U.S. 129 Alternate. The station's development reflects the evolution of low-power television from an analog translator into a digitally operated multicast and network-affiliated outlet.
- 2023
Switches to Peachtree Sports Network
[1]WPGA-LD changes its affiliation to Peachtree Sports Network on October 1.
- 2021
Licensed for digital operation as WPGA-LD
[1]The station receives a digital license and changes its call sign from WPGA-LP to WPGA-LD.
- 2021
Returns to air with Newsy
[1]After an extended period of silence, the station resumes service with Newsy programming.
- 2015
This TV returns to WPGA-TV
[1]This TV moves to WPGA-TV's third digital subchannel, after which WPGA-LP goes silent.
- 2011
Adopts This TV affiliation
[1]WPGA-LP changes its primary programming affiliation to This TV.
- 2009
Acquired by Register Communications
[1]Register Communications purchases the station from TBN and begins repositioning it within the WPGA broadcast group.
- 2009
Transitions from TBN to Retro Television Network
[1]The station drops TBN programming, affiliates with Retro Television Network, and changes its call sign to WPGA-LP.
- 2004
Moves to channel 50 and becomes W50DA
[1]The station changes frequency from channel 52 to channel 50 and adopts the W50DA call sign.
- 1998
Station signs on as W52CL
[1]The station begins broadcasting on April 13 on channel 52 as a Trinity Broadcasting Network translator.
Products and positioning
A low-power local television station that distributes regional and national network programming to viewers in the Macon, Georgia market.
Broadcast television · 2021
WPGA-LD digital television service
The station's core offering is an over-the-air digital television signal serving Macon and surrounding parts of Central Georgia. As a low-power station, it provides a localized transmission outlet while relying primarily on affiliated network and multicast programming rather than a large schedule of independently produced shows.
Sports television programming · 2023
Peachtree Sports Network affiliation
Since October 2023, WPGA-LD has carried programming from Peachtree Sports Network, giving the Macon-area outlet a regional sports-oriented programming identity within its digital broadcast service.
Brand decisions
2023
Switches from Newsy to Peachtree Sports NetworkStrategyBackground
After returning to the air with Newsy programming in 2021, the station revised its network affiliation.
Action taken
WPGA-LD began carrying Peachtree Sports Network on October 1, 2023.
Aftermath
The station's programming profile shifted from 24-hour news toward regional sports content.
2021
Completes transition to digital operationGeneration changeBackground
An earlier digital flash-cut construction permit had expired in 2009, and the station had later gone silent.
Action taken
The FCC licensed digital operation, and the station adopted the WPGA-LD call sign.
Aftermath
WPGA-LD returned to service in October 2021 as a digitally operated outlet.
2011
Moves primary affiliation to This TVStrategyBackground
This TV had previously been distributed through a digital subchannel of WPGA-TV.
Action taken
WPGA-LP made This TV its primary affiliation in August 2011.
Aftermath
The network's local distribution was shifted from WPGA-TV's subchannel to the low-power station.
2009
Register Communications purchases W50DAM&ABackground
The station was a TBN-owned low-power translator when Register Communications, then associated with WPGA-TV, acquired it.
Action taken
Register Communications purchased W50DA from Trinity Broadcasting Network for $6,000.
Aftermath
The transaction brought the station into the WPGA-related local broadcasting group and preceded changes in programming and call sign.
Acquisition price. $6,000 purchase price (2009)
2009
Changes from TBN to Retro Television NetworkStrategyBackground
Following its acquisition, the station announced that it would stop carrying Trinity Broadcasting Network programming.
Action taken
W50DA adopted Retro Television Network programming and subsequently changed its call sign to WPGA-LP.
Aftermath
The station moved from a religious-network translator role toward a general entertainment format associated with the WPGA group.
Recent events
- 2023
WPGA-LD changes affiliation to Peachtree Sports Network[1]
Product launch
On October 1, WPGA-LD replaced its Newsy/Scripps News programming relationship with Peachtree Sports Network.
- 2021
WPGA-LD receives authorization for digital operation and adopts new call sign[1]
Other · Product generation
The station was licensed for digital operation and changed its call sign from WPGA-LP to WPGA-LD.
- 2021
WPGA-LD returns to the air with Newsy affiliation[1]
Product launch · Other
After several years off the air, the station resumed broadcasting on October 26 with programming from Newsy, a 24-hour news network later known as Scripps News.
Sources1 sources
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