WTJP-TV
WTJP-TV is a TBN-owned full-power television station licensed to Gadsden, Alabama, serving viewers in the Birmingham area.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WTJP-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Gadsden, Alabama, and serving the Birmingham area. The station operates on virtual channel 60 and is part of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), a Christian television network that owns and operates stations across the United States. Its transmission facilities are located on Blount Mountain near Springville, Alabama, positioning the signal to serve a broad portion of central Alabama. The station began broadcasting on July 22, 1986. It was established by All American TV, a minority-owned broadcasting company whose stations were affiliated with TBN. Although the company shared a name with an unrelated television-syndication business, the broadcaster that built WTJP-TV was a separate enterprise. WTJP-TV therefore entered the market as part of an established TBN-oriented station group rather than as an independent local commercial outlet. TBN acquired the All American TV group outright in 2000, bringing WTJP-TV under direct TBN ownership. For much of its history, WTJP-TV maintained a local studio on Rosedale Avenue in Gadsden. That facility was among several TBN station studios closed in 2019 after the Federal Communications Commission repealed the Main Studio Rule. The former rule required full-power television stations to maintain a main studio in or near their community of license. Its repeal allowed stations such as WTJP-TV to operate without retaining a traditional local studio facility in the licensed community, while continuing transmission and network distribution operations. WTJP-TV also participated in the transition from analog to digital television. TBN-owned full-power stations ended analog transmissions on April 16, 2009, well before the nationwide full-power transition deadline. WTJP-TV discontinued its analog service on UHF channel 60 and continued digitally on UHF channel 26 while retaining virtual channel 60. The change made the station part of the broader restructuring of American over-the-air broadcasting, in which a station's digital radio-frequency channel could differ from the number presented to viewers. The station formerly used low-power translators to extend its signal, including W51BY in Jasper and W46BU in Tuscaloosa. W46BU later went silent on April 13, 2010, with declining support associated with the digital transition cited as a factor. WTJP-TV's principal identity remains that of a TBN-owned Alabama television outlet: a broadcast service licensed to Gadsden, transmitting from Blount Mountain, and serving a wider Birmingham-area audience through terrestrial television.
History
WTJP-TV was established to provide a TBN-affiliated full-power television service in Alabama. The station signed on July 22, 1986, after being built by All American TV, a minority-owned broadcasting company with close ties to the Trinity Broadcasting Network. All American TV's stations were TBN affiliates, placing WTJP-TV within TBN's distribution structure from its launch rather than developing it as an unaffiliated local station. The broadcaster should not be confused with an unrelated television-syndication company that used a similar name. WTJP-TV is licensed to Gadsden and serves the Birmingham area. Its main transmission facility is located on Blount Mountain near Springville, Alabama. The site supports the station's full-power terrestrial coverage across central Alabama. During an earlier phase of its operation, the station maintained a studio on Rosedale Avenue in Gadsden, providing a local physical facility associated with its community of license. In 2000, TBN acquired the All American TV group outright. This transaction changed WTJP-TV from a station operated within an affiliated group into a station directly owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. The acquisition reinforced the station's role as part of TBN's national broadcast infrastructure and aligned its ownership with the network whose programming it had carried since its launch. WTJP-TV later underwent the technical changes associated with the United States digital television transition. TBN-owned full-power stations, including WTJP-TV, discontinued analog broadcasts on April 16, 2009. WTJP-TV's analog signal had used UHF channel 60. After the shutdown, its digital signal continued on pre-transition UHF channel 26, while the station retained virtual channel 60 for viewer-facing identification. The early shutdown occurred before the federal deadline that ultimately required full-power stations nationwide to complete the analog-to-digital transition. The station's former translator network included W51BY on channel 51 in Jasper and W46BU on channel 46 in Tuscaloosa. W46BU went silent on April 13, 2010. The end of that translator's service was associated with declining support following the digital transition, illustrating how changes in digital reception and distribution affected low-power relay facilities. A further operational change followed the FCC's repeal of the Main Studio Rule. The rule had required full-service television stations to maintain a main studio in or near their communities of license. After the rule was repealed, TBN closed several local studios in 2019, including WTJP-TV's Rosedale Avenue facility. The closure reduced the station's traditional local physical footprint while leaving its broadcast authorization, transmission infrastructure, and TBN ownership intact. WTJP-TV consequently represents a modern network-owned broadcast station whose principal public presence is its licensed channel and over-the-air service rather than a locally staffed studio operation.
- 2019
Gadsden studio closure
[1]TBN closed WTJP-TV's former Rosedale Avenue studio after the FCC repealed the Main Studio Rule.
- 2010
W46BU translator ceases operation
[1]The former Tuscaloosa translator W46BU went silent on April 13 amid declining support associated with the digital transition.
- 2009
Analog shutdown and digital continuation
[1]WTJP-TV stopped analog broadcasting on April 16 and continued digital transmission on UHF channel 26 using virtual channel 60.
- 2000
Direct acquisition by TBN
[1]Trinity Broadcasting Network acquired All American TV and its stations, including WTJP-TV.
- 1986
WTJP-TV signs on
[1]WTJP-TV began broadcasting on July 22 as a Gadsden-licensed TBN affiliate built by All American TV.
Products and positioning
A TBN-owned Christian television broadcaster serving Gadsden and the Birmingham-area market through a full-power over-the-air signal.
Television station · 1986
WTJP-TV terrestrial broadcast service
WTJP-TV is the station's principal broadcast offering: a full-power over-the-air television service licensed to Gadsden, Alabama, and serving the Birmingham area. The station transmits from Blount Mountain near Springville and is identified to viewers through virtual channel 60.
Digital television · 2009
WTJP-TV digital service
Following its analog shutdown in 2009, WTJP-TV continued as a digital television station on UHF channel 26 while preserving virtual channel 60. This service forms the technical basis of the station's current over-the-air identity.
Brand decisions
2019
Closure of local studio facilityStrategyBackground
The FCC repealed the Main Studio Rule, which had required full-service stations to maintain a main studio in or near their communities of license.
Action taken
TBN closed several station studios, including WTJP-TV's former facility on Rosedale Avenue in Gadsden.
Aftermath
WTJP-TV retained its broadcast and transmission operations without the former traditional local studio facility.
2009
Transition from analog to digital broadcastingGeneration changeBackground
United States full-power television stations were moving from analog transmission to digital broadcasting under federal transition requirements.
Action taken
WTJP-TV ended its analog signal on April 16 and continued digitally on UHF channel 26 under virtual channel 60.
Aftermath
The station continued as a digital full-power broadcaster, while former translator operations were affected by the changing reception environment.
2000
TBN acquires All American TVM&ABackground
WTJP-TV was originally built and operated by All American TV as part of a group of TBN affiliates.
Action taken
Trinity Broadcasting Network acquired the All American TV group outright, including WTJP-TV.
Aftermath
WTJP-TV became directly owned by TBN rather than remaining within the separate All American TV ownership structure.
Recent events
- 2019
TBN closes WTJP-TV local studio after FCC rule change[1]
Regulation
WTJP-TV's former Rosedale Avenue studio in Gadsden was closed during a group of TBN studio closures following the FCC's repeal of the Main Studio Rule.
- 2010
Former Tuscaloosa translator goes silent[1]
Other
Former translator W46BU in Tuscaloosa ceased operation on April 13, 2010; declining support connected with the digital transition was cited as a contributing factor.
- 2009
WTJP-TV ends analog transmission[1]
Product generation · Regulation
The station ended analog broadcasting on April 16, 2009, and continued digital service on UHF channel 26 while retaining virtual channel 60.
- 2000
TBN acquires All American TV station group[1]
M&A
Trinity Broadcasting Network acquired All American TV outright, bringing WTJP-TV into direct TBN ownership.
- 1986
WTJP-TV begins broadcasting[1]
Other
WTJP-TV signed on July 22, 1986, as a TBN-affiliated station built and operated by All American TV.
Sources2 sources
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