WZRB

WZRB is a full-power television station licensed to Columbia, South Carolina, and identified with virtual channel 47. The station serves the Columbia television market and currently carries programming from the Ion Television network. Its transmitter facilities are located on Cushman Drive near U.S. Route 1 on the northeast side of Columbia. WZRB signed on January 1, 2005, as the sixth commercial television station to launch in the Columbia market. It was established by St. Louis-based Roberts Broadcasting and initially affiliated with UPN. Before WZRB began broadcasting, Columbia-area viewers had received some UPN programming through WBHQ, a Sumter-licensed WB affiliate that carried UPN shows on a secondary basis and with a delay. That arrangement ended in August 2004, leaving the market without a regular UPN outlet for a period before WZRB's launch. The station's first major network change came in 2006, when UPN and The WB were discontinued and replaced by The CW. WZRB became Columbia's CW affiliate when the new network launched on September 18, 2006. The market's other relevant affiliation shifted at the same time: WKTC became a MyNetworkTV affiliate when that service launched earlier in September. WZRB remained associated with The CW for several years and carried the network's programming alongside syndicated and locally scheduled material. Roberts Broadcasting later encountered financial difficulties and entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. In late 2013, a proposed sale of WZRB to Radiant Light Ministries, a subsidiary of Tri-State Christian Television, was overtaken by a bankruptcy-court-approved structure involving a trust overseen by former LIN Media chief executive Gary Chapman. Ion Media Networks, itself a Roberts creditor, was designated as beneficiary and subsequently managed the station. On February 10, 2014, WZRB changed its primary affiliation from The CW to Ion Television. During the first month of the transition, it continued to air selected CW programming as a temporary secondary affiliation, reducing the amount of Ion programming shown during parts of the schedule. That interim arrangement ended on March 17, 2014, when WKTC assumed the CW affiliation and WZRB began carrying the full Ion schedule. Ownership arrangements remained unsettled for several years. Cedar Creek Broadcasting agreed in January 2015 to acquire WZRB and Roberts sister station WRBU for $6 million, with Ion continuing to provide services and the stations remaining Ion affiliates. The transaction was delayed during the 2016 election season and was ultimately terminated in 2017. Ion Media then announced that it would acquire WZRB and WRBU from the Chapman-controlled, Ion-managed trust, after regulatory restrictions affecting the purchase had been repealed. The transaction closed on October 19, 2017. Technically, WZRB completed a digital flash-cut during the week of January 19, 2009, switching off its analog signal and activating its digital transmission rather than operating a separate digital companion channel. The Federal Communications Commission initially canceled the station's license in March 2011 because of a filing issue involving the digital license-to-cover process. Roberts Broadcasting appealed, and the FCC reinstated the license in April 2011 after accepting that the relevant filings had been improperly handled during the digital transition. WZRB's present identity is primarily that of a local Ion Television outlet rather than a separately programmed general-entertainment station. Its network affiliation, transmitter operation, regulatory licensing, and ownership have changed over time, while its core role has remained service to viewers in and around Columbia, South Carolina.

WZRB began broadcasting on January 1, 2005, under the ownership of Roberts Broadcasting, a St. Louis-based broadcaster. Licensed to Columbia, South Carolina, it became the sixth commercial television station serving the Columbia market. Its initial affiliation was UPN. Before the station launched, UPN programs had been available in the area only through a secondary arrangement with WBHQ, a Sumter-licensed WB affiliate. WBHQ ended that secondary UPN relationship in August 2004, creating a local programming gap that WZRB filled when it signed on. The station's first network transition followed the decision by Warner Bros. and CBS to close The WB and UPN and establish The CW. WZRB joined The CW when the network launched on September 18, 2006. WKTC, another station serving the market, became affiliated with MyNetworkTV earlier that month. During its CW period, WZRB carried network programs together with syndicated programming and other scheduled content. Roberts Broadcasting's financial problems led to Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and complicated the station's ownership. In December 2013, Roberts filed an application proposing a sale of WZRB to Radiant Light Ministries, associated with Tri-State Christian Television. Shortly afterward, a bankruptcy court gave preliminary approval to a different arrangement under which WZRB and sister stations WRBU and WAZE-LP would be transferred to a trust overseen by Gary Chapman, the former chief executive of LIN Media. Ion Media Networks, a Roberts creditor, was named beneficiary and later became the prospective purchaser and operating partner. On February 10, 2014, WZRB became an Ion Television affiliate. The change initially involved an unusual transition schedule: Ion programming occupied most of the broadcast day, but WZRB continued to carry CW programs, including prime-time shows, as a temporary secondary affiliation. This reduced the amount of Ion programming during portions of the daytime and prime-time schedule. The interim arrangement ended on March 17, 2014, when WKTC took the CW affiliation and WZRB adopted the full Ion schedule. A further ownership proposal emerged in January 2015, when Cedar Creek Broadcasting agreed to acquire WZRB and WRBU for $6 million. Ion was expected to continue providing services, and the stations were expected to remain Ion affiliates. The transaction was delayed during the 2016 election season and was terminated in May 2017. Ion Media announced a month later that it would acquire the stations from the Chapman-controlled trust after regulatory restrictions that had previously prevented the purchase were repealed. The sale closed on October 19, 2017. WZRB also underwent a significant technical transition. Because it received an original construction permit after the FCC's digital allotment plan had been finalized, it did not receive a separate companion channel for digital television. Instead, it performed a digital flash-cut during the week of January 19, 2009, ending analog transmission and beginning digital operation. In March 2011, the FCC initially canceled the station's license because Roberts had not properly filed either a license-to-cover application or an extension related to the digital construction permit. Roberts appealed, arguing that the filing problem arose from the digital-transition process. The FCC accepted the appeal and reinstated WZRB's license on April 19, 2011. WZRB is now part of Ion Media, which is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. It continues to operate as an Ion Television station serving Columbia and surrounding communities. The station's identity has therefore evolved from a locally launched UPN outlet, through a CW affiliation and a bankruptcy-related ownership restructuring, into a network-focused Ion Television station.

• 2017

  Ion Media acquisition closes

  [1]WZRBen.wikipedia.org

  Ion Media completes its acquisition of WZRB from the Chapman-controlled trust on October 19.

• 2014

  Switch to Ion Television

  [1]WZRBen.wikipedia.org

  WZRB becomes an Ion affiliate on February 10 and later carries the network's complete schedule after WKTC resumes the CW affiliation.

• 2011

  FCC license reinstatement

  [1]WZRBen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC reinstates WZRB's license after Roberts Broadcasting successfully challenges an initial cancellation related to digital filing requirements.

• 2009

  Digital flash-cut

  [1]WZRBen.wikipedia.org

  The station turns off its analog signal and activates digital transmission during the U.S. digital television transition.

• 2006

  Affiliation with The CW begins

  [1]WZRBen.wikipedia.org

  WZRB becomes Columbia's CW affiliate when the network launches on September 18, replacing UPN.

• 2005

  WZRB begins broadcasting

  [1]WZRBen.wikipedia.org

  WZRB signs on January 1 as a UPN affiliate and becomes the sixth commercial television station in the Columbia, South Carolina market.

A local broadcast outlet delivering the Ion Television network to the Columbia, South Carolina television market.

• Television network service · 2014

  Ion Television programming

  WZRB's primary offering is the Ion Television schedule, distributed over the station's digital broadcast signal to viewers in the Columbia, South Carolina market. Following the end of its temporary CW secondary arrangement in 2014, the station adopted the complete Ion schedule as its principal programming service.

• Digital television broadcasting · 2009

  WZRB over-the-air broadcast service

  The station provides a terrestrial digital television signal from transmitter facilities on Cushman Drive near U.S. Route 1 in northeast Columbia. WZRB completed a digital flash-cut during the 2009 transition rather than operating a separate digital companion channel.

• 2017

  Ion Media acquisitionM&A

  Background

  A proposed Cedar Creek Broadcasting purchase was terminated after regulatory and timing delays, leaving the station in the Chapman-controlled, Ion-managed trust.

  Action taken

  Ion Media purchased WZRB from the trust after previously restrictive regulations were repealed; the transaction closed on October 19.

  Aftermath

  WZRB became directly owned by Ion Media and continued as an Ion Television affiliate.

  Source

• 2014

  Switch to Ion TelevisionStrategy

  Background

  Roberts Broadcasting was in bankruptcy proceedings, and Ion Media became involved in the trust and management structure governing WZRB.

  Action taken

  WZRB adopted Ion Television as its primary affiliation on February 10, temporarily retaining selected CW programs before moving to the full Ion schedule on March 17.

  Aftermath

  WKTC took the CW affiliation, while WZRB became a full-time Ion Television station.

  Source

• 2006

  Join The CWStrategy

  Background

  UPN and The WB were being replaced by The CW, creating a new affiliation structure in the Columbia television market.

  Action taken

  WZRB changed from UPN to The CW when the new network launched on September 18, 2006.

  Aftermath

  WZRB carried The CW for several years while WKTC became the market's MyNetworkTV outlet.

  Source

1. 1WZRBen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ion Televisioniontelevision.com