WDBD
Encyclopedia
WDBD is the Fox-affiliated television station
for Jackson, Mississippi
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on Thigpen Road in Raymond
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 434. Owned by Roundtable Broadcasting, WDBD operates MyNetworkTV
affiliate WUFX
(owned by Vicksburg Broadcasting, LLC) through a local marketing agreement
(LMA). The two outlets share facilities on Leggett Drive (official address is One Great Place) in Jackson next to the studios of ABC
affiliate WAPT. Syndicated
programming on this station includes American Dad, Family Guy
, Two and a Half Men
, and The Big Bang Theory
among others.
as the market
's first Independent outlet. It was also the first television station in Mississippi
to not be affiliated with a network. In February 1988, WDBD became the area's first Fox affiliate although the forth broadcast network had launched back in October 1986. The station switched to The WB
in October 2001 leaving Jackson without an over-the-air Fox affiliate for the next two years. It would not be until September 2003 when WUFX signed-on in nearby Vicksburg
and became the area's second Fox affiliate.
In January and February 2006, respectively, it was announced that the UPN
and WB networks would merge together and form The CW
while News Corporation
(owner of Fox) made public another new programming service called MyNetworkTV would start up as well. UPN affiliate WRBJ was announced as Jackson's CW affiliate while WUFX eventually joined MyNetworkTV. In advance of switching to the latter network, WUFX and WDBD swapped affiliations. On July 3, 2006, the former picked up The WB but began identifying itself on-air as "My 35" in anticipation of joining the new service. Meanwhile, WDBD rejoined Fox for a second time and became known as "Fox 40". On May 4, 2009, the station made the switchover to digital after turning-off its analog signal.
It then moved its digital signal back to the previous analog channel allotment. WDBD increased the new digital signal's power to full-powered as opposed to the special temporary authority
operation before the switchover. That change was needed because its previous VHF digital signal had a tough time reaching the outer suburbs of Jackson. The current UHF signal pushes well into the Monroe, Louisiana
market to the west and the Greenwood
/Greenville
/Cleveland
DMA to the north. WDBD and WUFX were sold by previous owner Jackson Television to Roundtable Broadcasting in early-2010. However, its licensee listing with the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) still says Jackson Television. Marc Jaromin is the station's current President
/General Manager
. Fellow Fox affiliate WNTZ-TV in nearby Natchez
technically serves the Alexandria, Louisiana
market (through a low-powered repeater
) but shares some of its coverage territory with WDBD. WNTZ also maintains a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation and therefore encroaches on WUFX's home territory as well.
in Gulfport
. Likewise, it featured regional news and weather coverage despite being produced at this station's studios in Jackson. Due to low ratings
and inconsistent viewership, the program was dropped from both outlets after only a year. In August 2008, WDBD established a second news department and added a thirty minute prime time show. Known as Fox 40 News at 9, this was originally seen every night. After a short period of time, however, weekend broadcasts were dropped due to inadequate resources. On January 24, 2009, the weeknight newscast began airing in high definition resulting in the station becoming Jackson's first television outlet to make the upgrade. With the change came a new logo and updated graphics package based on the theme seen on Fox owned-and-operated station
s.
In April 2010, WDBD added two weeknight newscasts both thirty minutes in length. The early evening show, known as Fox 40 News at 6, directly competed with news seen on the area's big three stations. This would subsequently be dropped for Fox 40 News at 5:30 which airs against the national evening network broadcasts. The late night program, called Fox 40 News at 10 on My 35, airs on sister station WUFX and also competes with the area's big three outlets. A further expansion occurred on January 17, 2011 after WDBD launched a weekday morning show called Fox 40 & Friends (name adapted from Fox & Friends
which can be seen at the same time on Fox News Channel
).
The broadcast (currently known as Fox 40 A.M.) airs for two hours from 7 until 9 providing a local alternative to the national morning shows. There are news headlines, weather forecasts, and traffic updates included in the production but the majority of time consists of various entertainment/lifestyle features (including cooking demonstrations conducted from a fully functional kitchen). To correspond with the addition, the weeknight prime time show at 9 was reformatted. It now includes a fast-paced segment featuring the top stories of the day and a complete weather forecast in the first nine minutes before a commercial break. At some point in time, there may be an expansion of newscasts on weekday mornings and weekends although no actual plans have been announced yet.
STORMTRACK 40 HD Meteorologists
Sports (all seen on Sports Deck)
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on Thigpen Road in Raymond
Raymond, Mississippi
Raymond is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,664. Raymond is one of the two county seats of Hinds County and is the home of the main campus of Hinds Community College....
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 434. Owned by Roundtable Broadcasting, WDBD operates MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WUFX
WUFX
WUFX is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Jackson, Mississippi licensed to Vicksburg. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from a transmitter on Thigpen Road in Raymond. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 11...
(owned by Vicksburg Broadcasting, LLC) through a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LMA). The two outlets share facilities on Leggett Drive (official address is One Great Place) in Jackson next to the studios of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate WAPT. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on this station includes American Dad, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, and The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
among others.
Digital programming
On WDBD-DT2 and Comcast channel 15 is Me-TV.| Channel | Name | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.1 | WDBD-HD | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
main WDBD programming/Fox (HD) |
| 40.2 | WDBD-DT2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | "Me-TV Jackson" (SD) |
History
The station began broadcasting on February 28, 19831983 in television
The year 1983 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1983.For the American TV schedule, see: 1983-84 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
as the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
's first Independent outlet. It was also the first television station in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
to not be affiliated with a network. In February 1988, WDBD became the area's first Fox affiliate although the forth broadcast network had launched back in October 1986. The station switched to The WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
in October 2001 leaving Jackson without an over-the-air Fox affiliate for the next two years. It would not be until September 2003 when WUFX signed-on in nearby Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
and became the area's second Fox affiliate.
In January and February 2006, respectively, it was announced that the UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
and WB networks would merge together and form The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
while News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
(owner of Fox) made public another new programming service called MyNetworkTV would start up as well. UPN affiliate WRBJ was announced as Jackson's CW affiliate while WUFX eventually joined MyNetworkTV. In advance of switching to the latter network, WUFX and WDBD swapped affiliations. On July 3, 2006, the former picked up The WB but began identifying itself on-air as "My 35" in anticipation of joining the new service. Meanwhile, WDBD rejoined Fox for a second time and became known as "Fox 40". On May 4, 2009, the station made the switchover to digital after turning-off its analog signal.
It then moved its digital signal back to the previous analog channel allotment. WDBD increased the new digital signal's power to full-powered as opposed to the special temporary authority
Special temporary authority
In U.S. broadcast law, a special temporary authorization or special temporary authority is a type of broadcast license which temporarily allows a broadcast station to operate outside of its normal technical or legal parameters...
operation before the switchover. That change was needed because its previous VHF digital signal had a tough time reaching the outer suburbs of Jackson. The current UHF signal pushes well into the Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
market to the west and the Greenwood
Greenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta approximately 96 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, and 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The population was 15,205 at the 2010 census. It is the...
/Greenville
Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...
/Cleveland
Cleveland, Mississippi
Cleveland is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 census.Cleveland has a fairly large commercial economy, with numerous restaurants, stores, and services along U.S. Highway 61...
DMA to the north. WDBD and WUFX were sold by previous owner Jackson Television to Roundtable Broadcasting in early-2010. However, its licensee listing with the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) still says Jackson Television. Marc Jaromin is the station's current President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
/General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
. Fellow Fox affiliate WNTZ-TV in nearby Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
technically serves the Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
market (through a low-powered repeater
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
) but shares some of its coverage territory with WDBD. WNTZ also maintains a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation and therefore encroaches on WUFX's home territory as well.
News operation
In the early-1990s, WDBD aired a local newscast called Mississippi News Tonight which was simulcasted on WXXV-TVWXXV-TV
WXXV-TV, digital channel 48, is the Fox affiliate for the Biloxi/Gulfport television market, licensed to Gulfport. The station is owned by Morris Multimedia and maps to virtual channel 25 via PSIP...
in Gulfport
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
. Likewise, it featured regional news and weather coverage despite being produced at this station's studios in Jackson. Due to low ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and inconsistent viewership, the program was dropped from both outlets after only a year. In August 2008, WDBD established a second news department and added a thirty minute prime time show. Known as Fox 40 News at 9, this was originally seen every night. After a short period of time, however, weekend broadcasts were dropped due to inadequate resources. On January 24, 2009, the weeknight newscast began airing in high definition resulting in the station becoming Jackson's first television outlet to make the upgrade. With the change came a new logo and updated graphics package based on the theme seen on Fox owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
s.
In April 2010, WDBD added two weeknight newscasts both thirty minutes in length. The early evening show, known as Fox 40 News at 6, directly competed with news seen on the area's big three stations. This would subsequently be dropped for Fox 40 News at 5:30 which airs against the national evening network broadcasts. The late night program, called Fox 40 News at 10 on My 35, airs on sister station WUFX and also competes with the area's big three outlets. A further expansion occurred on January 17, 2011 after WDBD launched a weekday morning show called Fox 40 & Friends (name adapted from Fox & Friends
Fox & Friends
Fox & Friends is an American morning television show on the Fox News Channel.-History:The show begins at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time with the latest Fox News Live headlines and analyzes the news of the morning...
which can be seen at the same time on Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
).
The broadcast (currently known as Fox 40 A.M.) airs for two hours from 7 until 9 providing a local alternative to the national morning shows. There are news headlines, weather forecasts, and traffic updates included in the production but the majority of time consists of various entertainment/lifestyle features (including cooking demonstrations conducted from a fully functional kitchen). To correspond with the addition, the weeknight prime time show at 9 was reformatted. It now includes a fast-paced segment featuring the top stories of the day and a complete weather forecast in the first nine minutes before a commercial break. At some point in time, there may be an expansion of newscasts on weekday mornings and weekends although no actual plans have been announced yet.
News team
News anchors and reporters- Joy Redmond - weeknights
- C.E. Huffman - weekday mornings
- Nicole Cyprian - Assignment EditorAssignment editorIn journalism, an assignment editor is an editor – either at a newspaper, or radio or television station – who selects, develops and plans reporting assignments, either news events or feature stories, to be covered by reporters.....
and reporter - Courtney Ann Jackson - reporter
- Deshundra Jefferson - reporter
- Kylee Knoles - reporter
STORMTRACK 40 HD Meteorologists
- Dave Roberts (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights - Lindsey Slater - weekday mornings and "Pet of the Week" segment producer
- Mike MacGown (NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seal of Approval) - fill-in
Sports (all seen on Sports Deck)
- Travis Recek - DirectorSports DirectorA sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
seen weeknights and "Who's Next" segment producer - Jon Wiener - multimedia journalist and news producer
- Chuck Stinson - reporter