WJSP-TV
Encyclopedia
WJSP-TV 23 part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting
(GPB) Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) member Public broadcasting
network, serves Columbus, Georgia
and the surrounding west-central Georgia
and far east-central Alabama
region. The transmitter
and radio antenna are located just south of Warm Springs
on the same radio tower
as WJSP-FM
88.1. It's one of only two GPB stations actually licensed to
a major Georgia city, the other being WVAN-TV
in Savannah
. However, to conform to GPB's pattern of naming two cities in station IDs, the station's shown as "WJSP-DT 28, Columbus/Warm Springs".
The station's signal travels in about a 45-mile (75 km) radius from the transmitter site, though this is variable since it uses a directional antenna
.http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=TV153698.html The signal also reaches far south-southwest metro Atlanta
, and is a better source for GPB in that area than its main station, WGTV
.
WJSP primarily serves the northern and central part of the Columbus TV market. The southern part of the Columbus market, as well as much of Columbus itself, is served by Dawson's WACS-TV
. While WJSP is the official GPB station for Columbus, its signal is marginal at best in much of the city.
The station had originally chosen to return to channel 28 for digital TV during the first-round digital channel election
, but due to an interference conflict it was forced to remain permanently on channel 23.
There was also one broadcast translator, W49AD, channel 49 in downtown Carrollton
, in the southwest corner of the Atlanta market. That translator's digital companion channel is W13DJ-D on channel 13, on-air since July/August 2009, but officially relaying WGTV. It is east-southeast of town, immediately southeast of the Oak Mountain Championship Golf Course.
The channel 28 frequency was originally home to WTVM
from 1953 to 1960, when it moved to channel 9.
WJSP's callsign is from the initial
s of long-time Georgia legislator
and member of the state's board of education
, James S. Peters of Manchester, Georgia
.
}
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting is the public broadcasting radio and television state network in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission....
(GPB) Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS) member Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
network, serves Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
and the surrounding west-central Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and far east-central Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
region. The transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
and radio antenna are located just south of Warm Springs
Warm Springs, Georgia
Warm Springs is a city in Meriwether County, Georgia, United States. The population was 478 at the 2010 census.-History:Warm Springs first came to prominence in the 19th century as a spa town, due to its mineral springs which flow constantly at nearly 32 °C...
on the same radio tower
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
as WJSP-FM
WJSP-FM
The following are former translators for this station, listed under current callsign but their former data at the time:- External links :*...
88.1. It's one of only two GPB stations actually licensed to
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
a major Georgia city, the other being WVAN-TV
WVAN-TV
WVAN-TV channel 9 is a non-commercial educational television station located in Savannah, Georgia, USA. WVAN-TV is part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting public television network and carries programming from PBS, GPB and other sources...
in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. However, to conform to GPB's pattern of naming two cities in station IDs, the station's shown as "WJSP-DT 28, Columbus/Warm Springs".
The station's signal travels in about a 45-mile (75 km) radius from the transmitter site, though this is variable since it uses a directional antenna
Directional antenna
A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates greater power in one or more directions allowing for increased performance on transmit and receive and reduced interference from unwanted sources....
.http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=TV153698.html The signal also reaches far south-southwest metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
, and is a better source for GPB in that area than its main station, WGTV
WGTV
WGTV channel 8 is the metro Atlanta station and flagship for Georgia Public Broadcasting , Georgia's Public Broadcasting Service Public television network....
.
WJSP primarily serves the northern and central part of the Columbus TV market. The southern part of the Columbus market, as well as much of Columbus itself, is served by Dawson's WACS-TV
WACS-TV
WACS-TV, part of the GPB network, is Georgia's ninth public television station, and primarily serves the southern part of the Columbus market, including Dawson and Americus. WACS' transmitter is located north of Parrott, Georgia...
. While WJSP is the official GPB station for Columbus, its signal is marginal at best in much of the city.
The station had originally chosen to return to channel 28 for digital TV during the first-round digital channel election
Digital channel election
A digital channel election was the process by which television stations in the United States chose which physical radio-frequency TV channel they would permanently use after the analog shutdown in 2009. The process was managed and mandated by the Federal Communications Commission for all...
, but due to an interference conflict it was forced to remain permanently on channel 23.
There was also one broadcast translator, W49AD, channel 49 in downtown Carrollton
Carrollton, Georgia
Carrollton is a city in West Georgia, United States, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,388...
, in the southwest corner of the Atlanta market. That translator's digital companion channel is W13DJ-D on channel 13, on-air since July/August 2009, but officially relaying WGTV. It is east-southeast of town, immediately southeast of the Oak Mountain Championship Golf Course.
History
WJSP-TV signed on August 10, 1964 as the fifth public television station in Georgia. Its somewhat reduced-power digital signal, on channel 23, began in 2003. In 2009, analog transmissions permanently ceased at midnight on the night of February 17.The channel 28 frequency was originally home to WTVM
WTVM
WTVM is the ABC-affiliated television station for Columbus, Georgia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter in Cusseta. The station can also be seen on Charter, Knology, and Mediacom channel 10...
from 1953 to 1960, when it moved to channel 9.
WJSP's callsign is from the initial
Initial
In a written or published work, an initial is a letter at the beginning of a work, a chapter, or a paragraph that is larger than the rest of the text. The word is derived from the Latin initialis, which means standing at the beginning...
s of long-time Georgia legislator
Georgia General Assembly
The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, being composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate....
and member of the state's board of education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, James S. Peters of Manchester, Georgia
Manchester, Georgia
Manchester is a city located in Meriwether and Talbot Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia, although primarily in Meriwether. The population was 3,769 at the 2010 census.-Demographics:...
.
External links
- GPB Website
- GPB stations map — includes WJSP coverage area
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