WPCT explained

Callsign:WPCT
Branding:Beach TV
Digital:33 (UHF)
Virtual:46
Country:United States
Founded:July 2, 1986
Location:Panama City Beach, Florida
Callsign Meaning:W Panama City Television
Former Callsigns:W46AN (1986–1996)
Owner:Beach TV Properties, Inc.
Sister Stations:WPFN-CD
Erp:160 kW
Haat:720NaN0
Facility Id:4354
Coordinates:30.1815°N -85.78°W
Licensing Authority:FCC

WPCT (channel 46) is a television station in Panama City Beach, Florida, United States, which broadcasts information for local tourists. Owned by Beach TV Properties, Inc., the station maintains transmitter facilities on Warner Avenue (off Front Beach Road) just east of Panama City Beach.

History

The station was founded on July 2, 1986, and began broadcasting on April 3, 1989. It was originally an independent station before becoming the UPN affiliate for the Panama City market on January 16, 1995. It aired tourist information during the overnight hours and carried some syndicated talk shows, drama series, movies, and off-network sitcoms during the day outside of prime time network programming until 1998, when UPN was dropped in favor of 24-hour tourist info programming.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Channel! scope = "col"
Res.AspectShort nameProgramming
46.1 720p 16:9 WPCT-DT Tourist Info
46.2 480i OUTSIDE Outside TV
46.3 DEFY Defy TV
46.4 NEWSY Scripps News
46.5 GETTV Get
46.6 NEWSMAX Newsmax TV
46.7BUZZR Buzzr

Analog-to-digital conversion

WPCT shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 46, on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 47,[1] using virtual channel 46.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds . PDF . March 24, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf . August 29, 2013 .