WGCT-CD explained

Callsign:WGCT-CD
Digital:8 (VHF)
Virtual:39
Affiliations:TCT
Founded:November 10, 1983
Airdate:September 30, 1985[1]
Location:Columbus, Ohio
Country:United States
Sister Stations:WOCB-CD, WXCB-CD, WQIZ-LD
Owner:Central Ohio Association of Christian Broadcasters, Inc.
Erp:3 kW
Haat:980NaN0
Facility Id:66172
Class:CD
Coordinates:39.9711°N -83.0278°W
Licensing Authority:FCC

WGCT-CD (channel 39) is a low-power, Class A television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with Tri-State Christian Television (TCT). The station is owned by the Central Ohio Association of Christian Broadcasters, and is relayed on WOCB-CD in Marion, WXCB-CD in Delaware and WQIZ-LD in Ashland.

History

W08BV era (1983–1998)

In 1983, the station's construction permit was assigned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The station began broadcasting in 1985, under the callsign of W08BV, as the first low-power television station in the Columbus media market. In its first years on the air, it aired syndicated programming, and it also boasted an in-house sports broadcasting unit. Sports coverage on W08BV included football and basketball games involving more than 30 high schools in the area, mainly in Franklin County. It also held a contract to cover Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball, women's gymnastics, as well as hockey and wrestling.[2]

WINJ-LP/WGCT-CA era (1998–2010)

It changed its calls to WINJ-LP ("We're Into Jesus") in 1998 and WGCT-CA in 2006. Prior to the purchase by its current owners, the station showed a variety of programs, the bulk of which were old public domain movies, old cartoons, and religious programs, as well as children's programming created by the station.[3] Former owner Ella Flowers (1938–2017)[4] [5] was featured prominently in many of the musical and religious programs.[6] The animated segments produced by Flowers would later gain some notoriety online after a few clips of the program were uploaded to YouTube back in 2007 with no context as to their production or origins, with one upload titling the show as the Pink Morning Cartoon. Eventually, the uploads of these animated segments would be brought to the attention of many on the Internet, which set forth a search for any information and more potential footage of the cartoon.

WGCT-CD era (2010–present)

The station switched to digital on June 13, 2010, and changed its call letters to WGCT-CD. It previously broadcast at 83 watts, but has recently increased its power to 3,000 watts.

The station is not available on any local cable TV outlets. Even with the power increase, its signal is limited to the immediate Columbus area.[7]

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WGCT-CD[8] ! Channel! Res.! Aspect! Short name! Programming
39.1COACB TCT
39.2BUZZR Buzzr
39.3DAYSTAR Daystar
39.4VICTORY Victory Network
39.5POSITIV Positiv
39.6SHOPLC Shop LC
39.7TBA [Blank]
39.8RADIO COACB Radio
39.9GLTV Greater Love TV
39.10FUNROAD Fun Roads

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CHANNEL 8, W08BV . univdistcol . August 9, 2023.
  2. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-LPTV/LPTV-Report/LPTV-Report-1989.pdf LPTV Report, June 1989
  3. Web site: WINJ-TV Local Program Listing .
  4. Web site: July 21, 2017. Ella Louise Flowers Obituary. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200906190248/https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/ella-flowers-obituary?pid=186150684. September 6, 2020. Legacy.com.
  5. Web site: Obituary for Ella Louise Flowers. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200707123930/https://www.cookandsonpallay.com/obituary/ELLA-FLOWERS. July 7, 2020. September 6, 2020. Cook & Son–Pallay Funeral Home. en.
  6. Web site: WINJ-TV Gospel 2000 .
  7. Web site: RabbitEars Contour Map for WGCT-CD. RabbitEars.info. April 29, 2024.
  8. Web site: Digital TV Market Listing for WGCT-CD . RabbitEars.info.