WXIA-TV Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==History== What is known today as WXIA-TV originally signed on the air September 30, 1951, at 5 p.m., as WLTV on [[VHF]] channel 8. It was the first full time [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate for Atlanta, taking it over from [[WSB-TV]] and [[WAGA-TV]] (channel 5), both originally primary NBC and [[CBS]] affiliates respectively that previously shared ABC programming as a secondary affiliation. It was the third Atlanta television station to sign-on after WSB-TV and WAGA, all signing on within a three-year time frame. Owned and operated by a group of Atlanta businessmen organized as Broadcasting, Inc., WLTV was indirectly born from the 1950 merger of [[Atlanta Journal-Constitution|Atlanta's two newspapers]]. ''The Atlanta Journal'' had originally owned channel 8 as WSB-TV, while ''The Atlanta Constitution'' held a construction permit for channel 2 as WCON-TV. Construction had already begun on the WCON-TV facilities when the Howell family, longtime owners of the ''Constitution'', sold their paper to [[Cox Enterprises]], owners of the ''Journal''. However, Cox had a problem. At the time, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) did not permit the sale of television station construction permits, considering it "trafficking". Cox had little option but to keep the WCON-TV construction permit rather than the already-operating WSB-TV.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1950/BC-1950-03-20.pdf|work=Broadcasting|date=March 20, 1950|access-date=February 20, 2020|page=23|title=Cox, Howell Merge: Affects Atlanta AM-TV}}</ref> As such, it announced plans to move the WSB-TV intellectual unit to the stronger channel 2 facility when it was completed and sell its channel 8 license, which was acquired by Broadcasting, Inc., for $525,000. The sale was challenged by applicants for additional stations that were affected by the then-ongoing freeze on new construction permits, including [[Georgia Tech]] (owners of [[WGKA|WGST]] radio)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45363812/|access-date=February 21, 2020|date=April 25, 1951|page=6|work=Atlanta Constitution|title=Tech Moves To Halt TV Sale Here|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> and [[Decatur, Georgia|Decatur]] radio station owner E.D. Rivers,{{r|authorizes}} in part because planned allocation changes meant that there would be no further commercial VHF stations for Atlanta, and they sought to operate the channel as well.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45318427/|title=Tech Seeks To Block TV Sale|date=June 23, 1951|agency=Associated Press|work=Atlanta Constitution|page=2|access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> The FCC dismissed the complaints and approved the sale of the channel 8 license to Broadcasting, Inc., in August 1951.<ref name="authorizes">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45318396/|work=Atlanta Constitution|page=1|title=FCC Authorizes Sale Of WSB-TV's Properties|access-date=February 21, 2020|date=August 10, 1951}}</ref> Testing for the new channel 2 began on September 25, 1951,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45318442/|title=WSB's TV Tops World In Coverage|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45318431/wsbtv/ 9]|date=September 26, 1951|work=Atlanta Constitution|first=Paul|last=Jones|access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> and WSB-TV moved there on September 30. Channel 8 returned at 5 p.m. that day as WLTV.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45356578/cox_alerts_tv_industry_to_major_duties/|title=Cox Alerts TV Industry to Major Duties In Dedicating Powerful Facilities of WSB|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45356547/wsbtv/ 3]|work=Atlanta Constitution|date=October 1, 1951|access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> Due to the way the transfer was structured legally, WXIA operates under the license originally granted to WSB-TV, while the current WSB-TV license dates from 1951.<ref name="hc">{{FCC letter|hcards=yes|callsign=WXIA-TV|letterid=87037}}</ref> Thus, the present-day channel 11 is the second-oldest broadcasting facility in the South; WSB-TV signed on in 1948, four months after [[WTVR-TV]] in [[Richmond, Virginia]]. Several more large changes would come for WLTV in the years that followed. When the FCC lifted its freeze on new TV stations with the Sixth Report and Order in April 1952, it made several changes to television allocations and substituted channel 11 for 8 at Atlanta, modifying WLTV's license to specify channel 11.{{r|hc}} The change coincided with the reallocation of channel 8 to [[non-commercial educational]] use at [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]] and mitigated interference with [[WTVC|channel 9]] at [[Rome, Georgia|Rome]]. The station would not change channels until September 1953, by which time Broadcasting, Inc., had sold WLTV to [[Cincinnati]]-based [[Crosley Broadcasting Corporation]]. In line with its other television stations, Crosley changed the call letters to WLWA (often rendered as "WLW-A") on March 3, 1953.{{r|hc}} In 1962, WLWA was purchased by [[Indianapolis]] businessman Richard Fairbanks, via his [[WIBC (FM)|WIBC, Inc.]], as part of a settlement between Crosley and Fairbanks. Crosley had started WLWI (now [[WTHR]]) in Indianapolis in 1957, but Fairbanks insisted that the last VHF allocation in Indianapolis should go to a local owner. Eventually, the two companies agreed to what amounted to a trade, in which Crosley kept WLWI while Fairbanks bought WLWA. The Atlanta station's call sign then became WAII-TV, using the slogan "The Eyes of Atlanta" and the calls standing for "Atlanta's 11" (II). The station was sold to Pacific & Southern Broadcasting in 1968 and on March 23 became known as WQXI-TV, aligning it with [[WQXI (AM)|WQXI AM]] and FM (the calls had originally been used on channel 36, currently [[WATL]], from 1954 to 1955). Pacific & Southern later merged with Combined Communications Corporation; the merged company could not purchase both WQXI radio and television, as the FCC had barred new radio-television combinations in top 50 markets.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1973/1973-04-23-BC.pdf|accessdate=September 22, 2021|date=April 23, 1973|work=Broadcasting|title=P&S goes under wing of CCC|pages=22–23}}</ref> The radio stations were sold to [[Lincoln Financial Media|Jefferson-Pilot Broadcasting]]; as a result of the split, the station assumed the WXIA-TV call letters on December 24, 1973.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85940025/new-call-letters-for-wqxi-tv/|accessdate=September 24, 2021|title=New Call Letters For WQXI-TV|work=The Atlanta Constitution|page=7-T|date=December 22, 1973}}</ref> On September 20, 1976, WXIA first adopted "11 Alive" as its on-air branding, as part of Combined's practice of using the word "Alive" as part of the brand of most of their stations (two stations not owned by Combined also adopted the "11 Alive" branding that same year, then-[[independent station]] [[WPIX]] (now a [[The CW|CW]] affiliate) in [[New York City]]—which used the brand until 1986, and NBC affiliate WIIC in [[Pittsburgh]], now [[WPXI]]—which used it until 1979). In 1979, Combined merged with the [[Gannett Company]] in what became the largest media merger in history up to that time. Following the acquisition, most of the former Combined stations stopped using the "Alive" brand, though WXIA continued to call itself "11 Alive".{{fact|date=August 2023}} On September 1, 1980, WXIA swapped affiliations with WSB-TV and became an NBC affiliate. This move could be traced to ratings: NBC slid to a very poor third place; meanwhile, ABC was in first place for most of the late 1970s and was seeking out affiliates with higher viewership in many markets, including Atlanta. ABC thus jumped at the chance to affiliate with longtime market leader WSB-TV. Some network daytime programs switched stations in August, before the full affiliation switch occurred. In August 1994, Gannett dropped the "11 Alive" moniker as part of the introduction of new on-air graphics for its newscasts and promos; however, the brand was so well established in Atlanta that viewer outcry forced Gannett to restore it after only a month; even so, the "11 Alive" brand was not fully restored until 1996, when the ''11 Alive News'' title was restored for its newscasts (which were retitled ''11 News'' with the removal of the "11 Alive" brand).{{fact|date=August 2023}} On June 5, 2006, Gannett entered into an agreement to purchase WATL from the [[Tribune Company]] for $180 million, creating Atlanta's first television [[duopoly (broadcasting)|duopoly]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.11alive.com/error/404?storyid=80620|title=Access Denied|website=www.11alive.com|accessdate=<!-- November 27, 2022 -->}}</ref> the sale was finalized on August 7, 2006. WATL occasionally airs NBC programs when WXIA is not able due to extended breaking news and severe weather coverage, or special programming. As a result of the WATL acquisition, WXIA management decided to house the combined operation at WATL's facility at One Monroe Place, leaving WXIA's longtime studios at 1611 West [[Peachtree Street]]; WXIA and WATL began broadcasting from the new studios on July 27, 2008. Around the first week of October 2012, Gannett entered a [[Carriage dispute|dispute]] against [[Dish Network]] regarding [[Retransmission consent|compensation]] fees and Dish's AutoHop commercial-skip feature on its Hopper [[digital video recorder]]s. Gannett ordered that Dish discontinue AutoHop on the account that it is affecting advertising revenues for WXIA and WATL. Gannett threatened to pull both stations should the skirmish continue beyond October 7 and Dish and Gannett fail to reach an agreement.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Loose|first=Ashley|title=DISH customers may lose Gannett programming, including 12 News KPNX, over AutoHop feature|url=http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/dish-customers-may-lose-gannett-programming-including-12-news-kpnx-over-autohop-feature|access-date=October 6, 2012|publisher=[[KNXV-TV]]|date=October 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011013154/http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/dish-customers-may-lose-gannett-programming-including-12-news-kpnx-over-autohop-feature|archive-date=October 11, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Vuong|first=Andy|title=Gannett threatening to black out stations in its dispute with Dish|url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_21710959/gannett-threatening-black-out-stations-its-dispute-dish|access-date=October 6, 2012|newspaper=[[Denver Post]]|date=October 6, 2012}}</ref> The two parties eventually reached an agreement after extending the deadline for a few hours.<ref>{{cite news|last=Warner|first=Melodie|title=Dish, Gannett Reach New Deal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444897304578044401930225948|access-date=October 8, 2012|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=October 8, 2012}}</ref> On June 29, 2015, the Gannett Company split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. WXIA and WATL were retained by the latter company, named [[Tegna, Inc.|Tegna]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Separation of Gannett into two public companies completed {{!}} TEGNA|url = http://www.tegna.com/separation-of-gannett-into-two-public-companies-completed/|publisher=Tegna|access-date = June 29, 2015}}</ref> On January 24, 2019, WXIA debuted a new station logo for the first time in 26 years; the "11" in the new logo is similar to [[Louisville]] sister station [[WHAS-TV]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Atlanta station gets chunky, less lively new logo design |url=https://www.newscaststudio.com/2019/01/24/11-alive-wxia-new-logo/ |access-date=January 31, 2019 |work=www.newscaststudio.com |date=January 24, 2019}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page