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This is
the history of Atlanta TV. A very busy TV market since 1948. The 1948
radio
world had only 7 AM stations in Atlanta WSB-AM750 WGST-AM920 WATL-AM1380 WQXI-AM790 WCON-AM550 WAGA-AM590 WBGE-AM1340 (in suburbia-Rome-WLAQ-AM670 WROM-AM710 WRGA-AM1470 WGAU-AM1340/Athens WGGA-AM1080/Gainesville WMOC-AM1490/Covington WHBF-AM1450/Cartersville and WKEU-AM1450/Griffin FM was not doing well but Atlanta did have the following 4 FM stations on the air: WABE-FM/90.1 WATL-FM/97.5 WGST-FM/94.1 WBGE-FM/95.5 plus Cedartown's WGAA-FM/96.1 and Rome's WRGA-FM/106.5 (96.1 later came to Atlanta and 106.5 went to Chattanooga)
off to TV Land:
1948 WSB/8 signs on (NBC/ABC/CBS/Dumont)(The Atlanta
Journal) The TV Station was originally at "White Columns" site where the new building is today
1949 WAGA/5 signs on (CBS/DuMont) (WSB/8 becomes NBC/ABC)
WAGA the dog premieres (originally in a house on West Peachtree) 1950 Testing begins on WCON/2(The Atlanta Constitution) (There was a WCON radio/550 also) The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution merge (a company can only have 1 TV station) 1951 WSB/8 becomes WSB/2 (WCON/2 never
launches) (WCON radio shuts down, later re-allocated to Gainesville GA)
WLTV/8 Begins (ABC) (from behind WSB building) 1953 WLTV/8 becomes WLW-A (Crosley Radio loved WLW-x call letters)
WROM/9 signs on in Rome GA (and gives a lot of interference with channel
8) WLW-A moves to channel 11(and 8 is re-assigned for Educational station in Athens GA) 1954 WQXI/36 goes on the air (Indie) (mainly records spinning on WQXI/790) 1955 WQXI/36 goes off the air 1956 DuMont TV Network goes off air 1957 WROM/9 goes off air (and moves to
Chattanooga in 1958 as WTVC)
1958 WETV/30 signs on the air (NET)
Atlanta Public Schools
1960 WGTV/8 goes on air in Athens (NET)
1962 WLW-A becomes WAII/11 1967 WJRJ/17 signs on the air (indie) WBMO/36 almost signs on the air (Overmyer/United Network) 1968 WAII/11 becomes WQXI/11 1969 WATL/36 signs on air (indie)
WGTV/8 moves to Atlanta 1970 WJRJ/17 becomes WTCG/17 (Ted Turner takes over)
NET network becomes PBS
The NOW explosion starts on WATL/36 on weekends
(Music TV) LINK 1971 WATL/36 goes off air for second time (bankruptcy) WHAE/46 goes on air (religious)(Pat Robertson-Heaven And Earth) 1973 WQXI/11 becomes WXIA/11
WTCG/17 is microwaved into several Southeastern cities cable systems 1976 WTCG/17 is launched on satellite
for cable systems WATL/36 returns (indie) 1979 WTCG/17 becomes WTBS/17. Also
begins programming different ads for satellite feed. 1980 WSB/2 and WXIA/11 swap networks
WATL/36 does FNN/day
WHAE/46 becomes WANX/46
CNN signs on from Techwood site 1981 VEU-TV moves to new station WVEU/69(pay-TV) 1982 WGTV/8 is purchased by the state.
Joins GPTV full-time
The Weather Channel launches (from Vinings)
CNN2 launches (later called Headline News) 1984 WETV/30 becomes WPBA/30
WANX/46 becomes WGNX/46
Veu-TV folds and WVEU/69 becomes "Atlanta's Video Music Channel"
Ted Turner launches "Cable Music Channel" closes after 35 days
CNN International launches 1986 WVEU/69 becomes home shopping and
indie
WATL/36 becomes Fox (NEW Network) 1987 WNGM/34 signs on in Athens GA (Indie) 1988 WAWA/14 signs on in Rome GA (Indie)
TNT signs on 1989 WGNX/46 starts news department (9PM news)(had been running INN News since 1985) 1990 WAWA/14 moves to Atlanta and goes
Talk-TV as WTLK/14 1991 WHSG/63 signs on (TBN) 1992 Cartoon Network
launches 1994 WAGA/5 goes Fox WGNX/46 goes CBS (and CBS buys WVEU/69 as back-up plan) WATL/36 goes indie WTLK/14 goes infomercials
TCM launches 1995 WATL/36 goes WB
WVEU/69 goes UPN and becomes WUPA/69
CNNfn launches 1996 The Olympics come to Atlanta (on WNGM/34 goes to "The Box" (music videos) and moves to Atlanta
WATC/57 goes on the air (Rel)
CNNsi launches 1998 WTLK/14 becomes WPXA/14 and goes Pax
WSB starts digital TV, One of the first stations in the country 1999 WNGM/34 becomes WHOT/34(Indie) 2000 WGNX/46 becomes WGCL/46,rebrands(several
times)and changes call letters
2002 WHOT/34 becomes WUVG/34 and goes
Univision 2006 WB and UPN merge to become CW. CW
goes to WUPA/69. WATL/36 becomes My Network TV
2005 Pax becomes I and later Ion network
(WPXA/14) 2007 "Superstation TBS" comes to and
end. TBS is a cable network only
WPCH/17 becomes an Indie 2009 Analog TV ends. Digital is required for ALL broadcast stations Atlanta's specialty Digital programming include: WSB-RTV WXIA-Weather/Universal TV WPXA-Ion DT package WHSG-TBN DT package 2014 WATL rebrands as "The ATL"
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