WYJJ-LD (channel 27) is a low-power television station in Jackson, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with several digital multicast networks (including The365 on its main channel). The station is owned by Innovate Corp.,[2][3] and maintains a transmitter on Radio Road on Jackson's north side.

WYJJ-LD
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KAJL-LD
History
FoundedAugust 2012
First air date
2014 (10 years ago) (2014)
Former call signs
  • W27DR-D (2012–2013)
  • WADR-LD (2013–2014)
Former channel number(s)
Digital: 27 (UHF, 2014–2018)
Call sign meaning
We're Your Jackson Joy
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID188036
ClassLD
ERP15 kW
HAAT168.6 m (553 ft)
Transmitter coordinates35°38′49.1″N 88°50′0.2″W / 35.646972°N 88.833389°W / 35.646972; -88.833389
Links
Public license information
LMS

Despite sharing call letters and a transmitter site, the television station is in no way related to Trenton-licensed radio station WYJJ (97.7 FM).

History

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Logo for when the station was affiliated with the Soul of the South Network, from 2014 to 2015.

Although granted a construction permit in late summer 2012, it was still silent, and not ready to go on the air. The construction permit was granted under the call sign W27DR-D, and then WADR-LD starting in May 2013.

In December 2013, DTV America Corporation announced that they would launch WADR-LD and three other stations to carry MyNetworkTV programming, with programming from another network surrounding the MyNetworkTV prime time schedule on weeknights. WADR was selected to carry Soul of the South as a primary affiliation and MyNetworkTV as their secondary affiliation.[4]

The station finally took to the air in January or February 2014 on UHF channel 27. In May 2014, this station changed the call letters to the current WYJJ-LD. The transmitter was located on the south side of Jackson just off US 45. DTV America entered a strategic partnership with Forever Communications to operate WYJJ-LD.[5]

Before the station's launch, the Jackson market relied on the second subchannel of CW affiliate WLMT in Memphis for MyNetworkTV and a more close-to-complete complete MeTV schedule. MeTV is now available on WBBJ-DT4, a subchannel of ABC affiliate WBBJ-TV.

 
Logo for Dr TV, for when the affiliation was on the Station's Second Digital Subchannel, from 2014 to 2015. Dr TV has since moved to the Third Subchannel.

Now, with WYJJ-LD on the air, ABC and CBS offered through WBBJ's main channel and DT3 subchannels, respectively, and WJKT being the Jackson-area Fox affiliate, Jackson now offers every major network in their market except for the Ion Television syndicated programming service. In October 2014, a new NBC affiliate signed on in the Jackson TV market via a new television station (WNBJ-LD, channel 39), and is now available on Jackson Energy Authority Cable and Dish Network. Before the sign on of WNBJ, distant NBC affiliates WMC-TV in Memphis and WSMV-TV in Nashville were the default NBC affiliates for Jackson, Tennessee. As for The CW, WLMT remained the default over-the-air CW affiliate, since the area is served by cable-exclusive CW Plus outlet "WBJK" on cable channels 2 and 21, depending on which cable company serves the consumer. WNBJ's DT2 subchannel would launch a CW-affiliated subchannel in 2018.

After the first year

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On May 5, 2015, the station's primary affiliation was changed to Antenna TV, with MyNetworkTV programming remaining in the prime time schedule.[6] In June 2015, Doctor TV programming was relocated to a new third digital subchannel; the DT2 subchannel is now occupied by Bounce TV, an African American-oriented digital network. Also in summer 2015, WYJJ-LD became available on the cable system of Jackson Energy Authority (JEA), branded as EPlus Broadband Cable. WYJJ's main subchannel can now be viewed on JEA EPlus channel 14, while DrTV on WYJJ-LD3 can be viewed on channel 193.[7] On Monday, November 23, WYJJ added a fourth subchannel carrying religious programming from the Sonlife Broadcasting Network.

On January 29, 2016, WYJJ added a fifth subchannel carrying Grit, which broadcast entertainment programming aimed towards men. In spite of the existence of WYJJ-LD5, The Grit feed from WMC-DT3 remains on JEA Cable. WMC-DT2's feed of Bounce TV also remains on cable in Jackson as well.[7]

Under new ownership

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WYJJ was one of several dozen DTV America stations that would be purchased by HC2 Holdings (now a part of Innovate Corp.) in October 2017.[8][9] Two months later, WYJJ began simulcasting the MyNetworkTV schedule as aired on the second subchannel of NBC affiliate WRDE-LD in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. In Spring 2019, the MyNetworkTV schedule was simulcast from KWWE-LD of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

On June 3, 2019, WYJJ's Antenna TV affiliation was dropped to become affiliated with the then-recently-launched Court TV network, with the MyNetworkTV affiliation meanwhile remaining intact. In September 2019, WYJJ ended its affiliation with MyNetworkTV to carry Court TV full-time. MyNetworkTV moved its affiliation in Jackson to a secondary affiliation alongside H&I on the third subchannel of WNBJ-LD.[10]

Sometime in 2024, the main subchannel was flipped to The365.

Programming

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WYJJ airs Court TV network programming in all parts of the weekend and for 22 hours every weekday. The station carries MyNetworkTV programming on weeknights from 7 to 9 p.m., before returning to Court TV at 9 p.m. This practice is similar to those of WYJJ's sister stations, WCZU-LD in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and KPJO-LD in Joplin, Missouri. In September 2015, WYJJ-LD began broadcasting Atlantic Coast Conference football and men's basketball from the ad-hoc ACC Network, the syndicated programming service operated by Raycom Sports.[11] It was previously on WNBJ-LD during the 2014-15 season.

Doctor TV, a healthy lifestyle-oriented network, was broadcast on WYJJ's DT2 subchannel until 2015, when Bounce TV launched on that subchannel, displacing DrTV to DT3. In January 2017, DrTV was replaced by Sony Pictures Television's GetTV network, and Cozi TV launched over a new DT7 subchannel. In February 2017, WYJJ's DT5 subchannel began broadcasting Heroes & Icons, and its DT6 subchannel began broadcasting Decades,[12][13] which rebranded as Catchy Comedy in 2023.

Subchannels

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The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WYJJ-LD[14]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
27.1 480i 16:9 WYJJ-LD The365
27.2 Outlaw
27.3 4:3 Get
27.4 SonLife
27.5 16:9 Defy
27.6 NBC American Crimes
27.7 Cozi TV

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WYJJ-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ WYJJ-LD @ Rabbitears.info
  3. ^ Jackson, TN Market profile @ RabbitEars.info
  4. ^ Press Release (December 20, 2013). "DTV America Launches New My Net Stations" (PDF). DTV America Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  5. ^ News << DTV America
  6. ^ Interactive Affiliate Map - Antenna TV
  7. ^ a b EPlus Broadband Cable Channel Lineup
  8. ^ "HC2 to Acquire Majority Interest in DTV America" (Press release). June 27, 2017.
  9. ^ "FCC Order DA-17-1058" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  10. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WNBJ-LD
  11. ^ "ACC Football on the ACC Network: Wake Forest at Syracuse" Archived October 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  12. ^ Heroes & Icons - Where To Watch
  13. ^ Decades - Where To Watch
  14. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WYJJ-LD