On February 2, 2012, Chief Meteorologist Derek Kinkade hinted on the WTVM Weather Facebook page that major studio changes were on the way. In 1997, Aflac sold its entire broadcasting division, including WTVM, to an investment group that merged with Ellis Communications to form the station's current owner, Raycom Media. Aflac (which had owned WYEA at one point during the 1970s) bought the station in 1989, making channel 9 Aflac's flagship station. A group of SFN managers formed Pegasus Broadcasting and purchased WTVM in 1986. SFN Publishing eventually became the owner in 1984. Fuqua sold-off his broadcast interests in 1980, with WTVM going to Western Broadcasting. The station switched to ABC full-time in October of that year when WYEA (now WLTZ) signed-on and took over the NBC affiliation. Fuqua bought Martin Theaters in 1969, including both WTVM and WTVC.Įarly in 1970, Fuqua moved WTVM to its present studios on Wynnton Road. Therefore, Martin realized that an ABC affiliation would not bring significant out-of-market competition. By contrast, NBC had strong outlets in Atlanta's WSB-TV and Montgomery, Alabama's WSFA, with both transmitting fairly clear Grade B signals to the region. Also, a large number of viewers in Western Georgia and Eastern Alabama did not have access to ABC full-time the nearest ABC affiliate that put a decent signal into Columbus was WLWA-TV in Atlanta (now NBC affiliate WXIA-TV). ![]() However, Martin Theaters wanted to get WTVM in line with WTVC, which has always been an ABC affiliate. Usually, ABC, as the smallest and weakest network, was relegated to secondary status on one or both of existing stations. This was very unusual for a then two-station market, especially one of Columbus' size. On the same day WTVM moved to channel 9, it switched its primary affiliation to ABC while relegating NBC to secondary status shared with WRBL. Eventually, WTVM's old channel 28 allotment was occupied by Georgia Public Broadcasting's WJSP-TV. The moves were permitted because two years earlier Martin Theaters had bought WROM-TV in Rome, Georgia and moved it 70 miles north to Chattanooga, Tennessee while changing its calls to WTVC. It moved to VHF channel 9 in 1960 in a three-way switch-and-move approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in which WRBL moved from channel 4 to channel 3 and WTVY-TV in Dothan, Alabama moved from channel 9 to channel 4. Woodall sold his interest in the station to Martin Theaters in 1956 and the call letters were changed to the current WTVM. Studios were located on 1st Avenue in Downtown Columbus where Carmike's corporate headquarters are today. (owner of WDAK-AM 540) and Martin Theaters (forerunner of Carmike Cinemas). It was originally owned by Allen Woodall Sr. During the late-1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network. WDAK was the first television station in the Columbus market (beating rival WRBL by just over a month) and is the fifth-oldest in the state of Georgia and second-oldest outside Atlanta. It was a primary NBC station with secondary ABC affiliation. The station signed-on for the first time on October 6, 1953, as WDAK-TV airing an analog signal on UHF channel 28. Syndicated programming on this channel includes: Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, The Doctors, and Ellen. The two share studios on Wynnton Road ( GA 22) in the Dinglewood section of Columbus. Owned by Raycom Media, WTVM operates Fox affiliate WXTX (owned by American Spirit Media) through a shared services agreement (SSA). There is a high definition feed offered on Charter digital channel 707, Mediacom digital channel 810, and Knology digital channel 901. The station can also be seen on Charter, Knology, and Mediacom channel 10. ![]() It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter in Cusseta. ![]() WTVM is the ABC-affiliated television station for Columbus, Georgia.
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