WGCT

WGCT, virtual channel 40 (UHF channel 14), is an educational independent station licensed to Dry Ridge, Kentucky. WGCT is owned by the WGCT Board of Trustees and operated by WGCT, LLC. WGCT's studios are located in Williamstown. The station operates two low-power translators, one semi-satellite, and one full-power satellite: W20FJ in Falmouth, W31IS in Cynthiana, WGCW in Covington, and WGCM in Maysville.
== History ==
=== 1988-1993 ===
WGCT went on the air at noon on January 1, 1988. It was the third station to be established in Dry Ridge, after WGLP in 1960 and WDRY in 1979. Through this era, the station was branded as Grant County Television. Nearly all programming during this period was locally produced. Because of this, the station was only on air on weekdays from 12 noon up to 6 pm. In late 1990 to early 1994, the station aired A Current Affair, the only syndicated program it broadcast during this time.
=== 1993-1997 ===
In October 1993, the WGCT Board of Trustees was created. Since the station broadcast at a fairly low power of 18 kilowatts, the Board decided to start two translators of WGCT, W20FJ in Falmouth and W31IS in Cynthiana. In early 1994, WGCT dropped A Current Affair. However, this act was followed up the next day with the introduction of a 15-hour schedule, from 7 am to 10 pm. The station also began airing newscasts, one from 7 to 8 am, another from 12 noon to 12:30 pm, and another from 9 to 10 pm. From 1994 onwards, the station was mostly composed of syndicated programming.
=== 1997-2008 ===
In January 1997, the Board of Trustees decided to create a 24-hour schedule for WGCT. This schedule mainly consisted of rebroadcasts of newscasts and syndicated programs from that day. However, WGCT began to return to an emphasis on locally produced programming. It took this opportunity to increase its viewership, as of the two (soon three, with the addition of WFOI) other stations, it had only one station to compete with on local programming. It expanded its news operations during this period, extending its morning newscast (first called WGCT Daybreak, now North Central KY Today) to 6-8 am. It began to broadcast a public affairs program as well, called Keeping Them Accountable. In 1998, it increased its local focus even more, to compete with WFOI. Although it had been a non-commercial station for its entire lifespan, it began to emphasize educational programming as well, adding the slogan Enjoy and Learn. With this focus on local, educational content, it adapted its studios to create such content. In early 1999, it begins to broadcast its flagship non-news program, Licking Valley Life. Beginning in 2000, WGCT began to produce programs for outsourced broadcast, most notably Soundbite: The Science and Myths Behind Political Advertisements, which ran new episodes up to WGCT's next reorganisation in 2008, and is reran to this day. In 2002, it expanded its program creation even further, and increased its output of shows to syndication. Little changes until 2006, when WGCT begins to cut back on their news operation. In October 2007, the WGCT Board of Trustees signs on two other satellite stations. One is WGCW, licensed to Covington, (which later becomes a semi-satellite), and the other being WGCM, based in Maysville. The start of North Central KY Today moves to 6:30 am, and its hour-long 9 pm news program is moved to 10 pm and shortened by a half hour. The originally 6-6:30 pm Keeping Them Accountable program moves to an hour-long 9 pm slot. WGCT's children's block is moved from weekends only to weekends and weekdays from 8 am to 12 noon.
=== 2008-present ===
During this period, nearly everything about WGCT was modernized. Their lineup of produced programming was completely shuffled, and their news studios were completely renovated. The most notable of new programs for syndication was Keeping in Touch with Today's World, a show focused on developments in technology. During this modernization period, WGCT began optimization for high definition television. In early 2009, the station begin carrying Create and World on their respective 40.3 and 40.4 subchannels, which previously not occupied. As the digital transition target approached, they furthered efforts for fully airing WGCT in high definition. In 2010, their newscasts were again expanded, with the addition of midday newscasts and a rebranding to Licking Valley News, focusing journalism eastward towards the Licking River.
== Digital television ==
=== Digital channels ===
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
Channel	PSIP Name	Video	Aspect	Programming
40.1 	WGCT-HD 	1080i	16:9 	Main WGCT programming
40.2 	WGCT-SD 	480i 	4:3 	Standard definition feed of 40.1
40.3 	CREATE 	480i 	16:9 	Create
40.4 	WORLD 	480i 	16:9 	World
=== Analog-to-digital conversion ===
WGCT shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 40, on June 12, 2009, the delayed target date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 14. The station's translators, W20FJ and W31IS, flash-cut from analog to digital, continuing to operate on their respective UHF channels of 20 and 31.  Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 40. The station's translators' PSIP appear as 40.5 to 40.8 on W20FJ and 40.9 to 40.12 on W31IS, to prevent having multiple feeds of 40.1 to 40.4.
== News operation ==
WGCT broadcasts 33 hours of locally-produced newscasts each week (5 hours each weekday and 4 hours on Saturdays and Sundays). The station also produces newscasts for the noon, 5 pm, and 6 pm slots for semi-satellite WGCW. All newscasts originate from its Williamstown studios.Category:Dry Ridge
Category:Kentucky
Category:Channel 40
Category:Educational Independent
Category:Independent television stations
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1988
Category:Educational television stations