WGHC

WGHC-TV, channel 3, is an independent station licensed to serve Gotham City, New Jersey. The station is owned by Hearst Television and was previously an affiliate of Retro TV. 
== Early history ==
Paxson Communications had been looking for a station in Gotham City that would carry their new network, Pax. Then-UPN affiliate WJLX-TV agreed to carry Pax's programming in the overnight hours, but Paxson declined this offer. The company ultimately decided to create their own station, WGHC, to air their programming as a normal 24/7 Pax affiliate. 
On August 31, 1998, WGHC went on the air as Gotham City's Pax station. The station also began producing a late newscast, titled Pax 3 News Nightside, which was relatively successful in the city, likely due to it being the only local news option at 11:30 pm.
== May 1999 incident ==
At 5:31 pm on May 17, 1999, during an airing of Supermarket Sweep, WGHC technical director Leon Jones, partially inspired by the infamous Captain Midnight incident, broadcast a ticker on-screen warning of a "zombie tornado," approaching Gotham City. In an interview with journalist Jane Pauley, Jones said, "I was just bored." WGHC faced a $50,000 fine as a result of the incident. Jones was fired by 7 pm that evening, and the 11:30 newscast was put on hold until the station had enough money to began broadcasting it again. 
== Post-Pax ==
In 2005, when Pax became i: Independent Television, WGHC became a Retro TV station. The 11:30 pm newscast was cancelled at this time (it had gone back on the air in early 2001 after a hiatus).
== As an independent & Hearst ownership ==
In 2009, WGHC rebranded as Gotham City's Channel 3 and became an independent station. This was when syndicated programming, such as The Bonnie Hunt Show and Trivial Pursuit: America Plays began airing on the station. Pax 3 News Nightside returned to channel 3, was shifted back to 11pm (with an additional newscast under the title 3 News Evening Edition), and was renamed to 3 News Nightside. The station's primetime block ran from 8pm to 11pm, and consisted of off-net crime dramas Monday through Thursday, classic sitcoms on Friday, and Gotham Blades hockey games on weekends (branded as 3 Sports). 
With the new era of channel 3 came new ownership. Hearst bought the station and named Miles Buckley the general manager, who was able to get sports telecasts on the station. Buckley also hired meteorologist Myrna Baker as chief forecaster for the station, as they had recently formed a weather department, branded Channel 3 Early Warning Weather. Later, in 2010, 3 Sports Sunday, a late-night sports overview program, debuted on the station. 
Syndicated programming on the station currently includes America's Court with Judge Ross and The Andy Griffith Show. The station also airs Through the Decades with Bill Kurtis, which also airs on the 3.4 subchannel Decades, Saturday afternoons at 4:00 pm. 
== Subchannels ==
Channel 3 currently has three subchannels. MeTV, a subchannel on many Hearst stations, Channel 3 Early Warning Weather 24/7,, a local weather channel with weather maps and half-hourly weather updates, and the aforementioned Decades, a digital multicast network airing classic programming. 
Category:Independent television stations
Category:MeTV subchannel-only network affiliates
Category:Former Pax affiliates
Category:Former Retro TV affiliates
Category:Gotham City
Category:New Jersey
Category:Broadcast Hijacking Incidents