WLTZ
WLTZ, virtual channel 38 (UHF digital channel 35), is a dual NBC/CW+-affiliated television station licensed to Columbus, Georgia, United States and serving the Chattahoochee Valley of west-central Georgia and east-central Alabama. Owned by Augusta-based SagamoreHill Broadcasting, it is operated under a shared services agreement (SSA) by Gray Television, making it a sister station to ABC affiliate WTVM (channel 9); Gray also operates Fox affiliate WXTX (channel 54) under a separate SSA with owner American Spirit Media. WLTZ's studios and transmitter are located on NBC 38 Drive in the Vista Terrace section of East Columbus  (postal address is actually Buena Vista Road in Columbus). Master control and most internal operations are based at WTVM and WXTX's shared studios on Wynnton Road (GA 22) in the Dinglewood section of Columbus. History. The station began broadcasting on October 29, 1970 as WYEA and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 38. It was branded on-air as "YAY-TV" and featured promotions showing a cheerleader with pompoms. WYEA was originally owned by Huntsville, Alabama broadcaster Charles Grisham and his company, Gala Broadcasting. It brought a full NBC affiliate to Columbus after a full decade in which  NBC was mostly limited to off-hours clearances on CBS outlet WRBL (channel 3) and ABC affiliate WTVM (channel 9). Like most UHF start-ups during this time, WYEA began with several handicaps. First, like almost all other television markets with one or two dominant VHF stations, the Columbus area had long-established preferences for either WRBL or WTVM. It also had to deal with established NBC outlets WSB-TV in Atlanta (later WXIA-TV after an affiliation change in that market), WALB in Albany, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama's WSFA, all of which provided at least Grade B coverage  of the outlying areas of the viewing area. In fact, Grisham attempted unsuccessfully to legally block WSFA's plans to build a new tower, fearing it would cut into WYEA's market share. A fire tore through the studios in 1975, requiring the top floor of the facility to be rebuilt. Later in the 1970s, Grisham sold WYEA to locally-based insurer AFLAC, making channel 38 the flagship of AFLAC's broadcast division. The outlet added the -TV suffix to its call sign on January 23, 1979. The station continued to be hamstrung as the third station in the market ; years later, Leroy Paul, who presided over AFLAC's broadcast division, quipped, "We learned we could never become the city's news leader on a UHF station." In 1981, AFLAC sold the station to J. Curtis Lewis, a Savannah-based owner of radio and television properties in Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi; on August 31 of that year, the station changed its calls to the current WLTZ and adopted the branding "Z 38". AFLAC would not re-enter Columbus television until it bought WTVM in 1989. A 1995 attempt to sell WLTZ to Piney Creek Broadcasting, headed by Ruth Allen  Ollison, fell through when a tax certificate program that allowed minorities to buy broadcast stations was ended by Congress; under this deal, Jack Pezold, owner of Fox affiliate WXTX (channel 54), would have run WLTZ under a local marketing agreement (LMA). Lewis kept WLTZ until 2007, when it was sold to SagamoreHill Broadcasting. WLTZ has been digital-only since February 17, 2009. Subchannel history. WLTZ-DT2. WLTZ-DT2 is the CW+-affiliated second digital subchannel of WLTZ, broadcasting in 720p high definition on UHF channel 35.2 (or virtual channel 38.2). Origins of WLTZ-DT2 began on April 2, 2009 when it  was announced The CW would discontinue its relationship with Pappas Telecasting-owned WLGA (channel 66, now WGBP-TV). After losing the network, that station became an independent and added syndicated television shows. It eventually left the air for good ("go dark" in television terminology) in June 2010. WLTZ gained The CW effective April 27 after SagamoreHill made a long term deal with the television network to carry it as a digital subchannel in several markets. In Summer 2012, it upgraded its broadcasting level to 720p high definition. WLTZ-DT3. WLTZ-DT3 is branded as Antenna TV Ga-Bama broadcasting in  standard definition on UHF channel 35.3 (or virtual channel 38.3). In addition to NBC and CW programming, WLTZ operates the Columbus market's Antenna TV affiliate on its DT3 subchannel. Formerly, on weeknights, WLTZ-DT3 also carried shows from the MyNetworkTV programming service, filling in programming for all time slots outside of the MyNetworkTV schedule with the Antenna TV schedule. Programming. Syndicated programming on WLTZ includes "Family Feud", "Tamron Hall", "The Kelly Clarkson Show" and "The Wendy Williams Show", among others. News operation. WLTZ presently broadcasts 17½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 3 hours each weekday and  an hour each on Saturdays and Sundays). Main channel. The station's first attempt at a news department lasted from its inception in 1970 until 1993. Despite a credible effort, WLTZ's newscasts were never competitive enough against WTVM and WRBL to gain enough viewership and consistent ratings. Columbus broadcast veteran and former nightclub owner Al Fleming was once news anchor of these newscasts as was Richard Elliot (later of WRBL and WSB-TV). After shutting down its news operation, WLTZ offered syndicated shows with brief news updates taped in advance that ran for three minutes in length. In November  2007, the station brought back weeknight newscasts (seen at 6, 7, and 11; or 5, 6, and 10 Central) in partnership with the Independent News Network (INN) of Davenport, Iowa. Originally, the early evening shows aired in traditional half-hour formats while the late newscast was shown in an update version. The news anchor, meteorologist, and sports personality were based at INN's studios on Tremont Avenue in Davenport (where production of the broadcasts took place) and other personnel would fill-in when needed. WLTZ maintained two reporters locally in Columbus that contributed local content to the shows which were  taped in advance and then transmitted back to the station to air. On May 29, 2008, WLTZ became the first station in Columbus and third in Georgia to upgrade local news to high definition. The change came after INN added HD capabilities to its centralized production studios. In a report in the Macon, Georgia "Telegraph", it was announced the centralized news service filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on December 31, 2008 and would end all productions (including those for WLTZ) by January 9, 2009. However, a later report in the "Columbus Ledger-Enquirer" on January 6 indicated this station's  newscasts would not be affected by the bankruptcy filing. In April 2010, WLTZ replaced the "7 O'Clock Report" with "Alabama First News". Unlike the other two weeknight broadcasts, this reformatted show now focused on Eastern Alabama because that state, which is in the Central Time Zone, is an hour behind Georgia. Therefore, this was the only local newscast catering to viewers on the Alabama side of the market airing at 6 Central. Viewers in those areas also have access to stations from Dothan and Montgomery offering local news geared for their time zone. The format change for WLTZ's show  was also made in conjunction with sister station WNCF in Montgomery after that outlet expanded its news department and outsourcing agreement with the Independent News Network. Newscasts would regularly feature WLTZ's reporters covering Eastern Alabama since Montgomery and Columbus have market areas that border each other. After a change in WNCF's operational ownership took effect in July 2011, personnel from WLTZ were dropped from the Montgomery station. At some point in Fall 2011, WLTZ's weeknight show at 7 was moved to 11 but retained the "Alabama First News" branding. "NBC 38 News at 6" now solely focused  on Columbus and other areas in Georgia while the late news (now expanded to 35 minutes in length) offered coverage specifically from the greater Auburn, Phenix City, and Opelika areas in Alabama. Also at this point, there began to be local news and weather cut-ins on weekday mornings during "Today" from 7 until 11 (seen at :25 and :55 past the hour). Under this arrangement, the news anchor was normally live in Columbus while the weather forecast was still taped and originated from INN's headquarters. On February 5, 2012, WLTZ introduced an expanded news operation based out of  its Columbus studios complete with news anchors and a sports personality. However, weather was still produced by INN meteorologists and featured segments recorded in advance. Corresponding with the change, "NBC 38 News at 6" was renamed "Georgia First News" on February 6. In December 2012, WLTZ launched a new weekday morning show known as "Starting Today" with anchor Kirsten Delgado and weather forecaster Miller Robson. It originally aired for an hour beginning at 6 and then for an additional half-hour at 7 on WLTZ-DT2 (which currently only shows the first hour of "The Daily Buzz" from 6 until  7). In Fall 2013, WLTZ's morning show was expanded further to two hours (running from 5 to 7 a.m.) while retaining the half-hour portion on WLTZ-DT2. The Independent News Network only provided taped weather segments on weeknights. In July 2014, WLTZ built an in-house weather department with Meteorologists Matt Wintz and Miller Robson, severing its last links to INN. The station introduced Sunday evening newscasts in August 2015 that aired at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET each Sunday. WLTZ further expanded their news programming the following year with a midday 30-minute newscast at noon  as well as another half-hour show at 5 p.m. ET. In December 2018, the station scaled back its news programming and no longer aired the midday, 5:00, or Sunday evening shows. On November 24, 2020, television industry website FTVLive.com reported that WLTZ produced its final newscast on November 20, and many employees were then laid off. WLTZ now simulcasts newscasts produced by sister station WTVM. WLTZ-DT2. In December 2012, WLTZ launched a weekday morning show on this second digital subchannel called "WLTZ First News Today on the CW Ga-Bama". It aired for 30 minutes beginning at 7  a.m. ET, but like the midday, 5:00, and Sunday evening shows, was nixed in December 2018. A separate 10 p.m. ET newscast was also launched on the DT2 channel in 2016. The final 10 p.m. newscast on The CW Ga-Bama aired on November 6, 2020, giving that time back to the network to air "Seinfeld". Technical information. Subchannels. The station's digital signal is multiplexed: (Meriwether, Troup, and Upson counties are officially part of the Atlanta DMA)