WSFJ-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WSFJ-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding =
analog = 51 (UHF)
digital = 24 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = TBN
network =
founded =
airdate = March 9, 1980
location = Newark/Columbus, Ohio
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Trinity Broadcasting Network
licensee = Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1980-1998)
Pax TV (1998-2005)
i (2005-2007)
ION (2007)
independent (2007-2008)
effective_radiated_power = 724 kW (analog)
1000 kW (digital)
HAAT = 133.8 m (analog)
133 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 11118
coordinates = coord|40|4|44.4|N|82|41|41.5|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.tbn.org/ www.tbn.org]

WSFJ-TV is a Trinity Broadcasting Network-owned and operated television station in Columbus, Ohio, licensed to Newark. It broadcasts in analog on UHF channel 51 and in digital on UHF channel 24.

History

WSFJ-TV began operations on March 9, 1980. It was the first independent television station in Columbus, but initially the station ran only Christian programs, including (but not limited to) "PTL Club", Jimmy Swaggart, "700 Club", "Another Life", and children's programming. That fall, WSFJ began running "Independent Network News" and "New Zoo Revue" during the week, and "Wild Kingdom", along with some hunting and wildlife shows, on Saturdays, though programming remained predominantly Christian. In the fall of 1998, the station affiliated with Pax TV (now ION Television), running the network's programming from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and again from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. WSFJ also began to be seen on a translator in Columbus, WCPX-LP channel 48, which was owned by Pax's parent company, Paxson Communications (now ION Media Networks). WSFJ itself was the largest ION affiliate owned by a company other than ION Media Networks.

WSFJ was sold to Guardian Enterprise Group in 2004. In 2005, WSFJ began to acquire some family-friendly programming separate from its affiliation with ION. This group of programming was known as "Guardian Television Network", and the station as a whole branded as "GTN51". Guardian Enterprise Group was located in the same office as WSFJ. Other companies under the Guardian Enterprise Group include Guardian Studios, and Guardian Human Resources.

In March 2007, WSFJ moved its master control and studio into a facility at Easton Town Center, which generated the content that was sent to their new digital transmission facility in Pataskala, off of SR 161. That year, WSFJ launched its digital station on channel 24.

ION sold WCPX-LP in 2007, and in January 2008 it was relaunched as an Azteca América affiliate. At the same time, ION programming disappeared from WSFJ, leaving it exclusively with family entertainment, religious shows, and paid programming.

In July 2008, it was announced that Guardian would sell WSFJ to the Trinity Broadcasting Network for $16 million, pending FCC approval. [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6577962.html] Guardian retained its other properties, including the upcoming ".2 Network", and acquired W23BZ, which had been a low-power repeater of TBN; it picked up WSFJ's programming when channel 51 began carrying TBN programming on October 1, 2008. However, GTN would find themselves at a disadvantage, as, being on a low-powered signal, they lost their must-carry status; as a result, Guardian is urging viewers to contact their cable systems to pick up GTN after the move to channel 23. [http://gtn51.com/cms/]

External links

* [http://www.tbn.org/ TBN Official site]
*TVQ|WSFJ-TV
*BIA|WSFJ|TV|TV