Airing on channel three, WLBT-3 is a division of Raycom Media, and the station first broadcast in December 1953. WLBT is an NBC affiliate and was the third television station in the entire state. Notably, WLBT is one of only two stations in America that has lost its broadcast license due to violating the Federal Communications Commission's broadcast fairness license. In 1971 the FCC revoked WLBT's license due to allegations that the station unfairly served its black constituency. Its license was reinstated in 1980.
WLBT
715 South Jefferson St.
Jackson, MS 39201
601-948-3333
wlbt.com
First airing in January 1953, CBS affiliate WJTV can claim the title of Mississippi's first broadcast station. The first images the station aired on channel 12 were President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inauguration. In 1988, the station was also the first to broadcast the Miss Mississippi pageant. WJTV is a subsidiary of Media General Inc., which has owned the station since 1997. Over the years WJTV has featured notable personalities including Oprah Winfrey, Johnny Cash and Dr. Joyce Brothers.
WJTV
1820 TV Road
Jackson, MS 39204
601-372-6311
wjtv.com
WAPT became Jackson's first ABC affiliate in 1970. The first program WAPT aired was the Ole Miss versus Alabama football game, and in 1971 the station aired its first newscast. Airing on channel 16, WAPT was Jackson's first station to feature live broadcasts in 1976 and was also the first station to use video instead of film for recording the news. The station is a subsidiary of Hearst-Argyle Television, and its Doppler radar has a radius of 300 miles in any direction and 6 billion watts of radiated power.
WAPT
7616 Channel 16 Way
Jackson, MS 39209
601-922-1607
wapt.com