WGTA-TV

WGTA-TV
Brand	Northeast Georgia's Classic TV
City of License	Toccoa, Georgia
Market	Atlanta, Georgia
Channel	24 digital 32 virtual (Retransmitted on 36.4 digital/69.4 virtual) Subcarriers: 32.2 (Heroes & Icons) 32.3 (Decades) 32.4 (Catchy Comedy) 32.5 (Movies!) Formerly: 32 analog (1984-2009)
Network Affiliation	Current: Independent (MeTV) Formerly: Independent (1984-95, 2008-11) CBS (1995–2008) PBS (GPB World, 2011-15)
Founded	1984
Company	Marquee Broadcasting
President
Current Popular Non-Network Shows

WGTA-TV is the call sign for a station licensed to Toccoa, Georgia and is part of the Atlanta, Georgia market. It broadcasts on digital channel 24, while being displayed on digital tuners as 32 (its original analog spot. Its analog signal was shut off February 18, 2009). It is owned by Marquee Broadcasting of Maryland. It was previously independent WNEG, switching to non-commercial PBS in Spring 2011 and changing calls to WUGA. It became independent WGTA in 2015.

The station first signed on in 1984 as a standard independent on analog channel 32 as WNEG and was part of the Greenville/Spartanburg S.C./Asheville, N.C. market. In 1991, Spartan Broadcasting acquired it from Stephens County Broadcasting and made it a CBS affiliate in 1995 for northeast Georgia viewers who could not get Atlanta CBS affiliate WGNX (now WANF). That past December, CBS moved from WAGA (now with Fox) to WGNX. During that time, WNEG was managed by the market's main CBS station, WSPA/channel 7 in Spartanburg. Both WNEG and WSPA were bought by Media General in 2001.

After considerable talk and negotiating, Media General sold WNEG in 2008 to the University of Georgia (owners of PBS affiliate and GPB flagship WGTV). WNEG reverted to independent status in October 2008 for use as a mass media training facility for the University. They aired some shows from the ad hoc America One network. In 2011, WNEG became a non-commercial PBS station, airing programs from Georgia Public Broadcasting's World, relocated broadcast facilities to Athens, and changed its call to WUGA. It was reassigned to the Atlanta market although it could be seen in the Greenville area as its transmitter is based northwest of Toccoa. An application had been pending to have their transmitter moved between Gainesville and Athens but it expired in March, 2015.

The station had been seen on DirecTV and Dish in the Atlanta market but as of July 1, 2015 it was removed from DirecTV. It returned in May 2016 after fiber cable was installed for the signal to reach the satellite. It had also been repeated on 8.4, a subcarrier of WGTV/channel 8 in Athens (Atlanta DMA). In April 2015, Marquee Broadcasting of Maryland entered into an agreement to buy WUGA and reassign it as an independent (with programs from the digital service Heroes & Icons). It now carries two subcarriers, running the digital services Decades and Movies! respectively. On July 1, 2015, the station changed calls to WGTA-TV, the call reflecting the broadcast range of the station, from Greenville to Atlanta. With the Athens facility closed, the station became solely a Toccoa-based entity. In 2017, their business offices relocated to Lawrenceville (a suburb northeast of Atlanta), while broadcast facilities and transmitter remain in Toccoa.

On March 27, 2017, WGTA became a Me-TV affiliate. Me-TV was previously seen in Atlanta proper on WSB's 2.2 subchannel. Heroes & Icons moved to channel 32.2 and replaced Decades, which conversely moved to channel 32.3. Movies!, on 32.3 moved to channel 32.4. In November 2017, WGTA began simulcasts on WUEO-LD, a low-powered station on channel 49 licensed to Macon, Ga. and whose transmitter signal reaches most of Atlanta. The simulcast of WGTA moved to the third subcarrier of CW affiliate WUPA/channel 69 in 2019.

External Links

Official website for WGTA-TV