WSWG

WSWG
Brand	CBS 44 South Georgia
City of License	Valdosta, Georgia
Market	Albany, Georgia
Channel	31 digital 44 virtual (Retransmitted on RF 34.6/virtual 55.20 in Cordele) Subcarriers: 31.2 (Me-TV) 31.3 WSST/MyNetworkTV 31.4 Ion Previously: 44 analog (1980-2007) 43 digital (2001-18)
Network Affiliation	Current: CBS Formerly: ABC (1980-92) The WB (1995-2001) UPN (2001-06)
Founded	December 24, 1980
Company	Marquee Broadcasting (Duopoly with WSST)
President
Current Popular Non-Network Shows	Wheel of Fortune Jeopardy! Friends

WSWG is the call sign for the CBS affiliate for the Albany, Georgia market, licensed to the city of Valdosta, Georgia. It broadcasts on digital channel 31 (displayed as virtual 44) and has three subcarriers, channel 31.2 that carries Me-TV, 31.3 which airs My Network TV programs (simulcast of WSST/channel 55 in Cordele), and 31.4 that carries programming from Ion. Programming master controls for WSWG originates from WSST.

The station first opened in 1980 as ABC affiliate WVGA/channel 44. Prior to that, reception of ABC affiliates from distant cities over-the-air was a crap shoot. Even with ABC's programming, WVGA was an also-ran ratings-wise to Albany's NBC affiliate WALB/channel 10. In 1992, the station's transmitter was destroyed by a plane, leaving the area to receive ABC programming via WTXL/channel 27 in Tallahassee. Channel 44 went back on the air in 1995 under new ownership as WB affiliate WGVP. In 2001, the station moved its broadcast facilities to Moultrie and became UPN affiliate WVAG (as the WB would become a cable-only outlet in smaller markets). Gray Communications bought the station in 2006, and its call changed to WSWG. It changed affiliation to CBS and would be controlled by WCTV/channel 6, the CBS affiliate out of Tallahassee (licensed to Thomasville). In 2007, a transmission line was damaged, and instead of incurring repair costs, WSWG shut its analog signal off and broadcast solely on its digital 43 channel. They sold their spectrum in the spectrum auction and have relocated their digital broadcasts to channel 31, retaining 44 as its virtual.

WSWG's digital had been a low-powered signal, broadcasting on 5,000 watts to prevent interefering with Louisville AL PBS station WGIQ. Their signal should be at full strength as WGIQ moved to RF channel 44 (now RF 30) and WSWG had moved its RF to 31 in 2018.

Gray Television, which owned WSWG, acquired Raycom which owned WALB (Gray now owns it). Because of market overlap with Tallahassee, Gray sold off WSWG. Marquee Broadcasting now owns it giving them three stations in Georgia, two in the Albany market alone (the other being Cordele independent WSST which is rebroadcast on WSWG's first subcarrier), giving them a duopoly there. WSWG now handles its own newscasts, having separated from Gray-owned WCTV. Their 6 PM news is replayed at 6:30 on WSST.

In 2021, WSWG filed a motion with the FCC to move their city of license to the city of Moultrie, which is in the Albany market proper. Technically, Valdosta is in the Thomasville/Tallahassee market but WSWG is designated as serving Albany. To help reach Albany proper, WSWG began simulcasting its signal on a subchannel of WSST. In September 2023, the motion to change the city of license was dismissed, citing it would remove Valdosta's first and only station. Moultrie's population as well as WSWG's viewership were also reasons cited.

Digital programming

Virtual	Physical	Name	Programming
44.1	31.1	WSWG-DT	Main WSWG (CBS)
44.2	31.2	WSWG-DT2	Me-TV
44.3	31.3	WSST	My Network TV
44.4	31.4	WSWG-DT4	Ion

External Links

Official website for WSWG (shared with WSST)