WHPM-LD
WHPM-LD, virtual and UHF digital channel 23, is a low-powered Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States and serving Southeastern Mississippi's Pine Belt. The station is owned by Waypoint Media. WHPM-LD's studios are located on Mayfair Road in Hattiesburg, and its transmitter is located on Old Highway 11/Norton Road in unincorporated Lamar County south of US 98. On cable, the station is available on Comcast Xfinity channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 434.
 | |
| Hattiesburg–Laurel, Mississippi United States | |
|---|---|
| City | Hattiesburg, Mississippi |
| Channels | Digital: 23 (UHF) Virtual: 23 (PSIP) |
| Branding | Fox 23 MeTV on My TV 23 (on LD3) |
| Slogan | This is Home |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 23.1: Fox 23.2: This TV 23.3: MyNetworkTV/MeTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Waypoint Media, LLC (sale to Standard Media pending[1]) (WHPM-TV, LLC) |
| WGBC, WMDN | |
| History | |
First air date | June 15, 2005 |
Former call signs | WHPM-LP (2005–2011) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 30 (UHF, 2005–2009) |
| Lifesat TV (2005–2011) The CW (LD2, 2012–2014) | |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 127263 |
| Class | LD |
| ERP | 10.4 kW |
| HAAT | 137 m (449 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 31°18′26.2″N 89°24′47.4″W |
| Links | |
Public license information | Profile LMS |
| Website | www |
History
The station signed on June 15, 2005 as WHPM-LP carrying religious programming on analog UHF channel 30. It shut-down that signal and switched to digital channel 23 in 2009. However, the station would not switch its call sign to reflect the change until October 7, 2011, when it adopted WHPM-LD. It became the market's first locally based Fox affiliate on October 13, 2011. Until this point, the network was available off-air and on cable through WXXV-TV in Gulfport. That outlet strategically located its broadcast tower and designed a directional antenna pattern to enable the station to cover the Gulf Coast and Pine Belt regions of the state.[2][3]
On September 10, 2012, WHPM took over promotional and advertising responsibilities of the area's cable-only CW affiliate "WBH". As a result, the service was added to a new second digital subchannel of WHPM in order to offer over-the-air viewers access to The CW. Except for local commercials, all programming is provided through the national CW Plus service. Initially, the station (now using the WHPM-LD2 call sign) remained on Comcast channel 59. Eventually, it began airing in 720p high definition over-the-air and on Comcast digital channel 438. It is no longer offered on the system's basic tier. As part of a long-term affiliation renewal with Media General, The CW moved to WHLT's digital subchannel on December 23, 2014.[4]
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP short name | Programming [5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WHPM | Main WHPM-LD programming / Fox |
| 23.2 | 480i | 4:3 | EHPM | This TV |
| 23.3 | Metv | MyNetworkTV & MeTV |
Programming
Syndicated programming featured on the station includes Family Guy, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men among others.
In addition to Fox programming, WHPM-LD operates the Hattiesburg–Laurel market's MyNetworkTV/MeTV affiliate on its LD3 subchannel, filling in programming for all time slots outside of the MyNetworkTV programming schedule with the MeTV schedule.[6]
Newscasts
On September 25, 2015, Waypoint Media announced that it would launch a half-hour prime time newscast at 9:00 p.m. for WHPM-LD – the first such program in the Meridian market – on October 5. Although WHPM's operations are largely based out of the studios of sister stations WMDN and WGBC in Meridian (the latter of which will debut a prime time newscast on that same date), it is not clear if the program will be produced out of Hattiesburg or through WGBC/WMDN's Meridian facilities.[7]
In October 2016, WHPM announced on their Facebook page that veteran broadcaster Randy Swan (formerly of nearby WDAM-TV) will join Waypoint Media as regional news director.
References
- "Standard Media to acquire nine stations". Standard Media. November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- Hattiesburg Gets Fox Affiliate, Broadcasting & Cable, October 20, 2011.
- http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20111019/NEWS01/110190326/Fox-station-comes-to-Hattiesburg?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141223005313/en/CW-Media-General-Announce-Long-Term-Affiliation-Agreements
- http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WHPM-LD#station
- "Where to Watch MeTV In Hattiesburg". © 2018 MeTV National Limited Partnership. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- Nikki Smith (September 25, 2015). "Fox to add local newscast at 9 p.m. nightly". The Hattiesburg Post. Emmerich Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.