WSST-TV

WSST-TV (channel 55) is a television station licensed to Cordele, Georgia, United States, serving as the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Albany, Georgia, area. It is owned by Marquee Broadcasting alongside Valdosta-licensed CBS affiliate WSWG (channel 44); Marquee also operates Fox affiliate WFXL (channel 31) under joint sales and shared services agreements with Sinclair Broadcast Group.^[2] The three stations share offices on Slappey Boulevard in Albany; WSST-TV's transmitter is located in rural southwestern Crisp County.

WSST-TV

Cordele–Albany, Georgia United States
City	Cordele, Georgia
Channels	Digital: 34 (UHF) Virtual: 55
Branding	My55 WSST
Programming
Affiliations	55.1: MyNetworkTV 55.20: CBS for others, see § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner	Marquee Broadcasting (Marquee Broadcasting Georgia, Inc.)
Sister stations	WSWG, WFXL
History
First air date	May 22, 1989 (35 years ago) (1989-05-22)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 55 (UHF, 1989–2009) Digital: 51 (UHF, 2003–2017), 22 (UHF, 2017–2018) Virtual: 51 (2009–2017), 22 (2017–2019), 34 (2019)
Former affiliations	Independent (1989–2019) Channel America (c. 1990–1995) America One (1995–2015) Youtoo America (2015–2017)
Call sign meaning	Sunbelt-South Telecommunications (previous owner)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	63867
ERP	66.2 kW
HAAT	111 m (364 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	31°53′36″N 83°48′18″W
Translator(s)	WSWG 44.3 Valdosta WSST-LD 55 Albany
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	www.southgatv.com

The station's digital signal extends only about 50 miles (80 km) from Cordele; however, the station is carried on many cable providers in the region, including in Albany and Perry. Since April 22, 2019, in order to increase its over-the-air reach, WSST-TV's primary channel has been simulcast on WSWG's third digital subchannel.^[3]

History

Former logo for WSST-TV

WSST-TV signed on May 22, 1989, as an independent station owned by Sunbelt-South Telecommunications Ltd.^[4] The station grew out of a cable-only station for Cordele and Vienna that had started in 1981.^[5] Though primarily independent, at various points WSST's schedule has included programming from Channel America,^[6] America One, and Youtoo America. WSST was originally jointly owned by William B. Goodson and Phillip A. Streetman; Goodson died in 2006,^[5] and Streetman assumed full control in 2007.^[7]

Former logos for WSST-TV from 2019 to 2022

On June 18, 2018, Marquee Broadcasting agreed to purchase WSST from Sunbelt-South Telecommunications.^[8][9] The sale was completed on September 3, 2018.^[10] Marquee subsequently acquired CBS affiliate WSWG from Gray Television, making it a sister station to WSST.^[11] In May 2019, WSST-TV affiliated with MyNetworkTV; the affiliation was transferred from a WSWG subchannel.

Local programming

WSST-TV aired a rebroadcast of sister station WSWG's early evening newscast and a prime time newscast, which launched on May 6, 2019;^[12] prior to then, WSST produced its own evening newscast. Until 2022, WSST also produced South Georgia Sunrise, a two-hour morning news and talk program, and Midday, a half-hour talk and lifestyle program.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WSST-TV^[13]

Channel	Video	Aspect	Short name	Programming
55.1	480i	4:3	WSST DT	MyNetworkTV
55.2		16:9	WSST-D2	MeTV (WSWG)
55.20			WSWG-DT	CBS (WSWG)
55.4		16:9	WSST-D4	Grit
55.5			WSST-D5	Ion Mystery
55.6			WSST-D6	Laff

  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

WSST-TV began broadcasting a digital signal in 2003.^[5] Its digital transmitter facilities operated at low power for several years, due to Sunbelt-South Telecommunications, Ltd. being involved in bankruptcy proceedings.^{[needs update][14]} The station ended regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 55, on April 15, 2009. WSST's digital signal broadcast on its pre-transition UHF channel 51.^[15][16] The station moved to channel 22 in early 2017,^[17] and to channel 34 in late 2018.^[18]