TV Technical Profile: WBIF
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- Channel:
- 26
- Programming:
- 51.1 - Daystar
51.2 - Daystar Espaņol
- Transmitter
Location:
- [map]
On the Washington/Bay county line just went of the Fountain
Community. East of Hammond Lake, south of Owenwood Rd.
Co-located or near WYYX-FM and WPAP-FM.
- Power (ERP):
- 50 kW
- Height Above
Average Terrain (HAAT):
- 833 feet
- Antenna:
- Nondirectional
- Other
Information:
- 41 dBu protected
contour
map, from FCCdata.
- [FCC]
[FCCdata]
[RabbitEars]
- [Wikipedia]
- History:
- Station came on
the air in 2001 as a Pax affiliate, before joining with UPN in
2004. After the UPN-WB merger that created CW, it and My
Network TV were taken by WJHG in Panama City, leaving this station
without any kind of affiliation. It later became a full time
affiliate of Retro TV.
- In 2009 the
parent company of the station and service provider to the network,
Equity Broadcasting, had a falling-out of sorts and all Equity
stations dumped RTN. WBIF showed a slide for a day explaining
the situation, then signed off the air. Shortly thereafter,
they signed back on with programming by This TV. Due to filing
bankruptcy in 2008, the station was auctioned off and acquired by
Word of God Fellowship, owners of the Daystar Christian
network. Daystar was tasked with no only returning the station
to the air, but building out the digital facilities. According
to Wikipedia, WBIF's digital facility was built out, and the station
switched to Daystar programming in October 2009. The license
to cover for the digital facility wasn't issued by the FCC until
sometime in March 2011.
The
station received a construction permit to change RF channels from 51
to 26, and signed that on in May 2019.
The station was taken off the air by Hurricane Michael in October
2018, and service was restored the last week of October 2018.
In May 2022, the station applied to change from horizontal
polarization to elliptical polarization, using the existing antenna.
That permit was granted the same month.