WDBD

WDBD is the Fox-affiliated television station for Jackson, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on Thigpen Road in Raymond. Owned by American Spirit Media, it is operated by Raycom Media through a shared services agreement (SSA) in a cluster including NBC affiliate WLBT, and MyNetworkTV outlet WLOO.

Although technically owned by Tougaloo College, WLOO is actually controlled by American Spirit and in turn Raycom Media through a separate joint sales agreement (JSA). All three television outlets share studios on South Jefferson Street in Downtown Jackson. Syndicated programming on WDBD includes Family Guy, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and Judge Mathis among others.

History

The station began broadcasting on November 30, 1984 as the market's first Independent outlet. It was also the first television station in Mississippi to not be affiliated with a network. In February 1988, WDBD became the area's first Fox affiliate although the fourth broadcast network had launched back in October 1986. The station switched to The WB in October 2001 leaving Jackson without an over-the-air Fox affiliate for the next two years. It would not be until September 2003 when WUFX (now WLOO) signed-on in nearby Vicksburg and became the area's second Fox affiliate. In the interim, programming from the network was provided exclusively on WNTZ-TV.