Family Group Broadcasting, L.P. was a

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

-incorporated, Florida-based television and radio broadcasting company. A small company, based in and around

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

, the company operated from the early 1980s to about 1997. Throughout its history, it owned and/or operated several different radio and television stations – all of its television stations independents (initially), on the UHF dial east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. Also, the company operated under the names Family Broadcasting Company, Inc., Family Group Entertainment and Family Group Ltd. III. Many of the stations shared the same type of branding with their channel number in chrome silver inside a red-violet diamond and the station's

call letter In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

s in white text inside a blue parallelogram underneath, along with a common imaging theme with the name of the group in the lyrics, 'TV that's fun! We bring you...Family fun!'.

Former Stations

Television Stations

* ¹ Stations built and/or signed-on by Family Group Broadcasting. * ² Family Group Broadcasting had a 50 percent stake in the station. Also,

Heritage Media Heritage Media Corporation (NYSE: HTG) was a media company which owned television and radio stations across the United States, as well as in-store and direct marketing companies. It was based in Dallas, Texas, from 1987 to 1997. History Heritage ...

, then-owners of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

affiliate

WEAR-TV WEAR-TV (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Pensacola, Florida, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for northwest Florida and southwest Alabama. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Fort Walton Beach–licensed ...

, took control of the station under a

Local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or tim ...

beginning in 1995 and lasting until 1997, when both stations and the rest of Heritage Media's television stations division were acquired by and absorbed into

Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBG) is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, Maryland, t ...

. * ³ WLKT-TV was partially owned by Family Group Broadcasting in a "50–50" joint venture with a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

company, Way of the Cross, Inc. and was founded in 1983. However, the station didn't sign-on until 1988. Due to low viewership from a contract requiring Way of the Cross's religious programming to air in prime time slots, questionable reception and not being able to find a buyer, the two companies took the station off the air less than a year later and subsequently returned the license to the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

. In 1999, a new low-power station took to the air on channel 62,

WBLU-LP WBLU-LP (channel 62) is a defunct Low-power broadcasting#Television, low-power television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Owned by Equity Media Holdings, the station broadcast its signal from downtown Lexington and provided coverag ...

, but itself was troubled and taken off the air after being sold to Daystar in 2009.

Radio Stations

* ¹ The station today, operates as a simulcast of now-sister station,

WANG Wang may refer to: Names * Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname * Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname * Titles in Chinese nobility * A title in Korean nobility * A title in Mongolian nobility Places * Wang River in Thailand ...

1490 AM, which in turn also operates a translator, W278CE on 103.5 FM. * ² As of May 2020, the station is temporarily off the air as repairs are ongoing to its transmitter. As a result, its

sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...

format is currently on

WAVK WAVK (97.7 FM) is a radio station temporarily broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to Marathon, Florida, USA, the station serves the Florida Keys. The station is currently owned by Robert Holladay, through licensee Florida Keys Media, LLC ...

97.7 FM in the meantime. * ³ The station today, operates as a simulcast of now-sister station,

WFKZ WFKZ (103.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format which is also simulcasted on 99.5 WAIL which is licensed to Key West, Florida. Licensed to Plantation Key, Florida, United States, the station serves the Florida Keys area. T ...

103.1 FM.

AM Stations

FM Stations

References