WBEK-CA
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| WBEK-CA | |
|---|---|
| |
| Augusta, Georgia | |
| Branding | Anime 16 Augusta |
| Analog channel | 16 (UHF) |
| Digital channel | 16 (UHF) (flash-cut) |
| Subchannels | 16.1 Anime National/AMT SD 16.2 JTN (via WBAU) 16.3 Animovie 16.4 Anivision 16.5 ON-ANIME 16.6 Funimation Channel 16.7 Coast-to-Coast TV 16.8 Asahi America 16.9 Weather Tube 16.10 Anime National/AMT HD |
| Affiliations | Anime National Anime Music Television |
| Owner | Taylor Media Stations Group |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Call letters meaning | |
| Former affiliations | WB (1995-1999), UPN (1999-2004), America One (2004-2007) |
WBEK-CA is a low-power television station in Augusta, Georgia, broadcasting locally on UHF channel 16 as an affiliate of Anime America.
[edit] History
The license for W67BE was first granted on March 28, 1985. Little is known about this early period in the station's history, but it was the first Augusta Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate before the emergence of WFXG in the early '90s. The station would eventually re-make itself, and on January 2, 1995 the station signed on as WBEK-LP, an affiliate of The WB on channel 67. During this period, the station was known locally as "The WB on WBEK 67".
In 1999, WBAU 23, a local affiliate of The WB 100+ signed on, appearing on cable systems in the Augusta area, after a period in which there was no WB affiliate in Augusta. Having lost the affiliation with The WB, WBEK became an affiliate of UPN, and for a few years sold advertising on WBAU, before it went to WRDW (this changed hands once more before The WB 100+ was replaced with The CW Plus). In 2000, the station moved to its present channel location, UHF channel 16.
After the affiliation switch, the station attempted to maintain its status as a "top" local affiliate. The station's move to channel 16 had come with a loss in power, and viewership began to decline. The station picked up a secondary affiliation with America One during this period. In 2004, the station lost the UPN affiliation to WRDW's digital subchannel 31.2 (UPN Augusta). In 2007, the station was sold to Taylor Media Stations Group becoming "Anime 16 Augusta". The station picked up a secondary affiliation with the Japanese Television Network during this period. JTN was picked up by WBAU cable channel 23 as "Augusta's JTN 23, which can also be seen on WBEK digital channel 16.2.
As an affiliate of Anime National, the station carries old anime, Miyasaki movies, Anime National programming, and Anime Music Television productions to fill up its time slots.
