Family Group Broadcasting


Family Group Broadcasting, L.P. was a Delaware-incorporated, Florida-based television and radio broadcasting company. A small company, based in and around Tampa Bay, 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, on the UHF dial east of the Mississippi River. Also, the company operated under other names and aliases such as 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 channel number inside a red diamond and the station's call letters 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, then-owners of ABC affiliate WEAR-TV, took control of the station under a Local marketing agreement 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.3 WLKT-TV was partially owned by Family Group Broadcasting in a "50–50" joint venture with a non-profit 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. In 1999, a new low-power station took to the air on channel 62, WBLU-LP, but itself was troubled and taken off the air after being sold to Daystar in 2009.
MarketStation
PSIP
Years ownedSold toCurrent status
Mobile, ALPensacola
Fort Walton Beach, FL
WFGX 35 1987–19971 2Sinclair Broadcast GroupStill owned by Sinclair as a MyNetworkTV affiliate
Fort MyersNaples
Cape Coral, FL
WFTX-TV 36 1985–1986Wabash Valley BroadcastingFox affiliate owned by The E.W. Scripps Company
Panama City, FLWFXD/'WPGX 28 1988–1990Ashling Broadcasting GroupFox affiliate owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group
TampaSt. Petersburg, FLWFTS-TV 28 1981–19841Capital Cities CommunicationsABC affiliate owned by The E.W. Scripps Company
Rockford, ILWQRF-TV 39 1986–1989Petracom BroadcastingFox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
LexingtonFayette, KYWLKT-TV 621983–19893Taken off the airDefunct in 1989, licensed cancelled and returned to the FCC
RoanokeLynchburg, VAWVFT 27 1986–1991Roanoke–Lynchburg TV Acquisition CorporationFox affiliate, WFXR, owned by Nexstar Media Group
Green BayAppleton, WIWGBA-TV 26 1985–1991Aries TelecommunicationsNBC affiliate owned by The E.W. Scripps Company
La CrosseEau Claire, WIWLAX' 25 1986–19911Aries TelecommunicationsFox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group

Radio stations

1 The station today, operates as a simulcast of now-sister station, WANG 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 format is currently on WAVK 97.7 FM in the meantime.3 The station today, operates as a simulcast of now-sister station, WFKZ 103.1 FM.

AM stations

MarketStationFrequencyCurrent Status
Key West, FLWKWF16002CBS Sports Radio and SB Nation Radio dual affiliate owned by Spottswood Partners II, LTD
TampaSt. Petersburg, FLWQBN1300Spanish Variety owned by Crisbeto Enterprises Corp.
BiloxiGulfportPascagoula, MSWVMI570Classic country as WTNI1 on 1640 owned by Telesouth Communications
BeaumontPort Arthur, TXKAYC1450CBS Sports Radio affiliate KIKR owned by Cumulus Media