WJKB

WJKB
CityGrundy, Virginia
Channels
BrandingLFTV: Living Faith Television
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerLiving Faith Ministries, Inc.
(sale to Gray Media pending)
History
First air date
January 2, 1995 (1995-01-02)
Former call signs
WLFG (1995–2026)
Former channel numbers
  • Analog: 68 (UHF, 1995–2007)
  • Digital: 49 (UHF, 2003–2019)
Call sign meaning
Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
37808
ERP
  • DTS1: 479 kW
  • DTS2: 0.1 kW
HAAT
  • DTS1: 662 m (2,172 ft)
  • DTS2: 482 m (1,581 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
Links
Public license information
Websitelivingfaithtv.com

WJKB (channel 68) is a religious independent station licensed to Grundy, Virginia, United States, serving the Tri-Cities area of southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. The station is owned by Abingdon, Virginia–based Living Faith Television. WJKB broadcasts from a two-site distributed transmission system, with transmitters near Hansonville, Virginia, and Harlan, Kentucky.

The station's programming is relayed on three satellite stations: WAGV (channel 68) in Harlan (which shares transmitter facilities with WJKB), WLFB (channel 40) in Bluefield, West Virginia (with transmitter atop East River Mountain, south of Bluefield, Virginia), and low-power WEZK-LD (channel 28) in Knoxville, Tennessee. WAGV was the first to broadcast exclusively in digital following a malfunction at its analog transmitter.

History

Living Faith Television was founded by Buford Smith and began broadcasting at the start of 1995, initially simulcasting WPCB-TV in Pittsburgh. His Living Faith Ministries had previously bought airtime for programs for 19 years on WKPT-TV in Kingsport, Tennessee. Smith, who had stated that he was instructed by God to start the station, had spent a decade getting channel 68 on the air. The station grew from the original station in Grundy, Virginia, to include the other two transmitters. WAGV in Harlan, Kentucky, began broadcasting in 1999 from Fox Knob, the second-highest point in Kentucky.

Buford Smith was pastor of Tookland Pentecostal Church in Grundy until his death in May 2003. His son, Michael Smith, succeeded him president and CEO of Living Faith Television. Tookland Pentecostal Church was a major financier when the station was founded; it broke most of its ties with the station after it declared its independence in 2006.

On October 7, 2026, Living Faith Ministries filed a sale of WLFG and its satellite stations to Gray Media for $2.25 million. Gray owns WVLT-TV (channel 8) and WBXX-TV (channel 20) in the Knoxville market and WVVA-TV (channel 6) in the Bluefield market. The call sign for WLFG was changed to WJKB on November 1.

Programming

The station's programming consists mostly of content by other ministries that purchase air time, along with some infomercials. Original programming is spread throughout the broadcast day by the flagship program Living Faith Now! (formerly From These Hills), along with Sing Time, Fred Schmidt, and Life Begins at Calvary, a program produced by Calvary Church of the Tri-Cities, and other programs.

Technical information

The stations' signals are multiplexed:

WJKB/WAGV subchannels

Subchannels of WJKB and WAGV
Subchannel Res. Short name Programming
68.1 480iWLFG-DTMain programming
68.2 ShopLCShop LC
68.3 IONIon
68.4 JTVJewelry TV
68.5 OutlawOutlaw
68.6 BuzzrBuzzr
68.7 DefyDefy
68.8 QuestQuest
68.9 MovieSpMovieSphere Gold (4:3)
68.11 GetTvGreat

WLFB subchannels

Subchannels of WLFB
Subchannel Res. Short name Programming
40.1 480iWLFB-DTMain WLFB programming
40.2 720pIONplusShop LC
40.3 480iIonMovieSphere Gold
40.4 MysteryIon Mystery
40.5 GritGrit
40.6 LaffLaff
40.7 BounceBounce TV
40.10 JTVJewelry TV
40.12 BuzzrBuzzr

WEZK-LD subchannels

Subchannels of WEZK-LD
Subchannel Res. Short name Programming
28.1 480iWEZK-DTMain WEZK-LD programming
28.2 MovieSpMovieSphere Gold
28.4 Ace-TVACE TV
28.6 MoviesMovies!
28.8 CatchyCatchy Comedy
28.11 SBNSonlife
28.12 QVCIIQVC2

Analog-to-digital conversion

WJKB (as WLFG) shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 68, in May 2007. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 49, using virtual channel 68.

Satellite stations

Station City of license Channels
(RF / VC)		 First air date ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter coordinates Public license information
WAGV Harlan, Kentucky 14 (UHF)
(shared with WJKB)
68		 August 12, 1999
(on analog channel 44)		 DTS1: 479 kW
DTS2: 0.1 kW		 DTS1: 662 m (2,172 ft)
DTS2: 482 m (1,581 ft)		 37809 DTS1:
36°49′47.3″N 82°4′44.4″W / 36.829806°N 82.079000°W / 36.829806; -82.079000
DTS2:
36°48′0.3″N 83°22′35.6″W / 36.800083°N 83.376556°W / 36.800083; -83.376556		 Public file
LMS
WEZK-LD Knoxville, Tennessee 16 (UHF)
28		 March 15, 1990 15 kW 348.3 m (1,143 ft) 61017 36°0′36″N 83°55′57″W / 36.01000°N 83.93250°W / 36.01000; -83.93250 (WEZK-LD) LMS
WLFB Bluefield, West Virginia 25 (UHF)
40		 November 2, 2000 734 kW 399 m (1,309 ft) 37806 37°13′12.3″N 81°15′19″W / 37.220083°N 81.25528°W / 37.220083; -81.25528 (WLFB) Public file
LMS

References

  1. 1 2 "Assignment of Authorization". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. October 7, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Facility Technical Data for WJKB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "FCC Form 387, Exhibit 3: Updated DTV Status Report". FCC Database. February 9, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  4. ↑ Tennis, Joe (April 20, 1995). "Pointing to the future: Rev. Buford Smith's TV station comes down from the mountain". Bristol Herald Courier. p. Empire 1. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
  5. ↑ Laube, Leigh Ann (June 11, 1999). "WLFG-TV uses airtime to minister throughout region". Kingsport Times-News. pp. 1D, 2D. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
  6. ↑ {{Cite news |last=Caldwell |first=Debbie |date=1999-08-24 |title=A tower of faith: Religious broadcasting transmitted from tower erected atop Fox Knob |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-harlan-daily-enterprise-a-tower-of-f/209622264/ |access-date=2026-11-03 |work=The Harlan Daily Enterprise |pages=1, 2}
  7. ↑ Copeland, Laura (May 25, 2003). "Buford Smith, religious broadcaster, dies at 65". Bristol Herald Courier. p. A2. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
  8. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for WLFG". RabbitEars. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  9. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for WLFG". RabbitEars. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for WEZK". RabbitEars. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Public Attachmatch" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved March 24, 2012.