WLFT-CD,
virtual and
UHF
Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (on ...
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
**Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
channel 30, is a
low-powered,
Class A flagship
SonLife-
affiliated
Affiliation or affiliate may refer to:
* Affiliate (commerce), a legal form of entity relationship used in Business Law
* Affiliation (family law), a legal form of family relationship
* Affiliate marketing
* Affiliate network or affiliation pla ...
television station serving
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States that is
licensed to
Baker
A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery.
History
Ancient history
Since grains ha ...
. The station is owned by Jimmy Swaggart's Family Worship Center. The station's transmitter is located in
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
near Siegen Lane across from TopGolf.
The station originally had its studios at 13567 Plank Road in
Baker, Louisiana
Baker is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in East Baton Rouge Parish. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area, and had a population of 12,455 at the 2020 census, down from 13,895 at the 2010 U.S. census.
History
Baker ...
; however, once sold to Red Stick Broadcasting, WLFT's studios moved to downtown Baton Rouge at 334 North 3rd Street.
History
WLFT started as Cox cable channel 4, with programming from the
Pax network in 1998. It also broadcast local
religious programming on cable channel 17 and over the air on channel 52, as "WLFT/2". It was launched by the Bethany World Prayer Center under their company Touch Family Broadcasting, and the call sign originally stood for Lifeline Family Television after Bethany's flagship program. Other call acronyms used during the era of Touch Family Broadcasting included Louisiana Family Television and later Local Free TV until 2019 when it stop using a slogan.
In 2002, WLFT converted to all-religious programming and Pax was moved to cable channel 14 (now on 70), as a direct network feed. The station also aired some programming from
FamilyNet. In November of that year, WLFT-CA launched its new tower, allowing the station to increase its signal strength and reach more homes in communities like
Hammond
Hammond may refer to:
People
* Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist
* Hammond (surname)
* Justice Hammond (disambiguation)
Places Antarctica
* Hammond Glacier, Antarctica
Australia
*Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in South ...
,
Gonzales Gonzales may refer to:
Places
* Gonzales, California, U.S.
* Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S.
* Gonzales, Texas, U.S.
* Gonzales County, Texas
Other uses
* Battle of Gonzales, 1835
* Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbred ...
,
New Roads and
St. Francisville.
In fall 2005, WLFT-CA would relocate from channel 52 (where the signal wasn't as strong) to channel 30.
In July 2011, the station converted to digital and began to carry programming from
MeTV during the late-afternoon through early morning hours.
In the fall of 2011, the station launched a second HD subchannel, 30.2, which carried MeTV's entire lineup.
WLFT launched a third subchannel on October 3, 2012, which carried
The Country Network (present-day Zuus Country). One year later, on October 2, 2013, Zuus Country was removed in favor of
TV Scout. TV Scout was removed in July 2014 in favor of
GetTV, which remained on channel 30.3 until late June 2017 before being replaced with the
Home Shopping Network
HSN, an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Qurate Retail Group, which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands. Based in the Gateway area of St. Petersburg, Flor ...
on July 1, 2017. On January 1, 2019, the Home Shopping Network was removed, and WLFT became a charter affiliate for
NewsNet, airing the network on this subchannel.
In August 2013, the station added the
African-American centered
Soul of the South Network to its fourth subchannel. On September 14, 2016, WLFT brought
Antenna TV programming to Baton Rouge on channel 30.4.
As of 2017, channel 30.1 primarily airs MeTV, some religious programming and
infomercial
An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...
s scattered throughout the day, and select programs from Antenna TV during
primetime
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
and NewsNet from 6:30 AM to 8 AM every weekday with local news segments every half hour.
As of 2018, channel 30.1 (Cox 117) began carrying more original, local programming, especially a Thursday night lined up of original shows: A Better Life, Black & White, Let's Talk About Dogs, Kel's Cars and Colorado Xtreme. On June 28, 2021, WLFT lost its
MeTV affiliation to a subchannel of
MyNetworkTV affiliate
WBXH, and so it moved its
Antenna TV affiliation to its main channel, took channel 30.2 dark, and duplicated Antenna TV feed on 30.3 full time, and shifted its
NewsNet feed to 30.4.
On September 22, 2021, Touch Family Broadcasting sold the station to Red Stick Broadcasting, owned by WLFT station manager Lucas Fry and Kerry Denny. When this happened, Antenna TV disappeared from the station's main feed with its primary feed reverted to channel 30.4, Newsnet was moved back to 30.3, and the main channel aired a mixture of movies from
Soul of the South Network, independent films produced and/or filmed in Louisiana, and other local and syndicated programming, including Newsnet during the morning hours. Red Stick Broadcasting also branded WLFT as "Live Festival Television," providing coverage of numerous festivals, parades, tailgating, and other events throughout South Louisiana. On November 1, 2021, WLFT simulcast its main feed in standard definition on the fourth subchannel of
New Orleans Telemundo station
KGLA, and it brought
Telemundo programming to Baton Rouge for the first time by airing a standard definition simulcast (later upgraded to high definition by April 2022) of
KGLA on channel 30.2.
On October 3, 2022, Lucas Fry filed an application with the FCC to sell WLFT to Jimmy Swaggart's Family Worship Center. The FCC granted this licensure transfer on November 15, 2022. On December 5, 2022, WLFT's main channel began simulcasting Sonlife Broadcasting Network's programming.
[https://www.instagram.com/p/ClzBWW9DmRB/]
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is
multiplexed:
WLFT 30 over-air broadcasts 4 channels:
* Channel 30.1, WLFT currently broadcasts Sonlife. 30.1 is also carried by Cox Cable in greater Baton Rouge on 117, Eatel in Ascension and Livingston on 130, and Eatel in Plaquemine on 35.
* Channel 30.2 carried full-time MeTV, a retro television network, until June 2021. The channel was dark until November 1, 2021 when KGLA's signal was simulcast on said channel.
* Channel 30.3 is full-time NewsNet, the first 24/7 over-the-air news network.
* Channel 30.4 is full-time Antenna TV, a retro television network.
WLFT also maintains a web site a
WLFT.comas well as a
Facebook,
Twitter,
YouTube, and
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account.
References
External links
Official website*
{{Other Louisiana Stations
Television stations in Louisiana
Telemundo network affiliates
Antenna TV affiliates
Television channels and stations established in 1998
Low-power television stations in the United States
NewsNet affiliates