View source for WBRL-CD

{{Short description|Television station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign            = WBRL-CD
| logo                = WBRL (2024, Alternate).svg
| branding            = Baton Rouge CW 21
| digital             = 21 ([[UHF]])
| virtual             = 21
| translators         = [[WGMB-TV]] 44.2 Baton Rouge
| affiliations        = [[The CW]]
| network             =
| founded             = 
| airdate             = {{start date and age|1989|3|30|p=y}}
| last_airdate        = 
| location            = [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]
| country             = United States
| callsign_meaning    = Baton Rouge, Louisiana
| sister_stations     = WGMB-TV, [[WVLA-TV]], [[KZUP-CD]]
| former_callsigns    = {{ubl|K65EF (1989–1992)|K21DQ (1992–1995)|KANC-LP (1995–2002)|WBRL-CA (2002–2011)}}
| owner               = [[Nexstar Media Group]]
| licensee            = Nexstar Media Inc.
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[Independent station|Independent]] (1989–1992)|[[All News Channel]] (1992–2002)|[[The WB]] (2002–2006)}}
| former_channel_numbers = '''Analog:''' 65 (UHF, 1989–1992), 21 (UHF, 1992–2011), 20 (UHF, share with KZUP-CD, 2011–2020s)
| erp                 = 10 [[kW]]
| haat                = {{convert|212.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id         = 24976
| coordinates         = {{coord|30|19|34.6|N|91|16|36.1|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline, title}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website             = {{URL|https://www.louisianafirstnews.com/}} 
}}

'''WBRL-CD''' (channel 21) is a [[low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]], [[Class A television station]] in [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]], United States, serving as the local outlet for [[The CW]]. It is [[owned and operated]] by network majority owner [[Nexstar Media Group]] alongside [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WGMB-TV]] (channel 44) and [[independent station]] [[KZUP-CD]] (channel 19); Nexstar also provides certain services to [[NBC]] affiliate [[WVLA-TV]] (channel 33) under [[local marketing agreement|joint sales]] and [[shared services]] agreements (JSA/SSA) with White Knight Broadcasting. The four stations share studios on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge; WBRL-CD's transmitter is located near [[Addis, Louisiana]].

In addition to its own digital signal, WBRL-CD is [[simulcast]] in [[1080i]] full [[high-definition television|high definition]] on WGMB's second [[digital subchannel]] (44.2) from the same transmitter site.

==History==
[[Communications Corporation of America]] brought [[The WB|WB]] programming to Baton Rouge cable subscribers on February 1, 1999, as WBBR, a cable-only station on [[Cox Communications]] channel 10 (WBBR's call sign was used in a fictitious manner).<ref>A new venture – Local WB affiliate debuts on cable, Baton Rouge Advocate, January 31, 1999</ref> Previously, WB programming was available on WTVK-LP, a low-power station owned by Gulf Atlantic Communications which was also affiliated with [[America One]]. While WTVK was carried by several smaller cable providers in the greater Baton Rouge area, including those in [[Clinton, Louisiana|Clinton]], [[Jackson, Louisiana|Jackson]], and [[Watson, Louisiana|Watson]], as well as on [[LSU]]'s cable system, [[Tele-Communications Inc.|TCI]], then Baton Rouge's cable company, did not carry the station, and it only had a broadcasting range of {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}}.<ref>A David facing TV Goliaths *** WTVK thinking big despite low-power pole, Baton Rouge Advocate, January 14, 1996</ref> TCI, however, did carry [[NewsNation|WGN]] irregularly between 1995 and 1999, making WB programming available to subscribers. Eventually, WTVK signed off, and channel 11 became occupied by [[KPBN-LP]], an America One affiliate.

The station now known as WBRL signed on the air March 30, 1989, as K65EF on channel 65. It was founded by Woody Jenkins of Great Oaks Broadcasting Corporation and initially served as a translator for independent station [[KBTR-CA|WBTR]], as that station initially had trouble getting picked up on local cable systems in the greater Baton Rouge area. In 1995, it became KANC-LP, channel 21 and served as Baton Rouge's first all-news station affiliated with the [[All News Channel]]. On November 13, 2002, WTNC was purchased by ComCorp with the objective of bringing WBBR/WB programming over-the air. The call sign was changed to WBRL and was initially supposed to be on channel 19 before Communications Corporation decided to put it on channel 21 (sister station [[KZUP-CD]] was on channel 19, but is now on channel 20; some station ids from 2002 erroneously branded the station as WB 19 instead of WB 21).<ref>2 cable stations go over-the-air, Baton Rouge Advocate, December 15, 2002</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl3FYzJRw_Q|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419094250/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl3FYzJRw_Q|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 19, 2016|title=YouTube|website=www.youtube.com}} </ref> WBRL was previously used as the call letters to the FM counterpart to [[WJBO]] from 1941 to 1958—this station is now [[WYNK-FM]] and is unrelated to WBRL-CD.

On March 7, 2006, Baton Rouge's [[UPN]] affiliate, [[WBXH]], announced that they would take affiliation with [[MyNetworkTV]] in September. On March 9, 2006, it was announced that WBRL would affiliate with The CW.

In June 2006, owner ComCorp filed for [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] protection. ComCorp said in a press release viewers and staff would see no changes at the station.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/theadvocate/access/1229288951.html?dids=1229288951:1229288951&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+8%2C+2007&author=TED+GRIGGS&pub=Advocate&edition=&startpage=1&desc=TV+station+parents+told+to+file+reorganization|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524111223/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/theadvocate/access/1229288951.html?dids=1229288951:1229288951&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+8,+2007&author=TED+GRIGGS&pub=Advocate&edition=&startpage=1&desc=TV+station+parents+told+to+file+reorganization|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 24, 2011|title=TV station parents told to file reorganization<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=pqarchiver.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/11/06/daily.7/?promo|title=Web Page Under Construction|website=www.tvnewsday.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theind.com/news3.asp?CID=306408159|title=Error 404|website=www.theind.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessreport.com/news/2007/sep/04/wvla-wgmb-getting-new-owners/|title=:: Baton Rouge Business Report :: WVLA, WGMB getting new owners<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=businessreport.com}}</ref>

On April 24, 2013, ComCorp announced the sale of its entire group, including WGMB and WBRL-CD, to the [[Nexstar Broadcasting Group]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=CDBS Attachment |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=101552312&qnum=5040&copynum=1&exhcnum=1 |access-date=January 23, 2024 |website=licensing.fcc.gov}}</ref> The [[local marketing agreement]] for WVLA and KZUP-CD (which is retaining ownership with White Knight Broadcasting) is included in the deal. The sale was completed on January 1, 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prefill and Display |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1667028&Service=DT&Form_id=905&Facility_id=12520}}</ref>

On July 1, 2020, WBRL relocated its digital channel from channel 21 to channel 20 to prevent co-interference from [[WHNO]] in New Orleans, sharing channel space with its sister station, KZUP. On November 1, 2021, WBRL's simulcast on WGMB-DT2 was upgraded to 720p high definition.

==Newscasts==
{{see|WGMB-TV#News operation}}
Since March 2017, WBRL has reaired the 9 p.m. newscast from WGMB at 10:30&nbsp;p.m.

==Subchannel==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannel of WBRL-CD<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WBRL-CD#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WBRL|website=www.rabbitears.info}}</ref>
! [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! Short name
! Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 21.1 
| [[1080i]] || [[16:9]] || WBRL-CD || [[The CW]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[KZUP-CD|20.1]] 
| 1080i || 16:9 || KZUP-TV || [[KZUP-CD]] ([[Independent station|Independent]])
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://www.louisianafirstnews.com/}}

{{Baton Rouge TV}}
{{TV Stations Louisiana}}
{{TV Stations Mississippi}}
{{NXST TV}}
{{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wbrl-Ca}}
[[Category:1989 establishments in Louisiana]]
[[Category:The CW affiliates]]
[[Category:Low-power television stations in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Nexstar Media Group]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1989]]
[[Category:Television stations in Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]