CBS and Bahakel Communications have agreed to air CBS programming on a subchannel of WBBJ, a powerhouse ABC affiliate in Jackson, Tenn. The affiliation starts Jan. 1, 2012.
WBBJ signed on as a CBS affiliate over a half century ago.
"We're delighted and proud to establish a CBS home base in Jackson, associating the quality and popularity of our network's schedule with the dominant station in the market," said Diana Wilkin, president, CBS affiliate relations. "WBBJ signed on in 1955 as a CBS affiliate, so this new agreement is both a ‘return engagement' and a welcome opportunity to expand our partnership with the seasoned broadcast executives at Bahakel Communications."
Jackson is DMA No. 176 -- moving up a whopping six places in the most recent Nielsen DMA rankings. WBBJ commands 86% of the market's revenue, according to BIA/Kelsey, with Newport's Fox affiliate WJKT picking up the rest. BIA does not list an NBC affiliate in Jackson.
In August, CBS and Saga Communications announced they were putting CBS on Saga's KXTS in Victoria, Texas, which is DMA No. 204.
"WBBJ has a long tradition of serving the people of West Tennessee," said Beverly Bahakel Poston, president of Bahakel. "We look forward to enhancing that service to our audiences and advertisers with the addition of CBS's outstanding entertainment, news and sports programming. Complementing the lineup of America's Most-Watched Network will be the news, weather, sports and information provided by 7 Eyewitness News, West Tennessee's News Channel."
