WLJT-DT

In 1953, officials with the Tennessee Educational Television Commission requested the assignment of several channels across the state for noncommercial educational use, including channel 11 at Lexington, in addition to existing assignments for Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.[2] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the assignments in March 1954.[3] In 1965, the Tennessee Department of Education filed with the FCC for a construction permit and with the federal government to request a grant to cover construction costs. The station would serve 553,000 people, including 137,000 schoolchildren.[4] The station would not have associated studios but initially serve to repeat Memphis educational station WKNO (channel 10).[5]

The grant and construction permit were received in April 1966.[6] Construction work had begun in earnest by June 1967,[7] and WLJT began operations on February 13, 1968.[8][9] It rebroadcast WKNO with extremely limited local programming;[10] while it broadcast on weekdays in 1977,[11] it did not do so in 1978, leaving the local cable system to carry WKNO itself.[10]

In 1980, controversy over programming at WSJK-TV in Sneedville led to scrutiny of the state educational television system, which had grown to four state-owned stations plus WKNO and WDCN in Nashville, which were community-owned. One of the two reports suggested that WLJT be sold to WKNO;[12] the other recommended spinning out all of the stations in the system to community licensees.[13] After WKNO expressed no interest,[14] the state chose the latter option when legislators passed and Governor Lamar Alexander signed the Tennessee Educational Television Network Act of 1981,[15] This legislation provided for the transfer of the four Department of Education-owned stations to community entities by 1986.[16][17]

In August 1981, the West Tennessee Public Television Council was formed, and WLJT began local programming from studios at UT–Martin.[14] This also added hands-on experience opportunities to UT–Martin's broadcasting program.[18] In 1982, the second year of local content, it produced 101 hours of its own programming. In April 1984, the spin-off was completed, and the station began on-air fundraising efforts.[19] In addition to typical PBS programming, WLJT aired local sports and a regional country music show as part of its local output.[20] In 1993, engineering operations were able to move to Martin when a new master and remote control facility opened at the studios.[21]

WLJT began digital broadcasting on channel 47 on February 20, 2004,[21] and discontinued analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009.[22] The station continued to broadcast on channel 47, using virtual channel 11,[23] until being repacked to channel 27 as a result of the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction on August 10, 2018; channel 14 had been originally assigned.[24]