WAPT
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Jackson, Mississippi United States |
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| Branding | 16 WAPT (general) 16 WAPT News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | The One to Watch |
| Channels |
Digital: 21 (UHF) Virtual: 16 () |
| Subchannels | 16.1 ABC 16.2 MeTV |
| Affiliations | ABC |
| Owner |
Hearst Television (Jackson Hearst Television Inc..) |
| First air date | October 3, 1970 |
| Call letters' meaning | We're American Public Television (reference to American Public Life Insurance Company and no relation to American Public Television) |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 16 (UHF, 1970–2009) |
| Transmitter power | 1,000 kW |
| Height | 356 m |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | 49712 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°16′41″N 90°17′40″W / 32.27806°N 90.29444°W |
| Website | wapt.com |
WAPT is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Mississippi that is licensed to Jackson. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 (or virtual channel 16.1 via ) from a transmitter at its studios on Channel 16 Way in Southwest Jackson. Owned by Hearst Television, the station can also be found on Comcast Xfinity channel 4, Cable ONE channel 12 and Vicksburg Video channel 9. There is a high definition feed provided on Comcast digital channel 431, Cable ONE digital channel 455 and Vicksburg Video digital channel 225.
The station began broadcasting on October 3, 1970 with a rerun of Stagecoach West. Prior to its debut, ABC was limited to coverage on NBC affiliate WLBT and CBS affiliate WJTV, even though Jackson had been big enough since the 1950s to support three full network affiliates. In fact, Jackson was one of the largest markets, if not the largest, in the U.S. with only two network stations by the 1960s. It has long been speculated that the Federal Communications Commission delayed granting licenses to any potential broadcasters in central Mississippi because of WLBT's blatant bias against African-Americans in news coverage and advocacy against the civil rights movement.
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