Jonesboro Market To Get CBS Affiliate

The “Tiffany Network” is coming to Jonesboro.

Officials with Mississippi-based communications company Waypoint Media said Friday that a CBS affiliate will start broadcasting Aug. 1 in the Jonesboro market.

Michael Reed, who serves as owner of Jonesboro TV LLC, said the station will air on KJNB-39.2. Waypoint and Jonesboro TV also own a new Fox affiliate in the market.

“We are very excited,” Reed said Friday morning about the new CBS station.

The two stations combined will have a definite sports focus, with the two networks owning the broadcast rights to several major professional leagues, Reed said.

CBS owns the rights to broadcast AFC games in the NFL, as well as Thursday Night Football and the SEC; while Fox owns the rights to Major League Baseball, the NFC games in the NFL and college football.

“We will have a big sports offering,” Reed said.

As for the business side of things, Reed said he and business partner Bill Christian have been working to get their feet under them.

The company hired its first employee earlier this month and will be working to hire news, sports and advertising personnel.

Reed said the group is also working to secure a building in downtown Jonesboro for a studio and are hopeful that everything can be done by the end of the year.

FOX AFFILIATE
The announcement this week helps to create an increasingly crowded television media market in Jonesboro.

For many years, the Jonesboro market was covered by KAIT, an ABC affiliate; and several Memphis television stations – ABC affiliate WATN, CBS affiliate WREG, Fox affiliate WHBQ and NBC affiliate WMC.

KAIT serves as a content partner for Talk Business and Politics.

Reed announced in June that his company would be adding a Fox affiliate in the market with KJNB 39.1. The Fox and CBS stations in the Jonesboro market are both low-power TV stations, but will expand their reach through cable markets in the region.

Earlier this year, KAIT announced it would be airing NBC programming on its 8.2 station as well as simulcasting the news that airs on WMC.