Technical Profile: WBIF-DT

TV Technical Profile: WBIF

Channel:: 26
Programming:: 51.1 - Daystar
51.2 - Daystar Español
Transmitter Location:: [map] On the Washington/Bay county line just went of the Fountain Community. East of Hammond Lake, south of Owenwood Rd. Co-located or near WYYX-FM and WPAP-FM.
Power (ERP):: 50 kW
Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT):: 833 feet
Antenna:: Nondirectional
Other Information:: 41 dBu protected contour map, from FCCdata.; [FCC]
[FCCdata]
[RabbitEars]; [Wikipedia]
History:: Station came on the air in 2001 as a Pax affiliate, before joining with UPN in 2004. After the UPN-WB merger that created CW, it and My Network TV were taken by WJHG in Panama City, leaving this station without any kind of affiliation. It later became a full time affiliate of Retro TV.
: In 2009 the parent company of the station and service provider to the network, Equity Broadcasting, had a falling-out of sorts and all Equity stations dumped RTN. WBIF showed a slide for a day explaining the situation, then signed off the air. Shortly thereafter, they signed back on with programming by This TV. Due to filing bankruptcy in 2008, the station was auctioned off and acquired by Word of God Fellowship, owners of the Daystar Christian network. Daystar was tasked with no only returning the station to the air, but building out the digital facilities. According to Wikipedia, WBIF's digital facility was built out, and the station switched to Daystar programming in October 2009. The license to cover for the digital facility wasn't issued by the FCC until sometime in March 2011.

The station received a construction permit to change RF channels from 51 to 26, and signed that on in May 2019.

The station was taken off the air by Hurricane Michael in October 2018, and service was restored the last week of October 2018.

In May 2022, the station applied to change from horizontal polarization to elliptical polarization, using the existing antenna. That permit was granted the same month.