WJZB-TV
| Company type | Television station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | December 1, 1953 in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States |
| Defunct | 1969 |
| Fate | License surrendered and canceled after fire destroyed facilities |
| Headquarters | Worcester, Massachusetts , United States |
Area served | Boston metropolitan area, Providence, eastern Connecticut |
| Products | Television broadcasting (independent station with partial NBC affiliation) |
WJZB-TV (channel 14) was a television station based in Worcester, Massachusetts, operational from 1953 until 1969, with a period of inactivity between 1955 and 1958.
Initial Difficulties
The station began broadcasting in December 1953 under the call sign WWOR-TV (distinct from the New York-area station), becoming the second independent station serving the Boston region. Its transmitter was situated on Asnebumskit Hill in Paxton. WWOR held secondary affiliations with ABC, DuMont, and aired NBC shows that WBZ-TV (channel 4) chose not to carry. Nonetheless, the station confronted considerable obstacles due to early UHF transmission constraints—television sets at that time did not include mandatory UHF tuners (a requirement only established nationally following the 1961 All-Channel Receiver Act). Despite investments in expensive converter boxes, WWOR's broadcast signal remained weak, discouraging advertisers and resulting in its closure on September 5, 1955.
In 1958, Salisbury Broadcasting merged with Springfield Television Corporation, which owned NBC affiliate WWLP-TV in Springfield. On December 1, WWOR resumed operations as a six-hour daily relay of WWLP, operating under restrictions designed to protect WBZ-TV’s market share. After six years, Springfield Television rebranded channel 14 as WJZB—named after WWLP employee John Z. Buckley—and shifted its focus toward serving the Boston independent television market. Throughout the 1960s, WJZB broadcast Boston Bruins and Celtics games (sourced from WHDH-TV), classic films, syndicated sports programming, travel shows, and maintained a partial NBC affiliation.
Station Shutdown
Although WJZB covered metropolitan Boston, Providence, and parts of eastern Connecticut, it struggled due to its channel 14 transmitter’s inability to deliver color broadcasts and its subpar picture quality. These technical shortcomings limited advertising opportunities.
The station’s difficulties worsened in 1966 when Storer Broadcasting acquired WIHS-TV (channel 38), renaming it WSBK-TV, while a Kaiser Broadcasting–Boston Globe partnership relaunched WXHR-TV (channel 56) as WKBG-TV. Although Boston theoretically supported three independent stations, WJZB’s technical deficiencies proved too great to overcome. Springfield Television cut back broadcasts to the FCC minimum of 90 minutes per day, airing only WWLP’s evening news and The Huntley-Brinkley Report.
In 1968, Springfield Television agreed to sell WJZB to Buckley’s Evans Broadcasting, which intended to implement significant improvements including installing a new million-watt color transmitter. However, before the sale finalized, a fire in May 1969 destroyed both the studio and transmitter facilities. Unable to recover from this loss, Springfield Television surrendered the station’s license; the FCC canceled it in February 1970 and reassigned the frequency for two-way radio and land mobile services.