WMDN & WGBC Television

“This Is Home”

Television was invented for entertainment, not information. I love Lucy, Jackie Gleason, Sid Caesar, and The Howdy Doody Show, were some of the first highly acclaimed television shows in the 1950’s, a time of remarkable achievement in television. Regularly scheduled all day programing, was scarce. On some evenings, a network might not offer any programs at all. By the middle 50’s, televisions were in 70 percent of the country’s homes and programs were scheduled for all hours of “prime time”. Television has since become one of the most influential forces of our time, with the addition of sports, news and educational programming.

WMDN & WGBC, Meridian, operate five broadcast Television Stations here, but is also the home office and traffic HUB for three stations in Hattiesburg, MS, three stations in Jackson, Tennessee, three stations in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and three television and four radio stations in Lafayette, IN. In addition to broadcast television and radio, they also have a robust offering of Digital products, allowing them to target advertising messages anywhere in the country.

Mike Reed became the owner in January, 2008, with the acquisition of WGBC-TV and LMA in partnership with Wade Threadgill of Meridian Media’s WMDN-TV. “We operate 20 plus Television and Radio Stations from the Meridian location. We have a full “in-house” Digital Advertising Agency and we give, on average, over two million dollars of air-time back to different clubs and organizations in this community each year,” says Jon Pollard, Vice President & General Manager. 

Their advice for new business owners is to create a solid marketing plan, and be consistent with that strategy. It is also a good idea to work with someone who understands various advertising methods, to help you develop a good media mix. WMDN & WGBC are members of the chamber so they can give back to the community that supports them. They want to be a resource for every chamber member.

“This community has helped us grow from two broadcast television stations in 1994 to more than 20 stations today. Many of our employees have been with the company for over 20 years, and this is our home. The business owners are like family, and we help each other grow and become better every day,” adds Pollard. Together WMDN & WGBC are known as “The Meridian Family of Stations.”

WMDN & WGBC Television
1151 Crestview Circle, Meridian, MS