WWTD-LD

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WWTD-LD
Channels
Programming
Affiliationssee § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner
  • J. Christopher Blair
  • (DC Broadcasting, Inc.)
WRZB-LD
History
First air date
October 31, 2001; 22 years ago (2001-10-31)
Former call signs
  • W63BP (1990–1995, 2001–2004)
  • DW63BP (expired CP, 1995–2001)
  • WWTD-LP (2004–2011)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 63 (UHF, 1990–2005), 49 (UHF, 2005–2011)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID189114
ClassLD
ERP15 kW
HAAT174.9 m (574 ft)
Transmitter coordinates38°56′24″N 77°4′53″W / 38.94000°N 77.08139°W / 38.94000; -77.08139 (WWTD-LD)
Links
Public license information
LMS

WWTD-LD (channel 49) is a low-power television station in Washington, D.C. The station is owned by DC Broadcasting, Inc. (which itself is owned by Christopher Blair of Denver, Colorado), and is sister to WRZB-LD.

History[edit]

The station was granted its initial construction permit in 1990. At the time, it was owned by Robert E. Kelly of Annandale, Virginia, and was licensed to Annapolis, Maryland, with the callsign W63BP. The station never made it to air; the permit, initially scheduled to expire in January 1991, was extended multiple times through 1995. At that point, the FCC denied a further request for extension, the permit expired, and the station was deleted from the FCC database. The construction permit was again applied for and granted in 2001, and W63BP signed on October 31. Immediately, the station applied to move to channel 49 from the WRC-TV tower in northwest Washington; the construction permit was granted in February 2004. In 2005, Kelly sold both W63BP and dormant W61BY (now WRZB-LD) to DC Broadcasting, Inc. for $10.[2][3]

Channel 49 went back on the air in 2006. It was the flagship station of the WUFO TV Network, which was on the air for nine months during 2007–2008. The network was funded and programmed by Mike Gravino. The WUFO TV Network aired an eclectic mix of "alternative knowledge" programming, including information about UFOs, crop circles, alternative history, new science, alternative religion, environmental and social activism, human potential and sci-fi, until August 10, 2008, when the network stopped over-the-air broadcasts.[4]

WWTD-LP was then leased to Allbritton Communications Company, who turned it into an analog relay of local ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in late October 2008. However, that lease and the ABC transmissions ended on February 9, 2009.[5] After WJLA's lease on WWTD expired, WWTD went dark.

Before the digital transition, WWTD-LP was granted a construction permit for a corresponding digital signal on channel 38. The station was later displaced by WMAR-TV to channel 14, as any low-power station must move if a full-power station wants its channel allocation. WWTD-LP flash-cut to digital as WWTD-LD on July 19, 2011, in order to reuse its existing antenna and transmitter.

The station added two channels from Luken Communications beginning February 1, 2015: Retro TV on channel 49.4 and Rev'n on 49.5.[6]

Subchannels[edit]

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WWTD-LD[7]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
49.1 480i 4:3 DABL Dabl
49.2 QVC2 QVC2
49.3 NTDTV NTD America
49.4 SonLife SBN
49.5 ShopLC Shop LC

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WWTD-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WWTD-LP: Application Search Results". FCC.
  3. ^ "DWRZB-LP Facility Data". FCCData.
  4. ^ Cox, Billy (August 11, 2008). "Gravity strikes again". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
  5. ^ http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1295133[dead link]
  6. ^ "Lukin Signs Multi-Net Deals in D.C., Denver". TV NewsCheck. January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  7. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WWTD-LD