Miami Valley Channel

Last updated
Miami Valley Channel (MVC)
CountryUnited States
Broadcast area Miami Valley area of Ohio
Network
  • UPN (1998–2006)
  • Pax/i (secondary 2001–2006)
Headquarters Dayton, Ohio
Ownership
Owner Cox Media Group
Sister channels WHIO-TV
History
LaunchedSeptember 19, 1994 (1994-09-19)
ClosedDecember 31, 2006 (2006-12-31)
(12 years, 103 days)
Former names
  • Miami Valley Channel (1994–2001, late 2006)
  • UPN 44 (2001–2004)
  • UPN 17 (2004-late 2006)

The Miami Valley Channel (or MVC), known at various times as UPN 44 and UPN 17, was a local cable television channel based in Dayton, Ohio. MVC launched in September 1994 and ceased operations at the end of 2006. Owned and operated by Cox Media Group, through its local CBS affiliate, WHIO-TV, the channel was available in the Miami Valley area of Ohio on Time Warner Cable (TWC) and TWC's predecessor companies.

Contents

The station was the Dayton area's UPN affiliate from October 1998 until the network ceased operations in September 2006.

History

Early years

In 1993 and 1994, as part of retransmission negotiations with Viacom Cable and with Continental Cablevision (both of which were ultimately succeeded by Time Warner Cable), WHIO-TV sought an additional cable channel. [1] An agreement was reached with Continental on July 8, 1994, and expectations had been that WHIO-TV would launch an all-news channel, as its Pittsburgh sister station, WPXI, had done in January of that year. Instead, WHIO-TV general manager David Lippoff said that MVC would be a full-service channel, programmed like an independent station, with syndicated game shows, children's programs, dramas, movies, sports and talk shows. [2] In addition, WHIO-TV's noon, 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts would be repeated on MVC at 12:30, 6:30 and 11:35 p.m., seven days a week.

Original logo for the Miami Valley Channel Miami Valley Channel, Dayton, 2000.jpg
Original logo for the Miami Valley Channel

MVC launched on September 19, 1994, as a joint venture among Continental, Viacom and WHIO-TV, [3] appearing on channel 44 on both companies' systems. (The channel did not actually appear on Viacom's system until January 1, 1995.) [4]

On January 16, 1995, MVC launched a 30-minute 9 p.m. weeknight news show, MVC First News at 9. This was Dayton's first prime time local television newscast. [5] The program originated from WHIO-TV's news set, used anchors and other on-air staff from WHIO-TV, and included recorded stories and news clips from WHIO-TV. However, the newscast used distinct MVC/"Miami Valley Channel" branding and graphics, with little to no visual reference to WHIO-TV, Channel 7, or the NewsCenter 7 brand. On September 23, 1996, in an effort to boost viewership, this newscast was moved to 10 p.m. and renamed First News at 10. [6]

UPN affiliation

Since its launch in January 1995, UPN had been carried locally as a secondary affiliate by primary Fox affiliate WRGT-TV. As a secondary affiliate, it would have been normal for WRGT-TV to air UPN's programs "out of pattern" (that is, on days and in time slots other than those provided by the network). Outside of Star Trek: Voyager , WRGT-TV relegated the remainder of the network's schedule to undesirable time slots: first weekend afternoons, [7] then the very early morning. [8] [9]

MVC gained primary UPN affiliation in the fall of 1998, airing its first programs on October 5, [10] [11] the beginning of the network's 1998–99 season. The station was initially promoted as "UPN on MVC".

At some point between April 1998 [12] and October 1999, [13] MVC adopted the "NewsCenter 7" brand for its 10 p.m. newscast, now calling it NewsCenter 7 First News at Ten.

UPN 44

UPN 44 logo. The "broken" 4s resemble the "broken 7" then used in WHIO-TV's logo. UPN 44, Dayton, 2003.jpg
UPN 44 logo. The "broken" 4s resemble the "broken 7" then used in WHIO-TV's logo.

At some point between April [14] and June [15] of 2001, MVC was renamed UPN 44, after its network and cable channel.

Beginning in the fall of 2001,[ citation needed ] UPN 44 aired Pax programming in some day parts; [16] although WBDT had a secondary Pax affiliation at the time, UPN 44 aired Pax shows that were not cleared on WBDT,[ citation needed ] such as the 2002 revival of Beat the Clock and Shop 'til You Drop . By December 2002, at the latest, UPN 44 was no longer airing repeats of WHIO-TV's newscasts. [16]

UPN 17

UPN 17, Dayton, 2004.jpg
UPN 17-6, Dayton, 2004.jpg
The station logo for UPN 17 (above); sometimes the UPN 17-6 logo was used (below). The "broken" digits are modeled on the "broken 7" then used in WHIO-TV's logo.

On June 1, 2004, Time Warner Cable moved UPN 44 to channel 17 for the majority of Time Warner's Montgomery and Greene County subscribers. The station was then renamed UPN 17. On July 1, Time Warner moved UPN 44 to channel 6 for its remaining subscribers in the Miami Valley receiving the channel. [17] These channel moves were done at WHIO-TV's request, to position the station closer to the Dayton-area broadcast channels on Time Warner's cable lineups.

In mid-June 2004, it was announced that the 10 p.m. newscast would be renamed NewsCenter 7 at 10, dropping the First News branding used since 1995. WHIO-TV touted this as an "improved newscast", naming one of its most experienced newscasters, Donna Jordan, as anchor, and featuring chief meteorologist Jamie Simpson and sports director Mike Hartsock on the program. [17]

After WBDT dropped Pax in 2004, the network's programming moved to UPN 17.

Shutdown

In early 2006, UPN was preparing to merge with The WB to form The CW. Both UPN 17 and the Miami Valley's WB affiliate, WBDT, sought affiliation with the new network, though WBDT's ownership, which featured executive connections with the WB via their ownership group at the time, made WBDT's pursuit of affiliation with the CW a mere formality.[ citation needed ]

At the time, UPN 17's programming included NewsCenter 7 at 10, Big Ten football, Ohio State basketball, and such syndicated programs as Judge Hatchett , Cops , The Nanny , Mad About You and Magnum, P.I.

Around March 14, 2006, it was announced that The CW would air on WBDT. WHIO-TV's general manager, Harry Delaney, was quoted as saying, "Another new network, MyNetworkTV, is being developed by Fox. As a Fox product, My Network TV will appeal to a broader audience and is a viable option for us." [18]

On July 26, 2006, it was announced by WHIO-TV that Time Warner Cable would no longer carry UPN 17 after December 31. After not getting the CW affiliation, the station attempted to affiliate with MyNetworkTV. While WHIO-TV was negotiating with the new networks, it was also trying to renew UPN 17's carriage agreement with TWC, to convince one of the networks to affiliate with the station. TWC declined WHIO-TV's offer. [19]

In spite of the timing of UPN 17's shutdown, MyNetworkTV did not reach a Dayton affiliation agreement until August 24, 2006. MyNetworkTV would air on a digital subchannel of WRGT-TV, WRGT-DT2 (45.2). [20] [21]

On September 16, 2006 (the day after UPN went off the air), UPN 17 changed its name back to the Miami Valley Channel. It did not reuse the logo from its prior incarnation of the name, or develop any new logos or graphics for the brief time the channel would be in existence. MVC still aired its regular daytime programming, including The Greg Behrendt Show , Dr. Phil and selected shows from the i network.

By coincidence, WHIO-TV and MVC anchor Donna Jordan announced on December 8, 2006 that she would be retiring on December 31. [22] [23]

After a 12-year run, the Miami Valley Channel was shut down at midnight on January 1, 2007, and was immediately dropped from Time Warner Cable's lineup. Viewers who tuned into MVC on January 1 saw a message from Time Warner Cable that stated, "The Miami Valley Channel (MVC) programming is no longer carried on Time Warner Cable. MVC was the former UPN network affiliate. UPN stopped broadcasting their signal in August of 2006 (sic) and MVC is no longer in operation as of December 31, 2006."

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The WB</span> American television network (1995–2006)

The WB Television Network was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. Entertainment division of Time Warner and the Tribune Broadcasting subsidiary of the Tribune Company, with the former acting as controlling partner. The network aired programs targeting teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13 and 35, while its children's division, Kids' WB, targeted children between the ages of 4 and 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWHO</span> CW affiliate in Chillicothe, Ohio

WWHO is a television station licensed to Chillicothe, Ohio, United States, serving the Columbus area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Manhan Media, Inc., which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of ABC/MyNetworkTV/Fox affiliate WSYX, for the provision of certain services. Sinclair also operates TBD station WTTE under a separate LMA with Cunningham Broadcasting; however, Sinclair effectively owns WTTE as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The three stations share studios on Dublin Road in Grandview Heights ; WWHO's transmitter is located in the Franklinton section of Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKEF</span> ABC affiliate in Dayton, Ohio

WKEF is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC, Fox, and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to Dabl affiliate WRGT-TV under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns WRGT-TV as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The two stations share studios on Corporate Place in Miamisburg; WKEF's transmitter is located off South Gettysburg Avenue in southwest Dayton.

WRGT-TV is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, affiliated with the digital multicast network Dabl. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of ABC/Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate WKEF, for the provision of certain services. However, Sinclair effectively owns WRGT-TV as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The two stations share studios on Corporate Place in Miamisburg; WRGT-TV's transmitter is located off South Gettysburg Avenue in southwest Dayton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDTN</span> NBC affiliate in Dayton, Ohio

WDTN is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to Springfield, Ohio–licensed WBDT, a de facto owned-and-operated station of The CW, under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Vaughan Media. The two stations share studios on South Dixie Drive in Moraine, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KWGN-TV</span> CW TV station in Denver

KWGN-TV is a television station in Denver, Colorado, United States, serving as the local CW outlet. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Fox affiliate KDVR, channel 31. The two stations share studios on East Speer Boulevard in Denver's Speer neighborhood; KWGN-TV's transmitter is located atop Lookout Mountain, near Golden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXLV-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.

WXLV-TV is a television station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Piedmont Triad region. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Greensboro-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYV. The two stations share studios on Myer Lee Drive in Winston-Salem; WXLV-TV's transmitter is located in Randleman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBKI (TV)</span> TV station in Salem, Indiana

WBKI is a television station licensed to Salem, Indiana, United States, serving the Louisville, Kentucky, area as a dual affiliate of The CW and MyNetworkTV. It is the only full-power Louisville-area station licensed to the Indiana side of the market. WBKI is owned by Block Communications alongside Fox affiliate WDRB. Both stations share studios on West Muhammad Ali Boulevard in downtown Louisville, while WBKI's transmitter is located in rural northeastern Floyd County, Indiana. Despite Salem being WBKI's city of license, the station maintains no physical presence there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KIAH</span> CW TV station in Houston

KIAH is a television station in Houston, Texas, United States, serving as the local outlet for The CW Television Network. Owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios adjacent to the Westpark Tollway on the southwest side of Houston, and its transmitter is located near Missouri City, in unincorporated Fort Bend County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKRC-TV</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Cincinnati

WKRC-TV is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to MyNetworkTV affiliate WSTR-TV under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Deerfield Media. The two stations share studios on Highland Avenue in the Mount Auburn section of Cincinnati, where WKRC-TV's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHIO-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Dayton, Ohio

WHIO-TV is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS. It has been owned by Cox Media Group since its inception, making it one of two stations that have been built and signed on by Cox. WHIO-TV's transmitter is located off Germantown Street in the Highview Hills neighborhood of southwest Dayton. It shares facilities with sister properties the Dayton Daily News and Cox's Miami Valley radio stations in the Cox Media Center building on South Main Street near downtown Dayton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBDT</span> CW TV station in Springfield, Ohio

WBDT is a television station licensed to Springfield, Ohio, United States, serving the Dayton area as a de facto owned-and-operated station of The CW. It is owned by Vaughan Media, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of NBC affiliate WDTN and majority owner of The CW, for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on South Dixie Drive in Moraine, Ohio. Through a channel sharing agreement, WBDT, along with Richmond, Indiana–licensed Ion Television O&O WKOI-TV, share WDTN's digital channel from WDTN's transmitter facility on Frytown Road in southwest Dayton.

WTOG is an independent television station licensed to St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group, and maintains studios on Northeast 105th Terrace in St. Petersburg, near the west end of the Gandy Bridge; its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSFL-TV</span> Television station in Miami

WSFL-TV is an independent television station in Miami, Florida, United States. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Ion Television owned-and-operated station WPXM-TV, also licensed to Miami. WSFL-TV's studios are located on Southwest 78th Avenue in Plantation, Florida; its transmitter is located in Andover, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KAKW-DT</span> Univision TV station in Killeen–Austin, Texas

KAKW-DT is a television station licensed to Killeen, Texas, United States, serving as the Austin area outlet for the Spanish-language network Univision. It is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision alongside low-power, Class A UniMás outlet KTFO-CD. The two stations share studios on North Loop Boulevard in Austin; KAKW-DT's transmitter is located in unincorporated Williamson County. Although the station is licensed to a community in the Waco market, most of its local programming and advertising is targeted at the Austin market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFFF-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Burlington, Vermont

WFFF-TV is a television station licensed to Burlington, Vermont, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Burlington, Vermont–Plattsburgh, New York market. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to ABC affiliate WVNY under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. The two stations share studios on Mountain View Drive in Colchester, Vermont; WFFF-TV's transmitter is located on Vermont's highest peak, Mount Mansfield.

WNLO is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, serving as the local outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside CBS affiliate WIVB-TV. WNLO and WIVB-TV share studios on Elmwood Avenue in North Buffalo; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WNLO's spectrum from a tower in Colden, New York.

KCOP-TV, branded Fox 11 Plus, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of MyNetworkTV. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet KTTV. The two stations share studios at the Fox Television Center located in West Los Angeles; KCOP-TV's transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.

WRCX-LD is a low-power independent television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The station is owned by Ross Communications, Ltd., and its transmitter is located on Gettysburg Avenue south of Dayton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMYV</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Greensboro, North Carolina

WMYV is a television station licensed to Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, serving the Piedmont Triad region as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Winston-Salem–licensed ABC affiliate WXLV-TV. The two stations share studios on Myer Lee Drive in Winston-Salem; WMYV's transmitter is located in Randleman.

References

  1. ↑ "Cable must cut deal or stations, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, September 18, 1993".
  2. ↑ "Channel 7 to add cable channel, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, July 9, 1994".
  3. ↑ "Channel 7 jumps into syndication pool, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, September 16, 1994".
  4. ↑ "Viacom Cable to expand systems Jan. 1, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, November 12, 1994".
  5. ↑ "Channel 7 to broadcast 9 p.m. news show on cable, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, January 14, 1995".
  6. ↑ "Channel Hopping: Letterman won't be back after this message, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, September 9, 1996".
  7. ↑ "6 networks may be 2 too many, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, May 27, 1995".
  8. ↑ ""Swift Justice" won't slow UPN'S descent into dumper, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, March 14, 1996".
  9. ↑ "New hope for 'Voyager,' 'Moesha'; John Kiesewetter; The Cincinnati Enquirer; January 9, 1998".
  10. ↑ "Channel 44 will carry UPN, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, September 11, 1998".
  11. ↑ "Channel 44 grows in TV world, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, October 2, 1998".
  12. ↑ "WHIO TV: Mike Hartsock". www.activedayton.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 1998. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "MVC Miami Valley Cable Channel 44". www.activedayton.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 1999. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "'Buffy' and cast are moving to UPN in the fall, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, April 24, 2001".
  15. ↑ "Cable upgrades cause subscribers to flip, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, June 28, 2001".
  16. 1 2 "UPN-44 Programming". WHIO-TV. December 9–16, 2002. Archived from the original on December 16, 2002. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  17. 1 2 "WHIO'S Jordan to anchor news on cable at 10, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, June 12, 2004".
  18. ↑ "CW outlet will be WBDT, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, March 14, 2006".
  19. ↑ "Miami Valley Channel to sign off at end of year, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, July 26, 2006".
  20. ↑ http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6365552.html?industryid=44248 [ dead link ]
  21. ↑ "MyNetworkTV Local Stations".
  22. ↑ "NewsCenter 7's Donna Jordan Announces Retirement - News Story - WHIO Dayton". Archived from the original on 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
  23. ↑ "Donna Jordan to retire from Channel 7, DaytonDailyNews.com/services/archive, December 9, 2006".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.