WACH-TV (Virginia)

Last updated
WACH-TV
WACHTV33Logo.jpg
Channels
Ownership
OwnerEastern Broadcasting Corporation
WHYU/WACH
History
First air date
October 13, 1953;70 years ago (1953-10-13)
Last air date
July 1, 1955;68 years ago (1955-07-01)
(1 year, 261 days)
Call sign meaning
The word "watch"
Technical information
ERP 20.6 kW
HAAT 94 m (308 ft)

WACH-TV, UHF analog channel 33, was a commercial television station licensed to Newport News, Virginia, United States, which broadcast from 1953 until 1955 (with a gap of around four months in 1954). The station was owned by the Eastern Broadcasting Corporation.

Contents

History

WACH-TV was the third television station to sign on in Hampton Roads, debuting on October 13, 1953. [1] Operating as a sister station to WHYU radio (1270 kHz), it broadcast from the tallest structure in the Lower Peninsula, its tower at 114 24th Street in downtown. [2] Its schedule consisted mainly of sports and mystery shows, [1] with five hours a day of programs such as Crusader Rabbit , All American Football and Ringside with Rasslers. [3]

We are struggling UHF TV station. Local VHF hogging 3 different networks after enjoying monopoly for years. We believe this subverts the FCC, constituted by Congress in their attempt to institute superior UHF TV service. Yet networks are unregulated by FCC. This is unfair to public. Will you investigate.

WACH-TV,in an August 1953 telegram to three senators [4]

Before even going on the air, the new TV station had made waves in Washington when it lobbied for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate the television networks, saying that the lone VHF station in Hampton Roads, WTAR-TV, was "hogging" all three network hookups. [4] (A month before WACH signed on, WVEC-TV had taken to the air on channel 15 and became the area's NBC affiliate. [4] )

The day that WACH-TV suspended operations—March 27, 1954—WHYU radio took on the WACH call letters. [5] The night before, its schedule had consisted of just four programs repeated in a loop: a newscast, Crusader Rabbit, Short Subjects, and Hornliegh on Holiday. [6]

Brief return to the air

In August 1954, WACH-TV returned to the air, simulcasting the associated radio station; it was the first time a UHF station that had suspended operations for economic reasons proceeded to resume telecasting. [7] The station ended operation around July 1, 1955. [8] Citing economic losses, the owners of WACH-TV asked the FCC to assign all future VHF channels in Hampton Roads for educational use only, which would have left just one commercial station (WTAR-TV) on VHF. [8] By this time, the comparative proceeding for channel 10 was in progress; several months prior, in April, the station told the FCC that network affiliations in the area were unsettled pending action in the channel 10 hearings. [9]

Eastern's venture into television resulted in a bankruptcy that, on February 1, 1956, forced the temporary suspension of operations for WACH radio. [10] The WACH radio license and TV construction permit were sold to Richard Eaton's United Broadcasting later that year; [11] the TV station construction permit, which remained in force, briefly took on the WYOU-TV call letters concurrent with the change of the radio station from WACH to WYOU. [12] Eaton held on to the TV permit past the 1960 sale of WYOU; in November 1964, the FCC notified 29 permittees, including Eaton, that they had to put their dark UHF stations on the air. [13] Channel 33 in the region would not be revived until WTVZ began telecasting on September 24, 1979, more than 24 years after WACH-TV's final broadcast. [14] The WACH call sign is now used by the Fox affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKR</span> CBS affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia

WTKR is a television station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, United States, serving the Hampton Roads area as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Portsmouth-licensed CW affiliate WGNT. The two stations share studios on Boush Street near downtown Norfolk; WTKR's transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia.

WGNT is a television station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, United States, serving the Hampton Roads area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Norfolk-licensed CBS affiliate WTKR. Both stations share studios on Boush Street in downtown Norfolk, while WGNT's transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia.

WTAC-TV was a television station broadcasting on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 16 in Flint, Michigan, United States. It was owned by the Trendle-Campbell Broadcasting Company alongside radio station WTAC and was affiliated with ABC. The station began broadcasting on November 26, 1953, as Flint's first television station and the second in the region, but it ceased operation five months later on April 30, 1954. Early economic difficulties with UHF television in the United States and competition from the very high frequency (VHF) stations in Detroit, whose signals reached Flint, largely precipitated its demise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCAN-TV</span> Television station in Wisconsin, United States

WCAN-TV was a television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, which operated from 1953 to 1955. It was the second television station and first ultra high frequency (UHF) outlet in Milwaukee and was owned by Midwest Broadcasting Company. Affiliated with CBS throughout its history, it shut down when the network bought its primary competitor, WOKY-TV, taking with it the CBS affiliation; Poller sold the physical plant to CBS, while the WCAN-TV construction permit remained active and in force until 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPMH</span> Radio station in Newport News, Virginia

WPMH is a Christian talk radio station licensed to Newport News, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. The station is owned and operated by Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTVQ (Oklahoma City)</span> TV station in Oklahoma City (1953–1955)

KTVQ, UHF analog channel 25, was an ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, which operated from November 1, 1953, to December 15, 1955. The station was owned by the Republic Television and Radio Company. KTVQ's studios were located on Northwest 19th Street and North Classen Boulevard in northwest Oklahoma City's Mesta Park neighborhood, and its transmitter was located atop the First National Bank Building on North Robinson and Park Avenues in downtown Oklahoma City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WROV-TV</span> Television station in Virginia, United States

WROV-TV was a television station on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 27 in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It broadcast from March 2 to July 18, 1953, becoming the first UHF station in the United States to cease broadcasting. Its failure was the first of many in the early days of UHF television, which was hindered by signal issues in mountainous areas and the lack of UHF tuning on all television sets—a problem not resolved until the All-Channel Receiver Act took effect in 1964.

WGBS-TV was a television station that broadcast on channel 23 in Miami, Florida, United States, from 1953 to 1957. Originally established as WFTL-TV in Fort Lauderdale, it moved south to Miami when it was purchased by Storer Broadcasting at the end of 1954 and consolidated with a construction permit Storer bought for a Miami station.

WNAO-TV, UHF analog channel 28, was a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Owned by the Sir Walter Television Company, it was the first television station in the Raleigh–Durham area and the first UHF television station in North Carolina, broadcasting from July 12, 1953, to December 31, 1957. The station closed because of the establishment of higher-powered, more accessible very high frequency (VHF) television stations in the region.

WKNY-TV was a television station in Kingston, New York, United States, which served the Hudson Valley from May 1954 to July 1956. Owned alongside radio station WKNY, it broadcast from studios and a transmitter site in Port Ewen, south of Kingston. Economic issues inherent with early ultra high frequency (UHF) stations led to its demise. It was approved to move to channel 21 but never did so.

KMPT, UHF analog channel 19, was a dual ABC/DuMont-affiliated television station licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, which operated from November 22, 1953 to February 4, 1955. Owned by KLPR Television, Inc., it was a sister outlet to radio station KLPR. KMPT's studios were located on Southwest 28th and West Commerce Streets in southwest Oklahoma City's Capitol Hill neighborhood, and its transmitter was located on East Britton Road and North Lincoln Boulevard in northeast Oklahoma City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGVL (TV)</span> TV station in Greenville, South Carolina (1953–1956)

WGVL, UHF analog channel 23, was a television station in Greenville, South Carolina, United States that existed from 1953 to 1956. The station was the first to operate in Greenville, but like many early UHF stations, the arrival of new stations on the VHF band imperiled its ability to secure programming and viewers. WGVL signed off the day that WSPA-TV signed on channel 7, having fought for years alongside fellow UHF station WAIM-TV in Anderson to prevent the television station from being built; the case lingered into 1960, well after the station ceased broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WOOK-TV</span> TV station in Washington, DC (1963–1972)

WOOK-TV was a television station that broadcast on channel 14 to Washington, D.C., United States. Operating from 1963 to 1972, it was the first television station in the United States to orient its entire programming to an African-American audience, along the lines of co-owned WOOK radio. Mounting license troubles for the United Broadcasting station group, economic difficulties faced by independent and UHF stations, and an inability to upgrade channel 14's facilities to be competitive in the market led to the closure of WFAN-TV on February 12, 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTVE (Texas)</span> TV station in Longview, Texas (1953–1955)

KTVE, UHF analog channel 32, was an independent television station licensed to Longview, Texas, United States, that operated from 1953 to 1955. KTVE was one of the first television stations in east Texas. However, its use of the quickly outmoded UHF, and the arrival of a VHF station in the form of KLTV, made continued operation unviable, and the station closed on Christmas Day 1955.

WRAY-TV was a television station broadcasting on channel 52 in Princeton, Indiana, United States. The station was owned and operated alongside radio station WRAY. It broadcast regular programming for just seven months, from December 1953 to July 1954, but broadcast one day a year through 1960 to carry a March of Dimes telethon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WENS (TV)</span> TV station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1953–1957)

WENS was a television station broadcasting on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 16 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1953 to 1957. An ABC and CBS affiliate, it was one of two early UHF television stations in Pittsburgh. The arrival of stronger very high frequency (VHF) stations and struggles generally applicable to UHF broadcasting in the early years of television prompted the station to close and sell its technical facilities to educational broadcaster WQED for use as a second educational channel, WQEX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRTV (New Jersey)</span> Television station in Asbury Park, New Jersey

WRTV was a television station that broadcast on channel 58 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States. It was owned by the Walter Reade Organization and broadcast as an independent station between January 22, 1954, and April 1, 1955, in hopes of securing a VHF channel for the station that never came. In the 1960s, Reade attempted to move the unbuilt station from channel 58 in Asbury Park to channel 68 in Newark, which was treated as an application for a new station; granted in 1970, Reade sold the permit before it went on air.

WCOS-TV was a television station broadcasting on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 25 in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. The first television station to broadcast in South Carolina, it was owned by Radio Columbia alongside the WCOS radio stations. It operated from 1953 until 1956, when it shut down and sold its assets to competitor WNOK-TV amid a difficult economic environment for UHF television stations.

WNEX-TV, known as WETV from 1953 to 1954 and WOKA in May 1955, was a television station on channel 47 in Macon, Georgia, United States. It was the first station on the air in Macon and held an affiliation with NBC throughout its existence; it initially was also affiliated with ABC. The station's studios and transmitter were located along Pio Nono Avenue.

WPMT was a television station in Portland, Maine, United States. It operated from August 30, 1953, to December 15, 1954, and was the first television station in Portland. Much of its programming was also rebroadcast on WLAM-TV in Lewiston–Auburn, which broadcast from November 26, 1953, to March 25, 1955; the two stations were known as the Maine Television Network. Like many early UHF television stations, the arrival of VHF stations—in this case WCSH-TV, WGAN-TV, and WMTW-TV—took away network programming and economic viability from the UHF outlets.

References

  1. 1 2 "WACH-TV Begins Schedule Tonight". Daily Press. October 13, 1953. p. 3. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  2. ↑ "The television broadcasting tower of WACH-TV..." Daily Press. January 9, 1955. p. 3. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Television—WACH-TV—Channel 33—Newport News, Va". Daily Press. October 14, 1953. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "WACH (TV) Protests Affiliation Policy" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 24, 1953. p. 54. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Eastern Corp. Suspends Its TV Operation". Daily Press. March 27, 1954. p. 3. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Television—WACH-TV—Channel 33—Newport News, Va". Daily Press. March 26, 1954. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  7. ↑ "One UHF Comes Back As 2 More Sign Off" (PDF). Television Digest. July 31, 1954. p. 3 (57). Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Two more uhf quit the air this week" (PDF). Television Digest. July 2, 1955. p. 8. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Petition Notes Sector Mainly UHF Television". Daily Press. Associated Press. April 19, 1955. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Radio Station WACH Halts Its Operations". Daily Press. February 3, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Transfer Of WACH License Is Asked". Daily Press. May 30, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Call Letters Assigned" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 13, 1956. p. 118. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Get on air or give up channel" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 9, 1964. p. 64. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Channel 33: New TV Station On Air Monday". Daily Press. September 23, 1979. p. E3. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
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.