WILM-LD

Last updated

WILM-LD
WILM TV 10 logo.png
Wilm ld2 2014.png
Channels
Branding
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WRAL-TV, WRAZ
History
First air date
April 3, 1989(35 years ago) (1989-04-03)
Former call signs
  • W10BZ (1989–1995)
  • WSSN-LP (1995–2000)
  • WILM-LP (2000–2008)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 10 (VHF, 1989–2008)
  • Digital: 40 (UHF, 2008–2018)
  • Independent (1989–1995)
  • UPN (primary 1995–2000, secondary 2000–2006)
  • CBS (2000–2016)
Call sign meaning
Wilmington
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 167819
Class LD
ERP 15 kW
HAAT 250.3 m (821 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 34°19′16.6″N78°13′42″W / 34.321278°N 78.22833°W / 34.321278; -78.22833
Translator(s)
  • WILT-LD 24 Wilmington
  • W30ER-D Wilmington
Links
Public license information
LMS
Website www.wilm-tv.com

WILM-LD (channel 10) is a low-power Independent/MeTV affiliate station in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, owned by the Capitol Broadcasting Company. The station's studios are located on Wrightsville Avenue (US 76) in Wilmington, and its transmitter is located in Delco, North Carolina. Master control and some internal operations are based at the facilities of sister station, NBC affiliate and company flagship WRAL-TV in Raleigh.

Contents

On December 31, 2016, WILM lost its CBS affiliation to a digital subchannel of ABC affiliate WWAY (channel 3) and became an independent station. [2]

History

The current station is actually the second TV outlet to have the WILM calls. WILM-TV (proposed for Wilmington, Delaware) was granted a construction permit in 1953, but never made it to the air, surrendering its license in 1955. WILM would have broadcast on channel 83, the only U.S. TV station in history to be allocated the very top of the UHF spectrum. [3]

The station began on April 3, 1989, as independent outlet W10BZ. It aired an analog signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter near the studios. W10BZ changed its call sign to WSSN-LP in 1995 when it joined the United Paramount Network (UPN). In 1999, Capitol Broadcasting acquired the station.

WILM studios WILM.jpg
WILM studios

On March 23, 2000, it became a CBS affiliate, filling a void created when previous CBS affiliate WJKA changed its calls to WSFX-TV and dropped the network to join Fox. WSSN changed its call sign to WILM-LP on that date as well. Before WILM gained the CBS affiliation, programming from that network was seen in Wilmington on cable from WNCT-TV in Greenville, WBTW in Florence, South Carolina, or WRAL.

WILM retained its UPN affiliation on a secondary basis until the network shut down and merged with The WB. After UPN and The WB merged to form The CW on September 18, 2006, cable-only WB 100+ affiliate "WBW" joined the new network through the CW Plus cable group. Fox's sister programming service MyNetworkTV was formed around the same time and aligned with new sign-on W47CK, leaving WILM as a full-time CBS station.

The station's low-power digital signal began broadcasting on UHF channel 40 in August 2008. This increased the station's effective radiated power from its former 75 watts (analog VHF) to 15 kW (digital UHF) which is the highest power available for U.S. low-power digital television. WILM's new transmitter was no longer centrally located in Wilmington itself but located alongside other local broadcast sites in Delco. [4]

WILM is one of five Wilmington commercial television stations that agreed to end analog transmissions early and became digital-only on September 8, 2008. This move was intended to make the area the first all-digital market in the United States. [5] On that date, WILM shut down its analog signal along with four other Wilmington television stations as part of the voluntary early digital transition. If this agreement had not happened, the decision to shut off analog transmission at any time would have been voluntary for WILM because Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations exempted low-power television stations from the 2009 analog shutdown. Its analog channel 10 identification is still used as its virtual channel.

In 2015, WILM signed on a translator on channel 24, WILT-LD, to better serve areas such as Monkey Junction, Carolina Beach, and Wrightsville Beach south to Southport and Oak Island. [6]

In January 2016, sister station and Capitol Broadcasting flagship WRAL announced it would drop its CBS affiliation due to a contract impasse, effective February 29, 2016. Immediately, WRAL struck a pending affiliation agreement to switch to NBC. [7] On March 30, 2016, CBS announced it would pull its affiliation from WILM and transfer it to the second subchannel of WWAY on January 1, 2017. [8] WILM subsequently became an independent station, adding additional syndicated programming, and promising increased coverage of local college sports. [9]

Newscasts

WILM-LD simulcasts WRAL's newscasts weekdays from 6 to 7 a.m. and at 6 p.m., with local weather inserts for the Wilmington area. This practice dates to its tenure with CBS; its studios were not large enough for a full-fledged news department.

From March 10, 2008, until February 27, 2009, through a news share agreement, WWAY produced a prime time newscast weeknights at 7 p.m.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WILM-LD and WILT-LD [10]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
WILM-LDWILT-LD
10.124.1 720p 16:9 WILM HDMain WILM-LD programming
10.224.2 480i WILM ME MeTV
10.324.3WILM 3 Heroes & Icons

Translators

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WABM</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama

WABM is a television station in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Homewood-licensed CW affiliate WTTO and low-power ABC affiliate WBMA-LD ; Sinclair also operates Bessemer-licensed WDBB, which serves as a full satellite station of WTTO, under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair partner company Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns WDBB as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith.

KCEB is a television station in Longview, Texas, United States, affiliated with beIN Sports Xtra Español. The station is owned by Innovate Corp. alongside Tyler-licensed low-power station KPKN-LD, both of which share RF channel 35.

WFTC is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, broadcasting the MyNetworkTV programming service to the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet KMSP-TV. Both stations share studios on Viking Drive in Eden Prairie, while WFTC's transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWAY</span> ABC/CBS/CW affiliate in Wilmington, North Carolina

WWAY is a television station in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with ABC, CBS, and The CW Plus. Owned by Morris Multimedia, the station has studios on Magnolia Village Way in Leland, and its transmitter is located west of Winnabow in Town Creek Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WECT</span> NBC affiliate in Wilmington, North Carolina

WECT is a television station in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television, which provides certain services to Fox affiliate WSFX-TV under a shared services agreement (SSA) with American Spirit Media. The two stations share studios on Shipyard Boulevard in Wilmington; WECT's transmitter is located near Winnabow, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNCT-TV</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Greenville, North Carolina

WNCT-TV is a television station licensed to Greenville, North Carolina, United States, serving Eastern North Carolina as an affiliate of CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on South Evans Street in Greenville, and its transmitter is located in Grifton Township along NC 118.

WSCG is a religious television station licensed to Baxley, Georgia, United States, serving the Savannah area as an owned-and-operated station of Tri-State Christian Television (TCT). The station's studios are located on Sams Point Road in Beaufort, South Carolina, and its transmitter is located on Fort Argyle Road/SR 204 in unincorporated western Chatham County, Georgia. WSCG is one of a few TCT owned-and-operated stations to maintain its own studio facilities as other TCT O&Os ended their local operations in 2018.

KMTW is a television station licensed to Hutchinson, Kansas, United States, serving the Wichita area as an affiliate of the digital multicast network Dabl. It is owned by the Mercury Broadcasting Company, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of dual Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate KSAS-TV, for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on North West Street in northwestern Wichita, while KMTW's transmitter is located in rural southwestern Harvey County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFQX-TV</span> Fox/CW affiliate in Cadillac, Michigan

WFQX-TV is a television station licensed to Cadillac, Michigan, United States, serving the northern Lower and eastern Upper peninsulas of Michigan as an affiliate of Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by Cadillac Telecasting Company, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with 910 Media Group, owner of Cadillac-licensed CBS affiliate WWTV, channel 9, for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on Broadcast Way in Cadillac, while WFQX-TV's transmitter is located on 130th Avenue in unincorporated Osceola County, just northeast of Tustin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSFX-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Wilmington, North Carolina

WSFX-TV is a television station in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by American Spirit Media, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of NBC affiliate WECT, for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on Shipyard Boulevard in Wilmington, while WSFX-TV's transmitter is located near Winnabow, North Carolina.

WZBJ is a television station licensed to Danville, Virginia, United States, serving the Roanoke–Lynchburg market as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Roanoke-licensed CBS affiliate WDBJ. WZBJ and WDBJ share studios on Hershberger Road in northwest Roanoke; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WDBJ's spectrum from an antenna on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County.

KWBM is a religious television station licensed to Harrison, Arkansas, United States, serving the Springfield, Missouri, area as an owned-and-operated station of the Daystar Television Network. It is the only full-power television station in the Springfield market that is licensed in Arkansas. KWBM's offices are located on Enterprise Avenue in southeast Springfield, and its transmitter is located in rural Taney County, just northeast of Forsyth.

KSFL-TV is a television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is owned by Forum Communications Company alongside low-power station KCWS-LD. KSFL-TV's studios are located on West 57th Street in Sioux Falls, and its transmitter is located in Rowena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBND-LD</span> ABC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WBND-LD is a low-power television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, and is sister to CW affiliate WCWW-LD and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYS-LD. The stations share studios on Generations Drive in northeastern South Bend, while WBND-LD's transmitter is located just off the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on the city's south side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCWW-LD</span> CW affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WCWW-LD is a low-power television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting alongside two other low-power stations: ABC affiliate WBND-LD and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYS-LD. The stations share studios on Generations Drive in northeastern South Bend, while WCWW-LD's transmitter is located just off the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on the city's south side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMYS-LD</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WMYS-LD is a low-power television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, and is sister to ABC affiliate WBND-LD and CW affiliate WCWW-LD. The stations share studios on Generations Drive in northeastern South Bend, while WMYS-LD's transmitter is located just off the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on the city's south side.

KTVC is a religious television station in Roseburg, Oregon, United States, affiliated with the Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN). The station is owned by Better Life Television, and maintains studios on Golden Valley Boulevard in Roseburg and a transmitter on Mount Rose northeast of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPNM-LD</span> Television station in Ohio, United States

WPNM-LD is a low-power television station in Leipsic, Ohio, United States. It is a translator of Lima-based Class A dual ABC/CBS affiliate WOHL-CD which is owned by Block Communications, and is also sister to Lima-licensed, full-powered dual NBC/Fox affiliate WLIO. WPNM-LD's transmitter is located on the WBGU-TV tower near Belmore, Ohio; its parent station shares studios with WLIO on Rice Avenue northwest of downtown Lima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLCW-TV</span> CW affiliate in Wolfforth, Texas

KLCW-TV is a television station licensed to Wolfforth, Texas, United States, serving the Lubbock area as an affiliate of The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate KCBD and four low-power stations—MyNetworkTV affiliate KMYL-LD, Snyder-licensed Heroes & Icons affiliate KABI-LD, Class A Telemundo affiliate KXTQ-CD and MeTV affiliate KLBB-LD. Gray also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KJTV-TV and low-power Class A news formatted independent station KJTV-CD under a shared services agreement (SSA) with SagamoreHill Broadcasting. The stations share studios at 98th Street and University Avenue in south Lubbock, where KLCW-TV's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTPN-LD</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Tyler, Texas

KTPN-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Tyler, Texas, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Jacksonville-licensed NBC affiliate KETK-TV ; Nexstar also provides certain services to Longview-licensed Fox affiliate KFXK-TV under a shared services agreement (SSA) with White Knight Broadcasting. The stations share studios on Richmond Road in Tyler, while KTPN-LD's transmitter is located west of Texas Loop 323 northeast of the city.

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WILM-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. Holloway, Daniel. "CBS to Make North Carolina Affiliate Change". Variety.
  3. "Channels 45 to 83". History of UHF Television.
  4. http://wilmingtondtvtest.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/a-big-step%E2%80%A6/ Wilmington DTV Test
  5. "DTV - WILM INFO — WILM-TV". WILM-TV. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014.
  6. "Where is WILM's new TV tower?". June 19, 2015.
  7. "WRAL to NBC, WNCN to CBS in network affiliation switches Feb. 29". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  8. "CBS to Make North Carolina Affiliate Change". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  9. "WILM Now An Independent Station". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  10. "RabbitEars listing for WILM-LD". www.rabbitears.info.