WRAY-TV (Indiana)

Last updated
WRAY-TV
City Princeton, Indiana
Channels
Ownership
OwnerPrinceton Broadcasting Company
History
First air date
December 11, 1953 (1953-12-11)
Last air date
July 15, 1954 (1954-07-15)
Technical information
ERP 166 kW [1]
HAAT 500 ft (150 m)
Transmitter coordinates 38°21′25″N87°35′25″W / 38.35694°N 87.59028°W / 38.35694; -87.59028

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 (1250 AM). 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.

History

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the application of the Princeton Broadcasting Corporation, owner of WRAY, to build a television station on Princeton's assigned channel 52 on March 12, 1953. [2] WRAY announced that it would use as much of the existing facilities and personnel as it could, expanding its building on Broadway Street to house the new operation. [2] The facility was designed with a north–south directional pattern, to beam a signal toward Vincennes and Evansville. [3] Program features of the independent station, which began broadcasting December 11, included local news, wrestling, and the "Bar 52 Theatre" each afternoon. [4]

On July 15, 1954, it was announced that the station would go off air until September 11 to carry out a financial reorganization, [5] citing a lack of advertising revenue. [6] Unlike many UHF stations that were struggling against superior VHF competition, WRAY-TV was far from the nearest VHF outlet, at Louisville, Kentucky—more than 100 mi (160 km) away—but it was competing with the two UHF stations in the Evansville market, WEHT and WFIE, at a time when the market could not support three outlets. [5]

The channel 52 facility, however, would not remain completely dormant. While it was fully operational, the station aired its first March of Dimes telethon. Even though WRAY-TV had gone silent, the underlying permit was still active, and with the support of station and March of Dimes officials and the blessing of the FCC, the station began broadcasting for 30 hours a year, just to air the telethon. [6] Raising thousands of dollars each year, the telethon featured a variety of dignitaries, attractions, and famous personalities, including Princeton native Gil Hodges. [7] The first telethon ran 18 hours. By 1960, the last year, more than 1,000 people appeared before the station's cameras; hundreds flocked to the radio and television studio, and the National Guard was called out to handle the crowds for the 30-hour event. [6]

In late 1960, Vincennes University purchased the channel 52 equipment and filed to have the allocation moved north to Vincennes so that equipment did not need to be modified to work on channel 44, which had been assigned to that town. [8] Vincennes applied for a television station on channel 52 in 1964, but successive reallocations by the FCC meant that WVUT-TV, the university's station, would broadcast on channel 22 instead. [9]

Channel 52 in Evansville would later be re-issued to a now defunct television station that signed-on in 1991 by the call letters W52AZ.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHEC-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Rochester, New York

WHEC-TV is a television station in Rochester, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, the station maintains studios on East Avenue in Downtown Rochester and a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTBS-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Shreveport, Louisiana

KTBS-TV is a television station in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with ABC. The station is owned by the locally based KTBS, LLC, alongside Minden-licensed CW affiliate KPXJ. Both stations share studios on East Kings Highway on the eastern side of Shreveport, while KTBS-TV's transmitter is located near St. Johns Baptist Church Road in rural northern Caddo Parish. Currently, KTBS-TV is one of a handful of American television stations to have locally based ownership.

WICU-TV is a television station in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by SJL Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Lilly Broadcasting, owner of CBS/CW+ affiliate and company flagship WSEE-TV, for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on State Street in downtown Erie, while WICU-TV's transmitter is located on Peach Street in Summit Township, Pennsylvania.

WVUT, branded on-air as Vincennes PBS, is a PBS member television station in Vincennes, Indiana, United States. Owned by Vincennes University, it is sister to campus radio station WVUB. WVUT's studios are located on North 2nd Street and Rosedale Avenue in Vincennes, and its transmitter is located southeast of the city off SR 61.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJTV</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Jackson, Mississippi

WJTV is a television station in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station has studios on TV Road in southwest Jackson, and its transmitter is located in Raymond, Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSET-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, Virginia

WSET-TV is a television station licensed to Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Roanoke–Lynchburg market. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and has studios on Langhorne Road in Lynchburg; its transmitter is located atop Thaxton Mountain, near Thaxton, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVLT-TV</span> CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee

WVLT-TV is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Crossville-licensed CW affiliate WBXX-TV. Both stations share studios on Papermill Drive on the west side of Knoxville, while WVLT-TV's transmitter is located on Sharp's Ridge in North Knoxville.

WKLO-TV was a UHF television station in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, that operated from October 18, 1953, to April 20, 1954.

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

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.

KCTY was a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It broadcast on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 25 from June 6, 1953, to February 28, 1954, and was the second television station to begin broadcasting in the Kansas City area, after WDAF-TV. KCTY was an affiliate of the DuMont Television Network; and originally owned by the Empire Coil Company, which had pioneered UHF telecasting, DuMont purchased the station outright at the end of 1953 and operated it for two months as a study in the problems of struggling UHF stations nationwide before concluding that there was no path to economic viability. The studio for KCTY was located in the Pickwick Hotel in downtown Kansas City, Missouri; the transmitter was located in a rural area that today is part of Overland Park, Kansas.

<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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UHF television broadcasting</span> Ultra high frequency radio to transmit TV

UHF television broadcasting is the use of ultra high frequency (UHF) radio for over-the-air transmission of television signals. UHF frequencies are used for both analog and digital television broadcasts. UHF channels are typically given higher channel numbers, like the US arrangement with VHF channels (initially) 1 to 13, and UHF channels (initially) numbered 14 to 83. Compared with an equivalent VHF television transmitter, to cover the same geographic area with a UHF transmitter requires a higher effective radiated power, implying a more powerful transmitter or a more complex antenna. However, the additional channels allow more broadcasters in a given region without causing objectionable mutual interference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area</span> Tri-state region of the United States

The Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area is a tri-state area where the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky intersect. The area is defined mainly by the television viewing area and consists of ten Illinois counties, eleven Indiana counties, and nine Kentucky counties, centered upon the Ohio and Wabash Rivers.

WACH-TV, UHF analog channel 33, was a commercial television station licensed to Newport News, Virginia, United States, which broadcast from 1953 until 1955. The station was owned by the Eastern Broadcasting Corporation.

<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">KTVE (Texas)</span> Former TV station in Longview, Texas

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.

KETX was a television station on channel 19 at Tyler, Texas, that operated between September 1953 and October 1954. It was the first television station in East Texas and the first UHF station in the entire state; however, its operation was fraught with technical and financial difficulties, and the coming of a VHF station, KLTV, was an existential threat to the smaller UHF outlet, causing its closure.

<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.

WBUF-TV was a television station that broadcast on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 17 in Buffalo, New York, United States. It broadcast from August 17, 1953, to February 1955 and again from March 1955 until the morning of October 1, 1958.

References

  1. ↑ "WRAY-TV" (PDF). Television Factbook. Spring 1955. p. 271. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Princeton Granted TV Channel 52". Princeton Clarion-News. March 12, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Hope To Have TV Station Here Ready By Oct. 1". Princeton Clarion-News. June 4, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  4. ↑ "WRAY—Princeton (Channel 52)". Princeton Clarion-News. July 2, 1954. p. 7. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "More UHFs Leaving Air As Senators Ponder" (PDF). Television Digest. July 10, 1954. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 "1960 March of Dimes" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 8, 1960. p. 94. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Polio Telethon To Bring Noted Personalities To Princeton". Princeton Clarion-News. January 18, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Princeton TV Equipment Sold To Vincennes U." Princeton Daily Clarion. December 30, 1960. p. 1. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  9. ↑ FCC History Cards for WVUT
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.