WTVK (TV)

Last updated

WTVK
City Oswego, Illinois [1]
Channels
BrandingWTVK 59
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Venture Technologies Group
  • (Four Seasons Peoria, LLC)
WRME-LD
History
FoundedSeptember 8, 1995
First air date
July 5, 1999;24 years ago (1999-07-05)(in Peoria, Illinois; license moved to Oswego in 2021)
Former call signs
WAOE (1995–2023)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 59 (UHF, 1999–2008)
  • Digital: 39 (UHF, 2001–2020)
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 52280
ERP
HAAT
  • DTS1: 411 m (1,348 ft) [3]
  • DTS2: 388 m (1,273 ft) [4]
Transmitter coordinates
Translator(s)
Links
Public license information

WTVK (channel 59) is a television station licensed to Oswego, Illinois, United States, serving the Chicago television market and primarily airing paid programming from Corner Store TV. Owned by Venture Technologies Group, it is a sister station to WRME-LD (channel 33). WTVK's primary transmitter is located in Deer Park Township near Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, [5] with a secondary transmitter atop the John Hancock Center in downtown Chicago.

Contents

WTVK also operates a digital replacement translator on UHF channel 18, licensed to Pekin (with transmitter on High Point Lane near East Peoria).

History

Temporary logo featured in 2006 during transition from UPN to MyNetworkTV. Waoe mntv.jpg
Temporary logo featured in 2006 during transition from UPN to MyNetworkTV.
WAOE, My59 logo from 2006 to 2020. My59 logo.png
WAOE, My59 logo from 2006 to 2020.

Originally licensed to Peoria as WAOE, the station signed on the air on July 5, 1999 as a UPN affiliate and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 59. [6] Its studios were located on Fulton Street in downtown Peoria. [7] In its early months, the station broadcast at a low power; [6] WAOE's signal would be upgraded in early 2000, allowing AT&T Cable to add the station to its lineup on February 22. [8] Before WAOE's launch, then-ABC affiliate WHOI (channel 19) had a secondary affiliation with UPN. [9]

On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge to form The CW. On February 22, News Corporation announced it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. It was made public on March 15 that WAOE would become the market's MyNetworkTV outlet. Meanwhile, cable-only WB affiliate WBPE (operated by WHOI) became the area's CW station. In order to offer non-cable viewers access to The CW, WHOI added a new second digital subchannel to simulcast the new network. WAOE would officially join MyNetworkTV on September 5 while WHOI-DT2 started offering The CW 13 days later on the 18th.

On December 1, 2008, the station shut down its analog signal on UHF channel 59 and became digital-exclusive.

Until the end of 2014, WAOE was operated through a joint sales agreement by Granite Broadcasting, then-owner of NBC affiliate WEEK-TV (channel 25). It shared facilities with that station and WHOI (which was operated by WEEK-TV through a separate joint sales and shared services agreement). The Springfield Road studios of WEEK-TV and WHOI once handled some internal operations (such as the maintenance of programming logs) of another Four Seasons Broadcasting station, WBQD-LP (now WQAD-DT3); however, that station was actually controlled through a local marketing agreement with the Quad Cities' ABC affiliate WQAD-TV (owned at the time by Local TV; now owned by Tegna Inc.), and most of its operations were run from WQAD's studios in Moline. Quincy Newspapers announced on February 11, 2014 that it would acquire WEEK-TV from Granite Broadcasting. Quincy planned on continuing to provide services to WAOE, [10] but the JSA with Granite expired at the end of 2014.

In the spring of 2020, WAOE moved its transmitter to the former site of WWTO-TV near Oglesby, using WWTO's former VHF digital channel 10. On November 27, the station filed an application to move its city of license to Oswego, Illinois, in Kendall County (part of the Chicago market). [1]

On September 8, 2021, WAOE applied to convert to a distributed transmission system (DTS) with the addition of a second (and effectively, main) transmitter atop the John Hancock Center. [4]

On March 31, 2023, the station changed its call sign to WTVK.

Programming

Local programming

WTVK's local programming, branded as VPOD TV, formerly broadcast on its third digital subchannel. It consisted mostly of talk shows, many of which covered holistic and alternative wellness. The channel's arrangement with then-WAOE ended at the end of 2022, and WTVK-DT3 is currently silent.

In 2021, VPOD TV held the broadcast rights to the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, which previously aired on WGN-TV. [11] The arrangement was heavily criticized as few Chicago households had any access to WAOE, and the next year saw it returned to a Chicago-licensed station, WCIU-TV.

Syndicated programming

Before the switch to OnTV4U, syndicated programming on WAOE included Family Guy , American Dad! , How I Met Your Mother , The Office , Judge Judy , and The Doctors among others; the latter two shows now air on WYZZ-TV.

As of 2021, most of the non-local programming on WTVK, carried mostly on the VPOD TV subchannel, consists of public domain and low-cost barter syndicated fare. VPOD TV shut down January 1, 2023. [12]

Sports programming

From 2015 to 2019, WAOE was the Peoria broadcast affiliate for Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox games produced by WGN Sports, and Cubs broadcasts produced by WLS-TV after WGN America stopped carrying national sports telecasts of Chicago teams. Before then, WAOE was an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals television network from St. Louis' KPLR-TV.

WAOE was also the longtime local broadcaster of the Illinois High School Association final tournaments and championships for basketball and football. With WAOE's move out of the market, the telecasts moved to WEEK-DT3 in the fall of 2019.

Newscasts

On June 5, 2006, WEEK-TV established a news share agreement with WAOE and began producing a weeknight-only prime time newscast for the then-UPN affiliate. Known as Primetime News at Nine, the half-hour newscast competed with WYZZ-TV's half-hour newscast, produced by sister station WMBD-TV. WAOE also simulcast WEEK's morning news in full. In September 2006, the name was altered to News 25 at Nine on My59 to reflect WAOE's new affiliation. After the Granite JSA expired at the end of 2014, all WEEK-TV newscasts were dropped from WAOE.

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WTVK [13]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
59.1 720p 16:9 WTVK-HDCorner Store TV (infomercials)
59.2 480i GRIOTV TheGrio TV
59.3WTVK-3Blank (available for lease)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTVD</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Denver

KTVD is a television station in Denver, Colorado, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside NBC affiliate KUSA. Both stations share studios on East Speer Boulevard in Denver's Speer neighborhood, while KTVD's transmitter is located atop Lookout Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSBT-TV</span> CBS/Fox affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WSBT-TV is a television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with CBS and Fox. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains studios on East Douglas Avenue in Mishawaka, and its transmitter is located on Ironwood Road in South Bend, near the St. Joseph County 4-H Fairgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAGM-TV</span> CBS/Fox/CW affiliate in Presque Isle, Maine

WAGM-TV is a television station in Presque Isle, Maine, United States, affiliated with CBS, Fox, and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Fort Kent–licensed low-power NBC affiliate WWPI-LD. The two stations share studios on Brewer Road in Presque Isle; WAGM-TV's transmitter is located on the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain among the wind turbines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCIX</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Springfield, Illinois

WCIX is a television station licensed to Springfield, Illinois, United States, serving the Central Illinois region as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Champaign-licensed CBS affiliate WCIA. Both stations share studios on South Neil Street/US 45 in downtown Champaign and also operate a sales office and news bureau on West Edwards Street near the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. WCIX's transmitter is located in Clear Lake Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKBT-DT</span> CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate in La Crosse, Wisconsin

WKBT-DT is a television station licensed to La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States, serving the La Crosse–Eau Claire market as an affiliate of CBS and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Morgan Murphy Media, the station maintains studios on South 6th Street in downtown La Crosse, and its transmitter is located on Silver Creek Road in Galesville, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMBD-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Peoria, Illinois

WMBD-TV is a television station in Peoria, Illinois, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to Bloomington-licensed Fox affiliate WYZZ-TV under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting. The stations share studios on North University Street in Peoria, with a secondary studio and news bureau on East Lincoln Street in Bloomington. WMBD-TV's transmitter is located on Pinecrest Drive in East Peoria, a section of Groveland Township, Tazewell County.

KSCW-DT is a television station in Wichita, Kansas, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Hutchinson-licensed CBS affiliate KWCH-DT. Both stations share studios on 37th Street in northeast Wichita, while KSCW-DT's transmitter is located in rural northeastern Reno County.

KXVO is a television station in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, airing programming from the digital multicast network TBD. It is owned by Mitts Telecasting Company LLC, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with the Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of dual Fox/CW affiliate KPTM, for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on Farnam Street in Omaha, while KXVO's transmitter is located on Pflug Road, south of Gretna and I-80.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KCWI-TV</span> CW affiliate in Ames, Iowa

KCWI-TV is a television station licensed to Ames, Iowa, United States, serving as the CW affiliate for the Des Moines area. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside ABC affiliate WOI-DT, also licensed to Ames. Both stations share studios on Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, while KCWI-TV's transmitter is located in Alleman, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKTC</span> MyNetworkTV/Telemundo affiliate in Sumter, South Carolina

WKTC is a television station licensed to Sumter, South Carolina, United States, serving the Columbia area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV and Telemundo. The station is locally owned by WBHQ Columbia, LLC, and maintains studios in the Pontiac Business Center complex in Elgin and a transmitter on Rush Road in rural southwestern Kershaw County.

WHOI is a television station in Peoria, Illinois, United States, broadcasting the digital multicast network TBD. Owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains a transmitter on Springfield Road in East Peoria, a section of Groveland Township, Tazewell County. WHOI was the ABC affiliate for the market until 2016.

WYZZ-TV is a television station licensed to Bloomington, Illinois, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Peoria area. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of CBS affiliate WMBD-TV, for the provision of certain services. The stations share studios on North University Street in Peoria, with a secondary studio and news bureau on East Lincoln Street in Bloomington. WYZZ-TV's transmitter is located near Congerville, a village of Montgomery Township, Woodford County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEEK-TV</span> NBC/ABC/CW affiliate in Peoria, Illinois

WEEK-TV is a television station in Peoria, Illinois, United States, affiliated with NBC, ABC, and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Springfield Road in East Peoria, a section of Groveland Township, Tazewell County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WENY-TV</span> ABC/CBS/CW affiliate in Elmira, New York

WENY-TV is a television station in Elmira, New York, United States, affiliated with ABC, CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Lilly Broadcasting, the station has studios on Old Ithaca Road in Horseheads, and its transmitter is located on Higman Hill in Corning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WISE-TV</span> CW affiliate in Fort Wayne, Indiana

WISE-TV is a television station in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, affiliated with The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside ABC/NBC/MyNetworkTV affiliate WPTA. The two stations share studios on Butler Road in Northwest Fort Wayne, where WISE-TV's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHBS</span> ABC/CW affiliate in Fort Smith, Arkansas

KHBS is a television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States, affiliated with ABC and The CW Plus. It is simulcast full-time over satellite station KHOG-TV in Fayetteville. Owned by Hearst Television and jointly branded as "40/29", the two stations maintain studios on Ajax Avenue in Rogers, with a secondary studio and news bureau on North Albert Pike Avenue/North 42nd Street in Fort Smith. KHBS' transmitter is located on Cavanal Hill in northwestern Le Flore County, Oklahoma, while KHOG-TV's transmitter is based near Ed Edwards Road in rural northeastern Washington County, Arkansas, just southeast of the Fayetteville city limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPXJ</span> CW affiliate in Minden, Louisiana

KPXJ is a television station licensed to Minden, Louisiana, United States, serving the Shreveport area as an affiliate of The CW. The station is owned by locally based KTBS, LLC, alongside ABC affiliate KTBS-TV. The two stations share studios on East Kings Highway on the eastern side of Shreveport; KPXJ's transmitter is located near St. Johns Baptist Church Road in rural northern Caddo Parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCBI-TV</span> CBS/MyNetworkTV/CW affiliate in Columbus, Mississippi

WCBI-TV is a television station licensed to Columbus, Mississippi, United States, serving the Columbus–Tupelo market as an affiliate of CBS, MyNetworkTV, and The CW Plus. Owned by Morris Multimedia, the station maintains studios on 5th Street South in Downtown Columbus, and its transmitter is located in northwestern Clay County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSPR-LD</span> ABC affiliate in Springfield, Missouri

KSPR-LD is a low-power television station in Springfield, Missouri, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate KYTV and Branson-licensed CW affiliate KYCW-LD ; it is also sister to Branson-licensed tourist information–formatted station K17DL-D, channel 17. KSPR-LD, KYTV and KYCW-LD share studios on West Sunshine Street in Springfield, while KSPR-LD's transmitter is located on Highway FF north of Fordland.

WBQD-LP is a defunct low-power analog television station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, which operated from 2002 to 2011. Last owned by Four Seasons Broadcasting, it was affiliated with UPN and MyNetworkTV. The station was operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) and a technical services agreement by The New York Times Company, and later by Local TV LLC, as a sister station to Moline, Illinois–licensed ABC affiliate WQAD-TV. WBQD-LP's operations were housed at WQAD-TV's studios on Park 16th Street in the Prospect Park section of Moline; its transmitter was located on 70th Street, next to Black Hawk College, near Moline's Poplar Grove neighborhood.

References

  1. 1 2 "Channel Substitution/Community of License Change". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WTVK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. 1 2 3 "Amendment to a Modification of a DTV Station Construction Permit Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. April 5, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Modification of a License to Convert from DTV to DTS Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. September 8, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  5. ↑ "RabbitEars.Info".
  6. 1 2 "Channel still short on power: WAOE manager says negotiations under way for cable". Peoria Journal-Star . October 28, 1999. Retrieved January 3, 2016. (preview of subscription content)
  7. ↑ "Four Seasons Broadcasting, LLC: Private Company Information". Bloomberg.
  8. ↑ "Professional wrestling fans get television program". Peoria Journal-Star . February 22, 2000. Retrieved January 3, 2016. (preview of subscription content)
  9. ↑ "Hotline". Peoria Journal-Star . October 13, 1999. Retrieved January 3, 2016. (preview of subscription content)
  10. ↑ "Quincy Buying Stations From Granite, Malara". TVNewsCheck. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Live Stream Info – Chicago Thanksgiving Parade".
  12. ↑ Announcement from Lord Blood-Ra regarding the discontinuation of VPOD TV. January 2, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  13. ↑ Digital TV Market Listing for WTVK. RabbitEars.
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.