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WADL (TV)
Encyclopedia
WADL Channel 38 is a full-power, commercially licensed broadcast television station in the Midwestern United States
. As an independent television station
licensed to the town of Mount Clemens, Michigan
, the station serves the entire Detroit metropolitan area. The station also serves most of the Windsor, Ontario
area, as well as Flint
. The station was founded by the late Franklin Z. Adell.
channel 39, operates with an ERP of 1,000 kilowatts—all as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission
. WADL's transmitter which is directionally aligned, is in the vicinity of its studios and offices on Adell Drive near the area of 15 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue
. The transmitter is directional.
The station's signal reaches across Genesee
, Lapeer
, Livingston
, Oakland
, Macomb
, Monroe
, St. Clair
, Washtenaw
, and Wayne
counties in Michigan
, and Essex
, and Lambton
counties in Ontario Canada.
It is not currently seen on Cogeco
Windsor, though the cable provider has expressed interest in adding the station to its digital cable lineups, pending CRTC approval. It is available on Cogeco Cable in some rural areas of Southwestern Ontario; this is from previous cable companies in the rural Southwestern Ontario areas that were purchased by Cogeco around 2000, and the station has remained on their lineups.
While WADL is The Word Network's flagship (appearing on a digital subchannel
, and programmed from WADL), the network's satellite uplink system is located at WXYZ-TV
.
The station was founded by the late Franklin Z. Adell. Its original programming blocks were filled with mostly Home Shopping Network
programs, religious shows and other paid programming, classic movies and hourly blocks of the syndicated music video show Hit Video USA
. In 1990, it began running several hours of syndicated shows.
WADL is considered "The 5 Million Watt Powerhouse" because it has one of the strongest signals in the area. Starting in 1992, it began running CBS
shows preempted by then-CBS affiliate WJBK
. It also rebroadcast WJBK's 6 pm newscast, typically at 8:00 pm on the same night. Despite its relationship with WJBK, WADL barely registered as a blip on the Detroit television scene at first. Most of the stronger programming had been picked clean by Fox
affiliate WKBD-TV (which, for all intents and purposes, was programmed as an independent) and independent WXON (now WMYD
). There simply wasn't enough programming to go around, even for a market as large as Detroit. Channel 38 faced an additional problem in the form of CBET
(channel 9), the CBC
-owned station in Windsor
, which owned the Detroit rights to other syndicated programs. It relied mostly on paid programming; the few entertainment shows on the schedule were barter programming.
In 1994, WJBK defected to Fox after that network struck a deal with its then-owner New World Communications
. After being turned down by WKBD and WXON, CBS approached WADL for an affiliation, even though most Metro Detroit viewers hadn't even heard of the station before. However, Franklin Adell and CBS could not come to a mutual agreement. CBS eventually bought Detroit's other low-profile independent, WGPR-TV, changing its calls to WWJ-TV
.
(later FoxBox and now today's 4KidsTV) on the weekdays and weekends, with programs such as Jumanji
. Previously, WKBD had aired Fox Kids even after losing its Fox affiliation. As Fox Kids ended its weekday airings on FOX in 2002, WADL continued running the revamped Fox Box until the fall of 2003, when Fox's 4Kids TV
Saturday Morning lineup moved to another cross-town station, then WB
affiliate WDWB (now MyNetworkTV
affiliate WMYD
). During this time, WADL was the only other station besides WKBD and WMYD to continuously air children's programming (until October 2007). The station aired three cartoons produced by DiC Entertainment
, all designed to meet federal E/I
requirements:
WADL at one point also broadcast the NBC
daytime soap opera "Passions
," from its premiere in 1999 until 2002, when NBC affiliate WDIV added the serial to its schedule.
, Mad About You
, The Jeffersons
and Good Times
, though keeping many religious programs and a few infomercials as well, but eliminated the remaining animated shows.
Through the years WADL has made strides towards the fulfillment of being a voice of Detroit's urban community at large. Such programming aimed at Detroit's urban community includes a weekly feature with the Mayor of Detroit and former player for the Detroit Pistons
, Dave Bing
.
In the fall of 2007, WADL was relaunched as "Detroit's Urban Station" in order to appeal to the African-American community and picking up new syndicated programming, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
, Pimp My Ride
, Cribs
, American Chopper
, Reno 911, The Montel Williams Show
, The Daily Buzz
(which WKBD
replaced with Judge Judy
), In the Heat of the Night
, Chappelle's Show
, Dance Party, A Different World, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
, Sanford and Son
, and others. Magnum P.I. . In 2009, shows like The Brady Bunch
, I Love Lucy
, Happy Days
, M*A*S*H, The Jeffersons
, Laverne and Shirley, among others were added. WADL continues to provide religious broadcast Mon-Fri 8AM-12 Noon and all day on Sundays. Saturday programming features a community block as well as "The Movie of the Week", Cheaters, Dance Party, and American Chopper.
In fall 2009 WADL added The Brian McKnight Show and classic episodes of Batman
, Lost in Space
, and Star Trek
to the schedule. Fall WADL's 2010 fall line up included Curb Your Enthusiasm
, Entourage
, South Park
and The Twilight Zone
.
WADL has since cemented its standing as a major player in Detroit's television broadcasting community. WADL recognized the need to secure current programs as well as maintaining viewers that are fond of the classics. The station added to its programming lineup, Frasier, Hawaii Five-O , Deadliest Catch, Cash Cab and health and fitness guru Peter's Principles. The station also created a child and family friendly block in their Saturday rotation by adding The Three Stooges, The Adams Family, The Munsters, Curiosity Quest, Dog Tales, Animal Exploration, and Animal Rescue.
As the station grows, some programming has been shelved or replaced such as " Batman", "Dance Party" and "The Brian McKnight Show".
WADL has continued the commitment made to the community by producing and airing locally relevant programming such as " Schwartz's Law" with attorney Michael Schwartz, " Real Talk" with political activist Rev. Horace Sheffield, " Detroit Wants to Know" with Steve Hood.
On August 29, 2011, WADL announced it would be moving its Universal Sports
affiliation to another subchannel to make way for Antenna TV
, effective October 1, 2011.
as 38. It has the following digital subchannel
s. All channels are in 480i
standard definition. It is using the same channel numbers after the analog to digital conversion
date of June 12, 2009.
The station's second digital channel currently broadcasts the full schedule of Universal Sports, with infomercial
s filling out the remainder of the broadcast schedule (when Universal Sports programming is not aired). Since March 23, 2011, the station's third subchannel has broadcast The Word Network, a religious cable channel also founded by Franklin Z. Adell.
On October 1, 2011 WADL-TV began carrying programming from Tribune Broadcasting
's digital multicast network Antenna TV
on digital subchannel 38.2 and 38.4. Antenna TV features classic television series (primarily sitcoms) from the 1950s to the 1990s, from the program libraries of Sony Pictures Entertainment
and DLT Entertainment, during the afternoon and evening hours on Monday-Saturdays and for much of the day on Sundays; feature films from the Sony library air on the network during the overnight and early morning hours. Antenna TV replaced Universal Sports on 38.2, which was bumped to a newly-created subchannel (38.4). This is most-likely a temporary situation for the next three or so months(to adhere to programming contracts and let NBC Universal Sports burn off
its remaining programs until it goes cable
- and dish
-only), as NBC Universal Sports announced it will no longer be available to terrestrial
affiliates effective January 2012.
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. As an independent television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
licensed to the town of Mount Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early history:...
, the station serves the entire Detroit metropolitan area. The station also serves most of the Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
area, as well as Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
. The station was founded by the late Franklin Z. Adell.
Technical information
WADL broadcasts its digital signal on UHFUltra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 39, operates with an ERP of 1,000 kilowatts—all as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. WADL's transmitter which is directionally aligned, is in the vicinity of its studios and offices on Adell Drive near the area of 15 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue
M-3 (Michigan highway)
M-3 is a north–south state highway in the US state of Michigan in the Detroit metropolitan area. For most of its length, M-3 is known as Gratiot Avenue...
. The transmitter is directional.
The station's signal reaches across Genesee
Genesee County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69* I-75* I-475-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-13* M-15* M-21* M-54* M-57-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 436,141 people, 169,825 households, and 115,990 families residing in the county. The population density was 682 people per square mile . There were 183,630...
, Lapeer
Lapeer County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 87,904 people, 30,729 households, and 23,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 134 people per square mile . There were 32,732 housing units at an average density of 50 per square mile...
, Livingston
Livingston County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 156,951 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 276 people per square mile . There were 58,919 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
, Oakland
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
, Macomb
Macomb County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 788,149 people, 309,203 households, and 210,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,640 people per square mile . There were 320,276 housing units at an average density of 667 per square mile...
, Monroe
Monroe County, Michigan
Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2010 population is 152,021. The largest city and county seat is Monroe. The U.S. Census Bureau defines all of Monroe County as conterminous with the Monroe Metropolitan Area...
, St. Clair
St. Clair County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69 enters the county from the west, coming from Lansing and Flint, terminating at the approach to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron....
, Washtenaw
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
, and Wayne
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
counties in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and Essex
Essex County, Ontario
Essex County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario and covers an area at the southernmost tip of Canada. The administrative seat is Essex...
, and Lambton
Lambton County, Ontario
Lambton County is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county is located in Southwestern Ontario. It is bordered on the north by Lake Huron, which flows into the St. Clair River, the county's western border and part of the Canada-United States border. To the south is Lake...
counties in Ontario Canada.
It is not currently seen on Cogeco
Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
Windsor, though the cable provider has expressed interest in adding the station to its digital cable lineups, pending CRTC approval. It is available on Cogeco Cable in some rural areas of Southwestern Ontario; this is from previous cable companies in the rural Southwestern Ontario areas that were purchased by Cogeco around 2000, and the station has remained on their lineups.
While WADL is The Word Network's flagship (appearing on a digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
, and programmed from WADL), the network's satellite uplink system is located at WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
.
History
WADL began operation in 1989, after having filed for a broadcasting license on September 25, 1985.The station was founded by the late Franklin Z. Adell. Its original programming blocks were filled with mostly Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...
programs, religious shows and other paid programming, classic movies and hourly blocks of the syndicated music video show Hit Video USA
Hit Video USA
Hit Video USA was a 24-hour music television channel based out of Houston, Texas.The station was located on the 35th floor of the Allied Bank Plaza/First Interstate Plaza , a skyscraper in Downtown Houston.-History:...
. In 1990, it began running several hours of syndicated shows.
WADL is considered "The 5 Million Watt Powerhouse" because it has one of the strongest signals in the area. Starting in 1992, it began running CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
shows preempted by then-CBS affiliate WJBK
WJBK
WJBK is the Fox–owned and operated television station in Detroit, Michigan broadcasting on digital channel 7...
. It also rebroadcast WJBK's 6 pm newscast, typically at 8:00 pm on the same night. Despite its relationship with WJBK, WADL barely registered as a blip on the Detroit television scene at first. Most of the stronger programming had been picked clean by Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate WKBD-TV (which, for all intents and purposes, was programmed as an independent) and independent WXON (now WMYD
WMYD
WMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
). There simply wasn't enough programming to go around, even for a market as large as Detroit. Channel 38 faced an additional problem in the form of CBET
CBET
CBET, channel 9, is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's owned-and-operated television station in Windsor, Ontario. The station's signal also covers the Detroit, Michigan area across the international border in the United States, and is counted as a Detroit station for the purposes of...
(channel 9), the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
-owned station in Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, which owned the Detroit rights to other syndicated programs. It relied mostly on paid programming; the few entertainment shows on the schedule were barter programming.
In 1994, WJBK defected to Fox after that network struck a deal with its then-owner New World Communications
New World Communications
New World Pictures was an independent motion picture and television production company, and later television station owner in the United States from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s...
. After being turned down by WKBD and WXON, CBS approached WADL for an affiliation, even though most Metro Detroit viewers hadn't even heard of the station before. However, Franklin Adell and CBS could not come to a mutual agreement. CBS eventually bought Detroit's other low-profile independent, WGPR-TV, changing its calls to WWJ-TV
WWJ-TV
WWJ-TV, virtual channel 62 , is the CBS-owned and operated television station in Detroit, Michigan. It is co-owned with Detroit's CW station, WKBD-TV , and the two stations share a studio in Southfield, Michigan, a Detroit suburb....
.
Picking children and NBC shows
On August 31, 1998, WADL would pick up Fox KidsFox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
(later FoxBox and now today's 4KidsTV) on the weekdays and weekends, with programs such as Jumanji
Jumanji (TV series)
Jumanji is an American animated television series that was inspired by the movie based on the book of the same name. The series ran for three seasons from 1996 to 1999. In 1996, it was carried by the UPN Kids network, but later seasons were syndicated by BKN. The series was also shown by CITV in...
. Previously, WKBD had aired Fox Kids even after losing its Fox affiliation. As Fox Kids ended its weekday airings on FOX in 2002, WADL continued running the revamped Fox Box until the fall of 2003, when Fox's 4Kids TV
4Kids TV
4Kids TV was a Saturday morning television programming block on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The block was part of the Fox Network schedule...
Saturday Morning lineup moved to another cross-town station, then WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
affiliate WDWB (now MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WMYD
WMYD
WMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
). During this time, WADL was the only other station besides WKBD and WMYD to continuously air children's programming (until October 2007). The station aired three cartoons produced by DiC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
, all designed to meet federal E/I
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
requirements:
- Archie's Weird MysteriesArchie's Weird MysteriesArchie's Weird Mysteries is an American animated children's television program, based on the successful Archie comics. The series premise revolves around a Riverdale High physics lab gone awry, making the town of Riverdale a "magnet" for B-movie style monsters.The show is distributed as meeting the...
- Thursdays & Fridays at 7:00 AM - Inspector Gadget's Field TripInspector Gadget's Field TripInspector Gadget's Field Trip is a spin-off incarnation of Inspector Gadget, produced by DiC Entertainment, and aired on The History Channel from 1996 to 1998, with over 26 episodes with live-action sequences produced. Don Adams returned as the voice of Inspector Gadget. It currently airs in reruns...
- Tuesdays at 7:30 AM and Wednesdays at 7:00 AM - Sabrina's Secret LifeSabrina's Secret LifeSabrina's Secret Life is an American animated television series based on the Archie Comics character Sabrina, the Teenage Witch produced by DiC Entertainment in partnership with Sony Pictures Television. It originally aired in syndication in 2003 as a spin-off of Sabrina: Friends Forever, Sabrina,...
- Mondays & Tuesdays at 7:00 AM
WADL at one point also broadcast the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
daytime soap opera "Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
," from its premiere in 1999 until 2002, when NBC affiliate WDIV added the serial to its schedule.
Breakthrough
In September 2007, WADL had begun to acquire popular syndicated shows, such as The NannyThe Nanny
Nanny may refer to:* Nanny, a child's caregiver* A grandmother * A Cajun word for godmother * A female goat* Nanny , a 1981–83 British drama series starring Wendy Craig* Nanny of the Maroons...
, Mad About You
Mad About You
Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
, The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
and Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
, though keeping many religious programs and a few infomercials as well, but eliminated the remaining animated shows.
Through the years WADL has made strides towards the fulfillment of being a voice of Detroit's urban community at large. Such programming aimed at Detroit's urban community includes a weekly feature with the Mayor of Detroit and former player for the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
, Dave Bing
Dave Bing
David "Dave" Bing is the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, a businessman, and a retired American professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association , primarily for the Detroit Pistons...
.
In the fall of 2007, WADL was relaunched as "Detroit's Urban Station" in order to appeal to the African-American community and picking up new syndicated programming, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
, Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it and customizing it.The original United States version was hosted by rapper Xzibit...
, Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...
, American Chopper
American Chopper
American Chopper is a reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul, Sr. and his son Paul Teutul, Jr. , who manufacture custom motorcycles. Orange County Choppers is in Newburgh, New York...
, Reno 911, The Montel Williams Show
The Montel Williams Show
The Montel Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Montel Williams. On January 30, 2008 it was announced that The Montel Williams Show would stop production on new episodes at the end of the 2007-2008 television season after seventeen years...
, The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
(which WKBD
WKBD
WKBD-TV, virtual channel 50 , is an owned and operated station of the CW Television Network, based in Detroit, Michigan. The station is owned and operated by the CBS Corporation, and is one-half of a duopoly with sister station WWJ-TV . Its studios and transmitters are located at 11 mile and...
replaced with Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
), In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (TV series)
In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
, Chappelle's Show
Chappelle's Show
Chappelle's Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedian Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show as well as starring in various skits. Chappelle, Brennan and Michele Armour were the show's executive producers. The series premiered on January 22,...
, Dance Party, A Different World, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created, produced, and hosted by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985...
, Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
, and others. Magnum P.I. . In 2009, shows like The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
, I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, M*A*S*H, The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
, Laverne and Shirley, among others were added. WADL continues to provide religious broadcast Mon-Fri 8AM-12 Noon and all day on Sundays. Saturday programming features a community block as well as "The Movie of the Week", Cheaters, Dance Party, and American Chopper.
In fall 2009 WADL added The Brian McKnight Show and classic episodes of Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
, and Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
to the schedule. Fall WADL's 2010 fall line up included Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
, Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
, South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
and The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
.
WADL has since cemented its standing as a major player in Detroit's television broadcasting community. WADL recognized the need to secure current programs as well as maintaining viewers that are fond of the classics. The station added to its programming lineup, Frasier, Hawaii Five-O , Deadliest Catch, Cash Cab and health and fitness guru Peter's Principles. The station also created a child and family friendly block in their Saturday rotation by adding The Three Stooges, The Adams Family, The Munsters, Curiosity Quest, Dog Tales, Animal Exploration, and Animal Rescue.
As the station grows, some programming has been shelved or replaced such as " Batman", "Dance Party" and "The Brian McKnight Show".
WADL has continued the commitment made to the community by producing and airing locally relevant programming such as " Schwartz's Law" with attorney Michael Schwartz, " Real Talk" with political activist Rev. Horace Sheffield, " Detroit Wants to Know" with Steve Hood.
On August 29, 2011, WADL announced it would be moving its Universal Sports
Universal Sports
Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
affiliation to another subchannel to make way for Antenna TV
Antenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
, effective October 1, 2011.
Digital television
WADL's operates on UHF digital channel 39, using PSIP to display its virtual channelVirtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 38. It has the following digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
s. All channels are in 480i
480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
standard definition. It is using the same channel numbers after the analog to digital conversion
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
date of June 12, 2009.
| Channel | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Video | Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.1 | 4:3 | 480i | WADL-DT | Main WADL-TV programming |
| 38.2 | WADL-DT2 | Antenna TV Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company... |
||
| 38.3 | WADL-DT3 | The Word Network | ||
| 38.4 | WADL-DT4 | Universal Sports Universal Sports Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:... |
The station's second digital channel currently broadcasts the full schedule of Universal Sports, with infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
s filling out the remainder of the broadcast schedule (when Universal Sports programming is not aired). Since March 23, 2011, the station's third subchannel has broadcast The Word Network, a religious cable channel also founded by Franklin Z. Adell.
On October 1, 2011 WADL-TV began carrying programming from Tribune Broadcasting
Tribune Broadcasting
The Tribune Broadcasting Company is a group of radio and television stations located throughout the United States which are owned and operated by the Tribune Company, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois and named for the flagship Chicago Tribune newspaper.- History :Tribune Broadcasting...
's digital multicast network Antenna TV
Antenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
on digital subchannel 38.2 and 38.4. Antenna TV features classic television series (primarily sitcoms) from the 1950s to the 1990s, from the program libraries of Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
and DLT Entertainment, during the afternoon and evening hours on Monday-Saturdays and for much of the day on Sundays; feature films from the Sony library air on the network during the overnight and early morning hours. Antenna TV replaced Universal Sports on 38.2, which was bumped to a newly-created subchannel (38.4). This is most-likely a temporary situation for the next three or so months(to adhere to programming contracts and let NBC Universal Sports burn off
Burning off
Burning off is the low-profile airing of otherwise-abandoned unaired television programs, usually by scheduling in far less important time slots or on less important sister stations...
its remaining programs until it goes cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
- and dish
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
-only), as NBC Universal Sports announced it will no longer be available to terrestrial
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
affiliates effective January 2012.
External links
- WADL website
- WADL information at fccinfo.com
- WADL TV Lineup and Demographic Data
- Broadcasting & Cable article from October 2007 on WADL's revamp