WEVU-CA
Encyclopedia
WEVU-LP was a low-power television station
in Fort Myers, Florida
, broadcasting locally on channel 4. The station was last owned by Silver Point Capital; it was most recently a rebroadcaster of Univision
affiliate WUVF-LP.
, W09BS channel 9. The stations were originally a part of the Channel America
network. In the early 1990s, they switched to American Independent Network
; a few years later, they dropped AIN for Network One
. On September 1, 1995, W07BR became WBRP-LP, while W09BS became WBSP-LP. One month later, WEVU channel 26 dropped those call letters in favor of WZVN-TV
. In response, Caloosa Television, the then-owners of the low-power stations, picked up the WEVU-LP calls for channel 7 on November 6, 1995. At that time, the station referred to itself as "The Real Channel 7" (this was a result of WZVN billing itself as "ABC 7" after their cable channel placement; WEVU-LP was on cable channel 8 on the Fort Myers cable system). WEVU-LP picked up National Empowerment Television
some time before N1 shut down.
In March 1998, WTVK (now WXCW), at that time the UPN
affiliate, dropped UPN for The WB
. The original WB affiliate, cable-only "WB 10" (owned by MediaOne
, now Comcast
, and branded with the faux calls of "WSWF") picked up UPN. However, not everyone in the market could get "TV 10" (as it was later called), so UPN made an affiliation deal with WEVU, which would allow for wider coverage.
It wasn't until later in 1998 when Caloosa Television made a deal with MediaOne to have the cable system take over the station's programming. MediaOne dropped the faux calls of "WSWF" in favor of WEVU, and replaced WEVU-LP's non-network programming with their own, thus unifying the UPN affiliates in the market.
This working relationship lasted until midnight on September 1, 2004. This occurred shortly after Holston Valley Broadcasting
(then-owners of WEVU) struck a deal for carriage of the station (then known on-the-air as "UPN 8") on DirecTV
. This forced WEVU to seek UPN programming via microwave from UPN owned-and-operated station
WTOG
out of St. Petersburg, Florida
; they also aired WTOG's three-hour E/I
block. All other programming on the station consisted of infomercial
s. Comcast continued to operate its own UPN affiliate, which began going by the faux call letters of "WNFM." WEVU was later picked up by Dish Network
.
When UPN ended broadcasting in September 2006, WEVU filled the time slot with more infomercials. By this time, the stations had been sold to Equity Broadcasting, and were simulcasting the six o'clock news from Univision
affiliate and sister station WUVF-CA
. Equity subsequently decided to rebroadcast WUVF's entire schedule on WEVU (since WEVU, unlike WUVF, is available via DBS
).
In 2007, Equity struck a deal with LatinAmerican Broadcasting to carry LAT TV
on its group of stations beginning May 30, 2007 ; WEVU was to be one of the stations. However, WEVU continued to rebroadcast WUVF, and is included in WUVF's station identification
.
WBSP signed off March 11, 2008 after suffering technical problems.
On April 4, 2008 Equity announced the sale of all five of its Southwest Florida stations (including WEVU and WBSP) to Luken Communications, LLC for $8 million. Equity has cited corporate financial losses as a reason for the sale.
Equity Media Holdings has been in chapter 11 bankruptcy
since December 2008 and offers by Luken Communications to acquire Equity-owned stations in six markets have since been withdrawn.
WEVU was sold at auction to Silver Point Capital on April 16, 2009. The sale closed on August 17, 2009. WBSP was not named in the sale. WEVU has since surrendered its previous class A
classification, which it had held since 2002.
Three days before the completion of the sale to Silver Point, WEVU was taken silent. As a result, Dish Network
began to obtain WUVF's programming via another satellite station, WLZE-LP (channel 51), on October 7, 2009. On March 10, 2011, WEVU-LP's license was cancelled by the FCC. WBSP's license would also be cancelled around this time.
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...
in Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census, a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure....
, broadcasting locally on channel 4. The station was last owned by Silver Point Capital; it was most recently a rebroadcaster of Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
affiliate WUVF-LP.
History
WEVU began in the late 1980s as W07BR channel 7; the station also maintained a repeater in NaplesNaples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
, W09BS channel 9. The stations were originally a part of the Channel America
Channel America
Channel America was the first United States terrestrial broadcast television network to be intentionally assembled out of LPTV, or low-power television licensees. The network was founded by David Post in 1987 and launched in 1988...
network. In the early 1990s, they switched to American Independent Network
American Independent Network
The American Independent Network was one of the first major attempts at building a television network, consisting of low-powered television stations. Started by Don Shelton, Randy Moseley, and Lynn Synder, it was similar to the older Channel America , and was the foundation for Urban America TV...
; a few years later, they dropped AIN for Network One
Network One
Network One was a small "independent" network, consisting of mostly low-powered television stations, scattered across the Continental United States, similar to Urban America Television, America One, or the better-known Ion...
. On September 1, 1995, W07BR became WBRP-LP, while W09BS became WBSP-LP. One month later, WEVU channel 26 dropped those call letters in favor of WZVN-TV
WZVN-TV
WZVN-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Southwest Florida licensed to Naples. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from a transmitter in Southeastern Punta Gorda along SR 31. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 7 and in high definition on...
. In response, Caloosa Television, the then-owners of the low-power stations, picked up the WEVU-LP calls for channel 7 on November 6, 1995. At that time, the station referred to itself as "The Real Channel 7" (this was a result of WZVN billing itself as "ABC 7" after their cable channel placement; WEVU-LP was on cable channel 8 on the Fort Myers cable system). WEVU-LP picked up National Empowerment Television
National Empowerment Television
National Empowerment Television , also known as America's Voice, was a cable TV network designed to rapidly mobilize conservative followers for grassroots lobbying. It was created by Paul Weyrich, a key strategist for the paleoconservative movement...
some time before N1 shut down.
In March 1998, WTVK (now WXCW), at that time the UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
affiliate, dropped UPN for The 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...
. The original WB affiliate, cable-only "WB 10" (owned by MediaOne
MediaOne
MediaOne was a cable company created by US West in 1995 where the cable service started as a division of US West Media Group.US West founded MediaOne , through the combination of GCTV serving Atlanta, Georgia and Dekalb County, Georgia and Wometco Cable's assets in the suburbs of Georgia.In time...
, now Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, and branded with the faux calls of "WSWF") picked up UPN. However, not everyone in the market could get "TV 10" (as it was later called), so UPN made an affiliation deal with WEVU, which would allow for wider coverage.
It wasn't until later in 1998 when Caloosa Television made a deal with MediaOne to have the cable system take over the station's programming. MediaOne dropped the faux calls of "WSWF" in favor of WEVU, and replaced WEVU-LP's non-network programming with their own, thus unifying the UPN affiliates in the market.
This working relationship lasted until midnight on September 1, 2004. This occurred shortly after Holston Valley Broadcasting
WKPT-TV
WKPT-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Tri-Cities area of Northeastern Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia that is licensed to Kingsport, Tennessee. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter at Holston High Point on Holston Mountain in...
(then-owners of WEVU) struck a deal for carriage of the station (then known on-the-air as "UPN 8") on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
. This forced WEVU to seek UPN programming via microwave from UPN owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
WTOG
WTOG
WTOG, channel 44, is a television station in St. Petersburg, Florida. Owned by the CBS Corporation, WTOG serves as the Tampa Bay Area station for the co-owned The CW Television Network. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida.-Early years:...
out of St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
; they also aired WTOG's three-hour 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...
block. All other programming on the station consisted of 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. Comcast continued to operate its own UPN affiliate, which began going by the faux call letters of "WNFM." WEVU was later picked up by Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
.
When UPN ended broadcasting in September 2006, WEVU filled the time slot with more infomercials. By this time, the stations had been sold to Equity Broadcasting, and were simulcasting the six o'clock news from Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
affiliate and sister station WUVF-CA
WUVF-CA
WUVF-LP is the Univisión affiliate for the Fort Myers-Naples, Florida television market. It is licensed in Naples, owned by Silver Point Capital, and operates on VHF channel 2, with no digital signal. WUVF's programming can also be seen on WLZE-LP, channel 51, in Fort Myers...
. Equity subsequently decided to rebroadcast WUVF's entire schedule on WEVU (since WEVU, unlike WUVF, is available via DBS
Direct broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...
).
In 2007, Equity struck a deal with LatinAmerican Broadcasting to carry LAT TV
LAT TV
LAT TV was a Spanish-language television network emphasizing family-oriented and educational programming. It was owned by Latin America Broadcasting of Houston, Texas and launched in May 2006, initially on five low-power television stations in Texas and Arizona, four of which were in top-ten...
on its group of stations beginning May 30, 2007 ; WEVU was to be one of the stations. However, WEVU continued to rebroadcast WUVF, and is included in WUVF's station identification
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
.
WBSP signed off March 11, 2008 after suffering technical problems.
On April 4, 2008 Equity announced the sale of all five of its Southwest Florida stations (including WEVU and WBSP) to Luken Communications, LLC for $8 million. Equity has cited corporate financial losses as a reason for the sale.
Equity Media Holdings has been in chapter 11 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
since December 2008 and offers by Luken Communications to acquire Equity-owned stations in six markets have since been withdrawn.
WEVU was sold at auction to Silver Point Capital on April 16, 2009. The sale closed on August 17, 2009. WBSP was not named in the sale. WEVU has since surrendered its previous class A
Class A television service
The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...
classification, which it had held since 2002.
Three days before the completion of the sale to Silver Point, WEVU was taken silent. As a result, Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
began to obtain WUVF's programming via another satellite station, WLZE-LP (channel 51), on October 7, 2009. On March 10, 2011, WEVU-LP's license was cancelled by the FCC. WBSP's license would also be cancelled around this time.