WFTT-TV
Encyclopedia
WFTT-DT is the Telefutura
TeleFutura
TeleFutura is a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami, Florida.-Overview:TeleFutura Is America’s #2 Spanish-Language Network in prime time...

 affiliate for Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...

, owned by 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...

 and operated by Entravision, owners of WVEA-TV
WVEA-TV
WVEA-TV is the Univision affiliate for Tampa Bay, Florida, licensed to Venice. The station is owned by Entravision Communications, and also operates Telefutura affiliate WFTT-TV. The two stations share studios on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, in a former Barnett Bank building west of Armenia Avenue...

. The station, which broadcasts on UHF
Ultra 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 50 (digital 47), is based at WVEA's studios on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

, and transmits from Riverview
Riverview, Florida
Riverview, the name of three places in the U.S. state of Florida, may refer to:* Riverview, Duval County, Florida* Riverview, Escambia County, Florida* Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida...

.

WFTT can be seen on cable throughout the Bay Area on Bright House
Bright House Networks
Bright House Networks is a cable television company, the seventh largest cable operator and the sixth largest traditional multiple system operator in the United States owned by Advance/Newhouse, headquartered in Syracuse, New York...

 channel 5, and on Comcast in Sarasota County on channel 23.

Digital

WFTT's digital signal transmits on channel 47.
Channel Programming
50.1 WFTT-HD TeleFutura HD (1080i)

History

WFTT signed on in 1988 as WBHS, the flagship station of the 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...

, running its programming 24 hours a day. HSN programming was supplemented with locally produced public affairs and human interest briefs for four and a half minutes each hour, which exceeded the number of hours independent station
Independent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....

s provided local programming (over 12 broadcast hours a week, counting repeats). Sundays were devoted to required children's programming, including 1970s shows like "New Zoo Revue
New Zoo Revue
New Zoo Revue is an American half-hour children's television show that ran in syndication from 1972-1977. Stations usually broadcast the program in the early or middle part of the morning hours, when many pre-schoolers were watching it as well as similar shows such as the franchised Romper Room and...

", to expose them to a younger audience.

WBHS's original owner was HSN's broadcasting arm Silver King Broadcasting. In 1993, Barry Diller
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller is the Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and the media executive responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting.-Early life:...

 and Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....

 acquired HSN, renaming it USA Broadcasting
USA Broadcasting
USA Broadcasting was an American media company owned by veteran entertainment industry executive Barry Diller. This network was the over-the-air broadcasting arm of USA Network....

. USA originally had plans for a new chain of independents on these stations, but the idea didn't expand farther than Miami, Atlanta, Dallas and Boston. WBHS remained an HSN station until January 14, 2002.

In 2002, Univision bolstered its audience and launched a new second Spanish network, Telefutura, through the acquisition of USA's stations. With Univsion already on WVEA, channel 50 became a Telefutura affiliate, with new calls WFTT.

In May 2010, the station began broadcasting in 1080i and passing the TeleFutura network in HD.

External links

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