WQHS-TV
Encyclopedia
WQHS-DT is a Spanish-language television station owned and operated by Univision
. It is licensed to serve the Cleveland, Ohio
television market, and broadcasts on UHF channel 61 with studios and offices in Parma
. It is also one of two stations with the Univision affiliation, alongside KUNS-TV in Seattle, Washington
in markets bordering Canada.
occupied Channel 61 as WKBF
from 1968 to 1975. It was the first actual independent station to sign on in Cleveland, and the first on the UHF dial. Despite some innovative local programming, and some popular off-network shows, WKBF struggled for the majority of its existence due to poor revenue growth. It failed to achieve profitability while competing against rival station WUAB-TV, which signed on at the same time as WKBF. By 1975, Kaiser Broadcasting sold off WKBF's assets to WUAB's owner United Artists Broadcasting, and purchased a minority ownership in the station (which was relinquished when WUAB was sold to Gaylord Broadcasting
and when Kaiser merged with Field Communications
; both of which occurred in 1977).
Kaiser then signed Channel 61 off the air and returned the license to the Federal Communications Commission. WKBF was one of two stations in the Kaiser Broadcasting chain to cease operations permanently; the other was Philadelphia station WKBS
in 1983.
) in 1982.
Not unlike similar flailing high-numbered UHF stations at the time, the station did gain profitability however, unlike its predecessor due to its partnership with Preview an over-the-air scrambled subscription television service similar to other regional over-the-air pay-TV services such as SelecTV, OnTV, or Spectrum
, which aired movies and local sporting events in the evening and on weekends. Preview was discontinued in 1983 and WCLQ was sold to Channel Communications in 1984.
In 1985, WOIO
and WBNX-TV
both signed on with entertainment formats to create further competition, which took viewers away from WCLQ. WOIO surpassed WCLQ in the ratings immediately. WBNX steadily grew as an independent and increased its cable coverage as well as over-the-air coverage. It became apparent that Cleveland was unable to support four independent stations. As a result, WCLQ began to lose money, and Channel Communications decided to put WCLQ up for sale in May 1986. The station began running Home Shopping Network
programming from midnight to 6 a.m. earlier that year, and in the summer it also began to air from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In August, HSN's broadcasting arm (Silver King Television
) bought WCLQ. In September, WCLQ began to run HSN programming 18 hours a day, while the independent format continued to air from 4 to 10 p.m.
Once the sale was finalized in November 1986, WCLQ changed its call letters to WQHS-TV. The independent format was completely dropped, with HSN programs being shown 24/7 from February 1987 to January 2002. WBNX picked up much of WCLQ's syndicated programming including sitcoms and cartoons.
Plans emerged in the late 1990s to return WQHS-TV to the independent format by 2002. However, USA Broadcasting
(owned by USA Networks) decided that it would be better to sell and almost sold WQHS to ABC
/Disney
in 2000, but ended up being outbid by Univision
. As a result, WQHS-TV adopted the Univision Network programming on January 14, 2002. The station continues to serve Northern Ohio as its only Spanish language station.
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...
. It is licensed to serve the Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
television market, and broadcasts on UHF channel 61 with studios and offices in Parma
Parma, Ohio
Parma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is the largest suburb of Cleveland and the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio...
. It is also one of two stations with the Univision affiliation, alongside KUNS-TV in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in markets bordering Canada.
WKBF
A previous license owned by Kaiser BroadcastingKaiser Broadcasting
Kaiser Broadcasting was the name of an entity that owned and operated broadcast television stations in the United States from 1958 to 1977.-History:...
occupied Channel 61 as WKBF
WKBF-TV
WKBF-TV channel 61 was an Independent television station serving the Cleveland, Ohio market owned by a joint venture between Kaiser Broadcasting and Field Communications...
from 1968 to 1975. It was the first actual independent station to sign on in Cleveland, and the first on the UHF dial. Despite some innovative local programming, and some popular off-network shows, WKBF struggled for the majority of its existence due to poor revenue growth. It failed to achieve profitability while competing against rival station WUAB-TV, which signed on at the same time as WKBF. By 1975, Kaiser Broadcasting sold off WKBF's assets to WUAB's owner United Artists Broadcasting, and purchased a minority ownership in the station (which was relinquished when WUAB was sold to Gaylord Broadcasting
Gaylord Entertainment Company
The Gaylord Entertainment Company operates a number of hotel, resort, and media companies that were built by Edward Gaylord. It was previously a subsidiary of the Oklahoma City-based Oklahoma Publishing Company, which is owned by the Gaylord family and publishes the Daily Oklahoman newspaper...
and when Kaiser merged with Field Communications
Field Communications
Field Communications was a division of Field Enterprises, which owned the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News. The company owned independent television stations in the United States, with WFLD-TV in Chicago as its largest-market station....
; both of which occurred in 1977).
Kaiser then signed Channel 61 off the air and returned the license to the Federal Communications Commission. WKBF was one of two stations in the Kaiser Broadcasting chain to cease operations permanently; the other was Philadelphia station WKBS
WKBS-TV (Philadelphia)
WKBS-TV was an independent television station licensed to Burlington, New Jersey, which served the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area from 1965 to 1983. WKBS-TV had studio facilities located in South Philadelphia, and transmitter at the Roxborough tower farm in Philadelphia.-History:WKBS-TV began...
in 1983.
1975 to 1980: The dark years
Rumors abounded concerning potential companies that could file for the Channel 61 license in Cleveland, yet none came forward right away. After a few years, the FCC began to accept applications for channel 61 (as a distinctly separate license from WKBF), and Balaban Stations won the license in 1980.1980 to Present: New license, new owners
The current licensed station signed on in March 1981. The call letters assigned to the new licensee was WCLQ. The Channel 61 logo was similar to WKBF's design, but with a neon glow effect. This station too was classified as "independent" as it did not carry a national network. The air time was filled with general entertainment programming and ran a mix of classic cartoons, hour long off network dramas, westerns, sitcoms, and other syndicated programs. The station even revived a character from the old Channel 61 (Friday night movie host The GhoulRon Sweed
Ron Sweed, , is an American entertainer best known for his late-night television horror host character The Ghoul.-The Ghoul:...
) in 1982.
Not unlike similar flailing high-numbered UHF stations at the time, the station did gain profitability however, unlike its predecessor due to its partnership with Preview an over-the-air scrambled subscription television service similar to other regional over-the-air pay-TV services such as SelecTV, OnTV, or Spectrum
Spectrum (TV channel)
Spectrum was a subscription TV channel in the Chicago area that existed in the early 1980s. It was a direct competitor to ON-TV and operated in the same way. It was owned and operated by United Cable.-Usage:...
, which aired movies and local sporting events in the evening and on weekends. Preview was discontinued in 1983 and WCLQ was sold to Channel Communications in 1984.
In 1985, WOIO
WOIO
WOIO, virtual channel 19 , is the CBS affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio. It is licensed to the nearby suburb of Shaker Heights. WOIO is owned by Raycom Media and its sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate WUAB . The two stations share a studio facility in Cleveland and WOIO's transmitter is located in...
and WBNX-TV
WBNX-TV
WBNX-TV, virtual channel 55 , is the CW television affiliate serving the Cleveland/Akron/Canton, Ohio television market; it brands itself as "WBNX, The CW". The studios are located in Cuyahoga Falls and the transmitter is in Parma, although it is licensed to Akron...
both signed on with entertainment formats to create further competition, which took viewers away from WCLQ. WOIO surpassed WCLQ in the ratings immediately. WBNX steadily grew as an independent and increased its cable coverage as well as over-the-air coverage. It became apparent that Cleveland was unable to support four independent stations. As a result, WCLQ began to lose money, and Channel Communications decided to put WCLQ up for sale in May 1986. The station began running 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...
programming from midnight to 6 a.m. earlier that year, and in the summer it also began to air from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In August, HSN's broadcasting arm (Silver King Television
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...
) bought WCLQ. In September, WCLQ began to run HSN programming 18 hours a day, while the independent format continued to air from 4 to 10 p.m.
Once the sale was finalized in November 1986, WCLQ changed its call letters to WQHS-TV. The independent format was completely dropped, with HSN programs being shown 24/7 from February 1987 to January 2002. WBNX picked up much of WCLQ's syndicated programming including sitcoms and cartoons.
Plans emerged in the late 1990s to return WQHS-TV to the independent format by 2002. However, 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....
(owned by USA Networks) decided that it would be better to sell and almost sold WQHS to ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
/Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
in 2000, but ended up being outbid 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...
. As a result, WQHS-TV adopted the Univision Network programming on January 14, 2002. The station continues to serve Northern Ohio as its only Spanish language station.
Digital Television
| Channels (virtual/physical) | Programming |
|---|---|
| 61.1/34.1 | WQHS main programming / 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... network |