WUMN-CA
Encyclopedia
WUMN-LP is a Univision
affiliate in Minneapolis, Minnesota
owned by Silver Point Finance of Greenwich, Connecticut
and is the only Spanish-language television station
in Minnesota
.
subsidiary The Box and carried MTV2
until it was purchased by Equity Broadcasting in 2004 (curiously, the station operated 24 hours a day, while the MTV2 channel on the city's Time Warner Cable
system operated only 12 hours daily from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
On September 26, 1985, the low-power station received their license, with the assignment of the calls K13UT. From its official inception in 1990, the station was low-powered, operating at just 110 watt
s effective radiated power
. Around 1995, it used the moniker "Lucky 13." The station had an application to move to channel 33 and increase power (this would have changed the call sign
to K33FB), but permission expired before that change could be made. The name changed to WBWX-CA in 2001, then to WUMN-CA after the purchase by Equity. In early 2005, the transmitter was upgraded to 1.25 kW, extending the reach of the signal into the suburb
s of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The transmitter is located in downtown Minneapolis on the IDS Tower at 44°58′25"N 93°16′13.00"W. Because of the flux of the license between channels 13 and 33, the call letters changed several times between K13UT and K33FB before the station acquired Class A status in 2001.
On June 25, 2008, Equity disclosed that it was selling WUMN to Luken Communications, LLC.
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since December 2008 and offers by Luken Communications to acquire Equity-owned stations in six markets have since been withdrawn.
WUMN was sold at auction to Silver Point Capital on April 16, 2009. The sale closed on August 17, 2009. WUMN has since surrendered its class A classification, and is now known as WUMN-LP.
. On June 6, 2008, Equity discontinued local newscasts at its six Univision affiliates, including WUMN.
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 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
owned by Silver Point Finance of Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
and is the only Spanish-language 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...
in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
History
It was owned by ViacomViacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
subsidiary The Box and carried MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
until it was purchased by Equity Broadcasting in 2004 (curiously, the station operated 24 hours a day, while the MTV2 channel on the city's Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
system operated only 12 hours daily from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
On September 26, 1985, the low-power station received their license, with the assignment of the calls K13UT. From its official inception in 1990, the station was low-powered, operating at just 110 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
. Around 1995, it used the moniker "Lucky 13." The station had an application to move to channel 33 and increase power (this would have changed the call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
to K33FB), but permission expired before that change could be made. The name changed to WBWX-CA in 2001, then to WUMN-CA after the purchase by Equity. In early 2005, the transmitter was upgraded to 1.25 kW, extending the reach of the signal into the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The transmitter is located in downtown Minneapolis on the IDS Tower at 44°58′25"N 93°16′13.00"W. Because of the flux of the license between channels 13 and 33, the call letters changed several times between K13UT and K33FB before the station acquired Class A status in 2001.
On June 25, 2008, Equity disclosed that it was selling WUMN to Luken Communications, LLC.
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.
WUMN was sold at auction to Silver Point Capital on April 16, 2009. The sale closed on August 17, 2009. WUMN has since surrendered its class A classification, and is now known as WUMN-LP.
News
Equity also produced Spanish-language local newscasts at 5 and 10 pm, originating out of the company's program production center in Davenport, IowaDavenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
. On June 6, 2008, Equity discontinued local newscasts at its six Univision affiliates, including WUMN.