WUVC-TV
Encyclopedia
WUVC-DT is the Univision
owned and operated station based and licensed
in Fayetteville, North Carolina
and serving the Triangle
(Raleigh
-Durham
) television market. It broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 38. WUVC-DT offers a Spanish programming format featuring news, talk shows, dramas, movies and other first rate Spanish programming.
WUVC is shown on cable channel 8 in Raleigh, Fayetteville, Carrboro, and most suburbs, channel 2 in Cary, Garner, Clayton, and Smithfield, and on channel 11 in Durham and Chapel Hill.
with 1.54 million watts of power (the tower site has since been annexed into Fayetteville).
Fayetteville Television, a group of local businessmen organized by Robert Warren, the former Fayetteville reporter for then-ABC
affiliate WRAL-TV
in Raleigh, founded the station. Warren served as WKFT's first general manager, but was never an investor and was let go after only a month. WKFT offered a general entertainment format consisting of cartoons, westerns, religious shows, dramas, and classic sitcoms. The station put a fairly decent signal into the southern portion of the Triangle, but was a hard catch in the more populated areas of the market.
In 1985, WKFT was sold to SJL Broadcasting, which formed Central Carolina Television to manage the station. The new owners subsequently invested about $5 million to build a new 1800 feet (548.6 m) tower near Broadway near the Harnett
/Lee County
line. The new transmitter, activated in June 1986, operated with 5 million watts of power and brought WKFT's signal to the entire Triangle, and as far west as Greensboro
. The station also rebranded itself as "Counterforce 40" and significantly upgraded its programming. However, it operated on a low budget, selling advertising mainly in the southern part of the market. By 1989, the station was in dire financial straits, most reportedly from debts owned to film houses for movies shown on the station.
In December 1989, now-CBS
affiliate WRAL's transmission tower was destroyed in a severe ice storm, forcing it off the air. Within three hours, WKFT picked up WRAL-TV's entire broadcast schedule. It simulcast WRAL entirely until October 1990, when WRAL's new tower was erected. Additionally, WRAL-TV purchased the WKFT tower at Broadway. It installed electronic news gathering microwave receivers vital to relaying Fayetteville coverage to the WRAL studios in West Raleigh. After the simulcast ended, WKFT resumed a general entertainment format that fall with stronger programming offering a blend of sitcoms, cartoons, movies, talk shows and reality shows.
In the spring of 1991, Delta Broadcasting bought WKFT. By this time, the station was known as simply "TV 40." In 1994 the station was sold to Allied Communications, who subsequently sold it to Bahakel in 1996. WKFT lost bids for the UPN
and WB
affiliations, and remained the only full-market general entertainment independent in the Triangle.
As the years went on, stronger programming became more difficult to find, and WKFT moved toward more paid programming (though it did briefly serve as the over-the-air home of the Carolina Hurricanes
). On March 14, 2002 the station's transmission tower was struck by a small aircraft. Although the station's broadcasts continued on local cable systems, the station remained off the air for a few months.
The station was purchased by Univision in April 2003. It switched its call-sign and affiliation on June 1 of that year, becoming the Research Triangle area's first Spanish-language television channel. Its programming inventory was picked up by WLFL-TV and WRDC-TV
.
Soon after joining Univision, WUVC was picked up by cable providers in the Triad.
.
After becoming a Univision-owned station, on April 19, 2004, WUVC launched the first Spanish-language news operation in North Carolina, with primetime news briefs branded as Notibreves. As part of an expansion of Univision's local news operations, the station added a weeknight 6 p.m. newscast, titled Noticias 40, on August 29, 2011; it is the first full-fledged Spanish-language newscast in North Carolina.
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...
owned and operated station based and licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
and serving the Triangle
The Triangle (North Carolina)
The Research Triangle, also known as Raleigh-Durham and commonly referred to as simply "The Triangle", is a region in the Piedmont of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by North Carolina State University, Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and cities of...
(Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
-Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
) television market. It broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 38. WUVC-DT offers a Spanish programming format featuring news, talk shows, dramas, movies and other first rate Spanish programming.
WUVC is shown on cable channel 8 in Raleigh, Fayetteville, Carrboro, and most suburbs, channel 2 in Cary, Garner, Clayton, and Smithfield, and on channel 11 in Durham and Chapel Hill.
History
Channel 40 first had its beginnings in Fayetteville as WKFT-TV, the first independent station in eastern North Carolina. Although the call letters were originally assigned to the original owners on July 22, 1980, the station itself did not go on the air until June 1, 1981. WKFT first set up shop at the old First Union Bank on the corner of Donaldson and Russell Streets in downtown Fayetteville and operated from a 750 feet (228.6 m) tower in unincorporated Cumberland CountyCumberland County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 302,963 people, 107,358 households, and 77,619 families residing in the county. The population density was 464 people per square mile . There were 118,425 housing units at an average density of 181 per square mile...
with 1.54 million watts of power (the tower site has since been annexed into Fayetteville).
Fayetteville Television, a group of local businessmen organized by Robert Warren, the former Fayetteville reporter for then-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...
affiliate WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina. WRAL-TV has been the flagship station of Capitol Broadcasting Company since its inception, and is currently the CBS affiliate for the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Fayetteville area, known collectively as the Triangle...
in Raleigh, founded the station. Warren served as WKFT's first general manager, but was never an investor and was let go after only a month. WKFT offered a general entertainment format consisting of cartoons, westerns, religious shows, dramas, and classic sitcoms. The station put a fairly decent signal into the southern portion of the Triangle, but was a hard catch in the more populated areas of the market.
In 1985, WKFT was sold to SJL Broadcasting, which formed Central Carolina Television to manage the station. The new owners subsequently invested about $5 million to build a new 1800 feet (548.6 m) tower near Broadway near the Harnett
Harnett County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 91,025 people, 33,800 households, and 24,099 families residing in the county. The population density was 153 people per square mile . There were 38,605 housing units at an average density of 65 per square mile...
/Lee County
Lee County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 49,040 people, 18,466 households, and 13,369 families residing in the county. The population density was 191 people per square mile . There were 19,909 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile...
line. The new transmitter, activated in June 1986, operated with 5 million watts of power and brought WKFT's signal to the entire Triangle, and as far west as Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
. The station also rebranded itself as "Counterforce 40" and significantly upgraded its programming. However, it operated on a low budget, selling advertising mainly in the southern part of the market. By 1989, the station was in dire financial straits, most reportedly from debts owned to film houses for movies shown on the station.
In December 1989, now-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...
affiliate WRAL's transmission tower was destroyed in a severe ice storm, forcing it off the air. Within three hours, WKFT picked up WRAL-TV's entire broadcast schedule. It simulcast WRAL entirely until October 1990, when WRAL's new tower was erected. Additionally, WRAL-TV purchased the WKFT tower at Broadway. It installed electronic news gathering microwave receivers vital to relaying Fayetteville coverage to the WRAL studios in West Raleigh. After the simulcast ended, WKFT resumed a general entertainment format that fall with stronger programming offering a blend of sitcoms, cartoons, movies, talk shows and reality shows.
In the spring of 1991, Delta Broadcasting bought WKFT. By this time, the station was known as simply "TV 40." In 1994 the station was sold to Allied Communications, who subsequently sold it to Bahakel in 1996. WKFT lost bids for 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...
and 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...
affiliations, and remained the only full-market general entertainment independent in the Triangle.
As the years went on, stronger programming became more difficult to find, and WKFT moved toward more paid programming (though it did briefly serve as the over-the-air home of the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
). On March 14, 2002 the station's transmission tower was struck by a small aircraft. Although the station's broadcasts continued on local cable systems, the station remained off the air for a few months.
The station was purchased by Univision in April 2003. It switched its call-sign and affiliation on June 1 of that year, becoming the Research Triangle area's first Spanish-language television channel. Its programming inventory was picked up by WLFL-TV and WRDC-TV
WRDC-TV
WRDC, channel 28, is an affiliate station of MyNetworkTV in the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville, North Carolina television market. The station is licensed to Durham, but its studios are in the Highwoods office park just outside downtown Raleigh...
.
Soon after joining Univision, WUVC was picked up by cable providers in the Triad.
Newscasts
In 1986, WKFT debuted a locally-produced 10 p.m. newscast which focused focused more on Fayetteville and the southern part of the Triangle market. By 1989, the news broadcast had been canceled and the station was in dire financial straits, most reportedly from debts owned to film houses for movies shown on the station. After Delta Broadcasting bought WKFT in 1991, news programming was reinstated, although relegated to hourly newsbriefs. In the mid-1990s, WKFT produced a live noon newscast, with national segments provided by Conus Communications' All News ChannelAll News Channel
All News Channel was a 24-hour news channel carried mainly on DirecTV . All News Channel had also been syndicated to network television afflliates in the United States.-Background:...
.
After becoming a Univision-owned station, on April 19, 2004, WUVC launched the first Spanish-language news operation in North Carolina, with primetime news briefs branded as Notibreves. As part of an expansion of Univision's local news operations, the station added a weeknight 6 p.m. newscast, titled Noticias 40, on August 29, 2011; it is the first full-fledged Spanish-language newscast in North Carolina.
News team
- Edwin Pitti - co-anchor
- Jaime Zea - co-anchor
- Karina Torres - general assignment reporter