WDKA
 | |
| Paducah, Kentucky/ Harrisburg, Illinois/ Cape Girardeau, Missouri United States | |
|---|---|
| City | Paducah, Kentucky |
| Channels | Digital: 25 (UHF) Virtual: 49 |
| Branding | My 49 WDKA |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 49.1: MyNetworkTV (2006–present) 49.2: Charge! 49.3: TBD 49.4: Stadium 49.5: Dabl |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Community News Media[1] (sale to Cox Media Group pending[2]) (Paducah Television License LLC) |
| KBSI | |
| History | |
| Founded | October 2, 1989 |
First air date | June 5, 1997 |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 49 (UHF, 1997–2009) Digital: 50 (UHF, 2000–2010) 49 (UHF, 2010–2019) |
| |
Call sign meaning | Paduc(k)ah |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 39561 |
| Class | DT |
| ERP | 1,000 kW |
| HAAT | 327 m (1,073 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°23′42″N 88°56′23″W / 37.39500°N 88.93972°W |
| Translator(s) | KBSI-DT 23.2 (22.2 UHF) Cape Girardeau, MO |
| Links | |
Public license information | Profile LMS |
| Website | mywdka |
WDKA (channel 49) is a television station licensed to Paducah, Kentucky, United States, serving as the MyNetworkTV affiliate for Western Kentucky's Purchase region, Southern Illinois and Southeastern Missouri, and Northwest Tennessee. It is owned by the Community News Media subsidiary of Standard Media alongside Cape Girardeau, Missouri–licensed Fox affiliate KBSI (channel 23). Both stations share studios on Enterprise Street in Cape Girardeau, while WDKA's transmitter is located in Vienna, Illinois.
In addition to its own digital signal, WDKA is simulcast in standard definition on KBSI's second digital subchannel (23.2) from a transmitter north of Cape Girardeau in unincorporated Cape Girardeau County.
History[edit]
WDKA began broadcasting on June 5, 1997. It was a UPN affiliate broadcasting an analog signal on UHF channel 49.[3] In 2000, WDKA switched affiliations with low-powered station WQTV-LP (licensed to Murray, Kentucky) and repeater WQWQ-LP to become an affiliate of The WB. The station became a MyNetworkTV affiliate on September 5, 2006. In the same month, The WB and UPN merged to become The CW, and WQTV-LP was announced to become The CW affiliate for Paducah.
On August 30, 2014, WDKA became a charter affiliate of Sinclair's ad-hoc syndicated television network, the American Sports Network. ASN provided Ohio Valley Conference basketball and Conference USA football and basketball games to the station's viewers.[4][5] The ASN's programming content replaced Southeastern Conference football and basketball broadcasts from ESPN Plus-oriented SEC TV, which was run from 2009 until 2014, which was discontinued because of the launch of the pay TV-exclusive SEC Network.
On March 3, 2016, WDKA Acquisition Corporation (owned by Paul T. Lucci[6]) filed to sell WDKA to Sinclair's subsidiary WDKA Licensee, LLC.[7] Sinclair bought the station for $1.9 million.[8] The sale was completed on September 1, 2017.[9]
Subchannel history[edit]
WDKA-DT2[edit]
WDKA-DT2 previously aired TheCoolTV from 2010 until August 31, 2012. It went silent for two years before becoming a GetTV affiliate in Summer 2014.[10] On February 28, 2017, WDKA-DT2 became affiliated with an action-based network Charge! with GetTV moving to 49.4. On that day, GetTV was relocated to a DT4 subchannel.
WDKA-DT3[edit]
As a part of a deal involving several Sinclair-owned stations similar to the earlier deal between Sinclair and TheCoolTV, WDKA-DT3 was added to carry The Country Network on September 18, 2010. The Country Network changed its name and was rebranded to ZUUS Country on June 1, 2013. In 2016, ZUUS Country was rebranded to The Country Network. On February 28, 2017, WDKA-DT3 became affiliated with the TBD network.
Technical information[edit]
Subchannels[edit]
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming[11] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WDKA-DT | Main WDKA programming / MyNetworkTV |
| 49.2 | 480i | Charge! | Charge! | |
| 49.3 | TBD | TBD | ||
| 49.4 | Stadium | Stadium | ||
| 49.5 | DABL | Dabl |
Analog-to-digital conversion[edit]
WDKA shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 49, on February 17, 2009, the original target date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 50.[12] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 49.
References[edit]
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Venta, Lance (February 22, 2022). "Radio Implications To Today's Standard General Acquisition of TEGNA". RadioInsight. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "Archived copy". oldtvguides.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Sinclair Broadcasting Launches the American Sports Network". Baltimore Business Journal.
- ^ "Sinclair Launches Sports Network". TVTechnology. July 17, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations - Federal Communications Commission
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ Asset Purchase Agreement - Federal Communications Commission
- ^ Consummation Notice, CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ "GetTV Signs Big Affiliation Deal with Sinclair". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WDKA
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.