WFTV (Duluth)
Encyclopedia
WFTV Channel 38 was the first television station in Duluth, Minnesota
.
The station signed on in 1953 carrying programming from all four TV networks of the time, ABC
, CBS
, NBC
, and the DuMont Television Network
. It shared office space with WEBC radio
and transmitted from the former WEBC-FM tower on Duluth's Observation Hill.
WFTV faced challenges from the beginning, being a UHF station in an era when television sets only included VHF tuners. A converter box was required to receive the station. In March 1954,
VHF stations KDAL-TV
and WDSM-TV
- both co-owned with other radio stations in the market - signed on and took the NBC and CBS affiliations. WFTV could not compete and left the air shortly thereafter.
Duluth would be a two-station market until WDIO-TV
signed on in 1966. The market would not get another major UHF station until 1999 when KQDS-TV
upgraded and affiliated with the FOX
network.
The bottom portion of the tower used by WEBC-FM and WFTV still stands, and is used today for telecommunications. Channel 38 is currently occupied by the digital signal of WDSE
, but will be empty again in 2009 when WDSE moves digital operations to channel 8.
The WFTV callsign was adopted by the ABC affiliate on Channel 9 in Orlando, Florida
, which was previously WLOF
, in 1963.
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
.
The station signed on in 1953 carrying programming from all four TV networks of the time, 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...
, 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...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, and the DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
. It shared office space with WEBC radio
WEBC
WEBC is a radio station located in Duluth, Minnesota, airing programming from ESPN Radio is owned by Townsquare Media.The studios and offices are with its three other sister stations at 14 E. Central Entrance, on the west side of Duluth....
and transmitted from the former WEBC-FM tower on Duluth's Observation Hill.
WFTV faced challenges from the beginning, being a UHF station in an era when television sets only included VHF tuners. A converter box was required to receive the station. In March 1954,
VHF stations KDAL-TV
KDLH
KDLH is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Iron Range area of Northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Duluth. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter west of downtown in Hilltop Park. Owned by the Malara Broadcast Group, the station is...
and WDSM-TV
KBJR-TV
KBJR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin that is licensed to Superior, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of Downtown Duluth in Hilltop Park...
- both co-owned with other radio stations in the market - signed on and took the NBC and CBS affiliations. WFTV could not compete and left the air shortly thereafter.
Duluth would be a two-station market until WDIO-TV
WDIO-TV
WDIO-DT and WIRT-DT are the ABC and Me-TV-affiliated television stations for North Central and Northeastern Minnesota, and Northwestern Wisconsin...
signed on in 1966. The market would not get another major UHF station until 1999 when KQDS-TV
KQDS-TV
KQDS-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Twin Ports and Iron Range areas of Northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Duluth. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter west of downtown in Hilltop Park. Owned by Red River Broadcasting, the...
upgraded and affiliated with the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network.
The bottom portion of the tower used by WEBC-FM and WFTV still stands, and is used today for telecommunications. Channel 38 is currently occupied by the digital signal of WDSE
WDSE-TV
WDSE is an educational television station in Duluth, Minnesota, serving portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin as a PBS member station on channel 8, with studios located on campus at the University of Minnesota Duluth. WDSE is a "border station" serving residents of both North East Minnesota and North...
, but will be empty again in 2009 when WDSE moves digital operations to channel 8.
The WFTV callsign was adopted by the ABC affiliate on Channel 9 in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, which was previously WLOF
WFTV
WFTV, channel 9, is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Florida that is licensed to Orlando. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter between Bithlo and Christmas. Owned by Cox Enterprises, WFTV is sister to Independent WRDQ. The two stations...
, in 1963.