WVCY-TV
Encyclopedia
WVCY-TV is a conservative Christian television
station
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. It broadcasts digitally on Channel 22, but maps on a virtual channel
via PSIP to their former analog channel position, Channel 30.
, serving Green Bay
on Channel 14 from 1993 to 1997. However, in 1997, VCF sold WSCO to Paxson Communications in order to concentrate on its Milwaukee operations That station is now WCWF
, northeastern Wisconsin's CW affiliate.
In 1980, VCY was granted a construction permit for WVCX-TV channel 43 in Tomah
, to serve the La Crosse
/Eau Claire
market. However, that construction permit expired in 1985.
In 2008, VCY acquired W04CW channel 4 in Tigerton
, which is used as a repeater of WVCY's programming.
desired to purchase WVCY when WITI announced it would switch to Fox
. CBS had already been turned down by WTMJ-TV
, WISN-TV
(which had been affiliated with CBS from 1961 through 1977), WVTV
(which was a CBS owned and operated station in the 1950s), WCGV, and WJJA. WVCY's ownership though decided to reject the offer and keep the station, resulting in CBS affiliating with WDJT (who had initially declined the CBS affiliation offer), just days before WITI switched to Fox.
for transmission and expense concerns.
programming, or signs and wonders
televangelists (like Benny Hinn
).
The station does air some programming from FamilyNet
, though since the network's 2009 purchase by a company owned by televangelist Robert A. Schuller
, it seems to have refused any new programming from the network; FamilyNet shows and films airing on WVCY show the network's pre-2008 logo, suggesting they were recorded before then and retained in the station's tape archive for later use. VCY America's radio network has also discontinued programs or affiliations in the past that have changed to more "mainstream" religious views or have financial appeals that go beyond the conservative views of VCY. WVCY-TV also carries a disclaimer on CBN News
broadcasts disclaiming that CBN's views are not that of the station. A limited amount of programming from the Christian Television Network
also airs on the station.
WVCY also carries some government hearings and presidential speeches, and is the last commercial station in the state to continue to program weekday afternoon children's programming.
WVCY's transmitter
operates at a power of 196 kW, and can be seen through southeastern Wisconsin
over the air and on cable television
via must-carry
elections. Besides Wisconsin Public Television
's stations during school recesses and vacations, WVCY was the final commercial station in the state until the start of 2010 to go off-the-air
every night .
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
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 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. It broadcasts digitally on Channel 22, but maps on a virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
via PSIP to their former analog channel position, Channel 30.
Sister Stations
Formerly, the station had a sister operation, WSCO in SuringSuring, Wisconsin
Suring is a village in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Suring is located at ....
, serving Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
on Channel 14 from 1993 to 1997. However, in 1997, VCF sold WSCO to Paxson Communications in order to concentrate on its Milwaukee operations That station is now WCWF
WCWF
WNMN is the RTV-affiliated television station for Upstate New York that is licensed to Saranac Lake. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on the WYZY-FM tower north of the village along the Essex and Franklin County line. The station can also be seen on Burlington...
, northeastern Wisconsin's CW affiliate.
In 1980, VCY was granted a construction permit for WVCX-TV channel 43 in Tomah
Tomah, Wisconsin
Tomah is a city in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 9,093. The city is located partially within the Town of Tomah.-Education:...
, to serve the La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
/Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,...
market. However, that construction permit expired in 1985.
In 2008, VCY acquired W04CW channel 4 in Tigerton
Tigerton, Wisconsin
Tigerton is a village in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 764 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tigerton is located at ....
, which is used as a repeater of WVCY's programming.
Attempted purchase by CBS
In 1994 CBSCBS
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...
desired to purchase WVCY when WITI announced it would switch to 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...
. CBS had already been turned down by WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV, digital channel 28 ; branded as "Today's TMJ4", is the NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha,...
, WISN-TV
WISN-TV
WISN-TV, virtual channel 12.1 , is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin serving as an affiliate of the ABC television network. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha, Sheboygan and Waukesha...
(which had been affiliated with CBS from 1961 through 1977), WVTV
WVTV
WVTV is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA and serves as Southeast Wisconsin's The CW Television Network affiliate. The station broadcasts from the Milwaukee Public Television tower on Milwaukee's northeast side with WMVS/WMVT, along with WCGV , WVTV's sister station...
(which was a CBS owned and operated station in the 1950s), WCGV, and WJJA. WVCY's ownership though decided to reject the offer and keep the station, resulting in CBS affiliating with WDJT (who had initially declined the CBS affiliation offer), just days before WITI switched to Fox.
Digital conversion
On February 17, 2009, WVCY discontinued its analog service and began to broadcast exclusively on digital channel 22. However, via PSIP, WVCY continues to map to Channel 30, without any subchannel services and broadcasting basic service in 480i480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
for transmission and expense concerns.
Programming
Although WVCY holds a commercial license, the station chooses not to air advertising and asks for viewer support through donations via the station and VCY America Radio instead for funding. Unlike other religious television stations, it does not carry CCMContemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
programming, or signs and wonders
Signs and Wonders
Signs and Wonders was a phrase used often by leaders of the Charismatic movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is closely associated with the ministry of John Wimber and the Vineyard Movement...
televangelists (like Benny Hinn
Benny Hinn
Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn הין; born December 3, 1952) is a televangelist, best known for his regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities, which are later broadcast worldwide on his television program, This Is Your...
).
The station does air some programming from FamilyNet
FamilyNet
FamilyNet is a broadcast television network owned by ComStar Media Fund and based in Atlanta, Georgia. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, and took the name FamilyNet in 1988 under the ownership of Jerry Falwell. The channel was acquired by InTouch Ministries in...
, though since the network's 2009 purchase by a company owned by televangelist Robert A. Schuller
Robert A. Schuller
Robert Anthony Schuller is an American televangelist, author, and television executive. He was formerly a minister on the Hour of Power weekly television program broadcast from the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, California, where he was named senior pastor in 2006...
, it seems to have refused any new programming from the network; FamilyNet shows and films airing on WVCY show the network's pre-2008 logo, suggesting they were recorded before then and retained in the station's tape archive for later use. VCY America's radio network has also discontinued programs or affiliations in the past that have changed to more "mainstream" religious views or have financial appeals that go beyond the conservative views of VCY. WVCY-TV also carries a disclaimer on CBN News
Christian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a fundamentalist Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia.-Background:...
broadcasts disclaiming that CBN's views are not that of the station. A limited amount of programming from the Christian Television Network
Christian Television Network
Christian Television Network is a non-profit broadcast television network of small owned-and-operated stations that broadcasts religious programming. It is based in Largo, Florida , and the flagship station is WCLF channel 22, which signed on the air in the Tampa Bay Florida region in 1979...
also airs on the station.
WVCY also carries some government hearings and presidential speeches, and is the last commercial station in the state to continue to program weekday afternoon children's programming.
WVCY's transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
operates at a power of 196 kW, and can be seen through southeastern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
over the air and on cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
via must-carry
Must-carry
In cable television, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally-licensed television stations must be carried on a cable provider's system.- Canada :...
elections. Besides Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television is a state network of public television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Extension...
's stations during school recesses and vacations, WVCY was the final commercial station in the state until the start of 2010 to go off-the-air
Off-the-air
In telecommunication, the term off-air or off-the-air has the following meanings:# In radio communications systems, pertaining to a radio station or television station that is completely shut down, i.e. that is not transmitting any signal, not even an un-modulated carrier wave...
every night .