WANC-TV
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HAAT | 423 ft (129 m) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°36′33.5″N 82°32′11.8″W / 35.609306°N 82.536611°W |
WANC-TV (known as WISE-TV from 1953 to 1967),
History
Early years as WISE-TV
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted radio station WISE (1310 AM) a construction permit for a new television station to broadcast on channel 62 in Asheville on October 29, 1952.[2] WISE was owned by Harold Thoms alongside stations in Charlotte (WAYS), Greensboro (WCOG), and Durham (WSSB); it was the only applicant for channel 62, whereas VHF channel 13 was being fought for by radio stations WLOS and WSKY.[3] The station plans were almost abandoned amid the first proposals to build a cable television system to import signals from Charlotte, which Thoms charged would have made his proposed channel 62 unviable.[4]
WISE-TV began telecasting on August 2, 1953, as Asheville's first television station.[5] Channel 62 aired programming (on kinescope) from all networks, but reflecting the association of WISE radio with NBC, it was a primary affiliate of that network.[6] The original studio facilities were on land leased from Asheville-Biltmore College, which received two hours a week in air time for educational programming;[6] the channel 62 transmitter was located on Beaucatcher Mountain.[7]
Competition arrived the next year when
In 1964, Spartanburg CBS affiliate WSPA-TV improved its service to Asheville by building a translator on channel 72 at White Fawn Reservoir, which provided a stronger signal and reached homes shaded from its main transmitter at Hogback Mountain.[10] During the application process, it was noted that WISE-TV aired little more than NBC network shows and "extremely limited" live programming.[11]
In 1966, the station received a construction permit to move from channel 62 to channel 21.[2] WISE-TV became WANC-TV on February 3, 1967.[2]
Cable comes to Asheville
Thoms expressed his interest in obtaining a cable television franchise for the Asheville area throughout the mid-1960s, being the first to file for the rights in 1964[12] and challenging city council decisions that would have granted the franchise to other applicants.[13] Thoms backed a successful referendum to win the franchise in July 1967.[14] When the system finally launched in 1968, it brought signals from NBC affiliates WFBC-TV in Greenville, South Carolina, and WCYB-TV in Bristol, Tennessee.[15] At that time, WANC-TV disaffiliated from NBC.[16] It was one of the last stations in a top-100 media market to not have color video tape equipment.[17]
It would not be until 1971 that channel 62 finally went silent to complete the conversion to channel 21, five years after receiving the original permit.[2]
The Christian years
In 1974, the station began to air programs from the Christian Broadcasting Network in prime time hours.[18] It also aired some programming from Christian independent station WGGS-TV in Greenville, including its local "Nightline" program.[19] A 1976 profile of WGGS-TV described channel 21 as rebroadcasting it in the evenings,[20] while the station was described as a satellite of the Greenville outlet in 1977.[21]
In June 1977, Thoms filed to sell WANC-TV to Carolina Christian Broadcasting, owner of WGGS-TV, for $60.000.[21] The FCC opted to designate a hearing on the matter; it found that the sale of WANC-TV to Carolina Christian would be an inefficient use of spectrum, as there were available sites for WGGS-TV to relocate and begin covering Asheville.[22] CCB opted to drop its bid to purchase the station and pursue other avenues of serving Asheville.[23]
Sale to Pappas Telecasting
After the sale to Carolina Christian Broadcasting collapsed, Thoms lost its lease on the channel 21 transmitter site, forcing the station to go off the air.[24] It then reached a deal to sell WANC-TV to Pappas Telecasting of Visalia, California, for $206,000 in June 1979.[25] The sale became effective September 14, and twelve days later, on September 26, the call letters were changed to WHNS.[2] Pappas embarked on a multi-year project to build a new channel 21 transmitter atop Slick Rock Mountain in Transylvania County, accompanied by a primary base in Greenville and studios in Asheville. After years of delays related to the transmitter change, channel 21 returned to the region April 1, 1984.[26]
References
- ^ "WANC-TV" (PDF). Television Factbook. 1979. p. 605-b (607). Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g FCC History Cards for WISE-TV/WANC-TV
- ^ "Four Apply For TV Channels In Asheville". Asheville Citizen. August 19, 1952. p. 11. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "Borkon Says He Would Guarantee Live TV For City". Asheville Citizen. December 6, 1952. p. 9.
- ^ "WISE-TV Has Debut On Air". Asheville Citizen. August 2, 1953. p. 14. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "First Asheville TV Station Starts Operations August 2". Asheville Citizen-Times. July 26, 1953. p. B1. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "Station WISE-TV Opens Regular Programs Today". Asheville Citizen-Times. August 2, 1953. p. 14. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "Telecasts By WLOS To Start Today". Asheville Citizen. September 18, 1954. p. 14. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "TV Station Files Request For Channel 2". Asheville Citizen. November 8, 1955. p. 13. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "A Special Message To Asheville Television Viewers". Asheville Citizen. October 25, 1964. p. C11.
- ^ Federal Communications Commission (February 15, 1964). "Spartan Radiocasting Co" (PDF). Federal Register. p. 2524. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Clark, Philip (February 21, 1964). "Thoms Seeks City Franchise For Wired Television Here: Formal Request Made To Council". Asheville Citizen. p. 23.
- ^ "CATV Issues and Answers". Asheville Citizen. February 15, 1967. p. 15. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Irby, Laurens (July 23, 1967). "Cable Television Referendum Slated For City Friday". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "Sept. 27 Opening Set For Cable TV". Asheville Citizen. September 10, 1968. p. 13. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "First Cable TV Service Expected Here By Feb. 1, Thoms Announces". Asheville Citizen. November 2, 1967. p. 45. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ "Color video tape is everywhere" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 14, 1970. p. 49. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "'700 Club' Show Now On Channel 21". Asheville Citizen. January 17, 1974. p. 3. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "We Are Back On The Air". Asheville Citizen-Times. March 31, 1974. p. 12B. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "WGGS-TV to dedicate new quarters Thanksgiving". Greenville News. November 21, 1973. p. TV Spotlight 3. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 27, 1977. p. 66. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "CCB blocked in try for Asheville U" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 29, 1979. pp. 50, 51. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "Broadcast moves". Greenville News. February 11, 1979. p. TV Spotlight 2. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "Weak signal cited: Agency puts WHNS-TV on hold". Asheville Citizen. Associated Press. July 22, 1982. p. 24. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 2, 1979. p. 79. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Harrison, Tom (April 1, 1984). "TV-21: on the air". Greenville News. pp. TV Spotlight 24, 25. Retrieved June 8, 2020.