WHME-TV

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Coordinates: 41°35′43″N 86°9′38″W / 41.59528°N 86.16056°W / 41.59528; -86.16056
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with KHME.

WHME-TV
HAAT304.3 m (998 ft)
Transmitter coordinates41°35′43″N 86°9′38″W / 41.59528°N 86.16056°W / 41.59528; -86.16056
Links
Public license information
Websitewhmetv46.com

WHME-TV (channel 46) is a

Mishawaka
.

Prior to 2024, WHME-TV served as the

Assembly of God minister Lester Sumrall
, whose sons are still active with the ministry.

History

WMSH-TV

The G & E Religious and Educational Broadcasting Corporation obtained a construction permit for a new television station on channel 46 in South Bend on April 10, 1973.[3] The allocation had previously been used by WNDU-TV, when that station signed on the air on July 15, 1955; WNDU moved to its present channel 16 in 1957. G & E, representing 618 churches, took the call letters WMSH-TV and broke ground on studio facilities on May 27.[4] The transmitter site would be located separately from the studios due to potential interference to WSBT radio.[5] Intended to begin on September 1, 1973, channel 46 instead began telecasting in late July or on August 3, 1974.[6][note 1]

Within less than a year of telecasting, financial problems developed at G & E. The station had a total of $2.5 million in debt against $1.8 million in assets. A court placed the company into receivership, after which 14 creditors sued to force channel 46 into bankruptcy.[7] Three months later, two investors who held $18,000 in station-issued bonds sued G & E for selling securities without being registered with federal or state authorities, as well as omissions in statements made by the company;[8] Secretary of State Larry Conrad then charged G & E head George McQueen with criminal misrepresentation.[9]

Citing lack of funds, WMSH-TV went silent September 2, 1975.[10] The bankruptcy case stretched into 1976 as several buyers expressed interest.[11]

WHME-TV

In January 1977, rumors began to circulate that the Lester Sumrall Evangelistic Association was in negotiations to buy WMSH-TV from its trustee, Elkhart attorney Gordon MacKenzie.[6] The rumors would be confirmed in March when the $496,000 sale was announced.[12] Sumrall closed on the purchase on July 21,

drama series. Cameras from the Sumrall stations in Indianapolis and Miami were brought to South Bend, as WMSH did not have any color cameras.[13]

By 1978, the station ran cartoons from 7 to 9 a.m. on weekdays. WHME ran Christian programs such as

Catholic Mass from Notre Dame
). The station began broadcasting on a 24-hour schedule by 1980.

Former WHME logo, used until August 2024.

In the early 1980s, WHME cut back its secular programming hours on weekdays to 2 to 7 p.m. By the early to mid-1980s, the morning cartoons returned and at that point it started running more recent children's programs on weekdays, including

WBND-LP channel 58, but unlike other LeSEA-owned stations, it declined to carry prime time programming from the block's parent network, The WB (which instead affiliated with W69BT channel 69 in October 1999, now WMYS-LD, and later moved to WMWB-LP channel 25, now WCWW-LD
). In the early 2000s, WHME decreased the number of cartoons on its schedule and replaced them with more sitcoms and drama series.

In August 2024, WHME and Indianapolis sister station WHMB-TV switched their primary channels to Univision.[14]

Sports programming

WHME used to carry many regional

Bethel and Grace
.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is

multiplexed
:

Subchannels of WHME-TV[15]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
46.1 720p
16:9
 WHME-HD Univision
46.2 480i ION Ion Television
46.3 GRIT Grit
46.4 LAFF Laff
46.5 QVC QVC
46.6 HSN HSN
46.7 QVC2
QVC2
46.8 HSN2 HSN2
28.4 720p 16:9 CourtTV Court TV (WSJV)
28.7 480i 365BLK
365BLK (WSJV
)
  Broadcast on behalf of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

WHME-TV shut down its analog signal, over

UHF channel 46, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 48, using virtual channel 46.[16]

On March 8, 2011, WHME-TV received a

construction permit to move its digital operations to its former analog allotment on channel 46, due to interference with WMLW-TV in Racine, Wisconsin (which transmits from Milwaukee), a station that also broadcast its digital signal on UHF channel 48, with both stations having signal conflicts on the edges of their market areas.[17] The conflict was resolved in January 2018 when WMLW cashed in their spectrum in the 2016 FCC auction and moved to a channel share with their sister low-power station
, though WHME moved to channel 36 in 2019 as a result of the spectrum repack.

Between 2012 and sometime in early 2013, digital subchannel 46.3 was leased to Aliento Vision, a family-oriented Spanish-language network. The subchannel previously carried no content besides a card listing the channel numbers, call letters and city of license, but added Light TV to its 46.3 subchannel.

Former translator

WHME-TV's signal was relayed on a repeater station serving the Chicago market, WHNW-LD (channel 18) in Gary, until the station's license was canceled on August 25, 2017.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says July 27, the FCC history card says the station started on July 26, and the Television and Cable Factbook says July 25.

References

  1. ^ a b Leliaert, Jr., Ray M. (July 22, 1977). "Rev. Sumrall closes purchase". South Bend Tribune. p. 23. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WHME-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "History Cards for WHME-TV". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
  4. ^ "Groundbreaking Sunday for WMSH-TV". South Bend Tribune. May 26, 1973. p. 7. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "WMSH-TV Granted Permission to Erect Transmission Towers". South Bend Tribune. June 7, 1973. p. 50. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Sulok, Nancy (January 4, 1977). "Channel 46 sale unconfirmed: 'Rumor may be truthful'". South Bend Tribune. p. 19. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "WMSH-TV Creditors Ask Action". South Bend Tribune. April 24, 1975. p. 27. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "Sue to Recover Investment in WMSH-TV". South Bend Tribune. July 25, 1975. p. 18. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "WMSH-TV Boss Charged". South Bend Tribune. August 3, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. ^ "Broadcasting Ends For WMSH-TV". South Bend Tribune. September 3, 1975. p. 15. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "Channel 44 bankrupt case still pending". South Bend Tribune. September 3, 1976. p. 19. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Lutkus, Gerald (March 23, 1977). "Evangelist Sumrall purchases WMSH-TV: Signing on, again". South Bend Tribune. p. 19. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  13. ^ Miller, John D. (May 21, 1977). "Channel 46 'on hold'". South Bend Tribune. p. 3. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "Family Broadcasting Launches Univision On WHMB & WHME, Taps Susan Buterbaugh As WHMB GM". TVNewsCheck. August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  15. RabbitEars.info
    . Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  17. ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application View ... Redirecting".
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