WKTC
FCC | |
| Facility ID | 40902 |
|---|---|
| ERP | 426 kW |
| HAAT | 391 m (1,283 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°6′58.4″N 80°45′49.9″W / 34.116222°N 80.763861°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
WKTC (channel 63) is a
History
The station first signed on the air on November 8, 1997, as WQHB;[2] it originally operated as a primary UPN and secondary WB affiliate, with The WB's prime time programming airing on a one-day delay from 6 to 8 p.m. It also aired select programming from Pax TV (now Ion Television) following that network's 1998 launch. The station's original main transmitter in Sumter was not nearly strong enough to provide a decent over-the-air signal to Columbia; as a result, WQHB began operating a fill-in translator in Columbia, W67DP (channel 67).
In 2001, the station became a primary WB affiliate, shifting UPN prime time programming to the late evening hours from 10 p.m. to midnight, after The WB's prime time schedule. Pax TV programming was dropped altogether at this time. In 2003, the station changed its call letters to WBHQ (reversing the last three letters of its original calls) and moved its transmitter to space on the tower of
On January 24, 2006, the
On June 26, 2006, the station changed its call letters to WKTC (standing for "Television of Columbia", according to the station's co-owner). On June 28, the station began running advertisements in the Columbia Free Times newspaper featuring the cast of one of MyNetworkTV's original telenovelas Desire, with the text "September 5 / It's a whole new ballgame," alongside a stylized "My 63" logo and the new call letters. In August 2007, WBHQ Columbia, LLC converted W67DP into the market's Telemundo affiliate, using the calls "WNXG". Later that month, WKTC began operating its full-power digital signal on channel 39. WBHQ Columbia, LLC also signed on a low-power MyNetworkTV-affiliated station in Wilmington, North Carolina, W47CK (branded as "WMYW"), and a low-power Telemundo-affiliated station in Savannah, Georgia, WHDS-LD.
WKTC became digital-only, effective June 12, 2009.[8]
W67DP went dark in June 2010; on June 3, 2011, its license was canceled by the Federal Communications Commission due to inactivity.[9] Telemundo programming continues on the second subchannel of WKTC.
On December 11, 2013, Roberts Broadcasting received
On May 29, 2019, The CW announced that it would move its Columbia affiliation from WKTC to the second subchannel of WIS (channel 10), effective September 30.[11] WKTC replaced CW prime time programming with The Doctors and Judge Jerry (with the latter also airing in place of The CW's Jerry Springer repeat) while otherwise keeping their schedule unchanged outside of acquired E/I programming on Saturday mornings. The station also acquired the Grit affiliation abandoned by WIS-DT3 in the move for their seventh subchannel (WIS-DT3 now carries Bounce TV, which moved from WIS-DT2 as a result).
Sports programming
In January 2012, WKTC began broadcasting Southeastern Conference college basketball games from ESPN Plus–operated SEC Network (later SEC TV), sharing with WOLO-TV.[12] This ended after the 2013–2014 season because of the launch of the cable-exclusive SEC Network in August 2014.
Subchannels
The station's signal is
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63.1 | 1080i | 16:9 |
WKTC-HD | MyNetworkTV |
| 63.2 | 480p | TELMDO | Telemundo | |
| 63.3 | CoziTV | Cozi TV | ||
| 63.4 | LaffTV | Laff | ||
| 63.5 | GritTV | Grit | ||
| 63.6 | GET | get |
Prior to November 2009, WKTC carried the Retro Television Network on digital subchannel 63.2. In November 2009, WKTC began carrying a
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WKTC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Nye, Doug (November 8, 1997). "Sumter TV station may air in Columbia". The State: 46.
- CNNMoney.com, January 24, 2006.
- ^ UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network, The New York Times, January 24, 2006.
- ^ "News Corp. to launch new mini-network for UPN stations". USA Today. February 22, 2006. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ News Corp. Unveils MyNetworkTV, Broadcasting & Cable, February 22, 2006.
- ^ [1][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "FCC Broadcast Actions". Federal Communications Commission. June 8, 2011.
- ^ Malone, Michael (March 19, 2014). "WKTC Columbia (S.C.) Picks Up CW Affiliation". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
- ^ Miller, Mark K. "The CW Moving To WIS-TV Columbia In Fall". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ SEC Network Announced Affiliate Change in Columbia.
- ^ "RabbitEars.Info". www.rabbitears.info.
- ^ FCC Broadcast Actions, June 8, 2011.[permanent dead link]