WTVK (TV)
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WTVK (channel 59) is a
WTVK also operates a digital replacement translator on
History
Originally licensed to Peoria as WAOE, the station signed on the air on July 5, 1999, as a UPN affiliate and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 59.[6] Its studios were located on Fulton Street in downtown Peoria.[7] In its early months, the station broadcast at a low power;[6] WAOE's signal would be upgraded in early 2000, allowing AT&T Cable to add the station to its lineup on February 22.[8] Before WAOE's launch, then-ABC affiliate WHOI (channel 19) had a secondary affiliation with UPN.[9]
On January 24, 2006,
On December 1, 2008, the station shut down its analog signal on UHF channel 59 and became digital-exclusive.
Until the end of 2014, WAOE was operated through a
In the spring of 2020, WAOE moved its transmitter to the former site of WWTO-TV near Oglesby, using WWTO's former VHF digital channel 10. On November 27, the station filed an application to move its city of license to Oswego, Illinois, in Kendall County (part of the Chicago market).[1]
On September 8, 2021, WAOE applied to convert to a distributed transmission system (DTS) with the addition of a second (and effectively, main) transmitter atop the John Hancock Center.[4]
On March 31, 2023, the station changed its call sign to WTVK.
Programming
Local programming
WTVK's local programming, branded as "VPOD TV", formerly broadcast on its third digital subchannel. It consisted mostly of talk shows, many of which covered holistic and alternative wellness. The channel's arrangement with then-WAOE ended at the end of 2022, and WTVK-DT3 is currently silent.
In 2021, VPOD TV held the broadcast rights to the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, which previously aired on WGN-TV.[11] The arrangement was heavily criticized as few Chicago households had any access to WAOE, and the next year saw it returned to a Chicago-licensed station, WCIU-TV.
Syndicated programming
Before the switch to
As of 2021, most of the non-local programming on WTVK, carried mostly on the VPOD TV subchannel, consists of public domain and low-cost barter syndicated fare. VPOD TV shut down January 1, 2023.[12]
Sports programming
From 2015 to 2019, WAOE was the Peoria broadcast affiliate for
WAOE was also the longtime local broadcaster of the Illinois High School Association final tournaments and championships for basketball and football. With WAOE's move out of the market, the telecasts moved to WEEK-DT3 in the fall of 2019.
Newscasts
On June 5, 2006, WEEK-TV established a news share agreement with WAOE and began producing a weeknight-only prime time newscast for the then-UPN affiliate. Known as Primetime News at Nine, the half-hour newscast competed with WYZZ-TV's half-hour newscast, produced by sister station WMBD-TV. WAOE also simulcast WEEK's morning news in full. In September 2006, the name was altered to News 25 at Nine on My59 to reflect WAOE's new affiliation. After the Granite JSA expired at the end of 2014, all WEEK-TV newscasts were dropped from WAOE.
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
59.1 | 720p | 16:9 |
WTVK-HD | Corner Store TV (infomercials) |
59.2 | 480i | GRIOTV | TheGrio TV | |
59.3 | WTVK-3 | Blank (available for lease) |
References
- ^ a b "Channel Substitution/Community of License Change". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WTVK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b c "Amendment to a Modification of a DTV Station Construction Permit Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. April 5, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Modification of a License to Convert from DTV to DTS Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. September 8, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "RabbitEars.Info".
- ^ Peoria Journal-Star. October 28, 1999. Retrieved January 3, 2016. (preview of subscription content)
- ^ "Four Seasons Broadcasting, LLC: Private Company Information". Bloomberg.
- Peoria Journal-Star. February 22, 2000. Retrieved January 3, 2016. (preview of subscription content)
- Peoria Journal-Star. October 13, 1999. Retrieved January 3, 2016. (preview of subscription content)
- ^ "Quincy Buying Stations From Granite, Malara". TVNewsCheck. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
- ^ "Live Stream Info – Chicago Thanksgiving Parade".
- ^ Announcement from Lord Blood-Ra regarding the discontinuation of VPOD TV. January 2, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ Digital TV Market Listing for WTVK. RabbitEars.