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WADL (TV)

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WADL
CityMount Clemens, Michigan
Channels
BrandingMy38 WADL Detroit
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerAdell Broadcasting Corporation
WFDF,The Word Network
History
FoundedSeptember 25, 1985
First air date
May 20, 1989(35 years ago)(1989-05-20)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:38 (UHF, 1989–2009)
  • Digital:39 (UHF, 2000–2020)
Call signmeaning
Adell Broadcasting
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID455
ERP605 kW
HAAT187 m (614 ft)
Transmitter coordinates42°33′15″N82°53′15″W/ 42.55417°N 82.88750°W/42.55417; -82.88750
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.mywadl.com

WADL(channel 38) is atelevision stationlicensed toMount Clemens, Michigan,United States, serving theDetroitarea as an affiliate ofMyNetworkTV.Locally owned by Kevin Adell via his company Adell Broadcasting, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Adell Drive inClinton Township.[2]Adell's sister company, Adell Radio Group, ownsWFDF,atalk radiostation in the same market.

WADL's transmitter tower is shorter and located farther east than the market's other major stations; as a result, itsbroadcasting radiusdoes not reach the western and southwestern portions of the Detroit metro, and its over-the-air signal is marginal inWindsorandEssex County, Ontario,Canada.[3]Therefore, the station relies oncableandsatellitecarriage to reach the entire market.

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

Although Adell Broadcasting filed for an application for the channel 38 license on September 25, 1985, it took four years for WADL to begin broadcasting, signing on the air for the first time on May 20, 1989. The station was founded by Franklin Z. Adell, previously the owner of an automotive parts supplier company. His son Kevin Adell joined the company after graduating fromArizona State Universityin 1988.[4]Its original programming blocks were filled with mostlyHome Shopping Networkprograms,religiousshows and other paid programming, classicmoviesand hourly blocks of thesyndicatedmusic video showHit Video USA.In 1990, it began running several hours of syndicated programs.

In 1992, channel 38 began runningCBSshows that were preempted by that network's then-affiliateWJBK-TV(channel 2). Despite its relationship with WJBK, WADL was barely competitive in the ratings at first. Most of the stronger syndicated programs had been acquired byFoxaffiliateWKBD-TV(channel 50; which, for all intents and purposes, was programmed as an independent as Fox did not carry a full week's worth of programming until 1993) and fellowindependent stationWXON (channel 20, nowWMYD). There simply was not enough programming to go around, even for a market as large as Detroit. Channel 38 faced an additional problem in the form ofCBC-ownedCBET(channel 9) inWindsor,which owned the Detroit market rights to other syndicated programs. It relied mostly onpaid programming;the few entertainment shows seen on WADL's schedule consisted ofbarter programming.

In May 1994, WJBK's then-owner,New World Communicationssigned a groupwide deal with Fox to switch the network affiliations of twelve of the company's 14 stations to Fox (two ofwhichNew World would sell to Fox outright as it could not keep them due to ownership conflicts).[5][6]One of the stations due to switch was WJBK. CBS approached three of Detroit's major stations—WXYZ-TV(channel 7, which renewed its ABC affiliation), WKBD, and WXON—all of which turned CBS down;WDIV-TVwas eliminated as a possibility due to the station's long-term affiliation contract with NBC. Fearing it would be left without an affiliate in Detroit, CBS began talks with WADL. As a measure of how desperate CBS was at the time, it approached WADL even though most Detroit-area viewers didn't even know the station existed. However, Franklin Adell and CBS could not come to a mutual agreement, due to what CBS called unreasonable demands on Adell's part. CBS eventually bought Detroit's other low-profile independent, WGPR-TV (channel 62), changing its calls toWWJ-TVand moved the network's programming there on December 11, 1994, months before its purchase was finalized.

On August 31, 1998, WADL began carrying children's programming fromFox Kids(laterFoxBoxand4KidsTV), after picking up the rights to the block from then-UPNaffiliate WKBD, which had continued to air the Fox Kids weekday and Saturday blocks even after losing its Fox affiliation to WJBK. The station also acquired several syndicated children's programs. After Fox discontinued the Fox Kids weekday block in 2002, WADL continued running the revamped Fox Box until the fall of 2003, when Fox's4Kids TVSaturday morning block moved to then-WBaffiliate WDWB (later MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYD). During this time, until October 2007, WADL was the only other station besides WKBD and WMYD to continuously air children's programming. From the program's 1999 debut until 2002, WADL also broadcast the NBCdaytimesoap operaPassions,which WDIV originally declined to broadcast, before adding the serial to its schedule in the fall of 2002.

Breakthrough[edit]

In September 2007, WADL began to cement its standing as a major player among the Detroit market's television stations with the acquisition of popular syndicated shows, including older series such asThe Nanny,Mad About You,The JeffersonsandGood Times;the station also kept many religious programs and a few infomercials as well, and eliminated the remaininganimated shows.Over the years, WADL began positioning itself as being a voice of Detroit's urban community, with local programs including a weekly feature with theMayor of Detroitand former player for theDetroit Pistons,Dave Bing.

In the fall of 2007, WADL was relaunched as "Detroit's Urban Station" to appeal to the African-American community (much as the old WGPR-TV did) and acquired syndicated programs such asThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,American Chopper,Reno 911!,The Montel Williams Show,In the Heat of the Night,Chappelle's Show,A Different World,Magnum, P.I.andSanford and Son.[7]In 2009, the station added classic television series such asThe Brady Bunch,I Love Lucy,Happy Days,M*A*S*H,The JeffersonsandLaverne and Shirleyto its schedule. By this time, WADL began running a mix of both recent and older syndicated programs. WADL also increased its localpublic affairsprogramming with shows such asReal Talk(hosted by political activist Rev.Horace Sheffield). WADL has further cemented its presence in the community, broadcasting political debates with all candidates and inviting the community to attend.

On June 18, 2014, WADL named broadcasting veteran David Bangura as its new president; Bangura had formerly held a similar position at WMYD, which was later sold to theE. W. Scripps Company,owner of WXYZ-TV.[8][9]

On July 9, 2021, it was announced that WADL would become the new MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Detroit market beginning September 20, replacing WMYD.[10]

Short-lived CW affiliation and aftermath; canceled sale to Mission Broadcasting[edit]

CW38 WADL Detroit logo, used in 2023.

On May 17, 2023, Adell Broadcasting announced it would sell WADL toMission Broadcastingin a deal valued at $75 million.[11][12]As is typical with Mission Broadcasting stations,Nexstar Media Groupwould both finance the deal and completely operate WADL, through ashared services agreement(SSA), if the deal closes.[13]The deal faced a number of objections by various public interest groups,[14]who argue that allowing Mission to acquire WADL will allow Nexstar to demand higher fees for the station and permit Nexstar to operate stations above the federal ownership cap.

On August 23, 2023, WADL announced on its website that the station was joiningThe CWon a primary basis, with MyNetworkTV programming airing afterwards from 10 p.m. to midnight, effective September 1.[15]

On October 30, 2023, the station posted a press release noting it had dropped The CW over a dispute with Nexstar, claiming the sale would not be approved in the near future, with MyNetworkTV programming reverting to its prime time berth.The Detroit Newsreported the conflict was over Nexstar asking for a transitional affiliation agreement being signed by Adell before the station came under Mission ownership;[16]owner Kevin Adell told a trade publication that WADL was running CW programming as an "accommodation", that he was seeking payments from Nexstar as part of any affiliation agreement, and that he had "more options to put other programming" on the station.[17]Nexstar and The CW signed an affiliation agreement with theE. W. Scripps Company-ownedWMYD,which was announced on November 6 and took effect on November 13,[18]leading Adell to send acease and desistletter to Scripps with the intention to stop The CW's agreement with Scripps from going into effect. Adell claimed Scripps conspired with Nexstar to harm WADL's business and to interfere with the Mission acquisition.[19]

Despite several months of meeting with the FCC and support from groups like the Detroit chapter of the NAACP and the Rainbow Push Coalition, Adell Broadcasting owner Kevin Adell admitted the first week of April 2024 that his pending transaction with Mission and Nexstar was likely not going to get approved.[20]The affirmation came after the FCC levied a substantial fine against Mission and Nexstar over the latter's operational control of New York–basedWPIX,which was operated through a local marketing agreement similar to one that Mission would have engaged in shortly after the sale of WADL closed.[21]

On April 23, 2024, however, Kevin Adell announced that FCC had given approval of Mission's application to purchase WADL, but the commission imposed conditions on the deal, namely that Nexstar cannot be involved in financing Mission's purchase of the station, and any SSA between Mission and Nexstar must provide limited performance bonuses and ad revenues to Nexstar, and that any SSA cannot include an option for Nexstar to purchase WADL outright. Though Kevin Adell indicated that Mission called the purchase conditions "problematic", he was optimistic that a sale to Mission would still go through.[22][23][24]The sale was called off on May 22, 2024, after Mission filed a non-consummation notice with the FCC.[25][26]

Programming[edit]

On June 24, 2013, WADL televised Game 6 of theStanley Cup Finalsto allow Detroit's NBC station, WDIV-TV, to televise the local annual Target Fireworks show.[27]Through 2014, NBC established a relationship with WADL that provided airing programming that local TV station WDIV could not carry. This was an opportunity for WADL to air first-run NBC programming such asGrimm,theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,Growing Up Fisher,Kathie Lee and Hoda,The Michael J. Fox ShowandRevolution.

Beginning in August 2015, WADL was sub-contracted byFox Television Stationsto carry Fox prime time programming preempted by WJBK during their coverage ofDetroit Lionspreseason football; in August 2016, by coincidence, the Lions displaced aMajor League Baseballgame scheduled at the last minute byFoxbetween theNew York YankeesandTampa Bay Rays,as it was the last gameAlex Rodriguezwould play in.

Newscasts[edit]

In 1992, WADL began airing a same-night rebroadcast of WJBK's 6 p.m. newscast, typically airing in prime time at 8 p.m.; this continued until that station switched from CBS to Fox in December 1994.

On January 5, 2012, WADL announced that it would debut half-hour newscasts at noon and 9 p.m. on weekdays, which were produced by theJournal Register Company(owners ofThe Macomb Daily,Oakland PressandSouthgate News-Herald),[28]in association with theIndependent News Network.The station canceled the noon and 9 p.m. newscasts after only four months on May 23, 2012, filling the time slots with syndicated programming. In June 2012, WADL began producing daily five-minute local news updates airing four times each day during the evening hours, with an hour-long national news program supplied byNewsmax TV,at 9 p.m. on weekdays.

On January 17, 2020, WADL announced thatWJRfill-in host and former WDIV-TV reporter Kevin Dietz had joined the station to host a 10 p.m. news program,News Now with Kevin Dietz,to premiere on January 21. Owner Kevin Adell stated that the program would feature longer, in-depth segments focused on local and state politics, and would not directly compete with the newscasts on WJBK, WXYZ-TV, WKBD-TV, and WDIV;[29]Dietz said thatNews Nowwould feature two-to-three stories per night and incorporate live interviews andtalk radio-style call-ins,[30]including appearances by local print journalists.[29]The launch ofNews Nowcoincided with the debut of a nightly newscast on WKBD-TV the following night,[30]along with the2020 presidential election;[29]Adell noted that there were "a lot of political dollars", some of which he intended to collect with the new program.[30]

Technical information[edit]

Subchannels[edit]

The station's signal ismultiplexed:

Subchannels of WADL[31]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
38.1 1080i 16:9 WADL-HD MyNetworkTV
38.3 480i Quest Quest
38.6 Crime True Crime Network
38.7 HSN HSN
38.8 WORD The Word Network

When WADL initially started digital broadcasting,Universal Sportswas carried on 38.2, andThe Word Networkwas carried on 38.3.Antenna TVwas added to 38.2 in 2011, moving Universal Sports to 38.4, until it became pay TV-exclusive in 2012. Antenna TV was removed from WADL's lineup in September 2015.

Analog-to-digital conversion[edit]

WADL shut down its analog signal, overUHFchannel 38, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcastsunder federal mandate. The station's digital signal continued to broadcast on its pre-transition UHF channel 39,[32]usingvirtual channel38.

FCC spectrum auction and attempted WADL sale[edit]

In 2012, theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) announced it would hold a voluntaryincentive auctionfor a portion of the radio frequency spectrum that is currently used by television broadcasters across the country.[33]In 2014, WADL owner Kevin Adell announced he would participate in the auction, since it was estimated the station would net somewhere in the range of $170 million, much more than it would be worth on the open market otherwise. Since that time, the auction estimate had increased to somewhere between $360–$380 million.

Adell would continue to own and operate The Word Network. WADL's broadcast facilities would have been re-purposed for The Word Network, along with the transfer of roughly 33 WADL staffers.[4][34]

WADL was ultimately not sold in the auction, which concluded in 2017.

Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,the FCC allowed some stations in Phase 8 (ending March 13, 2020) of their600-MHz spectrum auctionto delay their move to Phase 9 (ending May 1, 2020) on an as-needed basis. As a result, WADL was granted permission to delaybeing relocatedto Phase 9, and moved from UHF 39 to UHF 27 on March 23, 2020.

Cable coverage in Canada[edit]

WADL and its The Word Network digital subchannel are carried on GosfieldTel inEssex County, Ontario,as well asCogecosystems in some rural areas ofSouthwestern Ontario,primarily in areas formerly served by other cable providers that were purchased by Cogeco around 2000. It is not carried on Cogeco systems in Windsor.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WADL".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"Contact Us."WADL. Retrieved on December 8, 2012." © 2012 WADL Detroit ~ 35000 Adell Drive Clinton Township, MI 48035 "
  3. ^"RabbitEars Contour Map for WADL".www.rabbitears.info.RetrievedJuly 9,2021.
  4. ^ab"WADL may command even larger auction price than expected: up to $380M, FCC says".February 6, 2015.RetrievedNovember 30,2016.
  5. ^Carter, Bill (May 24, 1994)."FOX WILL SIGN UP 12 NEW STATIONS; TAKES 8 FROM CBS".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 22,2012.
  6. ^Lowry, Brian (July 18, 1996)."New World Vision: Murdoch's News Corp. to Buy Broadcast Group".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJune 22,2012.
  7. ^"'Detroit's Urban Station' to Debut Chopper, Cribs ".Broadcasting and Cable.July 16, 2008.[dead link]
  8. ^Scripps Buying Granite TVs in Buffalo, Detroit,TVNewsCheck,Retrieved February 10, 2014
  9. ^"WADL Detroit Names David Bangura GM".TVNewsCheck.June 18, 2014.RetrievedJune 18,2014.
  10. ^"WADL Gets Detroit's MyNetworkTV Affiliation".Broadcasting & Cable.Future US, Inc.July 9, 2021.RetrievedJuly 9,2021.
  11. ^"Metro Detroit media mogul sells WADL-TV as feds pursue him for unpaid estate, gift taxes".freep.com.RetrievedSeptember 6,2023.
  12. ^"Assignments".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.May 17, 2023.RetrievedMay 17,2023.
  13. ^Form of Station Services Agreement
  14. ^Keys, Matthew (June 20, 2023)."Group asks FCC to deny WADL acquisition by Mission".The Desk.RetrievedApril 9,2024.
  15. ^"The CW38 WADL Detroit | CW38Detroit".The CW38 WADL.
  16. ^Graham, Adam (October 30, 2023)."CW Network yanked from Detroit airwaves over business spat".The Detroit News.RetrievedOctober 30,2023.
  17. ^Malone, Michael (November 6, 2023)."WMYD Detroit Will Become Market's The CW Station".Broadcasting & Cable.RetrievedNovember 8,2023.
  18. ^"Detroit's WMYD-TV To Become CW Affiliate On Monday, Nov. 13".Nexstar Media Group.November 6, 2023.RetrievedNovember 6,2023.
  19. ^Keys, Matthew (November 7, 2023)."WADL sends cease-and-desist to Scripps over CW in Detroit".TheDesk.net.RetrievedNovember 7,2023.
  20. ^Keys, Matthew (April 4, 2024)."Exclusive: WADL owner Kevin Adell says FCC unlikely to approve station's sale to Mission".The Desk.RetrievedApril 9,2024.
  21. ^"FCC Issues $1.8 Million Penalty Against Nexstar and Mission; Orders Station Divestiture".JD Supra.RetrievedApril 9,2024.
  22. ^"FCC approves sale of WADL to Mission with conditions".TheDesk.net.April 23, 2024.
  23. ^"'Problematic' FCC Conditions On Station Sale Could Create Detroit Drama ".Broadcasting & Cable.April 24, 2024.
  24. ^"Nexstar Dropping Scripps-Owned The CW Affiliates in 7 Markets".Broadcasting & Cable.April 19, 2024.
  25. ^"Non-Consummation Notification".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.May 22, 2024.RetrievedMay 22,2024.
  26. ^Keys, Matthew (May 22, 2024)."Mission Broadcasting terminates deal to acquire Detroit's WADL".TheDesk.net.RetrievedMay 23,2024.
  27. ^"Channel 4 picks fireworks over Game 6 of Stanley Cup Finals | The Detroit News".Archived fromthe originalon June 28, 2013.RetrievedJune 24,2013.
  28. ^"WADL-Channel 38 to start 9 p.m. newscast".January 5, 2012.RetrievedNovember 30,2016.
  29. ^abcAbdel-Baqui, Omar (January 17, 2020)."Veteran Detroit reporter Kevin Dietz back on TV following WDIV controversy".Detroit Free Press.RetrievedJanuary 19,2020.
  30. ^abcRubin, Neal (January 17, 2020)."Kevin Dietz back as two local TV stations add newscasts".The Detroit News.RetrievedJanuary 19,2020.
  31. ^"RabbitEars TV Query for WADL".RabbitEars.info.RetrievedNovember 30,2016.
  32. ^"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 29, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2012.
  33. ^"Redirect".RetrievedNovember 30,2016.
  34. ^"Final signoff for WADL? Adell looks to sell at FCC auction, expects $170M".October 12, 2014.RetrievedNovember 30,2016.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WADL_(TV)&oldid=1230648883"