Jump to content

WRDM-CD

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WRDM-CD
CityHartford, Connecticut
Channels
Branding
  • Telemundo Connecticut
  • Noticiero Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra(newscasts)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WVIT
History
Founded1985
First air date
June 14, 1986(38 years ago)(1986-06-14)
Former call signs
  • W13BF (1985–1995)
  • WRDM-LP (1995–2008)
  • WRDM-CA (2008–2013)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:13 (VHF,1986–2006), 50 (UHF, 2006–2013)
  • Digital:19 (UHF, 2013–2018), 35 (UHF, 2018–2019)
  • Virtual:50 (2013–2018)
Call signmeaning
Ruzzier, D'Agostino, Minniti[1](former owners)
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID10153
ERP374kW
HAAT450 m (1,476 ft)
Transmitter coordinates41°42′2″N72°49′55″W/ 41.70056°N 72.83194°W/41.70056; -72.83194
Links
Public license information
WebsiteConnecticut section on WNEU's website
Translator
WDMR-LD
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
History
Founded1988
First air date
June 13, 1991(33 years ago)(1991-06-13)
Former call signs
  • W65BX (1988–1995)
  • WDMR-LP (1995–2012)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:65 (UHF, 1991–2006), 51 (UHF, 2006–2012)
  • Digital:51 (UHF, 2012–2019)
  • All secondary:
  • Rai Internazionale Americas (1991–2001)
  • TVP Polonia (per program, 1993–2001)
  • Jewelry Television (overnights,c. 2001–2018)
Call signmeaning
anagramof WRDM-CD
Technical information[3]
Facility ID10154
ClassLD
ERP15 kW
HAAT146 m (479 ft)
Transmitter coordinates42°5′7.3″N72°42′10.3″W/ 42.085361°N 72.702861°W/42.085361; -72.702861
Links
Public license information
LMS

WRDM-CD(channel 19) is aClass A television stationlicensed toHartford, Connecticut,United States, serving as the Hartford–New Havenmarket's outlet for the Spanish-language networkTelemundo.It isowned and operatedbyNBCUniversal'sTelemundo Station GroupalongsideNBCoutletWVIT(channel 30).[4]The two stations share studios on New Britain Avenue inWest Hartfordand transmitter facilities onRattlesnake MountaininFarmington, Connecticut.Despite WRDM-CD legally holding alow-powerClass A license, it transmits using WVIT's full-power spectrum. This ensures complete reception across the Hartford–New Haven market.

WDMR-LD(channel 14) inSpringfield, Massachusetts,operates as atranslatorof WRDM, serving thePioneer Valley.This station's transmitter is located onProvin Mountainin theFeeding Hillssection ofAgawam, Massachusetts.

History

[edit]
WRDM logo when the station broadcast on channel 13
Previous logo; used until nationwide Telemundo rebrand on December 8, 2012.

WRDM-CD signed on June 14, 1986; it claims to be the firstSpanish-languagetelevision station inNew England.[5]The station initially operated on channel 13 under the call letters W13BF.[1]On June 13, 1991,[6]the station added a simulcast in Springfield, W65BX (channel 65).[1]Initially, in addition to Telemundo programming, W13BF and W65BX aired programming inItalianfrom public broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)'sinternational service,[1]with additional programming inGreekandPolish.[7]The television stations were joined by radio station WRDM (1550 AM, nowWSDK) in 1993;[1]on September 1, 1995, W13BF changed its call letters to WRDM-LP,[8]and W65BX became WDMR-LP.[9]WRDM radio was sold off in 1998.[10]During the late 1990s, WDMR-LP's schedule also includedEnglish-languageBoston Red Soxtelecasts produced byBoston's WABU (nowIon Televisionowned-and-operated stationWBPX-TV).[11]By 1997, WRDM-LP's programming was simulcast in New Haven on W10BQ (channel 10, now defunct) and in Hartford on W11BJ (channel 11, nowWFXQ-CDchannel 28 in Springfield).[12]

Original owner Channel 13 Television sold WRDM-LP and WDMR-LP toZGS Communicationson March 27, 2001.[13][14]In January 2006, WRDM-LP moved to channel 50;[15]WDMR-LP moved to channel 51 that November.[16]WRDM became aclass Astation as WRDM-CA on May 7, 2008.[8]On November 15, 2012, WDMRflash cutfrom analog to digital as WDMR-LD;[9]on January 7, 2013, WRDM followed suit and became WRDM-CD.[8]WDMR-LD now serves as a complete simulcast of WRDM-CD.[17]

On December 4, 2017,NBCUniversal'sTelemundo Station Groupannounced its purchase of ZGS' 13 television stations, including WRDM-CD and WDMR-LD. The sale was completed on February 1, 2018.[4]The deal made WRDM a sister station toNBCowned-and-operated stationWVIT(channel 30), along withWNBC(channel 4) andWNJU(channel 47) to the southwest inNew York City,andWBTS-LD(channel 8),WYCN-CD(channel 15) andWNEU(channel 60) to the northeast in Boston. WVIT began operating WRDM under alocal marketing agreementonJanuary 1,2018 from WVIT's studios inWest Hartford;WRDM later entered into achannel sharingagreement with WVIT.[18]ZGS had sold WRDM's spectrum in the FCC'sincentive auctionfor $10,574,516 and indicated that the station would enter into a post-auction channel sharing agreement.[19]One immediate effect of the sale was the end of abrokered programmingarrangement to carry English languageJewelry TVprogramming in overnights for Telemundo's regular overnight schedule, along with the addition of a Connecticut-specific part of the website for WNEU in place of the former WRDM website.

Newscasts

[edit]

WRDM-LP began producing a newscast in April 1998; at the outset,Noticiero 13primarily featured reports fromPuerto RicoandLatin America,with local news coverage being added in June 1999.[20]The station's news operation was discontinued in the early 2000s; WRDM then began carryingTelenoticias Puerto RicofromWKAQ-TVinSan Juan.

On December 15, 2017, NBCUniversal announced that, following its acquisition of WRDM-CD, the station (along with WDMR-LD) would begin simulcasting the newscasts of Boston sister station WNEU; the newscasts will include news from Connecticut and western Massachusetts from a reporter based at WRDM's facilities at the WVIT studios in West Hartford.[18]

Technical information

[edit]

The stations' signals aremultiplexed:

WRDM-CD subchannels

[edit]
Subchannels of WVIT and WRDM-CD[21]
License Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
WVIT 30.1 1080i 16:9 WVIT-HD NBC
30.2 480i COZI-TV Cozi TV
30.3 CRIMES NBC American Crimes
30.4 OXYGEN Oxygen
WRDM-CD 19.1 1080i TLMD Telemundo
19.2 480i EXITOS TeleXitos

WDMR-LD subchannels

[edit]
Subchannels of WDMR-LD[22]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
14.1 1080i 16:9 WDMR-LD Telemundo
14.2 480i XITOS S TeleXitos
14.3 LocalX NBC LX Home
14.4 Oxygen Oxygen

WDMR-LD also broadcasts the national servicesNBC LX HomeandOxygen,which are carried by WVIT as subchannels 30.3 and 30.4.

Spectrum auction repack

[edit]

On August 2, 2019, WVIT and WRDM-CD were switched from RF 35 to RF 31.

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdeLender, Jon (August 13, 1993)."Radio Station Targets Hispanic, Italian, Other Ethnic Markets".Hartford Courant.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  2. ^"Facility Technical Data for WRDM-CD".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^"Facility Technical Data for WDMR-LD".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^abMiller, Mark K. (December 4, 2017)."NBCU Adding ZGS Stations To Telemundo".TVNewsCheck.RetrievedDecember 4,2017.
  5. ^"Telemundo Hartford/Springfield Celebrates its 25th Anniversary".Telemundo Hartford/Springfield Station Spotlight.May 23, 2011.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  6. ^Television & Cable Factbook 2006 Edition(PDF).2006. p. B-78.RetrievedOctober 5,2018.
  7. ^Trecker, Jerry (October 13, 1993)."Getting With The Program".Hartford Courant.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  8. ^abc"Call Sign History (WRDM-CD)".CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  9. ^ab"Call Sign History (WDMR-LD)".CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  10. ^Fybush, Scott (February 12, 1998)."The Mouse that Ate Hartford".North East RadioWatch.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  11. ^Fybush, Scott (April 3, 1996)."New England RadioWatch".RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  12. ^Fybush, Scott (June 26, 1997)."The Reaction to Dodge".North East RadioWatch.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  13. ^"Application for Transfer of Control of a Corporate Licensee or Permittee, or for Assignment of License or Permit of TV or FM Translator Station or Low Power Television Station".CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.June 22, 2000.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  14. ^"Application Search Details (WDMR-LD, 1)".CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  15. ^Fybush, Scott (January 30, 2006)."And now...The CW?".NorthEast Radio Watch.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  16. ^"Application Search Details (WDMR-LD, 2)".CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
  17. ^RabbitEars TV Query for WDMR-LD
  18. ^abMiller, Mark K. (December 15, 2017)."WNEU Boston Rebrands, Adds 2 Newscasts".TVNewsCheck.RetrievedDecember 15,2017.
  19. ^"FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction Auction 1001 Winning Bids"(PDF).Federal Communications Commission.April 4, 2017.RetrievedDecember 15,2017.
  20. ^Weiss, Tara (August 16, 1999)."Accent On News".Hartford Courant.RetrievedDecember 15,2017.
  21. ^"RabbitEars TV Query for WVIT".RabbitEars.info.RetrievedJuly 10,2024.
  22. ^"Digital TV Market Listing for WDMR-LD".RabbitEars.RetrievedSeptember 20,2022.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WRDM-CD&oldid=1245924719"