WDKA
WDKA, virtual channel 49 (UHF digital channel 25), is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Paducah, Kentucky, United States, serving Western Kentucky's Purchase region, Southern Illinois, and Southeastern Missouri. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, as part of a duopoly with Cape Girardeau, Missouri-licensed Fox affiliate KBSI (channel 23). The two stations share studios on Enterprise Street in Cape Girardeau; WDKA's transmitter is located in Vienna, Illinois.
 | |
| Paducah, Kentucky/ Harrisburg, Illinois/ Cape Girardeau, Missouri United States | |
|---|---|
| City | Paducah, Kentucky |
| Channels | Digital: 25 (UHF) Virtual: 49 (PSIP) |
| Branding | My 49 WDKA |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 49.1: MyNetworkTV (2006–present) 49.2: Charge! (O&O) 49.3: TBD (O&O) 49.4: Stadium (O&O) 49.5: Dabl |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sinclair Broadcast Group (WDKA Licensee, LLC) |
| Sister stations | broadcast: KBSI cable: Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports South[1] |
| History | |
| Founded | October 2, 1989 |
| First air date | June 5, 1997 |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 49 (UHF, 1997–2009) Digital: 50 (UHF, 2000–2010) |
| Former affiliations | Analog/DT1: UPN (1997–2000) The WB (2000–2006) DT2: TheCoolTV (2010–2012) GetTV (2014–2017) DT3: The Country Network/Zuus Country (2010–2017) DT4: GetTV (2017–2018) |
| Call sign meaning | PaDu(K)Ah |
| Technical information | |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 39561 |
| Class | DT |
| ERP | 1,000 kW 623 kW (CP) |
| HAAT | 327 m (1,073 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°23′42.6″N 88°56′23.3″W |
| Translator(s) | KBSI-DT 23.2 (22.2 UHF) Cape Girardeau, MO |
| Links | |
| Public license information | Profile LMS |
| Website | mywdka |
In addition to its own digital signal, WDKA is simulcast in standard definition on KBSI's second digital subchannel (UHF channel 22.2 or virtual channel 23.2 via PSIP) from a transmitter north of Cape Girardeau in unincorporated Cape Girardeau County.
History
WDKA began broadcasting on June 5, 1997. It was a UPN affiliate broadcasting an analog signal on UHF channel 49.[2] In 2000, WDKA switched affiliations with low-powered station WQTV-LP (licensed to Murray, Kentucky) and repeater WQWQ-LP to become an affiliate of The WB. The station became a MyNetworkTV affiliate on September 5, 2006. In the same month, The WB and UPN merged to become The CW, and WQTV-LP was announced to become The CW affiliate for Paducah.
GetTV, a new movie-oriented network owned by Sony Pictures Television, started broadcasting over WDKA-DT2 in July 2014 (exact date unknown) as part of a deal with Sinclair Broadcasting to add 33 markets to GetTV's roster of affiliates.[3]
On August 30, 2014, WDKA became a charter affiliate of Sinclair's ad-hoc syndicated television network, the American Sports Network. ASN provides Ohio Valley Conference basketball and Conference USA football and basketball games to the station's viewers.[4][5] The ASN's programming content replaces Southeastern Conference football and basketball broadcasts from ESPN Plus-oriented SEC TV, which was run from 2009 until 2014, which was discontinued because of the launch of the pay TV-exclusive SEC Network.
On March 3, 2016, WDKA Acquisition Corporation (owned by Paul T. Lucci[6]) filed to sell WDKA to Sinclair's subsidiary WDKA Licensee, LLC.[7] Sinclair bought the station for $1.9 million.[8] The sale was completed on September 1, 2017.[9]
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WDKA-DT | Main WDKA programming / MyNetworkTV |
| 49.2 | 480i | Charge! | Charge! | |
| 49.3 | TBD | TBD | ||
| 49.4 | 1080i | Stadium | Stadium | |
| 49.5 | 480i | DABL | Dabl |
WDKA-DT2
WDKA-DT2 previously aired TheCoolTV from 2010 until August 31, 2012. It went silent for two years before becoming a GetTV affiliate in Summer 2014. On February 28, 2017, WDKA-DT2 became affiliated with an action-based network Charge! with GetTV moving to 49.4. On that day, GetTV was relocated to a DT4 subchannel.
WDKA-DT3
As a part of a deal involving several Sinclair-owned stations similar to the earlier deal between Sinclair and TheCoolTV, WDKA-DT3 was added to carry The Country Network on September 18, 2010. The Country Network changed its name and was rebranded to ZUUS Country on June 1, 2013. On February 28, 2017, WDKA-DT3 became affiliated with the TBD network.
Analog-to-digital conversion
WDKA shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 49, on February 17, 2009, the original target date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 50.[11] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 49.
References
- Miller, Mark K. (August 23, 2019). "Sinclair Closes $10.6B Disney RSN Purchase". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheckMedia. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- http://oldtvguides.com/all_thumbs/49-wdka.html
- "GetTV Signs Big Affiliation Deal with Sinclair". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- "Sinclair Broadcasting Launches the American Sports Network". Baltimore Business Journal.
- "Sinclair Launches Sports Network". TVTechnology. July 17, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations - Federal Communications Commission
- "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- Asset Purchase Agreement - Federal Communications Commission
- Consummation Notice, CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- RabbitEars TV Query for WDKA
- "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.