WUVF-LD

WUVF-LD, virtual channel 2 (UHF digital channel 18), is a low-powered Univision-affiliated television station serving Fort Myers, Florida, United States that is licensed to Naples. Locally owned by Sun Broadcasting, it is sister to two other Naples-licensed stations: CW affiliate WXCW (channel 46) and low-powered Azteca América affiliate WANA-LD (channel 18). Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, which owns Fort Myers-licensed CBS affiliate WINK-TV (channel 11), operates WUVF, WXCW and WANA under a shared services agreement (SSA). The four stations share studios on Palm Beach Boulevard (SR 80) in northeast Fort Myers; WUVF-LD's transmitter is located on Channel 30 Drive (on a tower shared with several radio stations).

WUVF-LD

Naples/Fort Myers, Florida United States
City	Naples, Florida
Channels	Digital: 18 (UHF) Virtual: 2 (PSIP)
Branding	Univision Southwest Florida
Programming
Affiliations	2.1: Univision 2.2: UniMás
Ownership
Owner	Sun Broadcasting, Inc.
Operator	Fort Myers Broadcasting Company (via SSA)
Sister stations	WANA-LD, WINK-TV, WXCW
History
First air date
Former call signs	W02CB (until 1996) WTIG-LP (1996–2004) WSFU-CA (2004) WUVF-CA (2004–2009)
Call sign meaning	W UniVision Florida
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	191422
Class	LD
ERP	15 kW
HAAT	215 m (705 ft)
Translator(s)	WLZE-LD 51 (20 UHF) Fort Myers
Links
Public license information	Profile LMS
Website	www.dlatinos.com/univision

WLZE-LD
(translator of WUVF-LD)

Fort Myers, Florida United States
Channels	Digital: 20 (UHF) (to move to 27 (UHF)) Virtual: 51 (PSIP)
Branding	see WUVF-LD infobox
Programming
Subchannels	51.1: Univision 51.2: UniMás
Ownership
Owner	Sun Broadcasting, Inc.
Operator	Fort Myers Broadcasting Company (via SSA)
Sister stations	WANA-LD, WINK-TV, WXCW
History
First air date	July 12, 1995 (1995-07-12)
Former call signs	JD0415TW (1995) W65DF (1995–1998) WLZE-LP (1998–2012)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	41376
Class	LD
ERP	15 kW
HAAT	367 m (1,204 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	26°48′2.2″N 81°45′47.3″W
Links
Public license information	(translator of WUVF-LD) Profile LMS

The station's programming is simulcast on low-power translator station WLZE-LD (virtual channel 51, UHF digital channel 20) in Fort Myers, with transmitter north of Fort Myers Shores near the Charlotte–Lee county line.

History

On April 4, 2008, Equity Media Holdings announced the sale of all five of its Southwest Florida stations (including WUVF and WLZE) to Luken Communications for $8 million. Equity has cited corporate financial losses as a reason for the sale.[1] Equity Media Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2008;[2] offers by Luken Communications to acquire Equity-owned stations in six markets were later withdrawn.[3]

WUVF and WLZE were sold at auction to private equity firm Silver Point Capital on April 16, 2009.[4] The sale was finalized on August 17, 2009.[5] Following the purchase, WUVF surrendered its class A classification.

WLZE began to be carried on Dish Network on October 7, 2009; the satellite provider had earlier obtained WUVF's programming via sister station WEVU-CA (channel 4), which had served as a WUVF satellite since 2006 (and simulcast the 6 p.m. newscast for some time before adding the remainder of WUVF's schedule), that station was taken silent on August 14, 2009—three days before the completion of the sale to Silver Point.[6] SP Television reached a deal to sell WUVF and WLZE to Media Vista Group on December 21, 2012.[7]

On April 1, 2019, Media Vista Group announced that it was selling its stations, including WUVF-LD, to Sun Broadcasting, Inc. for $9.75 million.[8] The sale was completed on July 1.[9]

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP Short Name	Programming
2.1	1080i	16:9	WLZE-LD	Main WUVF-LD programming / Univision
2.2	480i		WLZE	UniMás

Newscasts

During the mid-2000s after joining Univision, WUVF began airing half-hour Spanish-language local newscasts at 6 and 11 p.m. The broadcasts were produced out Equity Media's headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, with news reports filed by reporters based in Southwest Florida. The newscasts were canceled in June 2008, after Equity instituted a companywide suspension of news programs as a cost-cutting measure.[10] Local News returned to the station in 2013 as part of the D'Latinos program, produced and aired locally by Media Vista.

References

1. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6548102.html
2. Larson, Erik (December 8, 2008). "Equity Media, U.S. TV Station Owner, Seeks Bankruptcy". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
3. Equity's Management Cause of Downfall, Former CEO Asserts, Mark Hengel, Arkansas Business, February 2, 2009
4. "Takers found for 60 Equity stations". Television Business Report. April 18, 2009. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
5. "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 19, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
6. "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 22, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
7. Seyler, Dave (January 16, 2013). "Fleet of Univision-affiliated LPTVs sold". Television Business Report. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
8. "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, 4 April 2019, Retrieved 4 July 2019.
9. "Consummation Notice", CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, 2 July 2019, Retrieved 4 July 2019.
10. Wadsworth, Chris (2008-06-16). "MEDIA MATTERS: NBC2 hires two traffic anchors". The News-Press. Retrieved 2008-06-19.

External links

• Official website
• Facebook -- Univisión SW Florida
• WUVF in the FCC's TV station database
• WLZE in the FCC's TV station database