WPMI-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WPMI-TV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Mobile, Alabama/Pensacola, Florida | |
| Branding | NBC 15 |
| Channels | Analog: 15 (UHF) Digital: 47 (UHF)(pre-transition; will move back to 15 on February 17, 2009. |
| Affiliations | NBC NBC Weather Plus (DT2) |
| Owner | Newport Television, LLC |
| First air date | March 12, 1982 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Pensacola Mobile Independent |
| Sister station(s) | WJTC |
| Former callsigns | WPMI (1982-2004) |
| Former affiliations | independent (1982-1986) Fox (1986-1996) |
| Transmitter Power | 5000 kW (analog) 1000 kW (digital) |
| Height | 563 m (analog) 558 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 11906 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.nbc15online.com |
WPMI is the NBC-affiliated television station for South Alabama and much of the Emerald Coast of Florida. Licensed to Mobile, the station broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 15 and a digital signal on UHF channel 47. WPMI's transmitter is located near Robertsdale. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications as part of a duopoly with independent station WJTC. Its studios are located on Azalea Road near Interstate 65 in west Mobile. WPMI is known on air as "NBC 15".
WPMI airs NBC Weather Plus on its DT2 digital subchannel. It is also offered on Comcast digital cable channel 194, Cox Communications cable channel 716, and via live streaming video on the WPMI website. The channel is known on-air as "NBC 15 Weather Plus".
[edit] History
WPMI began operation on March 12, 1982 as Alabama's first independent station. It was owned by Hess Broadcasting and ran a general entertainment format consisting of cartoons, westerns, classic sitcoms, old movies, drama shows, and religious programming.
In 1985, WPMI was sold to Michigan Energy Resources; the sale did not affect programming practices, however. By that time WPMI was getting stronger programming, such as more recent cartoons and more recent network sitcom reruns. In 1987, WPMI became a charter FOX affiliate.
In January 1989, MER sold WPMI to Clear Channel Communications, better known to the public for its extensive radio interests (well over 1000 radio stations). At the time, however, Clear Channel owned only a dozen radio stations. WPMI became Clear Channel's first entry into the television business. Clear Channel bought several more television stations later in 1989, in other similarly sized markets.
In the early 1990's, Clear Channel purchased all the assets of rival WJTC Channel 44, except for its broadcast license. Then, the company began buying time on WJTC, running shows that it could not fit onto WPMI's schedule. This deal became known as a Local Marketing Agreement, which became a common practice at that time.
In 1995, Fox formed SF Broadcasting with Savoy and bought three NBC affiliates and an ABC affiliate; one of the NBC stations was local rival WALA. So, on January 1, 1996, the FOX and NBC networks switched stations in the market: WALA became a Fox affiliate, and WPMI became an NBC affiliate. WALA carried Fox Kids programming as well in the 1:00pm-4:00pm slot.
After this, the syndicated cartoons and most of the off-network sitcoms would move to LMA partner WJTC, which also had become a UPN affiliate in January 1995. WPMI began to place more first-run syndicated programs in its off-network and non-newscast slots. It also added early morning, midday, evening, and late newscasts; the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts sandwich NBC News, which airs at 5:30 p.m.
On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Providence Equity Partners.[1]
On February 17, 2009 WPMI will cease analog broadcasting on channel 15. Its digital signal will move from channel 47 to channel 15.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- NBC15's official website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WPMI
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WPMI-TV
|
|||||
|
||||||||
