WZTD-LD
| |
Richmond, Virginia United States | |
---|---|
Branding | Telemundo Richmond |
Channels |
Digital: 45 (UHF) (to move to 34 (UHF)) Virtual: 45 (PSIP) |
Subchannels | 45.1 Telemundo (O&O) |
Owner |
NBCUniversal (NBC Telemundo License LLC) |
Founded | December 9, 1991 |
Call letters' meaning |
W ZGS TelemunDo |
Former callsigns |
W61BZ (1991–2000) WKYV-LP (2000–2008) WZTD-LP (2008–2012) |
Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 61 (UHF, 1991–2000) 45 (UHF, 2000–2012) |
Former affiliations |
America's Store (2000–2006) Dark (2006–2007) |
Transmitter power | 15 kW |
Height | 189.2 m (621 ft) |
Class | LD |
Facility ID | 68490 |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°30′45″N 77°36′4.9″W / 37.51250°N 77.601361°W |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
WZTD-LD, virtual and UHF digital channel 45, is a low-powered, Telemundo owned-and-operated television station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, United States. The station is owned by the NBC Owned Television Stations subsidiary of NBCUniversal (itself a subsidiary of Comcast). WZTD's transmitter is located in Bon Air, Virginia.
History
The station was founded on December 9, 1991, as W61BZ on channel 61. On February 22, 2000, the call sign was changed to WKYV-LP to reflect the original location of license and then moved to channel 45. On July 21, 2000, Tiger Eye Broadcasting acquired the station and license from TV Broadcasters of Central Virginia. It became an affiliate of America's Store (a defunct shopping network owned by the Home Shopping Network) after the sale.
On August 15, 2006, the original station (W61BZ) officially signed off for technical reasons. That October, ZGS Communications purchased WKYV and five other stations from Tiger Eye Broadcasting for $2.15 million.[1][2] In mid-November 2007, the station returned to the air as a Telemundo affiliate[3] and changed its call sign to WZTD-LP on January 16, 2008.
During the morning of January 12, 2009, the station discontinued regular programming due to technical difficulties with its satellite system and service provider (Dish Network) caused by adverse weather conditions (showers and thunderstorms) the day before. That afternoon, the station temporarily switched to an English format from OnTV4U, a 24/7 infomercial network and returned to Telemundo programming on January 20, 2009 sometime after 2 p.m.
On January 16, 2010, the station aired the inauguration of Governor Robert "Bob" McDonnell live from the State Capitol in Spanish.[4] On April 25, 2010, the station began airing a limited amount of locally produced programs ranging from real estate to religious to law advice (none produced by WZTD).
On December 4, 2017, NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group announced its purchase of ZGS' 13 television stations, including WZTD-LD.[5] The sale was completed on February 1, 2018.[6]
WZTD-LD today
WZTD-LD is the first Hispanic television station in Central Virginia. Unlike some Telemundo affiliates, WZTD-LD does not broadcast local news. The station does not have a website and was not listed on the ZGS corporate website for some time after its acquisition. In fact, ZGS did not formally announce the station's launch until December 2009. Outside of its Telemundo programming, the station began airing a few local shows, starting on April 25, 2010. Telemundo Richmond is available over-the-air on channel 45, Comcast Cable channel 71 & 600 and Verizon Fios channel 20. On October 2012, WZTD became available in the nearby Tri-Cities area on Comcast Cable channel 151. Until December 2009, the station had no logo, so it used the station's ID on top of the hour moving from right to left across the top of the screen. It was discontinued as of November 2008 then brought back a little over year later in January 2010.
- WKYV/WZTD Station ID (November 2007-November 2008).
Digital television
Digital channel
Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[7] |
---|---|---|---|---|
45.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WZTD | Main WZTD-LD programming / Telemundo |
On the morning of September 5, 2012, it officially went to a low-power digital signal in HD on 45.1.
References
- ↑ "ZGS Communications TV stations deals". broadcastingcable.com. 2006-10-21. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
- ↑ "ZGS Communications acquires new TV stations". HispanicAd.com. 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2006-12-02.
- ↑ "Local TV Station to Air in Spanish / Telemundo Affiliate Set to Start By Next Year on Channel 45". Redorbit.com. 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ↑ "The official announcement of Telemundo affiliate launches in Richmond, Virginia". www.rbr.com. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ↑ Miller, Mark K. (December 4, 2017). "NBCU Adding ZGS Stations To Telemundo". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
- ↑ Tsoflias Siegel, Stephanie (February 1, 2018). "Telemundo Completes Acquisition of ZGS Communications". TVSpy. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WZTD-LD