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| | The station did not offer much local content, serving largely as a "pass-through" for ABC programming. It did produce a [[Public affairs (broadcasting)|public affairs]] show, ''Community Edition'', hosted by Stan Allen. | | The station did not offer much local content, serving largely as a "pass-through" for ABC programming. It did produce a [[Public affairs (broadcasting)|public affairs]] show, ''Community Edition'', hosted by Stan Allen. |
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| − | ===First tenure with NBC===
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| − | In December 1958, Knuckel Newspapers sold the construction permit for the channel 17 permit to Angola Television Corporation (owner of WIWR in Rockeford, Illiniois).<ref>?? </ref> In January 1961 the station was renamed '''WPMA'''<ref> ?? </ref> after the maiden name, Pamela Marie Andersen, of Angola Television Corporation owner Lowell Knuckle's future wife .<ref> ?? </ref>
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| − | The station finally signed on again August 22, 1961.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} Before 1961, NBC programming came to Fort Wayne by way of off-hours clearances on CBS affiliate WFTW (channel 6, now an NBC affiliate). In addition, viewers could watch the full NBC schedule on WEVI in Indinapolis and WSBI in South Bend, both of which decently covered Fort Wayne. Under these circumstances, NBC initially balked at giving even a secondary affiliation to WPMA. Another consideration may have been that many Fort Wayne viewers didn't have UHF-capable sets at the time. The FCC had just required television set manufacturers to include [[wikipedia:All-Channel Receiver Act|all-channel tuning]] in 1964.
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| − | In 1961, WPMA began running NBC primetime shows and sports, plus any daytime shows that WEVI or WSBI preempted or WFTW (until 1971) did not carry.
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| − | ===As an ABC affiliate===
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| − | By the mid 1980's, NBC had become the nation's most-watched network (with shows such as ''Cheers'') and was unhappy with the South Bend–Fort Wayne-Indianapolis arrangement. WSBI and WEVI were both preempting decent amounts of daytime programming, late night shows, and some of the Saturday morning cartoons. NBC wanted a station in Fort Wayne that could run its whole schedule and be able to reach South Bend and Indianapolis. It also wanted a station that had local news. Although the station did eventually launch a news department, it was not enough to save its affiliation with NBC.
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| − | In late 1983, NBC began talks with WMRI (then WFAZ), which provided at least grade B coverage from southern Michigan all the way to Indianapolis. The two sides quickly reached a deal, which called for NBC to move its Fort Wayne affiliation to WFAZ when WPMA's contract ran out at the end of June 1984. The change took effect on July 2, 1984. Almost by default, WPMA was then left to take the ABC affiliation. As a condition of signing up with ABC, WPMA cleared ABC's entire schedule.
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| − | Even with the affiliation swap, it remained in the ratings basement. ABC also lost [[wikipedia:media market|market]] share in the Fort Wayne area to stronger affiliates broadcasting on channel 2 in South Bend (WSBL now [[WTXI-FTV|WTXI]], which has a city-grade signal in Fort Wayne and a Grade B signal as far west as Columbia City and Huntington{{ndash}}ABC later moved to [[WXSB-FTV|WXSB]] in 1987 and has since returned to WTXI in 2009) and Dayton ([[WJDO-FTV|WJDO]], who has a Grade B signal as far west as [[wikipedia:Van Wert, Ohio|Van Wert, Ohio]]). Since WPMA already had to compete in its own market with WFAZ and then-[[wikipedia:CBS|CBS]] affiliate WFTW it found the going rather difficult.
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| − | In 1984, the Angola Television group sold WPMA to Koala Media. Koala invested millions in new equipment, updated the on-air look, and hired almost a completely new staff. Ratings improved, but WPMA remained a distant third in the ratings behind WFAZ (channel 36, now ABC affiliate [[WMRI-FTV|WMRI]] channel 9) and WFTW (channel 6, now an NBC affiliate). In some cases, it even fell to fourth place in the local ratings behind then-Fox station, WPMU (channel 41, now CBS affiliate [[WTOR-FTV|WTOR]]). However, WPMA was ahead of independent station WRDS (channel 47, [[WXXC (FDT)|WXXC]])
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| − | ===Rejoining NBC===
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| − | On January 3, 2005, WMRI again took the opportunity to sign up with the more popular network, dropping NBC to switch back to ABC. WNDI took the NBC affiliation, and had run the entire NBC schedule. Only a year after becoming an NBC affiliate again, the station and all other X2 Broadcasting-owned NBC affiliates (including sister WTSB in South Bend and WQLI in Lafayette) as well as another NBC affiliate in nearby Detroit (now a Fox O&O) preempted the the controversial NBC dramedy series ''[[wikipedia:The Book of Daniel (television)|The Book of Daniel]]''. Due to poor ratings and affiliates in other markets also choosing to pre-empt the program, NBC canceled the show after only three episodes. That decision landed X2 Broadcasting at the center of a mild controversy fueling the debate over whether the context of such material should be considered.
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| − | ===Losing NBC===
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| − | WNDI ceased broadcasting at 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2015 after more than 50 years on the air;<ref>WNDI to end broadcasting, WMRI, October 7, 2015.</ref> this is due to the X2 Broadcasting's decision to exit broadcasting and did not find a new owner on time.
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| − | On May 22, 2015 United Broadcasting and NBC announced CW affiliate [[WFTW-FTV|WFTW]] would become the new [[wikipedia:NBC|NBC]] affiliate for the Fort Wayne market effective November 1, 2015. The affiliation switch came nearly a month after X2 Broadcasting announced it was closing down channel 7, and after NBC announced it would end their 67-year affiliation with its WFTW's Denver sister station ([[KIAA-FTV|KIAA]]) and moved to [[KZCO-FTV|KZCO]] (which is owned by and of which rival WTOR (channel 41) and WXXC (channel 47) is the flagship duopoly of NoSirGifts Fantasy Television Stations).
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| | + | WKDH ceased broadcasting at 11:59 p.m. on August 31, 2012 after more than 11 years on the air;<ref>[http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/WKDH-to-end-broadcasting/WfhwZhMkiEGpmKF5TSYu3w.cspx?rss=2377&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed WKDH to end broadcasting], [[WTVA]], August 7, 2012.</ref> this is due to the Spain family's decision not to renew its LMA with Southern Broadcasting. The ABC affiliation for the Columbus-Tupelo-West Point market moved to the [[WTVA-DT2|second digital subchannel]] of WTVA;<ref name=tvnc-wtvaabc>{{cite news|title=ABC Getting New Outlet In Columbus-Tupelo|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/61822/abc-getting-new-outlet-in-columbustupelo|accessdate=August 28, 2012|newspaper=TVNewsCheck|date=August 28, 2012}}</ref> before this announcement, Comcast had planned to import an out-of-market ABC affiliate.<ref>[http://djournal.com/view/full_story/19743073/article-ABC-affiliate-to-go-off-air?instance=home_news_bullets Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: "ABC affiliate to go off air", August 9, 2012.]</ref> Though a sale of the station was explored, the only buyer found pulled out of the deal,<ref name=fcc-wkdhsale?>{{cite web|last=Harding|first=Kevin R.|title=Re: WKDH-DT…|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=36231|format=PDF|date=September 27, 2012|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|accessdate=February 8, 2013}}</ref> and on January 31, 2013 Southern Broadcasting surrendered the WKDH license to the [[Federal Communications Commission]], which canceled it on February 7.<ref name=fcc-wkdhrip>{{cite web|last=Harding|first=Kevin R.|title=In Re: BLCDT-20070205ADK WKDH(TV)…|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=38794|format=PDF|date=February 7, 2013|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|accessdate=February 8, 2013}}</ref> |
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| | ==References== | | ==References== |
| | {{reflist}} | | {{reflist}} |
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| | ==External links== | | ==External links== |
