WBPA-LD

WBPA-LD is a television station on channel 12 (virtual channel 30) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned by Venture Technologies Group.

WBPA-LD
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
United States
ChannelsDigital: 12 (VHF)
Virtual: 30
Programming
Affiliations
  • 30.1 Rev'n
  • 30.2 Action Channel
  • 30.3 The Family Channel
Ownership
OwnerVenture Technologies Group
History
First air date
1989 (1989)
Former call signs
W29AH (1989–1995)
WTWB-LP (1995)
WBPA-LP (1995–2020)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
29 (UHF, 1995–2004)
30 (UHF, 2005–2019)
Call sign meaning
"WB Pennsylvania", from stint as WB affiliate
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID10185
ERP15 kW
Transmitter coordinates40°26′46.2″N 79°57′50.2″W
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS

History

On January 14, 1988, the Federal Communications Commission granted a construction permit to Channel 29 Associates of Calabasas, California—owned by Venture founder Lawrence Rogow—for a new low-power TV station on channel 29 at Pittsburgh, W29AH. The station began test broadcasts late in 1989, airing programming from the Video Jukebox Network.[1]

After five years of running music videos, channel 29 found a new calling in January 1995, when The WB launched. W29AH was intended to serve as one half of a simulcast with Johnstown's WTWB-TV channel 19, filling the largest missing market gap for the new network.[2] W29AH became WTWB-LP on June 1, 1995, and WBPA-LP on December 15. Channels 19 and 29 became the new UPN affiliate in 1998 when that network's former outlet, WPTT channel 22, switched to The WB (with WTWB-TV becoming WNPA); they briefly were independents due to lawsuits surrounding that station's change.[3][4]

Venture sold channel 19 to the Paramount Stations Group late in 1998, making it a network owned-and-operated station and splitting it from WBPA-LP.[5] For several months, the two continued simulcasting.[6] In the early 2000s, WBPA-LP moved to channel 30.

In 2012, Venture sought to build digital facilities for WBPA-LP on channel 6, utilizing hybrid analog-digital technology to turn it into a "Franken-FM" station with audio on 87.7 MHz. The FCC denied this proposal on technical grounds with the standard that the company proposed for WBPA and a station in Lubbock, Texas.[7]

WBPA-LP was displaced during the repack by Class A station WPTG-CD and applied to move to channel 12 and convert to digital. The station went silent to allow WPTG-CD to move in 2019, but delays from the COVID–19 pandemic, the availability of transmitter installers, and a contracted electrician's foot operation set the reconstruction of WBPA back enough that Venture had to apply for a waiver to avoid automatic license cancellation.[8] The facility was completed in late October, when a license to cover was filed.[9]

Subchannels
Channel Video Aspect PSIP short name Programming
30.1 480i 4:3 Rev'n
30.2 Action Channel
30.3 The Family Channel

References
  1. Weiskind, Ron (December 7, 1989). "Johnson agrees to seven-year WPXI contract". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 22. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. Weiskind, Ron (January 19, 1995). "Local stations air new network". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C-3. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  3. Vancheri, Barbara (August 29, 1997). "TV station revamping programming, call letters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. A-11. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  4. "'Voyager' warps to new local UPN affiliate". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 17, 1998. p. C-9. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  5. "Paramount Stations has purchased UPN's Pittsburgh affiliate, WNPA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 10, 1998. p. F-8. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  6. "Risqué 'Happy Hour' debuts tonight on USA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 3, 1999. p. D-9. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  7. "Pittsburgh 'Franken-FM' Request Denied". 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  8. "Request for Silent Authority of an Analog LPTV Station Application (LMS 121649)". September 14, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  9. "License To Cover for LPTV Station Application (LMS 125159)". October 28, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
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