WGLV (TV)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Defunct | 1957 |
| Fate | Ceased operations |
| Headquarters | Easton, Pennsylvania , United States |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
| Owner | Easton Publishing Company |
WGLV (channel 57) was a television station based in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States, that operated from August 1953 until October 1957. Owned by the Easton Publishing Company, which also published the Easton Express newspaper, the station aired content from both the ABC and the DuMont Television Network. As the second broadcaster in the Lehigh Valley, an area that briefly supported three local UHF stations, WGLV discontinued its transmissions on October 31, 1957. This shutdown was primarily influenced by power enhancements made by competing very high frequency (VHF) stations located in Philadelphia and New York City.
History
After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lifted its television station freeze in 1952 and established the UHF spectrum, four channels were allocated to the Lehigh Valley: two for Allentown, one for Bethlehem, and channel 57 for Easton. Easton Publishing modified its earlier application from channel 8 to channel 57. The FCC issued a construction permit on December 18, 1952.
Construction efforts commenced in early 1953. WGLV obtained network affiliations with ABC and DuMont, and erected a transmitter along with a temporary studio facility on Gaffney Hill in Williams Township. The station promised to deliver stronger signals compared to Philadelphia’s VHF outlets as well as provide regional news coverage. Broadcasting officially began on August 14, 1953. Notably, two days prior to launch, DuMont Laboratories showcased WGLV’s UHF signal reception on a television set located in New York City’s Empire State Building.
In January 1955, WGLV moved its studio operations from Gaffney Hill to a repurposed school building named "Television Center".
On October 31, 1957, both WGLV and Bethlehem’s NBC affiliate WLEV-TV ceased broadcasting simultaneously after obtaining FCC approval to suspend operations. WGLV attributed its closure to FCC regulations that rendered UHF stations nonviable within the market, especially following power increases granted to nearby VHF stations—despite being acknowledged by Variety as "one of the best equipped U[HF] stations in the country". The former studio premises were sold to two physicians from Easton in 1959.