WHPS-CD
| Company type | Low-power Class A television station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Highland Park , United States |
Area served | Detroit metropolitan area, nationwide online streaming |
| Owner | HME Equity Fund II |
WHPS-CD (channel 15) operates as a low-power, Class A television broadcaster based in Detroit, Michigan, under the ownership of HME Equity Fund II. Its production facilities are situated in Highland Park near Woodward Avenue, while its transmission equipment is located in Detroit’s Weatherby neighborhood, sharing space with radio broadcasters WMUZ-FM and WCHB.
The station offers nationwide streaming online and is accessible on Roku as well as on Xfinity channel 91 within Highland Park, Hamtramck, and most areas of Detroit, excluding the southern portion of Boynton. Prior to December 4, 2014, the station—then known as W33BY—was the last analog television outlet operating in the Metro Detroit area. In April 2014, LocusPoint Networks began acquiring the station, integrating it alongside sister stations WDWO-CD (channel 18) and potentially WUDT-LD (channel 23). This transaction was finalized successfully.
Background
WHPS-CD holds the distinction of being Detroit’s first Black-owned television station following WGPR (channel 62, currently WWJ-TV) becoming a CBS affiliate. The station was under the ownership of R. J. Watkins until 2015. Watkins also produced and hosted The New Dance Show, a dance program that aired from 1988 to 1996 on WGPR-TV before relocating to WHPS-CD in 1995; reruns of this show continue to be broadcast during evening hours.
Programming at WHPS-CD mainly consists of interactive talk shows—often simulcast from radio—along with fashion-related content, televangelistic broadcasts, paid advertisements, and a children’s series titled K.E.Y.S. Kids, which encourages drug-free living.
In addition to WHPS-CD, Watkins’ radio stations WHPR-FM and WVIE (located in the U.S. Virgin Islands) are available for streaming online and can be viewed on Roku devices. Since November 2015, WVIE-FM has been simulcast on digital subchannel 33.3 while WHPR-FM airs on subchannel 33.2; by December 2015, subchannel 33.4 replaced its prior programming with The Dream Network.
History
The station initially launched as W68CH on channel 68 in early 1995, branding itself first as "TNVC-Channel 68" and later as "UHF 68, Highland Park." It switched to W33BY in November 2001 and operated both channels simultaneously until August 2002 when they began airing distinct programming schedules. Channel 68 ceased broadcasting in September 2003. Although TVguide.com listed the station with separate programming from W33BY as late as July 2006, current FCC records show no active channel 68 listings for Detroit, and local reports confirm it has been off-air for an extended period.
A construction permit was filed to convert channel 33 to digital broadcasting at a power level of 4 kW from its Highland Park location; this permit expired on September 1, 2015, coinciding with the FCC’s deadline for low-power stations to complete their digital transition. The station completed its digital conversion on December 4, 2014, and was granted its digital license on January 29, 2015.
Following the switch to digital transmission, W33BY introduced four subchannels: primary channel 33.1 broadcast in 720p resolution while three additional subchannels aired in standard definition (480i) with a 4:3 aspect ratio. On November 7, 2015, subchannel 33.3 began simulcasting WVIE along with a caption reading "W33BY DETROIT." WHPR-FM was added to subchannel 33.2 the following day; The Dream Network was launched on subchannel 33.4 but reverted back to mirroring channel 33.1 by May 2016. The station adopted its current call sign WHPS-CD on August 3, 2018.
Subchannels
The broadcast signal is divided into multiple streams:
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Identifier | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WHPSCD- | Mariavision |
| 15.2 | 480i | HlyFld | iHolyField TV | |
| 15.3 | ShopLC | Shop LC | ||
| 15.4 | Retro | Retro TV | ||
| 15.5 | Hland | Heartland | ||
| 15.6 | JTV | Jewelry TV |
Following the FCC's incentive auction process, W33BY-D shifted its frequency allocation to UHF channel 15 and rebranded as WHPS-CD; it was initially proposed under the call sign W15EC-D.