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WITV (Florida)

From Alfawiki
WITV
Company typePrivate
IndustryBroadcasting
Founded1953
Defunct1958
FateCeased operations; transmitter acquired by Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Headquarters
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
,
United States
ProductsTelevision broadcasting
OwnerGerico Investment Company

WITV (channel 17) was a television station based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Owned by Gerico Investment Company, it became the third television broadcaster in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale market and the fourth in the South Florida region, operating from December 1953 until May 1958. The station’s difficulties mirrored the widespread challenges faced by ultra high frequency (UHF) broadcasters prior to the implementation of the All-Channel Receiver Act, further complicated by the introduction of two additional VHF stations in Miami during 1956 and 1957. Eventually, the WITV transmitter was acquired by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which reactivated channel 17 as Miami-based WLRN-TV in 1962.

History

Following the end of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) freeze on television applications in 1948, channels 17 and 23 were assigned to Fort Lauderdale. On July 30, 1952, the FCC granted channel 23 to radio broadcaster WFTL and channel 17 to Gerico Investment.[1] Gerico, a local business consortium, enhanced its television expertise when Mortimer Loewi, formerly an executive at DuMont Television Network, joined early in 1953.[2] Construction commenced that autumn with studios established in Hollywood Ridge Farms and a transmitter positioned at Hallandale.[3] WITV secured network affiliations with DuMont and ABC,[4] although primary network programming rights remained with regional VHF station WTVJ (channel 4).Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name The station officially began broadcasting on December 1, 1953, with a ninety-minute inaugural program.[5]

In early 1954, former Florida governor Fuller Warren joined WITV as a political analyst and hosted a weekly news commentary segment.[6][7][8]

By August 1954, WITV and WFTL-TV sought to merge their operations to consolidate UHF broadcasting efforts amid networks’ preference for VHF outlets.[9] Reports suggested WITV would acquire WFTL-TV with channel 17 remaining active,[10] but negotiations ultimately broke down over operational disagreements.[11] Subsequently, Storer Broadcasting purchased WFTL-TV and combined it with Miami’s WMIE-TV permit to create WGBS-TV on channel 23.[12][13]

In 1957, WITV petitioned to transition to Miami’s newly assigned channel 6, arguing that the FCC’s allocation reduced local UHF service availability. This request faced opposition from co-channel broadcasters in Orlando (WDBO-TV) and Havana (CMQ-TV).[14] The FCC denied WITV’s application for channel 6 and also rejected bids for channels 7 and 10 due to prior licensing disputes.[15] The station’s position further weakened when WGBS-TV ceased operations in April 1957; its equipment was acquired by National Airlines’ Public Service Television division, which launched WPST-TV on channel 10 that August—capturing ABC affiliation from WITV.[16]

Thereafter, WITV curtailed its broadcast schedule to just 28 hours per week,[17] continuing until it ended transmissions on May 11, 1958; owner Loewi was reportedly unavailable for comment.[18] Although local media reported the shutdown promptly, official acknowledgment from the FCC and industry publications took over a month.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Bill Bayer, who served as WITV’s news director since its inception, moved to WPST-TV and brought his Sunday night political debate program along.[19]

Channel 17 Following WITV

Gerico maintained ownership of the construction permit, retaining the possibility to either sell or reactivate the station at a later time, while continuing to absorb its financial deficits. In July 1958, American Research Bureau, Sterling Television Co., and TelePrompTer Corporation initiated legal action seeking to compel Gerico into involuntary bankruptcy. Federal bankruptcy court documents revealed that the company’s assets surpassed its liabilities by more than $200,000. Subsequently, in March 1959, the assets were auctioned off, with the Lunar Corporation acquiring the former transmitter location and negotiating its utilization for educational television purposes.

In 1959, the Dade County school board purchased the property for $200,000 and obtained permission to relocate its educational broadcaster, WTHS-TV, from Miami. This relocation extended the station’s coverage area beyond Dade County to also include Broward and Palm Beach counties.

By 1960, the school board sought to reactivate channel 17 for educational broadcasting, capitalizing on its possession of the previous WITV’s equipment and studio facilities. The FCC scheduled this application for a hearing alongside WITV’s license renewal process in 1961. An FCC hearing examiner ruled in favor of the school board’s proposal, resulting in channel 17 being reassigned from Fort Lauderdale to Miami and designated exclusively for noncommercial use to centralize operations at the Miami studios.

WSEC-TV—renamed WLRN-TV in 1973—commenced program testing on June 26, 1962. This included transferring multiple high school courses from WTHS-TV and providing schools with UHF converter equipment.

References

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fort520731
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Miam530106
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fort531024
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fort531108
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fort531201
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named MiamiN19540504p9
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named MiamiN19540606p61
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named MiamiH19540711p73
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Miam540805
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Miam540804
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Miam540905
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fort541118
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fort541217
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Miam570614
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Miam580222
  16. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fort570616
  17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Miam580311
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Miam580511
  19. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named MiamiH19631117p185
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