WKLO-TV
| Company type | Television station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | October 18, 1953 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
| Defunct | April 20, 1954 |
| Fate | Ceased broadcasting |
| Headquarters | Louisville , United States |
Area served | Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area |
| Owner | Mid-America Broadcasting Company |
WKLO-TV (channel 21) was a television station located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, which operated from October 18, 1953, until April 20, 1954.
History
The radio broadcaster WKLO submitted an application for a television construction permit in 1947, shortly before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implemented a four-year moratorium on new station authorizations. The initial request was for channel 13; however, following the freeze, Louisville was allocated only two VHF channels. Consequently, WKLO pursued a license for UHF channel 21 instead. Ownership by Mid-America Broadcasting Company secured the permit on November 26, 1952.
Although there were original plans to erect a transmission tower in downtown Louisville, WKLO ultimately established its antenna at Floyds Knobs in New Albany, Indiana, adjacent to the mast used by WAVE-TV. The station joined the ABC network and also broadcast select programs from the DuMont Television Network. Test transmissions commenced on September 7, 1953, with regular programming launching on October 18.
Operating as the third station—and the sole UHF outlet—in a market dominated by two VHF channels, WKLO-TV struggled with limited signal reach and low consumer uptake of UHF converters; only approximately 70,000 to 80,000 of the area’s 330,000 television sets were equipped to receive UHF signals. This resulted in advertiser hesitation to purchase airtime, ultimately prompting WKLO-TV to discontinue broadcasting on April 20, 1954. Mid-America retained ownership of the permit and pursued efforts to introduce a third VHF channel to Louisville by petitioning for reassignment of channel 13 from Bowling Green and later attempting to transfer channel 7 from Evansville. Despite a favorable FCC decision in 1958 and changing the call sign to WEZI, these initiatives did not succeed.
In 1964, the FCC pressured Mid-America to activate WEZI or risk forfeiting the permit. The following year, Mid-America sold it to South Central Broadcasting, owners of Knoxville’s WTVK and several radio stations in Evansville. With WLKY already operating as Kentuckiana’s third commercial station since 1961, South Central proposed that channel 21 serve as an independent station or become affiliated with a potential fourth network. These plans included constructing a tower at Floyds Knobs; however, this was denied by the FAA due to height restrictions. Consequently, WEZI was never reestablished.
In 1977, WDRB (channel 41) sought approval to move to channel 21 but encountered competition from Word Broadcasting Network. An administrative law judge initially ruled in favor of Word Broadcasting in 1981; however, this decision was later overturned by an FCC review board. When WDRB changed ownership in 1983, the new management abandoned the channel 21 relocation proposal, paving the way for WBNA’s launch in 1986.
