WRTV (New Jersey)

WRTV

Company type	Television broadcaster
Industry	Broadcasting
Founded	January 22, 1954 (1954-01-22)
Defunct	April 1, 1955 (1955-04-01)
Fate	Ceased broadcasting; construction permit later sold
Headquarters	Asbury Park , United States
Products	Television broadcasting (UHF channel 58)
Owner	Walter Reade Organization

WRTV was a television broadcaster transmitting on channel 58 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, under the ownership of the Walter Reade Organization. Functioning as an independent outlet from January 22, 1954, until April 1, 1955, it sought to obtain a VHF channel allocation that ultimately did not come to fruition. During the 1960s, Reade pursued relocating the unlaunched station from Asbury Park's channel 58 to channel 68 in Newark, New Jersey. This move was considered a new application; it received approval in 1970, but the permit was sold prior to any transmissions.

History

In October 1952, the Federal Communications Commission issued a construction permit to Atlantic Video Corporation, led by Walter Reade, Jr., authorizing a UHF station on channel 58 in Asbury Park.<ref> Initial plans positioned the studios within Reade's Savoy Theatre chain.<ref> Although originally assigned the call sign WCEE, the permit was changed to WRTV in February 1953 to better reflect the Walter Reade brand.<ref>

Construction commenced on August 15, 1953, at the Eatontown Drive-In—another property owned by Reade—replacing the initial Savoy studio concept.<ref> Reade pledged to deliver independent programming with a focus on community interests and enhanced picture quality relative to New York City stations.<ref> There were intentions to eventually move operations into larger facilities located in Asbury Park.<ref>

WRTV initiated test pattern transmissions on December 14, 1953,<ref> with its official programming debut, "Walter Reade Theater of the Air," occurring on January 22, 1954.<ref name="debut"> Broadcasting from a tower that stood as Monmouth County's tallest structure at the time, it offered five hours of daily content featuring films and locally produced shows.<ref> Participation included local entities such as four high schools and Rutgers University, which contributed full broadcast days.<ref>

Despite early achievements, growth was hindered by UHF limitations—most notably the absence of mandatory UHF tuners in television sets until 1964. On January 13, 1955, Reade filed a petition seeking allocation of VHF channel 8 in Asbury Park to broaden audience reach and enhance sponsorship opportunities, emphasizing WRTV's extensive live and local programming.<ref name="wants"> However, FCC frequency allocation restrictions complicated this effort.<ref>

In March 1955, existing channel 8 stations WGAL-TV (Lancaster) and WNHC-TV (New Haven) opposed WRTV's proposal due to potential interference issues.<ref> Consequently, on March 24, WRTV requested authorization to suspend UHF operations by April 1 while awaiting FCC evaluation of its VHF application.<ref> The station ceased broadcasting at 9:05 p.m. on April 1, 1955.<ref>

The station’s construction permit remained valid for several years. In November 1964, the FCC mandated that inactive UHF stations like WRTV either commence broadcasting or forfeit their permits.<ref> The permit was maintained. Subsequently, the Reade Organization applied to transfer WRTV from Asbury Park’s channel 58 to Newark’s channel 68 with plans for a transmitter atop the Empire State Building.<ref> This proposal encountered opposition from New York independent station WPIX, citing violations of FCC regulations and proximity concerns with adjacent channels.<ref> In response, Reade revised its application to propose a transmitter site in West Orange.<ref>

On January 21, 1969, the FCC rescinded the original WRTV construction permit; the Newark proposal was treated as an entirely new application.<ref name="wfuthc"> Although the WRTV call letters were retained during an appeal process, they were ultimately reassigned in 1972 to an Indianapolis NBC affiliate acquired by McGraw-Hill.<ref>

The Newark permit received new call letters WWRO on October 5, 1970.<ref> In 1972, Reade sold this permit to Blonder Tongue Labs for subscription television ventures.<ref> Meanwhile, channel 58 was reactivated in New Jersey in 1973 as part of a public television network licensed to New Brunswick. This station now operates as NJ PBS, broadcasting digitally on channel 8 while maintaining virtual channel designation 58.