WDLI-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WDLI-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding =
analog = 17 (UHF)
digital = 39 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = TBN
network =
founded =
airdate = January 1967 [The "Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook" says January 3, while the "Television and Cable Factbook" says January 1.]
location = Canton/Cleveland, Ohio
callsign_meaning = David
Livingstone
International(?)
"(previous owner, 1982-1986)"
former_callsigns = WJAN (1967-1983)
WDLI (1983-2003)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Trinity Broadcasting Network, Inc.
licensee =
sister_stations =
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 437 kW (analog)
200 kW (digital)
HAAT = 137 m (analog)
292 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 67893
coordinates = coord|40|51|4.6|N|81|16|34.9|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (analog)
coord|41|3|20.4|N|81|35|36.9|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (digital)
homepage = [http://www.tbn.org/ www.tbn.org]

WDLI-TV is a religious television station in Canton, Ohio, serving the Cleveland market on channel 17. WDLI-TV is an owned-and-operated station of the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

History

WDLI signed on in 1967 as WJAN, a local independent owned by Janson Industries, offering a typical slate of local and syndicated programming. In its early years, they broadcasted in black and white only, as they couldn't afford color equipment, though most of the shows were not color anyway.

In 1971, the station began color broadcasts. At that time, the availability of religious programming was increasing. They began broadcasting such programming a few hours a day. The station was broadcasting from 1:00 p.m. to Midnight daily by 1973. The station continued to struggle. When WKBF Channel 61 went dark and its owners combined assets onto newly acquired 43 WUAB, WJAN was unable to acquire any of the shows not airing on WUAB except for some religious shows. Beginning in 1974, WJAN added PTL Club and 700 Club to its daily schedule and began broadcasting religious shows nearly full-time.

In August 1977, Janson sold WJAN to televangelist Jim Bakker, founder of the "PTL Club". Under Bakker, WJAN officially became a full-time 24 hour Christian station. The station dropped the 700 Club and added more PTL produced programming.

Bakker sold WJAN to the David Livingstone Missionary Foundation in December 1982; shortly afterward, its calls were changed to its current call letters, WDLI-TV. The station continued broadcasting the satellite PTL Network full-time.

Four years later, in March 1986, Livingstone sold WDLI to its present owners, the Trinity Broadcasting Network. At that point, PTL programming was dropped in favor of Trinity Broadcasting Programming full-time.

Soon after Trinity Broadcasting Network purchased WDLI, TBN also purchased some acreage in the city of Norton, Ohio with hopes to relocate WDLI transmitters from Louisville, Ohio (Canton) closer to the Cleveland Market. Unfortunately an available allocation in Canada on CH17 Fequencies within the 100 mile limit kept TBN from being able to relocate until the transition to Digital TV. With the digital transition, over ten years later, TBN was able to build a new offices and studio along with the digital transmitter on the property, and operating the former WJAN transmitters remotely via microwave until the FCC order to end analogue tv transmition.

The WDLI-DT digital signal is actually located in the western part of the Akron area, in order to better serve the entire Cleveland TV market. WDLI has applied to move its analog signal to the same location, though the application may not see approval due to the upcoming digital TV transition in 2009. At the transition, WDLI will retain its digital channel position of 39.

Affiliated translator stations

WDLI's analog signal is retransmitted on W52DS in Youngstown, as well as W51BI serving Geauga, Lake, and eastern Cuyahoga counties from a site in Kirtland.

External links

* [http://www.tbn.org/ TBN website]
*TVQ|WDLI
**TVQ|W52DS
**TVQ|W51BI
*BIA|WDLI|TV|TV

References