WUDT-CA

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WUDT-CA
city = Detroit
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = Univision Detroit
analog = 23 (UHF)
digital = 8 (VHF) (CP)
other_chs =
affiliations = Univision
founded = January 4, 1989
location = Detroit, Michigan
callsign_meaning = W
Univision
DeTroit
former_callsigns = W05BN (1989–1995)
WBXD-LP (1995–2002)
WBXD-CA (2002–2004)
owner = Equity Media Holdings
licensee = EBC Detroit, Inc.
former_affiliations = The Box (1989–2000)
MTV2 (2000–2004)
effective_radiated_power = 50 kW Analog
HAAT =
class = Class A Television Station (-CA)
nowrap|Digital Low-Power TV Station (-LD)
facility_id = 70421
coordinates = 42° 19' 45.00" N LAT
83° 02' 25.00" W LON
(Site in Canadian Border Zone)
homepage = [http://www.wudt23.com www.wudt23.com]

WUDT-CA, in Detroit, Michigan, is a low-power affiliate of the Univision Spanish-language television network. It operates as a Class-A station on channel 23, owned and operated by Equity Media Holdings Corporation, and is branded as "Univision Detroit". WUDT-CA is the first Spanish-language television station to take to the air in the state of Michigan since the early 1980s (K66BV, now W66BV, Detroit's TBN network translator), as well as one of only three Univision network stations (with KUNS-TV in Seattle and Univision O&O WQHS-TV in Cleveland) in markets bordering Canada.

Univision's over-the-air presence in Detroit makes Detroit/Windsor the only market in the United States or Canada with terrestrial stations in English, Spanish and French -- the French station is Radio-Canada affiliate CBEFT on channel 54, which rebroadcasts Toronto's CBLFT.

Technical & Service Information

The station's master control is remotely originated via satellite from Equity's headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas; Equity maintains a local news and advertising sales office at 5600 King Street in Troy. The station appears to have limited backup signal transmission arrangements; during several instances of bad weather, the WUDT-CA transmitter has sent simply a black screen or "NO SIGNAL" message.

On March 28, 2007, Comcast added WUDT to its Detroit lineup on channel 65, replacing the network's national East Coast feed, which had been carried since the 1980s when Comcast in the Detroit area was known as Barden Cablevision, and when Univision was known as Spanish International Network (SIN). [ [http://www.univisiondetroit.com/portada/6733621.html Univision/WUDT23 ahora en Comcast | Univision - WUDT 23 Detroit | Portada] ] However, it is still not available on WOW! Detroit, Bright House Livonia or Cogeco Windsor; WOW offers the national feed instead, however, Bright House does not have the station or the network on any of its lineups in Livonia, Farmington, Novi or Redford. [ [http://michigan.mybrighthouse.com/products_and_pricing/digital_cable/channel_lineup/default.aspx Channel Lineup - Bright House Networks Michigan] ] Cogeco Windsor doesn't carry the network or the station due to restrictions set by the CRTC.

The station operates with an Effective Radiated Power of only 50 kilowatts with a directional antenna, covering the immediate Detroit and Windsor areas, plus large parts of southern Oakland and Macomb counties and small portions of Wayne and Essex counties.

History

The station took to the air on January 4, 1989, as low-power W05BN on channel 5. It then became WBXD-LP on September 1, 1995, and would later be acquired by Viacom in 2000, with the MTV2 music television network affiliation -- all of the properties have since gone to the new CBS Corporation after CBS and Viacom went their own separate ways, Viacom did keep MTV2. CBS is responsible for Detroit's only duopoly, CW affiliate WKBD 50 and CBS UHF flagship WWJ-TV 62. CBS also owns radio stations WWJ-AM 950, WXYT 1270 AM with simulcasts on WXYT-FM 97.1, WVMV 98.7 FM, WYCD 99.5 FM, and WOMC 104.3 FM.

On January 30, 2001, the station moved to channel 35 and then to channel 23 on July 12, 2001. Then on June 27, 2002, the station began operating at Class-A status.

Viacom later sold WBXD-CA to Equity Broadcasting, who then proceeded to rename the station WUDT-CA. The station went from MTV2 to Univision in a matter of hours. This move occurred on November 18, 2004. Again as mentioned, Viacom and CBS split very late in 2005. Viacom kept MTV2, but all the broadcast assets went to CBS Corporation. In 2007, Equity Broadcasting was renamed Equity Media Holdings Corporation.

News

From about 2005 until June 2008, the station presented a nightly newscast, produced and anchored in Denver, Colorado, with stories produced in the Detroit area originating from the station's offices in Troy. On June 6, 2008, Equity discontinued local newscasts at its six Univision affiliates, including WUDT. [ [http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/06/10/daily.1/ TV Newsday, 6/10/2008] ]

Digital television

The station applied for a license to operate digitally on VHF channel 8, putting it between the analog signals of WXYZ-TV on channel 7 and CBET on channel 9, which could cause some interference. This may also cause interference with Cleveland's WJW in the southeastern areas of Essex County, which has its analog signal on channel 8 as well. The application was filed and a construction permit was granted on October 10, 2007 and it expires on October 11, 2010. [ [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1154021 FCC Application for WUDT-LD] ]

Trivia

* WUDT is the largest of Equity's three television stations in Michigan. Equity also owns and operates Retro Jams affiliate WUHQ-LP in Grand Rapids and dual-Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate WMQF in Marquette.
* Equity would also acquire another former MTV2 station, WBWX-CA, now WUMN-CA channel 13 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also a Univision affiliate. WUMN, along with its sister station, Telefutura affiliate WTMS-CA, channel 7 are awaiting to be sold to Luken Communications, LLC.
* Equity's presence was felt elsewhere in Detroit as ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV began its service of the Retro Television Network, which began broadcasting starting in the Spring of 2008 as RTN7. Equity, which once owned RTN and The E.W. Scripps Company made the deal official on September 21, 2007. [ [http://ir.emdaholdings.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=265055 Equity Media Holdings Corporation - RTN to Launch in Detroit] ] Shortly after WXYZ launched RTN7, the network was sold to Luken Communications, LLC.

References

See also

* WXYZ-TV
* WUHQ-LP
* WMQF
* WUMN-CA
* Univision
* Retro Television Network
* The E.W. Scripps Company
* Equity Media Holdings Corporation

External links

* [http://www.univisiondetroit.com Univision - WUDT 23 Detroit]
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* [http://fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine.php?sCurrentService=TV&tabSearchType=Appl&sAppIDNumber=1036366 FCCinfo.com information on WUDT-CA]