WBNA

WBNA is an independent full-power television station licensed to Louisville, Kentucky, and serving the Louisville television market. The station is owned by Evangel World Prayer Center, a local charismatic megachurch, and has historically combined religious programming with syndicated entertainment, local programming, sports, and programming supplied by national television networks. Its offices are located on Fern Valley Road in the Okolona area of Louisville, while its transmitter is located near Shepherdsville in Bullitt County, south of the city. The station's construction permit was granted by the Federal Communications Commission in 1978. Bob Rodgers, who led the station's management and was associated with the Evangel Tabernacle congregation, originally hoped to launch the service on Christmas Day 1985. Technical difficulties involving the transmission antenna delayed the debut, and the station ultimately began broadcasting on April 2, 1986. Its launch made WBNA the second full-power independent station in the Louisville market and restored use of analog channel 21 after the earlier WKLO-TV had ceased operations in 1954. WBNA initially emphasized local and nationally distributed Christian programming. The station's religious orientation reflected its ownership and the congregation's audience, but the format faced a difficult commercial environment in the late 1980s after scandals involving prominent televangelists weakened the broader Christian television market. By 1988, WBNA had broadened its schedule to include family-oriented entertainment, movies, syndicated programs, shopping content, and other general-interest material, while continuing to carry church services and religious shows. The station became a charter affiliate of The WB television network when that network launched in January 1995. The relationship was unusually qualified: WBNA preempted several network programs that its predominantly fundamentalist and Pentecostal audience considered inconsistent with the station's standards, replacing them with syndicated or religious content. The WB affiliation later shifted to other Louisville-market outlets, and WBNA became an affiliate of Pax TV, subsequently known as i: Independent Television and then Ion Television, in September 1999. It carried Ion programming alongside local and religious material but did not clear the network's entire schedule. During its Ion years, WBNA was notable as a large-market Ion affiliate that was not owned by Ion Media Networks. It also used its digital multicast capacity for additional services, including Qubo, Retro Television Network, religious programming, and locally produced worship content branded as The Light. The station's digital operation evolved as technical upgrades and network arrangements changed. WBNA dropped its Ion affiliation in February 2017 and returned to independent status, while Ion programming moved to a digital subchannel of WDRB. WBNA's programming scope includes college basketball involving Western Kentucky University teams, Louisville City FC soccer broadcasts during the 2017 United Soccer League season, and Ohio Valley Wrestling programming. The station has also carried local news rebroadcasts and syndicated programs. Its technical profile is distinctive within the Louisville market: the transmitter is not located at the principal television tower site in Floyds Knobs, Indiana, and its post-transition digital signal operates on VHF channel 8 while retaining virtual channel 21. The station completed the United States digital television transition in June 2009, with a short continuation of analog broadcasts under the federal SAFER Act to provide transition information.

WBNA's origins date to a construction permit granted by the Federal Communications Commission in 1978. The proposed station was developed under the leadership of Bob Rodgers and management connected with the Evangel Tabernacle congregation, which had a substantial local following. The original target was a Christmas Day 1985 launch, but problems with the station's transmission antenna prevented that schedule. After approximately seven years of construction work and technical difficulties, WBNA began regular broadcasting on April 2, 1986. The launch gave Louisville a second full-power independent station and reintroduced service on analog channel 21, which had last been used locally by WKLO-TV before that station ceased broadcasting in 1954. WBNA's initial schedule was built primarily around religious programming from local churches and national Christian sources. This positioning was closely tied to Evangel's ownership and audience. It also exposed the station to the commercial pressures affecting Christian broadcasting in the late 1980s, when scandals involving prominent televangelists contributed to a decline in the market for religious television. In response, WBNA broadened its schedule by 1988. Family-oriented entertainment, movies, syndicated programs, shopping content, and other general-interest material were added, although church services and religious programming remained important parts of the service. The station's competitive position changed repeatedly as Louisville gained and lost other independent and network outlets. When WDRB joined Fox in 1987, WBNA became the market's only independent station until WFTE, later associated with the WBKI identity, signed on in 1994. WBNA again occupied the independent position after that outlet joined UPN. WBNA joined The WB as a charter affiliate in January 1995. The affiliation demonstrated the tension between the station's network role and its religiously conservative standards. WBNA declined to air several programs, including selected dramas and sitcoms, because Evangel and station management considered them offensive or inappropriate for the channel's mainly fundamentalist and Pentecostal viewers. Those programs could still reach Louisville through WGN-TV's national feed. The WB subsequently pursued other arrangements in the market, and in 1998 a Campbellsville-based outlet became the principal WB affiliate for the area. In September 1999, WBNA affiliated with Pax TV, which later adopted the names i: Independent Television and Ion Television. It remained an affiliate rather than becoming an owned-and-operated station. The arrangement allowed WBNA to combine selected Ion programs with religious, local, syndicated, and other content. The station did not carry the complete Ion schedule, and it used digital capacity to distribute additional services. Depending on the period, its multicast lineup included Qubo, Ion-related services, The Worship Network, Retro Television Network, Daystar, GOD TV, and locally programmed worship content under The Light. WBNA also carried delayed children's programming to address educational and informational broadcasting requirements. Technical changes shaped the station's later history. In 2011, WBNA made changes associated with upgrading its main service to 720p high definition, dropping certain religious and Ion-related subchannels and reorganizing the placement of worship and entertainment services. From 2013 through 2017, its main channel was also relayed by translator WBNM-LD, then identified with a different low-power digital call sign. WBNA ended its Ion affiliation in February 2017 and returned to independent status. Ion programming moved to a digital subchannel of WDRB beginning March 1 of that year. The station continued to combine locally selected programming with religious content, sports, syndicated material, and community-oriented broadcasts. Sports has included Western Kentucky University men's and women's basketball, Louisville City FC matches during the 2017 United Soccer League season, and Ohio Valley Wrestling, whose broadcasts are produced through a time-brokerage arrangement. WBNA's facilities distinguish it from most other full-power Louisville stations. Its offices are in Okolona, and its transmitter is near Shepherdsville rather than at the major television tower site in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. Its digital signal remained on VHF channel 8 after the 2009 transition, while its virtual channel continued to be 21. The lower-power propagation characteristics, shorter antenna structure, and proximity to Louisville International Airport's runway approaches have affected reception in portions of the market. Under the federal SAFER Act, WBNA kept its analog signal operating temporarily through June 26, 2009, broadcasting public-service announcements about the digital transition.

• 2017

  Return to independent status

  [1]WBNAen.wikipedia.org

  WBNA dropped Ion and resumed independent programming; Ion moved to a WDRB digital subchannel.

• 2009

  Digital transition and multicast expansion

  [1]WBNAen.wikipedia.org

  The station ended regular analog broadcasting, retained virtual channel 21 on digital VHF channel 8, and adjusted its multicast services.

• 1999

  Pax TV affiliation begins

  [1]WBNAen.wikipedia.org

  WBNA joined Pax TV, later known as i: and Ion Television.

• 1995

  Charter affiliation with The WB

  [1]WBNAen.wikipedia.org

  WBNA carried The WB from the network's launch, with some programs preempted for religious or syndicated replacements.

• 1988

  Schedule expands into general entertainment

  [1]WBNAen.wikipedia.org

  WBNA added family programming, movies, syndicated shows, and shopping content to its religious schedule.

• 1986

  WBNA begins broadcasting

  [1]WBNAen.wikipedia.org

  After antenna and construction delays, WBNA signed on April 2 as Louisville's second full-power independent station.

• 1978

  FCC grants construction permit

  [1]WBNAen.wikipedia.org

  The Federal Communications Commission granted the permit that authorized development of the future Louisville station.

A locally owned independent television station combining Christian and church-oriented programming with family entertainment, syndicated content, sports, and digital multicast services for the Louisville market.

• Full-power television station · 1986

  WBNA Channel 21

  WBNA's primary broadcast service is a full-power television station licensed to Louisville. It carries a locally selected mix of religious programming, syndicated entertainment, movies, sports, news rebroadcasts, and other programming. The service operates digitally on VHF channel 8 while using virtual channel 21.

• Television programming · 1986

  Religious and worship programming

  Religious content has remained a defining component of WBNA's identity since its launch. The station has carried local church services and programming from Christian networks, including periods involving Daystar, GOD TV, and locally programmed worship content branded as The Light.

• Sports television

  Sports broadcasts

  WBNA has carried sports programming including Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers basketball. It was also announced as the primary television broadcaster for Louisville City FC matches during the 2017 USL season.

• Sports entertainment programming

  Ohio Valley Wrestling

  WBNA serves as a flagship outlet for Ohio Valley Wrestling programming. The wrestling organization brokers airtime and produces the broadcasts that originate on the station.

• Digital television · 2009

  Digital multicast services

  Over time, WBNA has used its digital bandwidth for additional services, including Qubo, Retro Television Network, religious networks, and locally programmed worship content. The exact subchannel lineup has changed as network agreements and technical requirements evolved.

• 2017

  End Ion affiliation and return to independenceStrategy

  Background

  WBNA had carried Ion as an affiliate since 1999 but did not clear the network's full schedule and maintained substantial local and religious programming.

  Action taken

  WBNA dropped Ion in February 2017 and resumed independent operation; Ion programming moved to a WDRB digital subchannel on March 1.

  Aftermath

  The station returned to a locally controlled programming model combining religious, syndicated, sports, and other independently selected content.

  Source

• 1995

  Preempt selected WB network programsStrategy

  Background

  As a charter WB affiliate, WBNA received network programs that station management believed conflicted with the standards of its predominantly fundamentalist and Pentecostal audience.

  Action taken

  The station replaced selected programs with syndicated or religious content rather than airing them.

  Aftermath

  The WB affiliation later moved to another Louisville-market outlet, while the preempted programs remained available through WGN-TV's national feed.

  Source

• 1988

  Broaden the schedule beyond Christian programmingStrategy

  Background

  The station's original religious format operated during a period when scandals involving televangelists had weakened the Christian television market.

  Action taken

  WBNA added family-oriented programs, movies, syndicated entertainment, and shopping content while retaining church services and religious broadcasts.

  Aftermath

  The station developed a hybrid schedule that combined religious programming with the broader programming mix associated with an independent television outlet.

  Source

1. 1WBNAen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WBNA official websitewbna21.com