WDTI

WDTI is a religious television station serving the Indianapolis, Indiana, market. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 69 and is owned by the Daystar Television Network through its subsidiary Indianapolis Community Television, Inc. Daystar is a U.S. religious television network, and WDTI forms part of its Indianapolis-area distribution footprint. Daystar also operates a separate low-power station in the market, WIPX-LD on channel 51, but WDTI and WIPX-LD are distinct stations. The station began broadcasting on June 6, 1988, under the call sign WBUU. It was established by Butler University as an educational independent station. In 1991, the call letters changed to WTBU. The station subsequently became part of the Indianapolis PBS landscape in 1992, joining PBS as the market's fourth member station. At that time, WFYI was the principal PBS outlet in Indianapolis, while WTIU, licensed to Bloomington, and WIPB, licensed to Muncie, also served the broader region. Under PBS's Program Differentiation Plan, programming was distributed among the member stations, with WFYI carrying the largest share of the network schedule. A major change occurred in 2004, when Butler University sold WTBU to Indianapolis Community Television, Inc., an organization associated with Daystar. Following the acquisition, the station moved away from its educational and PBS-oriented identity and began carrying programming supplied by the Daystar religious broadcast network. The change made WDTI part of Daystar's national television distribution system while retaining its local Indianapolis broadcast authorization and facilities. The station's offices are located on Crawfordsville Road in northwestern Indianapolis, near Speedway. Its transmitter is located on Walnut Drive on the northwest side of the city, near Meridian Hills. WDTI completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting on November 10, 2008. Its analog transmission had operated on UHF channel 69; after the transition, the station's digital signal remained on pre-transition UHF channel 44 while continuing to use virtual channel 69 for viewer-facing identification. WDTI's principal offering is religious television programming distributed under the Daystar affiliation. As a broadcast station, its brand is defined by local over-the-air availability, the WDTI call sign, its Indianapolis market presence, and its role in relaying Daystar content. Publicly available reference material does not identify a separate consumer product portfolio, independently reported financial results, or a distinct commercial advertising strategy. The station's current identity is therefore best understood as a local television outlet within the Daystar Television Network rather than as an autonomous national media company.

WDTI traces its history to an Indianapolis television authorization that first went on the air on June 6, 1988. The station initially used the call sign WBUU and was founded by Butler University as an educational independent station. Its original institutional role was connected to Butler's educational mission rather than to a religious broadcasting network. In 1991, the station changed its call letters from WBUU to WTBU. The following year, WTBU joined PBS as the fourth PBS member station associated with the Indianapolis market. The other stations were WFYI, the market's principal PBS outlet; WTIU, licensed to Bloomington; and WIPB, licensed to Muncie. Through PBS's Program Differentiation Plan, programming was allocated among the stations rather than duplicated in full on every outlet. WFYI carried most of the PBS schedule, while WTBU participated as a supplementary member station. The station's ownership and programming direction changed in 2004. Butler University sold WTBU to Indianapolis Community Television, Inc., an entity associated with the Daystar Television Network. Under the new ownership, the station began carrying programming from Daystar, a religious television network. This transaction marked the end of the station's PBS-oriented phase and established its current role as a Daystar-affiliated religious broadcaster. Following the ownership change, the station adopted the WDTI call sign and operated as a Daystar station in Indianapolis. Its offices are located on Crawfordsville Road in northwestern Indianapolis, near Speedway, while its transmitter is located on Walnut Drive on the city's northwest side, near Meridian Hills. Daystar also operates WIPX-LD, a separate low-power Indianapolis station on channel 51; that station should not be treated as the same entity as WDTI. WDTI underwent the United States digital television transition in 2008. It shut down its analog signal on UHF channel 69 on November 10, 2008. Its digital transmission remained on pre-transition UHF channel 44, while the station continued to identify itself to viewers through virtual channel 69. This preserved the familiar channel branding even though the physical RF channel changed. The station's present identity combines a local broadcast license and Indianapolis transmission facilities with nationally supplied Daystar religious content. Available reference material does not provide a detailed account of programming schedules, staffing, audience measurements, financial performance, or subsequent ownership changes. Accordingly, WDTI is best documented as an active local television station within the Daystar Television Network, rather than as a separately reported media conglomerate or a standalone consumer brand.

• 2008

  Completes analog-to-digital transition

  [1]WDTIen.wikipedia.org

  WDTI ends analog broadcasting on UHF channel 69 on November 10 and continues digitally on physical channel 44 with virtual channel 69.

• 2004

  Butler University sells the station to a Daystar affiliate

  [1]WDTIen.wikipedia.org

  Indianapolis Community Television, Inc., an arm of the Daystar Television Network, acquires the station and begins carrying Daystar programming.

• 1992

  Joins PBS

  [1]WDTIen.wikipedia.org

  WTBU becomes the fourth PBS member station serving the Indianapolis market and participates in PBS's Program Differentiation Plan.

• 1991

  Call sign changes to WTBU

  [1]WDTIen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopts the WTBU call letters.

• 1988

  WBUU begins broadcasting

  [1]WDTIen.wikipedia.org

  The station signs on June 6 as WBUU, an educational independent station founded by Butler University.

A local Indianapolis broadcast outlet for Daystar religious television programming.

• Broadcast television station · 1988

  WDTI channel 69

  WDTI is the station's primary broadcast service for the Indianapolis market. It provides digital over-the-air television under the virtual channel 69 identity and carries programming supplied by the Daystar Television Network. The station's physical digital transmission operates on UHF channel 44, while channel 69 remains its viewer-facing virtual designation.

• Television programming · 2004

  Daystar religious programming

  Since the 2004 ownership transition, WDTI has served as an Indianapolis outlet for Daystar religious television programming. The station's programming identity is therefore tied primarily to the network's faith-oriented content rather than to a separately documented local production portfolio.

• 2008

  Digital television transitionStrategy

  Background

  As part of the United States transition from analog to digital television, WDTI needed to discontinue its analog transmission.

  Action taken

  The station shut down its analog signal on UHF channel 69 on November 10 and continued digital transmission on pre-transition UHF channel 44 while retaining virtual channel 69.

  Aftermath

  The station preserved its familiar channel identity for viewers while operating through a digital physical channel.

  Source

• 2004

  Acquisition from Butler UniversityM&A

  Background

  Butler University owned the station during its educational independent and PBS-member period. Indianapolis Community Television, Inc., associated with Daystar, acquired the station as part of Daystar's Indianapolis broadcast presence.

  Action taken

  The new owner began carrying Daystar religious programming, replacing the station's previous PBS-oriented role.

  Aftermath

  The station became a Daystar outlet and developed its current identity as a religious television broadcaster serving Indianapolis.

  Source

1. 1WDTIen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Daystar Television Networkdaystar.com