WEHT

WEHT is a television station licensed to Evansville, Indiana, and serving the broader Evansville Tri-State television market, including southwestern Indiana and parts of Kentucky and Illinois. The station is affiliated with ABC and is owned by Nexstar Media Group. Its facilities are located on Marywood Drive in Henderson, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Evansville, and the site also houses operations associated with WTVW, a CW-affiliated station operated alongside WEHT. The station began broadcasting on September 27, 1953, as the first television station in the Tri-State area. It initially operated on UHF channel 50 and carried CBS as its primary network affiliation, with ABC programming as a secondary affiliation. Although licensed to Evansville, WEHT has historically maintained its studio presence in Henderson, making it an early and notable example of a UHF broadcaster operating from Kentucky while serving an Indiana-centered market. The station dropped ABC programming after WTVW signed on in 1956, but the affiliation later returned during the major Evansville network realignment of 1995. Ownership changed several times during the station's early decades. Malco Theater Corporation, based in Memphis, originally owned WEHT, with minority participation from Henderson-area investors. Cincinnati businessman Henry S. Hilberg acquired the station in 1957. Gilmore Broadcasting Corporation, controlled by Michigan businessman James Gilmore Jr., purchased WEHT in 1964. During the Gilmore era, the station upgraded its transmission facilities, activating a 988-foot tower in 1966 and moving from channel 50 to the stronger UHF channel 25. The change increased the station's potential reach and improved reception across the market. WEHT's network identity changed again in the mid-1990s. When WTVW moved from ABC to Fox in 1995, WEHT reassumed the ABC affiliation, while WEVV-TV shifted from Fox to CBS. The three-station transition was completed on December 3, 1995, establishing the basic network configuration that shaped Evansville broadcasting for the following years. The station's business and news operations were significantly reorganized after Nexstar Broadcasting Group, now Nexstar Media Group, agreed to acquire WEHT from Gilmore Broadcasting in 2011. The transaction closed on December 1, 2011. WTVW was transferred to Mission Broadcasting, a Nexstar-affiliated partner, and its operations were combined with WEHT under shared-services and joint-sales arrangements. The merged operation adopted the Eyewitness News name, previously used by WTVW, while WEHT itself moved away from the News 25 branding to WEHT Local. WEHT's principal programming consists of ABC network content, locally produced news, weather, sports, community coverage, and syndicated programming. The station has also operated digital subchannels and participated in regional news and sports distribution arrangements. Its local news operation includes a bureau in Owensboro and a Doppler weather radar installation near the Henderson facility. WEHT has partnered with regional radio stations to distribute weather and breaking-news updates through the First Warning Doppler Radio Network. The station completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting in 2009. Its digital signal ultimately moved to VHF channel 7 while retaining virtual channel 25. Over time, WEHT's second digital subchannel carried Retro Television Network, Wazoo Sports programming, and other services. Local newscasts moved to high definition in August 2012, accompanied by new production equipment, a redesigned studio set, and updated weather-forecasting systems. WEHT remains an active local broadcast brand and a core Nexstar outlet in the Evansville market.

WEHT began broadcasting on September 27, 1953, as the first television station serving the Evansville Tri-State area. The station was licensed to Evansville but established its studios across the Ohio River in Henderson, Kentucky. This arrangement gave WEHT a distinctive cross-state operating footprint and made it the first UHF station broadcasting from Kentucky. Its original technical assignment was UHF channel 50. The station initially carried CBS programming as its main affiliation and ABC programming on a secondary basis. Malco Theater Corporation of Memphis was WEHT's original owner, with several Henderson businessmen holding minority interests during the first year. When WTVW launched on channel 7 in August 1956, WEHT dropped ABC programming. Henry S. Hilberg, a Cincinnati meatpacking businessman, acquired the station from Malco in 1957. In 1964, Gilmore Broadcasting Corporation purchased WEHT and sister station KGUN in Tucson, Arizona. Gilmore was controlled by James Gilmore Jr., a former mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan, whose family continued to control the company after his death in a 2000 automobile accident. A major technical development took place in September 1966. WEHT placed a 988-foot tower into service and moved from UHF channel 50 to channel 25. The stronger channel and new tower improved the station's coverage and picture quality. Contemporary descriptions indicated that the move expanded potential reach by approximately 70,000 households, bringing the total potential audience to about 250,000 households. The channel 25 identity subsequently became central to the station's branding. The Evansville market experienced a substantial affiliation shuffle in 1995. WTVW was sold to Petracom Broadcasting and announced that it would leave ABC for Fox. WEHT quickly reclaimed ABC, while WEVV-TV, which had been the original Fox affiliate, moved to CBS. The final changes took effect on December 3, 1995, although some programming was exchanged before the formal transition. The change restored WEHT's long-term relationship with ABC and established its present core network role. WEHT developed a broad local-news operation over the following decades. It produced a prime-time newscast for WAZE-TV during the early 2000s under a news-sharing arrangement, but that program was eventually cancelled because of weak ratings and inconsistent viewing. The station also entered the afternoon-news market with a 4:30 p.m. broadcast, later expanding it to a full hour. In April 2009, WEHT began supplying news and weather updates to a group of regional radio stations, creating the First Warning Doppler Radio Network and extending the station's severe-weather service beyond television. The station's digital history included several second-channel experiments. WEHT-DT2 carried Retro Television Network programming beginning in August 2008. In July 2010, it became a local outlet for Wazoo Sports, a regional network focused on live and archival high-school and college sports. The service used the local name News 25 Sports Channel and included locally produced programming such as After Further Review. The sports channel ended after Nexstar acquired WEHT in 2011; the broader Wazoo network subsequently ceased operations after other affiliates dropped it and the network entered bankruptcy. Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced its agreement to buy WEHT from Gilmore Broadcasting on August 8, 2011. Because Nexstar already owned WTVW, that station was assigned to Mission Broadcasting, a partner company, while WEHT became the senior operating station under shared-services and joint-sales agreements. Federal Communications Commission approval was received on October 12, and the transaction closed on December 1, 2011. The station dropped the News 25 identity in favor of WEHT Local, while the combined WEHT-WTVW news operation adopted Eyewitness News, the name WTVW had used for many years before its 1995 departure from ABC. The consolidation resulted in staff reductions and a reshaped local-news schedule. Nexstar announced that 45 employees would be laid off effective November 30, 2011, including several news and sports personnel. WTVW stopped duplicating newscasts in time periods already served by WEHT. At that point, the Evansville market had two principal local-news operations among three major stations, with NBC affiliate WFIE as the other established operation; WEVV later relaunched its own newscasts in 2015. WEHT completed its analog-to-digital transition on June 12, 2009. Its digital signal, initially operating on pre-transition UHF channel 59, later moved to VHF channel 7 while retaining virtual channel 25. In August 2012, WEHT began airing local newscasts in high definition, using a redesigned set, HD cameras, and new forecasting equipment. The WTVW newscasts produced through the shared operation also adopted the HD format. WEHT continues to operate as an ABC-affiliated local station under Nexstar ownership, serving viewers across southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky through broadcast, digital, and online channels.

• 2012

  Local news moves to high definition

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  WEHT introduces HD local newscasts, a new studio set, updated cameras, and new weather-production equipment.

• 2011

  Nexstar acquisition closes

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  Nexstar completes its acquisition of WEHT on December 1 and combines operations with WTVW through a partner arrangement.

• 2010

  WEHT-DT2 becomes a sports channel

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  The second digital channel begins carrying Wazoo Sports under the local News 25 Sports Channel identity.

• 2009

  Analog service ends

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  WEHT ends regular analog broadcasting on June 12 as part of the federally mandated full-power television transition.

• 2008

  Retro Television Network launches on WEHT-DT2

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  The station adds Retro Television Network programming to its second digital subchannel.

• 2002

  Digital broadcasting begins

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  WEHT begins operating a digital signal on channel 59.

• 1995

  WEHT reassumes ABC affiliation

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  WEHT returns to ABC during an Evansville affiliation realignment completed on December 3.

• 1966

  Station moves to channel 25

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  A new 988-foot tower enters service and WEHT moves to UHF channel 25, improving its regional coverage.

• 1964

  Gilmore Broadcasting acquires WEHT

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  Gilmore Broadcasting purchases WEHT and KGUN from Henry S. Hilberg.

• 1956

  ABC affiliation ends

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  WEHT drops its secondary ABC affiliation after WTVW launches in Evansville.

• 1953

  WEHT begins broadcasting

  [1]WEHTen.wikipedia.org

  The station signs on September 27 as the first television station in the Evansville Tri-State area, operating on UHF channel 50.

A regional broadcast and local-news station positioned as an ABC affiliate serving the Evansville Tri-State area, with emphasis on local reporting, weather alerts, community information, and regional sports.

• Broadcast television · 1953

  WEHT ABC television service

  WEHT's primary broadcast service carries ABC network programming together with locally produced news, weather, sports, public-affairs, and community content for the Evansville Tri-State market. The service retains the station's virtual channel 25 identity even though its post-transition digital transmission facility operates on VHF channel 7.

• Local news · 1953

  WEHT local news

  The station's news operation covers Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro, and surrounding communities. Its output includes regularly scheduled newscasts, breaking-news reports, severe-weather coverage, regional sports, and reporting from an Owensboro bureau. The operation is shared with WTVW and is branded Eyewitness News.

• Weather information service · 2009

  First Warning Doppler Radio Network

  WEHT extends its weather operation through radio partnerships with stations serving southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky. The network distributes meteorological updates and can carry the television station's audio during severe-weather coverage.

• Digital multicast television · 2010

  News 25 Sports Channel

  WEHT-DT2 carried Wazoo Sports programming from 2010 until the service was removed after the Nexstar transaction. The channel offered live and archival high-school and college sports, digital-cable distribution, and locally produced programming including After Further Review.

• 2012

  High-definition news upgradeGeneration change

  Background

  WEHT sought to modernize local-news production after its operations were combined with WTVW.

  Action taken

  The station introduced HD cameras, a new set, and updated weather-forecasting equipment.

  Aftermath

  WEHT's local newscasts began broadcasting in high definition, as did the WTVW newscasts produced through the shared operation.

  Source

• 2011

  Acquisition by NexstarM&A

  Background

  Gilmore Broadcasting put WEHT up for sale while Nexstar already owned WTVW in the same market.

  Action taken

  Nexstar acquired WEHT, while Mission Broadcasting acquired WTVW and entered into operating and sales arrangements with Nexstar.

  Aftermath

  The stations consolidated their news operations, WEHT adopted WEHT Local branding, and the combined news service used the Eyewitness News name.

  Source

• 1995

  Return to ABC affiliationStrategy

  Background

  WTVW's announced move from ABC to Fox created a three-station network realignment in Evansville.

  Action taken

  WEHT reclaimed ABC, while WEVV-TV shifted from Fox to CBS.

  Aftermath

  The affiliation changes were completed on December 3, 1995, and ABC became WEHT's principal network identity.

  • WTVW — WTVW moved from ABC to Fox.
  • WEVV-TV — WEVV-TV moved from Fox to CBS.

  Source

1. 1WEHTen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WEHT official websitetristatehomepage.com