WFUT-DT

WFUT-DT is a full-power television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serving the New York metropolitan area. It operates as an outlet of UniMás, the Spanish-language television network associated with TelevisaUnivision. The station broadcasts from facilities connected with the New York television market and shares studio operations in Teaneck, New Jersey, with WXTV-DT, the market's Univision station. Its transmitter facilities are located at the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan. Programming from WFUT-DT, WXTV-DT, and True Crime Network is also made available to viewers on Long Island and in southern Connecticut through WFTY-DT, a station licensed to Middle Island, New York. The station's channel 68 history began with a construction-permit proceeding in the 1960s and early 1970s. Walter Reade's organization was awarded the Newark channel in 1970 after an earlier proposal involving a dormant Asbury Park station. The permit was later transferred to Blonder-Tongue Broadcasting, a division of New Jersey-based Blonder-Tongue Laboratories. Under Blonder-Tongue, the station launched as WBTB-TV on September 29, 1974. Its first schedule was a small-scale, evening-oriented independent lineup that included children's programs, public affairs, a New Jersey news segment, and older syndicated material. Financial and technical problems forced it off the air after roughly three months. WBTB-TV returned in September 1975 with a specialty-oriented schedule. It carried financial programming, foreign-language shows, religious content, entertainment programs, and children's television. The station was an early broadcast home of The Uncle Floyd Show, a locally produced children's and comedy program that later developed a strong cult following in the New York region. In 1976, Wometco Enterprises agreed to acquire a majority interest and assume much of the station's debt. Wometco used the facility to develop Wometco Home Theater, an over-the-air subscription television service. The service began testing in 1977 and offered first-run movies and later selected New York-area sports to paying households that lacked cable service. The station changed call signs to WTVG and subsequently WWHT as the Wometco service expanded. A translator at the World Trade Center and a related operation on Long Island channel 67 increased the service's reach. At its peak, Wometco Home Theater served more than 111,000 subscribers and was among the largest subscription-television operations in the United States. The spread of cable television, economic pressure, and declining subscription demand weakened the business. After Wometco's ownership was reorganized following the death of Mitchell Wolfson, the subscription operation was sold. Channels 68 and 67 were retained and introduced U68 in 1985, a locally programmed music-video service intended to compete with MTV. Later that year, the stations were sold to the Home Shopping Network. They became WHSE and WHSI and carried home-shopping programming for approximately fifteen years. In 2001, Barry Diller's USA Broadcasting stations, including WHSE and WHSI, were sold to Univision. The stations became part of the foundation for Telefutura, which launched in January 2002 and was later renamed UniMás. WHSE became WFUT, while the Long Island station became WFTY. The present station is operated within TelevisaUnivision's Spanish-language television portfolio and continues to serve the New York market through the UniMás network.

The allocation that eventually became WFUT-DT was developed through a series of contested construction-permit proceedings. In 1966, applicants proposed using Newark's channel 68, with transmission from the Empire State Building. Existing broadcasters objected that such a facility would primarily serve New York City rather than Newark and could interfere with the nearby channel 67 allocation on Long Island. Walter Reade's application had originated as an effort to revive the dormant WRTV authorization associated with Asbury Park. The Federal Communications Commission deleted the old call sign and considered the Newark proposal separately. Walter Reade received the channel 68 construction permit in 1970. The permit was transferred to Blonder-Tongue Broadcasting, an affiliate of Blonder-Tongue Laboratories. The company wanted to use the station to demonstrate BTVision, a subscription-television system that scrambled programming for non-subscribers and supplied decoders to paying households. Construction was delayed by financial-market problems and disputes concerning a proposed tower in West Orange. The station ultimately built facilities in a converted two-story house, with a living room used as a studio and other domestic spaces adapted for technical and administrative work. WBTB-TV went on the air on September 29, 1974. It initially broadcast only during limited evening hours and carried advertising-supported programming, including children's material, a brief New Jersey news program, public-affairs content, and older films and syndicated shows. The local children's program The Uncle Floyd Show was an important early feature and later became known for its distinctive humor and regional following. The station left the air on December 27, 1974, citing technical and financial problems. Its owner later indicated that a lack of advertisers and resistance from local businesses contributed to the shutdown. The station returned on September 28, 1975, with a schedule built around specialized programming rather than a conventional general-entertainment format. Daytime financial coverage was supplemented by foreign-language programs, religious programming, New York entertainment features, country-music material, and children's shows. The Uncle Floyd Show returned as a live program and was broadcast twice weekly. Wometco Enterprises agreed in 1976 to acquire 80 percent of the station while assuming or paying approximately $1.5 million in debt. Wometco's principal strategic objective was to establish a subscription television service. On March 1, 1977, the station began carrying BTVision programming for paying customers in a South Orange test area. The initial offering consisted largely of two movies per night for a monthly fee, with films selected to appear before their network-television premieres. After regulatory approval of the ownership transaction, the station changed its call sign to WTVG on July 29, 1977, and the subscription service was renamed Wometco Home Theater, or WHT. WHT expanded across communities that did not yet have cable service. A World Trade Center translator improved reception in New York City, and the operation added a matinee movie and sports programming supplied through SportsChannel New York. By 1979, WHT had tens of thousands of subscribers in New Jersey and New York City boroughs. WTVG changed its call sign to WWHT in July 1979 to align more closely with the service. Wometco later extended WHT to Long Island through channel 67, eventually acquiring WSNL-TV and using it largely as a simulcast outlet. At its high point in 1982, WHT reportedly served more than 111,000 subscribers, making it the fourth-largest subscription-television system in the country. The model deteriorated as cable penetration increased, the economy weakened, and households gained access to more competing services. Following the death of Wometco controlling shareholder Mitchell Wolfson, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts carried out a leveraged buyout and later sold the WHT business. The broadcast stations remained, and WWHT and WSNL-TV were converted to U68 on June 1, 1985. U68 was a locally programmed music-video service with a broader musical mix than the MTV format it sought to challenge. The stations were sold to Home Shopping Network later in 1985, when they became WHSE and WHSI. Home-shopping programming continued for roughly fifteen years. An intended conversion to general-entertainment independent stations was considered but did not ultimately occur. In 2001, Univision acquired the USA Broadcasting stations. The acquisition provided important infrastructure for Telefutura, a new Spanish-language network launched in January 2002. WHSE became WFUT and WSNL-TV became WFTY. Telefutura was subsequently renamed UniMás. WFUT-DT is now part of TelevisaUnivision's network of owned-and-operated stations and shares operational resources with WXTV-DT in Teaneck. Its signal and associated distribution arrangements continue to serve the New York metropolitan region.

• 2002

  WFUT joins Telefutura

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The station became WFUT and joined Telefutura at the network's launch; Telefutura was later renamed UniMás.

• 2001

  Univision acquires the station

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  WHSE became part of Univision's acquisition of the USA Broadcasting station group.

• 1985

  U68 music-video service launches

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The station began carrying U68, a locally programmed music-video service, on June 1.

• 1982

  Wometco Home Theater reaches peak scale

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The subscription operation reached more than 111,000 reported subscribers and ranked among the largest STV systems in the United States.

• 1979

  Call sign changes to WWHT

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted the WWHT call sign on July 16 to reflect its association with Wometco Home Theater.

• 1977

  Wometco Home Theater begins

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  Subscription television service began on March 1, initially in a South Orange pilot market.

• 1975

  Station resumes broadcasting

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  WBTB-TV returned to the air on September 28 after a temporary shutdown.

• 1974

  WBTB-TV launches

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The station began broadcasting on September 29 with a limited independent schedule.

• 1970

  Channel 68 construction permit awarded

  [1]WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org

  Walter Reade's organization received authorization for a Newark channel 68 facility after the FCC separated the proposal from the dormant WRTV authorization associated with Asbury Park.

A Spanish-language broadcast outlet serving the New York metropolitan market as part of the UniMás network, with regional reach extending across northern New Jersey, New York City, Long Island, and southern Connecticut.

• Local television · 1974

  WBTB-TV independent programming

  The station's original service consisted of limited-hour, advertising-supported programming, including children's shows, public affairs, a New Jersey news segment, older films, and other syndicated material. After its 1975 return, the schedule emphasized specialist financial, foreign-language, religious, entertainment, and children's programs.

• Subscription television · 1977

  Wometco Home Theater

  Wometco Home Theater was an over-the-air subscription service that scrambled first-run movies and later carried selected New York-area sports. It targeted households outside cable coverage and expanded from New Jersey into New York City and Long Island through channel 68 and the related channel 67 operation.

• Music television · 1985

  U68

  U68 was a locally programmed music-video service launched as an alternative to MTV. It used an eclectic music mix and served both the former channel 68 station and its Long Island counterpart.

• Spanish-language network television · 2002

  UniMás programming

  WFUT-DT's current principal offering is the UniMás schedule, providing Spanish-language network entertainment and related programming to the New York metropolitan market. Regional distribution is coordinated with TelevisaUnivision's other stations, including WXTV-DT and WFTY-DT.

• 2001

  Sale to UnivisionM&A

  Background

  USA Broadcasting divested its station portfolio after its owner decided not to pursue the planned general-entertainment independent-station strategy.

  Action taken

  Univision acquired WHSE and related USA Broadcasting stations.

  Aftermath

  WHSE became WFUT and joined Telefutura, later renamed UniMás.

  Source

• 1985

  Conversion to U68Strategy

  Background

  Rising cable penetration and declining demand undermined the subscription-television model.

  Action taken

  The station abandoned Wometco Home Theater and launched U68, a locally programmed music-video service.

  Aftermath

  The station was later sold to Home Shopping Network and moved into a long period of home-shopping programming.

  Source

• 1977

  Launch of subscription televisionProduct launch

  Background

  Wometco sought to use channel 68 to reach households that lacked cable television.

  Action taken

  The station began carrying scrambled subscription programming under the BTVision system and subsequently branded the service Wometco Home Theater.

  Aftermath

  The service expanded across northern New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island and became one of the country's larger STV systems.

  Source

• 1976

  Wometco agrees to acquire a majority interestM&A

  Background

  The financially troubled channel 68 operation needed capital and a stronger platform to develop subscription television.

  Action taken

  Wometco Enterprises agreed to acquire 80 percent of the station in exchange for addressing approximately $1.5 million in debt.

  Aftermath

  The transaction enabled the launch and expansion of Wometco Home Theater.

  Source

1. 1WFUT-DTen.wikipedia.org