WRDM-CD

WRDM-CD is a Class A television station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut, and serving the Hartford–New Haven television market. It operates as the market's Telemundo outlet, providing Spanish-language network programming, news, entertainment, sports, and related digital content. The station is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group and is managed alongside NBC owned-and-operated station WVIT, the NBC affiliate serving Connecticut. The station began broadcasting on June 14, 1986, under the call sign W13BF on channel 13. It has described itself as the first Spanish-language television station in New England. Its early programming combined Telemundo content with international programming from Italy's RAI service and additional Greek- and Polish-language material. The station developed a broader regional footprint through a Springfield, Massachusetts, simulcast that began in 1991. That Springfield facility eventually became WDMR-LD and continues to function as a translator and full simulcast of WRDM-CD, extending the station's reach into the Pioneer Valley. WRDM's call sign and technical status changed several times as its facilities evolved. W13BF became WRDM-LP in 1995, while the Springfield outlet became WDMR-LP. The Hartford station moved from channel 13 to channel 50 in 2006 and obtained Class A status as WRDM-CA in 2008. It completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting in January 2013, adopting the current WRDM-CD designation. WDMR completed its own digital transition in November 2012. The station has historically used a mix of locally produced and externally supplied news. WRDM-LP launched a local news operation in 1998 under the Noticiero 13 name. The early program emphasized Puerto Rico and Latin America, with Connecticut coverage added the following year. The operation was later discontinued, and the station carried Telenoticias Puerto Rico from WKAQ-TV in San Juan. Following Telemundo Station Group's acquisition of the station, WRDM-CD and WDMR-LD began carrying simulcast newscasts from Boston sister station WNEU. These broadcasts were designed to include reporting from Connecticut and western Massachusetts, supported by a reporter based at the WVIT studios in West Hartford. Channel 13 Television, the station's original owner, sold WRDM-LP and WDMR-LP to ZGS Communications in 2001. NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group announced the purchase of ZGS's television stations in December 2017, and the transaction closed on February 1, 2018. WVIT began operating WRDM under a local marketing agreement in January 2018. The stations subsequently entered a channel-sharing arrangement, allowing the legally low-power Class A WRDM-CD to use WVIT's full-power spectrum and achieve broad reception throughout the market. The spectrum arrangement followed an FCC incentive auction in which ZGS sold WRDM's spectrum for $10,574,516, with the station retaining service through post-auction channel sharing. WRDM-CD's transmitter facilities are associated with Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, Connecticut, while its operational studios are shared with WVIT on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford. WDMR-LD transmits from Provin Mountain in Feeding Hills, Agawam, Massachusetts. In August 2019, WVIT and WRDM-CD completed a spectrum-repacking move from RF channel 35 to RF channel 31. The station remains an active regional Spanish-language broadcaster within the Telemundo network and NBCUniversal's New England station group.

WRDM-CD began broadcasting on June 14, 1986, as W13BF on channel 13. The station was established to provide Spanish-language television service in New England and has claimed distinction as the region's first Spanish-language television station. Its initial schedule was not limited to Telemundo programming: it also included Italian-language programming from Radiotelevisione Italiana's international service, along with Greek and Polish material. This early multilingual schedule reflected the station's effort to reach several immigrant communities while building a Spanish-language audience. A Springfield, Massachusetts, simulcast was added on June 13, 1991, using the call sign W65BX on channel 65. The Hartford and Springfield facilities were later associated with WRDM radio, a 1550 AM station, in 1993. The radio property was sold in 1998 and is now known as WSDK. In the second half of the 1990s, the Springfield operation also carried English-language Boston Red Sox telecasts produced by WABU, now associated with WBPX-TV. Additional rebroadcast arrangements extended WRDM programming into New Haven and Hartford through facilities that later changed ownership or call signs. On September 1, 1995, W13BF became WRDM-LP and W65BX became WDMR-LP. The original owner, Channel 13 Television, sold both television stations to ZGS Communications on March 27, 2001. The Hartford facility moved to channel 50 in January 2006, and the Springfield facility moved to channel 51 later that year. WRDM obtained Class A status as WRDM-CA on May 7, 2008, giving it a protected low-power station classification while maintaining its role in the regional market. The two stations transitioned to digital operation at different times. WDMR completed a flash cut from analog to digital on November 15, 2012, becoming WDMR-LD. WRDM followed on January 7, 2013, adopting the WRDM-CD call sign. WDMR-LD subsequently operated as a complete simulcast of WRDM-CD and served the Pioneer Valley from its transmitter site on Provin Mountain in Agawam, Massachusetts. WRDM's first known local news operation began in April 1998. Noticiero 13 initially focused largely on Puerto Rico and Latin America, but local Connecticut reporting was added in June 1999. The news operation was discontinued in the early 2000s, after which WRDM carried Telenoticias Puerto Rico from WKAQ-TV in San Juan. A later reorganization under NBCUniversal restored a regional news emphasis through simulcasts of Boston sister station WNEU's newscasts. The arrangement included Connecticut and western Massachusetts coverage supported by a reporter working from the WVIT studios in West Hartford. In December 2017, NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group announced that it would acquire WRDM-CD and WDMR-LD along with the rest of ZGS Communications' television portfolio. ZGS had previously sold WRDM's spectrum in the FCC incentive auction for $10,574,516 and planned to preserve service through a post-auction channel-sharing arrangement. WVIT began operating WRDM under a local marketing agreement on January 1, 2018, from its West Hartford studios. The sale closed on February 1, 2018, placing WRDM within NBCUniversal's Telemundo station group and making it a sister station to WVIT and other NBCUniversal stations in New York and Boston. Although WRDM-CD retains a low-power Class A license, it transmits through a channel-sharing arrangement involving WVIT's full-power spectrum. This arrangement allows the station to provide broad reception throughout the Hartford–New Haven market. WRDM-CD and WVIT moved from RF channel 35 to RF channel 31 on August 2, 2019, as part of the FCC-mandated spectrum repack. The station's studios are shared with WVIT on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford, and its transmitter facilities are located on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington. Its Springfield translator, WDMR-LD, continues to extend the service into western Massachusetts.

• 2019

  Spectrum repack moves the station to RF 31

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  WRDM-CD and WVIT switch from RF channel 35 to RF channel 31 on August 2.

• 2018

  Acquisition closes and WVIT relationship begins

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The transaction closes on February 1, following WVIT's local marketing agreement and operational involvement in January.

• 2017

  NBCUniversal announces ZGS station acquisition

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  Telemundo Station Group announces the planned purchase of WRDM-CD and WDMR-LD from ZGS Communications.

• 2013

  WRDM completes digital transition

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The Hartford station completes its digital conversion on January 7 and adopts the WRDM-CD call sign.

• 2008

  WRDM receives Class A status

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station changes its designation to WRDM-CA on May 7 after receiving Class A status.

• 2001

  ZGS Communications acquires the stations

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  Channel 13 Television sells WRDM-LP and WDMR-LP to ZGS Communications.

• 1998

  Local news operation launches

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  WRDM-LP begins producing Noticiero 13, initially emphasizing Puerto Rican and Latin American reporting.

• 1995

  Hartford and Springfield call signs change

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  W13BF becomes WRDM-LP and W65BX becomes WDMR-LP.

• 1991

  Springfield simulcast begins

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  A Springfield facility, W65BX on channel 65, begins simulcasting the Hartford station.

• 1986

  Station signs on as W13BF

  [1]WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station begins broadcasting on June 14 on channel 13 from Hartford, establishing a Spanish-language television service for the region.

A regional Spanish-language television service for Connecticut and western Massachusetts, combining Telemundo network programming with locally relevant news distributed through a market-wide broadcast and translator network.

• Spanish-language television station · 1986

  WRDM-CD broadcast service

  The station's principal service is a Spanish-language over-the-air television signal licensed to Hartford and serving the Hartford–New Haven market. It carries Telemundo network programming and associated station content. Although the license is Class A and low power, a channel-sharing arrangement involving WVIT's full-power spectrum supports broad market reception.

• Translator and simulcast station · 1991

  WDMR-LD

  WDMR-LD is the Springfield-area companion facility for WRDM-CD. It operates as a complete simulcast, extending WRDM's Telemundo programming and regional service into the Pioneer Valley. Its transmitter is located on Provin Mountain in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, Massachusetts.

• Television news · 1998

  WRDM local news

  WRDM's local news history includes Noticiero 13, which began in 1998 and added Connecticut reporting in 1999. After the original news operation ended, the station relied on externally produced news. Under Telemundo Station Group ownership, WRDM-CD and WDMR-LD began carrying WNEU newscast simulcasts with reporting for Connecticut and western Massachusetts.

• 2019

  Complete the broadcast-spectrum repackOther

  Background

  Federal spectrum-reallocation requirements required affected television stations to change radio-frequency assignments.

  Action taken

  WRDM-CD and WVIT moved from RF channel 35 to RF channel 31 on August 2, 2019.

  Aftermath

  The stations continued operating from the shared transmission arrangement on the repacked frequency.

  Source

• 2017

  Sell the station to Telemundo Station GroupM&A

  Background

  ZGS Communications agreed to sell WRDM-CD and WDMR-LD as part of a broader sale of its television portfolio to NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group.

  Action taken

  NBCUniversal announced the acquisition in December 2017, with the transaction closing on February 1, 2018.

  Aftermath

  WRDM became part of NBCUniversal's Telemundo station group and a sister station to WVIT. WVIT assumed operational involvement, and the stations gained access to the group's regional news and technical infrastructure.

  Source

• 2017

  Use post-auction channel sharingStrategy

  Background

  ZGS sold WRDM's spectrum in the FCC incentive auction while intending to preserve the station's service through a channel-sharing arrangement.

  Action taken

  WRDM entered a channel-sharing arrangement with WVIT and used WVIT's full-power spectrum for transmission.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement enabled the Class A station to maintain broad coverage across the Hartford–New Haven market after the spectrum sale.

  Spectrum auction proceeds. 10574516 (FCC incentive auction; year reported in station history)

  Source

• 2017

  Add WNEU newscast simulcastsProduct launch

  Background

  After the planned acquisition, NBCUniversal sought to provide WRDM-CD and WDMR-LD with a stronger regional news service.

  Action taken

  The stations began simulcasting newscasts from Boston sister station WNEU, with planned reporting from Connecticut and western Massachusetts.

  Aftermath

  WRDM's news offering shifted from its earlier discontinued local operation and externally supplied Puerto Rico programming toward a regional NBCUniversal news model.

  Source

1. 1WRDM-CDen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra Connecticut coveragetelemundonuevainglaterra.com