WTVK

WTVK is a full-power television station licensed to Oswego, Illinois, in the Chicago television market. The station is owned by Venture Technologies Group and is a sister station to WRME-LD. Although its official primary transmitter is located in Deer Park Township near Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, its practical principal transmission facility is located atop the John Hancock Center in downtown Chicago. WTVK also operates a digital replacement translator on UHF channel 18, licensed to Pekin and transmitting from a site near East Peoria. The station began broadcasting on July 5, 1999, under the call sign WAOE. It was originally licensed to Peoria and launched as a UPN affiliate on analog channel 59. During its first months, the station operated with a low-power signal, but its signal was upgraded in early 2000. AT&T Cable added the station to its lineup on February 22, 2000. Before WAOE launched, Peoria-area viewers received UPN programming through a secondary affiliation on ABC affiliate WHOI. Following the planned 2006 merger of The WB and UPN into The CW, the station was selected as the Peoria market's MyNetworkTV affiliate. It formally joined MyNetworkTV on September 5, 2006, while WHOI's digital subchannel carried The CW. WAOE also developed a local news relationship with WEEK-TV. Beginning in June 2006, WEEK-TV produced a weeknight 9 p.m. newscast for the station, initially branded Primetime News at Nine and later as News 25 at Nine on My59. WAOE also simulcast WEEK-TV's morning newscast. These news services ended after the station's joint sales arrangement with Granite Broadcasting expired at the end of 2014. WAOE's programming portfolio later included sports and local event coverage. From 2015 through 2019, it carried selected Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago White Sox games produced by WGN Sports, along with Cubs broadcasts produced by WLS-TV. It had previously carried programming from the St. Louis Cardinals television network. The station also carried Illinois High School Association tournament and championship telecasts for many years while serving the Peoria market. After WAOE moved away from Peoria, those broadcasts shifted to WEEK-TV's third digital subchannel. In the spring of 2020, the station moved its transmitter to the former WWTO-TV site near Oglesby and began using WWTO's former VHF digital channel 10. At that point it discontinued MyNetworkTV and syndicated programming in favor of an all-infomercial format. It subsequently sought to move its city of license to Oswego, in Kendall County and within the Chicago market. In 2021, the station applied to operate a distributed transmission system that included a second transmitter atop the John Hancock Center. The call sign changed from WAOE to WTVK on March 31, 2023. WTVK's current identity is principally associated with commercial television distribution rather than locally produced news. Its schedule has primarily consisted of Shop LC home-shopping programming, while earlier local initiatives included VPOD TV, a digital subchannel featuring talk programming with an emphasis on holistic and alternative wellness topics. The VPOD TV arrangement ended in late 2022. The station's Chicago-market transition, transmitter expansion, and change in programming reflect the challenges faced by smaller full-power stations seeking useful coverage in a large and competitive metropolitan market.

WTVK began as WAOE, a Peoria-licensed television station that signed on July 5, 1999, as a UPN affiliate. It broadcast on analog UHF channel 59 from studios on Fulton Street in downtown Peoria. The station initially operated with a low-power signal, but an upgrade in early 2000 improved its reach and led AT&T Cable to add it to its channel lineup on February 22 of that year. The station's network identity changed during the restructuring of American broadcast television in 2006. UPN and The WB announced plans to merge into The CW, while News Corporation announced MyNetworkTV as a separate network. WAOE became the Peoria-area MyNetworkTV affiliate on September 5, 2006. WHOI, which had operated the cable-only WB affiliate WBPE, supplied The CW through a new digital subchannel beginning September 18, 2006. WAOE also became part of a local television-services arrangement involving WEEK-TV. On June 5, 2006, WEEK-TV began producing a weeknight prime-time newscast for WAOE, initially called Primetime News at Nine. The program was later renamed News 25 at Nine on My59 after WAOE's affiliation change. WAOE additionally simulcast WEEK-TV's morning news. The arrangement ended after the joint sales agreement associated with Granite Broadcasting expired at the end of 2014, and the WEEK-produced newscasts were discontinued. The station's analog service ended on December 1, 2008, well before the federally established deadline for the full-power digital transition. Its digital operation continued on UHF channel 39 while retaining virtual channel 59. For much of its Peoria period, WAOE carried a mix of network programming, syndicated shows, sports, local event coverage, and news. Between 2015 and 2019, its sports schedule included Chicago team broadcasts produced by WGN Sports and WLS-TV. It also carried Illinois High School Association championship and tournament programming, as well as earlier St. Louis Cardinals network content. A major technical and market repositioning began in 2020. In the spring of that year, the station moved its transmitter to the former WWTO-TV facility near Oglesby and used WWTO's former VHF digital channel 10. At the same time, it stopped carrying MyNetworkTV and syndicated programs and moved to an all-infomercial format. In November 2020, it applied to move its city of license to Oswego, Illinois, in Kendall County, thereby associating the station with the Chicago market. In September 2021, it applied for distributed transmission service with an additional transmitter atop the John Hancock Center. Although the Deer Park Township facility remained the officially primary transmitter, the Chicago transmitter became the station's practical main transmission site. The station also carried VPOD TV on a digital subchannel. Its programming consisted mainly of talk shows, many focused on holistic and alternative wellness. The arrangement ended at the close of 2022. In 2021, VPOD TV carried the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, a decision criticized because relatively few Chicago households could receive the station. The parade moved to Chicago-based WCIU-TV the following year. On March 31, 2023, WAOE changed its call sign to WTVK. The station is owned by Venture Technologies Group and is a sister station to WRME-LD. Its current service combines Chicago-area over-the-air distribution with primarily commercial home-shopping programming from Shop LC. It also operates a digital replacement translator licensed to Pekin, with a transmitter near East Peoria.

• 2023

  Call sign changes to WTVK

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station changes its call sign from WAOE to WTVK on March 31.

• 2021

  Distributed transmission application

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station applies to add a transmitter atop the John Hancock Center.

• 2020

  Transmitter move and format change

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station moves its transmitter near Oglesby, leaves MyNetworkTV, and adopts an all-infomercial format.

• 2020

  Application to move city of license

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  WAOE files to move its city of license to Oswego, Illinois, in the Chicago market.

• 2014

  Granite joint sales arrangement ends

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The arrangement through which Granite Broadcasting operated WAOE alongside WEEK-TV expires at the end of the year.

• 2008

  Analog transmission ends

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  WAOE shuts down its analog channel 59 service on December 1 and continues digitally on channel 39 using virtual channel 59.

• 2006

  Transition to MyNetworkTV

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  WAOE becomes the Peoria market's MyNetworkTV affiliate after the UPN and WB network changes.

• 2006

  WEEK-TV news-share arrangement begins

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  WEEK-TV starts producing a weeknight 9 p.m. newscast and simulcast morning news for WAOE.

• 2000

  Signal upgrade and cable carriage

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  A signal upgrade improves coverage, and AT&T Cable adds the station to its lineup on February 22.

• 1999

  WAOE signs on as a UPN affiliate

  [1]WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station begins broadcasting on July 5 as a Peoria-licensed UPN affiliate on analog channel 59.

A small-market-origin television station repositioned for service in the Chicago market, with a schedule centered on commercial and home-shopping programming rather than a full local-news operation.

• Broadcast television station · 1999

  WTVK over-the-air television service

  The station's primary broadcast service is licensed to Oswego and serves the Chicago television market. Its transmission configuration includes an officially primary facility in Deer Park Township and a practical main facility atop the John Hancock Center. The station primarily carries Shop LC home-shopping programming.

• Broadcast translator

  Digital replacement translator

  WTVK operates a digital replacement translator on UHF channel 18, licensed to Pekin, Illinois. The translator transmits from High Point Lane near East Peoria and supports reception in areas associated with the station's former Central Illinois coverage.

• Digital subchannel programming

  VPOD TV

  VPOD TV was a local programming service carried on a digital subchannel associated with the station. Its schedule consisted largely of talk shows, with many programs addressing holistic and alternative wellness topics. The arrangement ended at the close of 2022.

• 2021Chicago Thanksgiving Parade broadcast

  Chicago

  VPOD TV held the broadcast rights to the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, which had previously aired on WGN-TV.

  Outcome. The arrangement was criticized because limited Chicago households could receive the station. The parade moved to WCIU-TV in 2022.

  Source

• 2023

  Changed call sign to WTVKOther

  Background

  The station had transitioned from its historic Peoria identity toward Oswego and Chicago-market service.

  Action taken

  The call sign changed from WAOE to WTVK on March 31, 2023.

  Aftermath

  The station continued operating under the WTVK identity with primarily commercial home-shopping programming.

  Source

• 2021

  Applied for distributed transmission serviceStrategy

  Background

  The station sought stronger and more practical coverage of the Chicago market after changing its city-of-license strategy.

  Action taken

  WAOE applied to add a second transmitter atop the John Hancock Center.

  Aftermath

  The Chicago transmitter became the station's de facto main transmission facility while the Deer Park Township site remained officially primary.

  Source

• 2020

  Shifted to an all-infomercial formatStrategy

  Background

  After moving its transmitter to the former WWTO-TV site near Oglesby, the station changed its programming strategy.

  Action taken

  WAOE discontinued MyNetworkTV and syndicated programming and began carrying an all-infomercial schedule.

  Aftermath

  The shift preceded the station's move toward Oswego and the Chicago television market.

  Source

• 2006

  Adopted MyNetworkTV affiliationStrategy

  Background

  The planned merger of UPN and The WB into The CW reshaped local network affiliations in the Peoria market.

  Action taken

  WAOE became the market's MyNetworkTV outlet on September 5, while WHOI's digital subchannel carried The CW.

  Aftermath

  The change repositioned the station within the market's post-UPN network structure.

  Source

1. 1WTVK (TV)en.wikipedia.org