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For the former WHTN-TV in Huntington, West Virginia, see WOWK-TV.
WHTN
The italicized letters c t n, with a wavy bar across the letters, and the words "Middle T N" in the lower right
CityMurfreesboro, Tennessee
Channels
BrandingCTN Middle Tennessee
Programming
Network CTN (1986–present)
Ownership
Owner Christian Television Network, Inc.
History
First air date
December 30, 1983 (40 years ago) (1983-12-30)
Former call signs
WFYZ (1983–1985)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 39 (UHF, 1983–2009)
  • Digital: 38 (UHF, 2009–2020)
Independent (1983–1986)
Call sign meaning
Said to mean nothing [1]
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID11117
ERP900 kW
HAAT250 m (820 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 36°4′58″N 86°25′52″W / 36.08278°N 86.43111°W / 36.08278; -86.43111
Links
Public license information
Website www.ctntv.org

WHTN (channel 39) is a religious television station licensed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States, serving the Nashville area as an owned-and-operated station of the Christian Television Network (CTN). The station's studios are located on Lebanon Road in Mount Juliet, and its transmitter is located on Lone Oak Road near Gladeville. WHTN offers 24-hour religious programming, much of which is produced either locally or at the CTN home base in Clearwater, Florida.

Although CTN has owned WHTN since 1986, it had a turbulent history before that. Channel 39 started broadcasting on December 30, 1983, as WFYZ, a second independent station for Middle Tennessee owned by Focus Communications. However, its plans to market itself were hindered by two factors: a signal that was not clearly received in all areas of Nashville and the launch less than two months later of WCAY-TV (channel 30), which had better programming and ratings. Within months, WFYZ was struggling financially; the station pivoted programming several times, from general entertainment to religious programming to music videos.

As the major investors in Focus Communications decided to focus on another business they owned, the troubled United Press International wire service, WFYZ was sold to a group led by Bob Hudson and rebranded as WHTN in November 1985. The relaunched station, however, continued to face serious economic problems which culminated in the station ceasing broadcasts in April 1986 due to unpaid electric bills. It returned to the air the next month after CTN agreed to buy the station.

History

WFYZ: Construction and a delayed start

In 1980, two groups applied for Murfreesboro's channel 39: Family Television Inc., proposing a general-entertainment independent station, and Channel 39 of Murfreesboro, which proposed a hybrid independent with subscription television programming. [3] Of the 23 stockholders in Channel 39 of Murfreesboro, 80 percent were minorities, which was expected to provide the group an advantage in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s comparative hearing process. [4] In April 1982, the FCC published its decision favoring Channel 39 of Murfreesboro. [5] Family Television then withdrew, opting not to appeal in exchange for a partial reimbursement of its expenses in proposing the station. [6] At the same time, two of the headline owners of channel 39 parent company Focus Communications, William Geissler and Douglas Ruhe, were part of a successful bid for news agency United Press International. [7] In February 1983, station president John Rattliff announced that the station would sign on August 1 as a family-oriented independent outlet; [8] the subscription programming proposal had been abandoned when the industry began to sour. [9] By June, the deadline had slipped to October, but WFYZ had begun to move into the former Murfreesboro news bureau of Nashville's WNGE-TV in the city's Public Square. [10] [11] [12] Tower installation delays pushed the station's launch date back several more times. [13] [14] [15] [16] The management hoped to launch the station on Christmas Day, [17] but an ice storm and holiday work schedules scuttled those plans. [18]

WFYZ began broadcasting on December 30, 1983. [19] However, it continued to have an abbreviated broadcast day for months after it started. The rush to sign on caused a problem that management spent the early months of 1984 fixing: all the programs were being broadcast off tape machines at the transmitter site at Gladeville instead of the downtown Murfreesboro studio, as a downtown building blocked the line of sight between the two locations until the station raised the height of the tower at its studios. [20] [21] Also a concern was that some areas of Nashville did not get a strong signal from channel 39. However, the station had debuted a local public affairs program as well as a series of music video shows, one featuring The Tennessean music reporter Robert K. Oermann. [22] [23] There was also a change in general manager, as Kaki Holt was hired, making her the first woman to run a Nashville-area TV station. [24]

Troubles and programming changes

Channel 39 had a disappointing ratings debut. In June 1984, its first ratings book after signing on, WFYZ's audience was too small for A. C. Nielsen or Arbitron to generate a rating; according to Arbitron, its afternoon block of children's programming was the only significant source of viewership. This was in stark contrast to a Nashville station that had signed on less than two months later, WCAY-TV (channel 30), owned by the TVX Broadcast Group. The June 1984 ratings book showed WCAY with three percent of the total viewing audience; this, in turn, was behind Nashville's established independent, WZTV (channel 17). [25] The arrival of WCAY-TV compounded many of the station's problems. [26] Seeking to remedy its technical problems, the station applied in September 1984 to move its tower closer to Nashville, but it could not do so until the allocated but unused channel 42 was moved out of the city. [27] Months after going on the air, it had become apparent that WFYZ would be a challenge. [28] Amid persistent rumors, one of the major stockholders, Bill Geissler, told The Tennessean on September 1 that the station was "here to stay" in spite of its troubles. [29] On September 5, general manager Holt resigned and ownership announced it would cut back the station's hours of operation, most notably going from a 6 a.m. sign-on to a 3 p.m. start-up; [30] local productions were halted as the station adopted a 'lean and mean' operating strategy. [26] Debts were piling up to syndicators, radio stations, and Nashville's two daily newspapers; the latter placed the station on their "stop list" of delinquent accounts not to be given additional advertising. [31] Tim McDonald, president of TVX, doubted his competitor's strategy, noting that programming costs would continue to be the primary expense and telling The Tennessean, "If you're going to be of service to your viewers, you have to be there. There's no television station in the U.S.—nowhere—that's successful with a part-time on-air schedule." [26] Meanwhile, UPI Media put its only other operating television station, WFBN-TV in Joliet, Illinois, on the market. [32]

In late September, a new general manager was hired, and WFYZ pivoted its broadcast schedule again to emphasize religious programming in the late morning and early afternoon hours it had just cut back, in part to generate income from the sale of airtime to religious ministries. Only one local show, Saturday Nite at the Videos, remained—because its host paid to air it. [33] Programming from the short-lived Prime of Life Network, a Nashville-based service with programming for seniors, was added in December, when the station extended its broadcast day and increased its focus on programming for the Murfreesboro area. By this time, some of the station's former movie packages and syndicated shows had been acquired by WZTV and WCAY-TV. [34] Beginning on April 1, 1985, the station filled most of its broadcast day with music videos from the Odyssey service and removed many of the remaining syndicated reruns it aired. [35]

WHTN: New owners, same problems

In order to devote more time to the troubled UPI wire service, Geissler and Ruhe filed in June 1985 to sell WFYZ to Murfreesboro Television Corporation, a company headed by Bob Hudson. [36] Hudson partnered with Bob Goad; the two already jointly owned two AM radio stations in Tennessee. Hudson had owned a TV station, though it had never broadcast; he owned the then-dark channel 17 in the early 1970s but failed to secure financing to return it to the air. [37]

The station changed its call letters to WHTN on October 17, 1985, ahead of a programming revamp that took place on November 4. Hudson told The Tennessean that the new call letters did not mean "Hudson Television Network", saying, "I'm not that much of an egotist". [1] Channel 39 switched back to a general-entertainment format, discontinuing the music videos, and added classic movies. [1] The first day of the new programming was plagued by technical and other mishaps and filled with last-minute schedule changes. On the first edition of a live talk show hosted by program director Bill Perkins, the butterfly backdrop on the set fell down—twice. [38]

The new programming failed to solve the deeper problems of channel 39's finances. In December 1985 alone, the Murfreesboro water company sought to shut off water to the studios after a bill went unpaid; the local electrical utility, Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation (MTE), threatened the station with disconnection; incoming packages, including tapes of programs, were turned away because the station could not afford shipping costs; and RCA repossessed two of the station's three studio cameras, leaving the station with one camera for all of its studio and commercial production. [39] WHTN's liabilities had risen to $6 million by January 1986. [40] The transmitter experienced problems in cold weather when a heat exchanger failed, causing pipes in the water-cooled equipment to burst. [41] By February 1986, paychecks were bouncing at the two radio stations owned by Hudson and Goad; employees walked out at both stations after they went unpaid. [42] Among the last new programs debuted on the station was a local children's program, the daily Kimbo & Company; [43] the host, Kim Scolaro, was only ever paid one paycheck for six weeks of work. [44]

WHTN's precarious position came to a head at the end of March 1986, when general manager Bill Perkins resigned rather than follow orders from Hudson to lay off six employees. The employees were told Perkins had resigned for health reasons, but Perkins told The Tennessean that "a television station is not a mom-and-pop operation" to be run on a "shoestring". [45] The station was late to sign on on April 9 because the MTE disconnected electric service over an unpaid bill and an expired bond; paychecks for the employees that remained were becoming irregular. [46] A sheriff's sale was scheduled for the contents of the station in order to satisfy a debt that WHTN owed a local construction company, while the station's bank account was garnished. [47] [44]

On April 21, the electricity was cut off once more by MTE. Minority owner Goad announced he had "ended [his] financial support" for Hudson's management several months prior; Hudson approached former owners Geissler and Ruhe seeking additional funds to settle the debt with the utility. [48]

CTN ownership

On May 6, 1986, the Christian Television Network (CTN) of Clearwater, Florida, agreed to purchase WHTN, and the station returned to air immediately with Christian programming from CTN as well as selected programs from the station's prior inventory. [49] However, by that time, WHTN had already lost its slot on Nashville's Viacom cable system. [50] By 1991, the station had relocated its studios from Murfreesboro to Mount Juliet. [51]

WHTN-TV began digital broadcasting by November 2002. [52] In 2009, the station shut down analog broadcasting; WHTN was one of two local stations to cease analog broadcasting before the February 17, 2009, national shutoff date. [53] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 38, using virtual channel 39. [54] WHTN relocated its signal from channel 38 to channel 16 on October 18, 2019, as a result of the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction. [55]

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WHTN [56]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
39.1 1080i 16:9 WHTN-DT CTN
39.2 480i 4:3 Lifesty CTN Lifestyle
39.3 CTNi CTNi
39.4 CTN CTN national feed

References

  1. ^ a b c Bartley, Diane (October 18, 1985). "New Name, Look And Shows for 39". The Tennessean. p. 6-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WHTN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ Hardison, Linda (October 5, 1980). "Local station sought: Applicants view TV availability in Rutherford". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Kopp, Mike; Matson, Pat (October 16, 1981). "A 'first' for county: Groups seeking local TV station". The Daily News-Journal. p. 1. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Tenpenny, Jenny (April 29, 1982). "FCC awards television station". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Tenpenny, Jenny (June 1, 1982). "TV license battle ends". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Tenpenny, Jenny (June 3, 1982). "Murfreesboro businessman among four new UPI owners". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Moore, Carey (February 22, 1983). "Local TV station airs in August". The Morning Press. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Bartley, Diane (August 18, 1983). "Murfreesboro's Ch. 39 For Nashville Area Too: 'Best Movie Channel' Called Goal". The Tennessean. p. 1-D. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Arnold, Scott A. (June 6, 1983). "New TV airing set for Oct. 1". The Morning Press. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Tenpenny, Jenny (June 6, 1983). "Local television station to begin broadcasting Oct. 1". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Tenpenny, Jenny (July 25, 1983). "Full-power local TV station on target". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Hamlin, Jane (August 25, 1983). "Channel 39 to go on air later". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Tenpenny, Jenny (September 14, 1983). "Channel 39 broadcast start is delayed until Nov. 1". The Daily News-Journal. p. 1. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Bartley, Diane (October 13, 1983). "Ch. 2 Opens 'Food for Families' Drive". The Tennessean. p. 5-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Lewis, Bill (November 14, 1983). "Channel 39 goes on air by Dec. 1". The Daily News-Journal. p. 1. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Bartley, Diane (December 15, 1983). "Debut of Ch. 39 May Be Gift To Mid-State for Christmas". The Tennessean. pp. 1-E, 7-E. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Bartley, Diane (December 23, 1983). "Ch. 39 Postpones Christmas Launch Date". The Tennessean. p. 11-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Lewis, Bill (December 31, 1983). "Channel 39 hits airwaves". The Daily News-Journal. p. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Bartley, Diane (January 26, 1984). "Newest UHF Station WCAY-Ch. 30 Plans To Sign On Feb. 18". The Tennessean. pp. 1-D, 8-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Linder, Jamie Sue (March 19, 1984). "WFYZ-39 to build higher tower here". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Bartley, Diane (May 17, 1984). "Ch. 39's Chief Dreams Of Moving Into 3rd Spot". The Tennessean. pp. 1-F, 8-F. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "'Music Row Video' Debuts". The Tennessean. April 22, 1984. p. Showcase 13. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Bartley, Diane (April 3, 1984). "Kaki Holt New General Manager At Ch. 39; First Area Women in Job". The Tennessean. p. 1-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Bartley, Diane (June 28, 1984). "May's Ratings Give Ch. 4 Something To Crow About". The Tennessean. p. 1-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b c Bartley, Diane (September 7, 1984). "Ch. 39's New Policy: They're Getting 'Lean and Mean'". The Tennessean. pp. 1-D, 10-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Bartley, Diane (July 13, 1984). "Ch. 39 Hopes To Move Tower to Nashville". The Tennessean. p. 3D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Kimbrell, Ed (July 8, 1984). "Will TV 39 survive the rating battles? With $8 million invested, an ABC veteran leads a racially-mixed staff into combat". The Daily News-Journal. p. 6B. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Bartley, Diane (September 1, 1984). "Despite Low Ratings, Ch. 39 'Here To Stay'". The Tennessean. p. 4-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ Anderson, Curt (September 6, 1984). "Money woes force WFYZ cutback". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Bartley, Diane (September 6, 1984). "Channel 39 Status Left In Question". The Tennessean. pp. 1A, 4A. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Bartley, Diane (September 21, 1984). "TV Station Put On Sale Block". The Tennessean. p. 7-B. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Bartley, Diane (September 27, 1984). "Troubled Ch. 39 Names New Head, Accents Religion". The Tennessean. p. D-1, D-9. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Bartley, Diane (November 22, 1984). "Ch. 39 Plans Full-Time Broadcasting". The Tennessean. p. 1-D, 12-D. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Bartley, Diane (March 26, 1985). "Ch. 39 Rockin' All Night Long; Goes 24-Hour, Adds Music Videos". The Tennessean. p. 1-D, 7-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Sloan, Nancy (June 21, 1985). "Channel 39: Is it going, gone?". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ Bartley, Diane (June 26, 1985). "Nashvillians Apply For Ch. 39 Purchase". The Tennessean. p. 1-D. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Bartley, Diane (November 5, 1985). "New Ch. 39 hits the air, despite chaos". The Tennessean. p. 1D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "Bill Perkins picked to head Ch. 39". The Tennessean. December 24, 1985. p. 28. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ Spigolon, Tom (January 11, 1986). "Station looking at future". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Weather problems temporarily force Channel 39 off the air". The Tennessean. January 29, 1986. p. 1D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ "Financial problems hit radio stations". The Tennessean. March 7, 1986. p. 3-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ Bartley, Diane (March 23, 1986). "Clown leads kiddies into Kimbo-Land; Ch. 39 show reminiscent of 50s fare". The Tennessean. pp. 1E, 10E. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ a b Bartley, Diane (April 18, 1986). "Kimbo the Clown the latest to leave ailing Channel 39". The Tennessean. p. 2-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ Bartley, Diane (April 9, 1986). "Ch. 39 general manager resigns after disagreement over layoffs". The Tennessean. p. 1D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ Bartley, Diane (April 10, 1986). "Ch. 39's electricity cut off for unpaid bill". The Tennessean. pp. 1-D, 5-D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ West, Mike; Howze, John (April 10, 1986). "Channel 39 to be auctioned". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ Bartley, Diane (April 22, 1986). "Ch. 39 off the air again, but hopes for emergency cash". The Tennessean. p. 1D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ West, Mike (May 7, 1986). "Channel 39 returns to air with Christian programs". The Daily News-Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ^ Goldsmith, Thomas (May 8, 1986). "Beleaguered Channel 39 sold, back on the air". The Tennessean. pp. 1D, 4D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ^ "Hourlong worldwide prayer vigil televised". The Tennessean. January 13, 1991. p. 4A. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ "More stations make the DTV transition". TV Technology. November 14, 2002. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  53. ^ Snyder, Naomi (February 17, 2009). "3 local TV stations go digital-only tonight". The Tennessean. pp. 1A, 4A. Retrieved May 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  54. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  55. ^ "FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table" (CSV). Federal Communications Commission. April 13, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  56. ^ "TV Query for WHTN". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.

External links

Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=WHTN&oldid=1218263870"