WNHO-LD

{{Infobox television station

| callsign = WNHO-LD

| above = Defunct; served as translator of WLMA, Lima, Ohio

| logo =

| branding = see WLMA

| digital = 35 (UHF)

| virtual = 44

| affiliations = {{ubl|44.1: Religious Ind.|44.2: WOSN}}

| airdate = {{start date|1992|3|2}}

| last_airdate = {{ubl|{{end date|2024|8|1}}|({{age in years and days|1992|3|2|2024|8|1}})}}

| country = United States

| location = Defiance, Ohio

| callsign_meaning = Northwest Ohio's Hometown Television

| former_callsigns = {{ubl|W19BN (1992–1997)|WDFM-LP (1997–2018)}}

| owner = American Christian Television Services, Inc.

| licensee =

| former_affiliations = Secular independent (1992–2019)

| sister_stations = WLMA

| erp = 15 kW

| haat = {{convert|87.7|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}

| coordinates = {{coord|41|17|32.7|N|84|32|1.7|W|type:landmark}}

| class = LD

| facility_id = 73389

}}

WNHO-LD (channel 44) was a low-power television station in Defiance, Ohio, United States. It was a translator of Lima-based religious/secular independent station WLMA (channel 44) which is owned by American Christian Television Services. WNHO-LD's transmitter was located in Sherwood, Ohio; its parent station maintains studios near Elida, northwest of Lima. WNHO-LD's broadcast area includes most of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding and Williams counties.

Until 2018, the station was operated by iHeartMedia's WDFM radio at 98.1 FM. Its schedule consisted primarily of syndicated programming with a variety of topics including gardening, motorsports, agriculture, home improvement, and personal health.

History

Lankenau Small Media Network, which owned WDFM radio, established WNHO-LD on March 2, 1992, on channel 19 as W19BN. In March 1997, its calls changed to WDFM-LP.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

In December 1998, Jacor Broadcasting, which would later merge with Clear Channel, acquired WDFM and WDFM-LP from Lankenau.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

WDFM-LP later moved its frequency from channel 19 to channel 26 to make way for the digital signal of Fort Wayne's WISE-TV, which broadcasts its digital signal on channel 18.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Newport Television.{{cite press release|title=Clear Channel Agrees to Sell Television Station Group to Providence Equity Partners |publisher=Clear Channel Communications |url=http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1943 |date=April 20, 2007 |access-date=September 20, 2014 |via=Wayback Machine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070425161056/http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1943 |archive-date=April 25, 2007}} However, WDFM-LP was not included in the sale, as it was operated directly by the radio station, instead of the television group.

In July 2018, what was now iHeartMedia filed to donate WDFM-LP to American Christian Television Services (the owners of WTLW, now WLMA in Lima, Ohio), with a requirement that ACTS switch the call letters.{{cite web |title=Holy Toledo! An iHeart Act Of Defiance {{!}} Radio & Television Business Report |url=https://www.rbr.com/holy-toledo-an-iheart-act-of-defiance/ |website=Radio & Television Business Report |date=23 July 2018}}{{cite web |title=iHeart's Low Power "TV 26" WDFM-LP In Defiance Donates Station To Lima's American Christian Television Services |url=https://mercercountyoutlook.net/2018/07/25/ihearts-low-power-tv-26-wdfm-lp-in-defiance-donates-station-to-limas-american-christian-television-services/ |website=Mercer County Outlook |date=25 July 2018}} The transfer was complete on October 5, 2018, at which point the station's call sign was changed to WNHO-LP.{{cite web |title=CDBS Print |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101794002&formid=905&fac_num=73389 |website=licensing.fcc.gov}} ACTS acquired the station to provide a UHF repeater of WTLW, which broadcast on physical channel 4 and struggled with full-market over-the-air penetration due to being on a low-VHF frequency.

In early 2019, WTLW announced plans to upgrade WNHO-LP to a digital station and move its broadcast channel to 35. WNHO-LD signed on the air on October 4, 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wnho.tv/2019/09/25/the-new-wnho-tv26-announces-re-scan-date/|title=The New WNHO, TV26 Announces Re-Scan Date | WNHO}}

On August 1, 2024, WNHO ended operations, as WLMB prepares to re-locate onto UHF physical channel 35, effectively making WNHO-LD superfluous.