WPEN-LP

{{Short description|Television station in Hampton, Virginia (1989–2001)}}

{{Infobox television station

| callsign = WPEN-LP

| logo = WPENLogo.png

| logo_caption = Logo used in 1996

| branding = WPEN-TV

| analog = 68 (UHF)

| airdate = {{start date and age|1989}}

| last_airdate = {{end date and age|2001}}

| affiliations = {{ubl|Independent (1991–1998)|The Box (1998–2001)}}

| location = Hampton, Virginia

| country = US

| callsign_meaning = Peninsula

| owner = Lockwood Broadcast Group

| former_callsigns = {{ubl|W68BI (1985–1995)|WPEN-LP (1995–2001)}}

| erp = 12.7 kW

| haat = {{Convert|105|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}

| class = TX

| facility_id = 38238

| coordinates = {{Coord|37|0|54|N|76|23|2.41|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline,title}}

}}

WPEN-LP (channel 68) was a low-power television station licensed to Hampton, Virginia, United States, which served the Hampton Roads television market. The station began broadcasting in 1985; it then changed call signs to WPEN-LP on March 20, 1995. During its time on the air, it was an independent station, then picking up an affiliation with The Box, and later MTV2, before signing off in 2002. WPEN-LP was not related to the Philadelphia radio station WPEN (now WKDN).

History

Two of the three low-power television stations that became "WPEN" started as separate entities. The oldest was W68BI channel 68, originally licensed to Driver, which was authorized in 1985 as a rebroadcaster of the Trinity Broadcasting Network but instead came on the air in August 1989 as an owned-and-operated station of Channel America.{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Annuals/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/90s-OCR-YB/1990-YB/1990-BC-YB-OCR-Page-0684.pdf|work=Broadcasting Yearbook|date=1990|page=C-87|title=Low Power TV|accessdate=November 11, 2020}} The second was W51BH "WBH", which went on the air from Gloucester on September 1, 1989. "WBH", owned by Lee Bowen, offered local news coverage focusing on the Peninsula and older syndicated fare.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62460928/new-station-brings-good-news-to-the/|work=Daily Press|first=Joseph|last=Pryweller|title=New station brings good news to the Peninsula|date=August 19, 1989|page=C1|accessdate=November 4, 2020}} Beyond its own affiliation with Channel America, local productions included high school sporting events.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62572523/|accessdate=November 4, 2020|date=November 1, 1990|title=Hometown television: Peninsula station meets needs of local market|page=Neighbors 22|first=Robyne|last=Cooke|work=Daily Press}}

In 1994, Lockwood Broadcasting, an affiliate of rigging firm Lockwood Brothers, acquired "WBH" from Bowen and began operating it as "WPEN". It then bought W68BI; by this time, channel 51 programming included a country line-dance program and Baltimore Orioles baseball games.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62571766/|accessdate=November 4, 2020|date=July 30, 1994|page=D1|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press|title=96X strikes back after WNOR rocks their boat}} Lockwood added a third low-power station, W62CN channel 62 at Norfolk, to reach homes in the southern portion of Hampton Roads, and the station was added to cable systems in the market.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62572154/|accessdate=November 4, 2020|page=D1|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press|title=Hampton station wants to reach larger market}} Lockwood also reached a deal with WVEC to produce a 10 p.m. newscast for the station.{{cite news|title=WVEC, WPEN join forces with newscast|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39769611/wvec-wpen-join-forces-with-newscast/|date=October 14, 1995|accessdate=November 4, 2020|page=D1|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press}} WPEN appeared in the Hampton Roads Nielsen ratings in 1996—a first for a low-power station in a top-40 market.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62572667/|date=June 15, 1996|title=Regional Emmys makes WVEC-TV the big winner|accessdate=November 4, 2020|page=D1|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press}}

In late 1996, Lockwood acquired a full-power television station, WJCB (channel 49).{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59939320/wpen-buys-full-power-tv-station/|title=WPEN buys full-power TV station|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press|accessdate=November 2, 2020|page=B6|date=October 23, 1996}} The company planned to spend $1.5 million on an improved transmitter for channel 49 and new studio facilities and to move the syndicated inventory of WPEN to the full-power station.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59939263/lockwood-buys-wjcb-plans-upgrade/|date=April 5, 1997|page=D1|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press|accessdate=November 2, 2020|title=Lockwood buys WJCB, plans upgrade}} However, Lockwood received an unsolicited offer from Paxson Communications to purchase the station for $14.75 million—twice what Lockwood had paid—and accepted the offer in late 1997.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59939394/paxson-snatches-up-wjcb-tv/|title=Paxson snatches up WJCB-TV|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press|accessdate=November 2, 2020|pages=B8, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59939406/wjcb/ B9]|date=October 5, 1997}}

Cox Communications cable opted to drop WPEN from its lineup in October 1998, a decision that Lockwood said "killed" the station{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62462108/wpen-burned-by-cox-decision-to-change/|title=WPEN burned by Cox decision to change lineup|date=October 10, 1998|page=D1|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press|accessdate=November 4, 2020}} and deprived it of much of its viewership. As a result, the station dropped its independent local programming lineup and affiliated with The Box, a music video network, beginning November 1 of that year.{{cite news|pages=C8, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62462134/ C9]|date=October 30, 1998|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62462120/|title=WPEN will offer music videos|first=David|last=Nicholson|work=Daily Press|accessdate=November 4, 2020}}

WPEN-LP and its translators filed to go dark in February 2001. The licenses were deleted in September 2001 and April 2002.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20010723135632/http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WPEN-LP Archive FCC Data for WPEN-LP from archive.org]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20010723133709/http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=W51BH Archive FCC Data for W51BH from archive.org]

Category:Television channels and stations disestablished in 2001

Category:2001 disestablishments in Virginia

PEN-LP