WRDM-CD
{{Short description|Television station in Hartford, Connecticut}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = WRDM-CD
| city = Hartford, Connecticut
| logo = TelemundoCT2018.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| logo_alt = WRDM logo
| branding = {{ubl|{{lang|es|italic=no|Telemundo Connecticut}}|{{lang|es|Noticiero Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra}} (newscasts)}}
| digital = 31 (UHF), shared with WVIT
| virtual = 19
| translators =
| affiliations = {{ubl|19.1: Telemundo|19.2: TeleXitos}}
| founded = 1985
| airdate = {{start date and age|1986|6|14|p=y}}
| location = {{nowrap|Hartford–New Haven, Connecticut}}
| country = United States
| callsign_meaning = Ruzzier, D{{'}}Agostino, Minniti{{cite news|last1=Lender|first1=Jon|title=Radio Station Targets Hispanic, Italian, Other Ethnic Markets|url=https://www.courant.com/1993/08/13/radio-station-targets-hispanic-italian-other-ethnic-markets/|access-date=December 18, 2017|work=Hartford Courant|date=August 13, 1993|language=en}} (former owners)
| owner = Telemundo Station Group
| licensee = NBC Telemundo License LLC
| operator =
| sister_stations = WVIT
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|W13BF (1985–1995)|WRDM-LP (1995–2008)|WRDM-CA (2008–2013)}}
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|All secondary:|Rai Internazionale Americas (1986–2001)|TVP Polonia (per program, 1993–2001)|Jewelry Television (overnights, {{circa|2001}}–2018)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|Analog: 13 (VHF, 1986–2006), 50 (UHF, 2006–2013)|Digital: 19 (UHF, 2013–2018), 35 (UHF, 2018–2019)|Virtual: 50 (2013–2018)}}
| erp = 374 kW
| haat = {{convert|450|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 10153
| coordinates = {{coord|41|42|2|N|72|49|55|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = FCC
| website = {{URL|https://www.telemundonuevainglaterra.com/noticias/local/Connecticut-465710633.html|Connecticut section on WNEU's website}}
| embed_header = Translator
| embedded = {{Infobox television station
| child = yes
| callsign = WDMR-LD
| city =
| logo =
| branding =
| digital = 23 (UHF)
| virtual = 14
| translators =
| affiliations = {{ubl|14.1: Telemundo|for others, see {{Section link||WDMR-LD subchannels}}}}
| founded = 1988
| airdate = {{start date and age|1991|6|13|p=y}}
| location = {{nowrap|Springfield, Massachusetts}}
| country = United States
| callsign_meaning = anagram of WRDM-CD
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|W65BX (1988–1995)|WDMR-LP (1995–2012)}}
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|All secondary:|Rai Internazionale Americas (1991–2001)|TVP Polonia (per program, 1993–2001)|Jewelry Television (overnights, {{circa|2001}}–2018)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|Analog: 65 (UHF, 1991–2006), 51 (UHF, 2006–2012)|Digital: 51 (UHF, 2012–2019)}}
| erp = 15 kW
| haat = {{convert|146|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 10154
| class = LD
| coordinates = {{coord|42|5|7.3|N|72|42|10.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = FCC
}}
}}
WRDM-CD (channel 19) is a Class A television station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut, United States, serving as the Hartford–New Haven market's outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group alongside NBC outlet WVIT (channel 30).{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Mark K.|title=NBCU Adding ZGS Stations To Telemundo|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/109362/nbcu-adding-zgs-stations-to-telemundo|access-date=December 4, 2017|work=TVNewsCheck|date=December 4, 2017|language=en}} The two stations share studios on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford and transmitter facilities on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, Connecticut. Despite WRDM-CD legally holding a low-power Class A license, it transmits using WVIT's full-power spectrum. This ensures complete reception across the Hartford–New Haven market.
WDMR-LD (channel 14) in Springfield, Massachusetts, operates as a translator of WRDM, serving the Pioneer Valley. This station's transmitter is located on Provin Mountain in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, Massachusetts.
History
WRDM-CD signed on June 14, 1986; it claims to be the first Spanish-language television station in New England.{{cite web|title=Telemundo Hartford/Springfield Celebrates its 25th Anniversary|url=http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Telemundo-Hartford-Springfield-Celebrates-its-25-Anniversary.html?soid=1102418448023&aid=bkKdNiQIXMI|website=Telemundo Hartford/Springfield Station Spotlight|access-date=December 18, 2017|date=May 23, 2011}} The station initially operated on channel 13 under the call letters W13BF. On June 13, 1991,{{cite book|title=Television & Cable Factbook 2006 Edition|year=2006|page=B-78|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2006-Factbook/TV-Factbook-2006-All-Other.pdf|format=PDF|access-date=October 5, 2018}} the station added a simulcast in Springfield, W65BX (channel 65). Initially, in addition to Telemundo programming, W13BF and W65BX aired programming in Italian from public broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)'s international service, with additional programming in Greek and Polish.{{cite news|last1=Trecker|first1=Jerry|title=Getting With The Program|url=https://www.courant.com/1993/10/13/getting-with-the-program-3/|access-date=December 18, 2017|work=Hartford Courant|date=October 13, 1993|language=en}} The television stations were joined by radio station WRDM (1550 AM, now WSDK) in 1993; on September 1, 1995, W13BF changed its call letters to WRDM-LP,{{cite web|title=Call Sign History (WRDM-CD)|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=10153&Callsign=WRDM-CD|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 18, 2017}} and W65BX became WDMR-LP.{{cite web|title=Call Sign History (WDMR-LD)|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=10154&Callsign=WDMR-LD|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 18, 2017}} WRDM radio was sold off in 1998.{{cite news|last1=Fybush|first1=Scott|title=The Mouse that Ate Hartford|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-980212.html|access-date=December 18, 2017|work=North East RadioWatch|date=February 12, 1998}} During the late 1990s, WDMR-LP's schedule also included English-language Boston Red Sox telecasts produced by Boston's WABU (now Ion Television owned-and-operated station WBPX-TV).{{cite news|last1=Fybush|first1=Scott|title=New England RadioWatch|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-960403.html|access-date=December 18, 2017|date=April 3, 1996}} By 1997, WRDM-LP's programming was simulcast in New Haven on W10BQ (channel 10, now defunct) and in Hartford on W11BJ (channel 11, now WFXQ-CD channel 28 in Springfield).{{cite news|last1=Fybush|first1=Scott|title=The Reaction to Dodge|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-970626.html|access-date=December 18, 2017|work=North East RadioWatch|date=June 26, 1997}}
Original owner Channel 13 Television sold WRDM-LP and WDMR-LP to ZGS Communications on March 27, 2001.{{cite web|title=Application for Transfer of Control of a Corporate Licensee or Permittee, or for Assignment of License or Permit of TV or FM Translator Station or Low Power Television Station|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=505255&Service=DC&Form_id=345&Facility_id=10154|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 18, 2017|date=June 22, 2000}}{{cite web|title=Application Search Details (WDMR-LD, 1)|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=505255&prefix=BALTVL&arn=20000626AFC&group=A|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 18, 2017}} In January 2006, WRDM-LP moved to channel 50;{{cite news|last1=Fybush|first1=Scott|title=And now...The CW?|url=https://www.fybush.com/NERW/2006/060130/nerw.html|access-date=December 18, 2017|work=NorthEast Radio Watch|date=January 30, 2006}} WDMR-LP moved to channel 51 that November.{{cite web|title=Application Search Details (WDMR-LD, 2)|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1158669|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 18, 2017}} WRDM became a class A station as WRDM-CA on May 7, 2008. On November 15, 2012, WDMR flash cut from analog to digital as WDMR-LD; on January 7, 2013, WRDM followed suit and became WRDM-CD. WDMR-LD now serves as a complete simulcast of WRDM-CD.[http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_station&facility_id=10154 RabbitEars TV Query for WDMR-LD]
On December 4, 2017, NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group announced its purchase of ZGS' 13 television stations, including WRDM-CD and WDMR-LD. The sale was completed on February 1, 2018. The deal made WRDM a sister station to NBC owned-and-operated station WVIT (channel 30), along with WNBC (channel 4) and WNJU (channel 47) to the southwest in New York City, and WBTS-LD (channel 8), WYCN-CD (channel 15) and WNEU (channel 60) to the northeast in Boston. WVIT began operating WRDM under a local marketing agreement on January 1, 2018 from WVIT's studios in West Hartford; WRDM later entered into a channel sharing agreement with WVIT.{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Mark K.|title=WNEU Boston Rebrands, Adds 2 Newscasts|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/109716/wneu-boston-rebrands-adds-2-newscasts|access-date=December 15, 2017|work=TVNewsCheck|date=December 15, 2017|language=en}} ZGS had sold WRDM's spectrum in the FCC's incentive auction for $10,574,516 and indicated that the station would enter into a post-auction channel sharing agreement.{{cite web|title=FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction Auction 1001 Winning Bids|url=http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0413/DA-17-314A2.pdf|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 15, 2017|format=PDF|date=April 4, 2017}} One immediate effect of the sale was the end of a brokered programming arrangement to carry English language Jewelry TV programming in overnights for Telemundo's regular overnight schedule, along with the addition of a Connecticut-specific part of the website for WNEU in place of the former WRDM website.
Newscasts
WRDM-LP began producing a newscast in April 1998; at the outset, {{lang|es|Noticiero 13}} primarily featured reports from Puerto Rico and Latin America, with local news coverage being added in June 1999.{{cite news|last1=Weiss|first1=Tara|title=Accent On News|url=https://www.courant.com/1999/08/16/accent-on-news/|access-date=December 15, 2017|work=Hartford Courant|date=August 16, 1999|language=en}} The station's news operation was discontinued in the early 2000s; WRDM then began carrying {{lang|es|Telenoticias Puerto Rico}} from WKAQ-TV in San Juan.
On December 15, 2017, NBCUniversal announced that, following its acquisition of WRDM-CD, the station (along with WDMR-LD) would begin simulcasting the newscasts of Boston sister station WNEU; the newscasts will include news from Connecticut and western Massachusetts from a reporter based at WRDM's facilities at the WVIT studios in West Hartford.
Technical information
The stations' signals are multiplexed:
=WRDM-CD subchannels=
{{#section:WVIT|subs}}
=WDMR-LD subchannels=
| class="wikitable"
|+ Subchannels of WDMR-LD{{cite web|url=https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WDMR-LD#station|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WDMR-LD|website=RabbitEars|access-date=September 20, 2022}} ! scope = "col" | Channel ! scope = "col" | Res. ! scope = "col" | Aspect ! scope = "col" | Short name ! scope = "col" | Programming |
| scope = "row" | 14.1 |
|---|
| scope = "row" | 14.2 |
| scope = "row" | 14.3
| LocalX || NBC LX Home |
| scope = "row" | 14.4
| Oxygen || Oxygen |
WDMR-LD also broadcasts the national services NBC LX Home and Oxygen, which are carried by WVIT as subchannels 30.3 and 30.4.
=Spectrum auction repack=
On August 2, 2019, WVIT and WRDM-CD were switched from RF 35 to RF 31.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|https://www.telemundonuevainglaterra.com/noticias/local/Connecticut-465710633.html|Hartford/Springfield section on WNEU's website}}
{{Hartford/New Haven TV}}
{{Springfield MA TV}}
{{Other New England Stations}}
{{NBCUniversal}}
{{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}}
Category:1986 establishments in Connecticut
Category:Telemundo Station Group
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1986