WHDF
Encyclopedia
WHDF is The CW
affiliate in northern Alabama
, airing on channel 15. WHDF is under the ownership of Lockwood Broadcasting.
WHDF's studios are located in Florence
, and the station maintains a Huntsville
sales office on Andrew Jackson Way, in the Five Points neighborhood. The station's transmitter is located southeast of Minor Hill, Tennessee
, just 500 yards (450 m) north of the Alabama state line.
programs to northwestern Alabama and portions of southern middle Tennessee
and northeastern Mississippi
; it carried also some popular CBS
shows like the soap opera As the World Turns
.
WOWL-TV always faced competing NBC affiliates in Huntsville or Decatur
, whose signals reached much of its broadcast area; however, it retained viewership in the Shoals region (Florence, Sheffield, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia and areas known as "The Shoals" recently and referred to as "The Quad Cities" years ago) by offering local newscasts, which for most of the station's 40-plus years were the only TV newscasts concerned with that area only. In 2004 Lockwood Broadcast Group acquired the UPN affiliate in Huntsville Alabama - WHDF. With the merger of the WB and UPN on January 24, 2006 - WHDF joined the new network of the CW and called themselves The Valley’s CW.
Lockwood Broadcast Group's Broadcast Operation Service Solution provides content delivery and back-office function from Lockwood's Richmond, Virginia Operation Headquarters. Completed in 2007, the "hub" facility has remotely operated WHDF since that year. The state-of-the-art system employs an IP-based delivery method of HD broadcast, using proprietary ACT-L3 codec to convey a signal stream with technical accuracy and aesthetic clarity. Lockwood utilizes advanced IP-centric, multi-protocol label switching (MPLS)-based solutions to build its private IP cloud.
In September 2006, both UPN and The WB television network ceased operations. A single new network, The CW
, replaced those two struggling entities. WHDF, the UPN affiliate, was granted the northern Alabama affiliation rights for the new network earlier that year, and rebranded as The Valley's CW at Midnight on July 27, 2006. (The former WB affiliate, meanwhile, became WAMY-TV
, affiliated with My Network TV.)
Local employees at WHDF's Florence and Huntsville facilities total less than ten as of census business statistics in 2010.
, and remained on its pre-transition digital channel 14 PSIP is used to display WHDF's virtual channel
as 15.
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate in northern Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, airing on channel 15. WHDF is under the ownership of Lockwood Broadcasting.
WHDF's studios are located in Florence
Florence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
, and the station maintains a Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
sales office on Andrew Jackson Way, in the Five Points neighborhood. The station's transmitter is located southeast of Minor Hill, Tennessee
Minor Hill, Tennessee
Minor Hill is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 537 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Minor Hill is located at ....
, just 500 yards (450 m) north of the Alabama state line.
History
The station began on October 28, 1957 as WOWL-TV, based in Florence. The station was owned by Richard "Dick" Biddle. Up until late 1999, that station broadcast NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
programs to northwestern Alabama and portions of southern middle Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and northeastern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
; it carried also some popular CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
shows like the soap opera As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
.
WOWL-TV always faced competing NBC affiliates in Huntsville or Decatur
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
, whose signals reached much of its broadcast area; however, it retained viewership in the Shoals region (Florence, Sheffield, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia and areas known as "The Shoals" recently and referred to as "The Quad Cities" years ago) by offering local newscasts, which for most of the station's 40-plus years were the only TV newscasts concerned with that area only. In 2004 Lockwood Broadcast Group acquired the UPN affiliate in Huntsville Alabama - WHDF. With the merger of the WB and UPN on January 24, 2006 - WHDF joined the new network of the CW and called themselves The Valley’s CW.
Lockwood Broadcast Group's Broadcast Operation Service Solution provides content delivery and back-office function from Lockwood's Richmond, Virginia Operation Headquarters. Completed in 2007, the "hub" facility has remotely operated WHDF since that year. The state-of-the-art system employs an IP-based delivery method of HD broadcast, using proprietary ACT-L3 codec to convey a signal stream with technical accuracy and aesthetic clarity. Lockwood utilizes advanced IP-centric, multi-protocol label switching (MPLS)-based solutions to build its private IP cloud.
In September 2006, both UPN and The WB television network ceased operations. A single new network, The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
, replaced those two struggling entities. WHDF, the UPN affiliate, was granted the northern Alabama affiliation rights for the new network earlier that year, and rebranded as The Valley's CW at Midnight on July 27, 2006. (The former WB affiliate, meanwhile, became WAMY-TV
WAMY-TV
"WAMY-TV" is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Tennessee Valley area of Northeastern Alabama. In most areas, the station broadcasts on Comcast and Charter cable channel 8. As a result, its logo refers to this although it is known on-air as My WAMY. There some locations,...
, affiliated with My Network TV.)
Local employees at WHDF's Florence and Huntsville facilities total less than ten as of census business statistics in 2010.
Post-analog shutdown
WHDF ended programming on its analog signal, on UHF channel 15, on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United StatesDTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
, and remained on its pre-transition digital channel 14 PSIP is used to display WHDF's virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 15.