WLIO-DT2
Encyclopedia
WLIO-DT2 is the primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV
-affiliated television station
for Northwest
Ohio
. It is a second digital subchannel
of NBC
affiliate WLIO
owned by Block Communications
. Over-the-air, the station broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on VHF channel 8.2 from a transmitter at its studios on Rice Avenue in Downtown Lima
. WLIO-DT2 can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
channel 9 and in high definition
on digital channel 1009. Syndicated
programming on this station includes Friends
, George Lopez
, Family Guy
, and Scrubs
among others. Monday through Friday, MyNetworkTV can be seen from 11 at night until 1 the next morning.
announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS
(the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros.
unit of Time Warner
. On February 22, News Corporation
announced it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming Independent. It was also created to compete against The CW.
WLIO operated the area's cable-only WB affiliate "WBOH
" in partnership with The WB 100+
. UPN was seen in Lima on low-powered WLQP-LP
. With the pending network shakeup, WLIO gained the area's CW affiliation for "WBOH" which joined the new network through The CW Plus
and was added to this second digital subchannel in order to offer non-cable subscribers access to The CW. This station's official sign-on occurred September 18. Two weeks earlier, then Class A
Fox affiliate WOHL-CA added MyNetworkTV in a secondary nature.
It aired programming from the network Monday through Saturday nights from 11 until 1 the next the morning. Eventually, Saturday shows were dropped. On September 17, 2008, WLIO-DT2 dropped The CW after the network reverted back to a cable-exclusive status in Lima. The cable channel slot was eventually taken over by WBDT
from Dayton
as the network's de-facto affiliate.
As a result, this station became a primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate essentially becoming a second outlet in Lima for the two networks. The move resulted in a dispute between WLIO and WOHL. However, this second subchannel of WLIO served as WOHL's digital signal because that station did not receive a companion channel for digital transmission due to its Class A status. On June 12, 2009, a construction permit
allowed WOHL to perform a "flash-cut
" to digital becoming WOHL-CD.
It first operated a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 25, but due to possible interference with ABC affiliate WRTV
in Indianapolis, Indiana
, the station moved to channel 35 for its digital operations. That allotment previously served as WLIO's analog signal and virtual channel
display through Program and System Information Protocol
(PSIP). As a result, the virtual channel assignment was displaced since WOHL opted to use the same channel number as its actual frequency.
Lima is one of the few markets where two of the largest stations are currently using not only the same virtual channel numbers as actual RF channels, but also virtual channel numbers different from former analog channel number assignments. Soon after on September 28, WLQP and WLMO terminated analog operations. ABC programming was shifted to WOHL with CBS on a new second digital subchannel allowing the two networks to be offered over-the-air in high definition for the first time. Programming from Fox and MyNetworkTV continue to be seen on WLIO-DT2 and cable.
Andy Young (10 o'clock only). Since the 5 p.m. weeknight newscast airs on this station, WLIO does not offer a show at that time unlike most NBC affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone
. There are no weekend local broadcasts seen on WLIO-DT2.
Reporters
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Northwest
Northwest Ohio
Northwest or northwestern Ohio consists of multiple counties in the northwestern corner of the US state of Ohio. This area borders Lake Erie, southern Michigan, and eastern Indiana. Some areas in northwestern Ohio are also considered the Black Swamp area. The Toledo metropolitan area is also part...
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. It is a second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
of NBC
NBC
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...
affiliate WLIO
WLIO
WLIO is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northwest Ohio licensed to Lima. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter at its studios on Rice Avenue in the city. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 5 and in high definition on...
owned by Block Communications
Block Communications
Block Communications is a privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German immigrant who came to the United States fifteen years prior, formed an ad...
. Over-the-air, the station broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on VHF channel 8.2 from a transmitter at its studios on Rice Avenue in Downtown Lima
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
. WLIO-DT2 can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
channel 9 and in high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
on digital channel 1009. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on this station includes Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, George Lopez
George Lopez (TV series)
"The George Lopez Show" redirects here. For the late-night program hosted by the same comedian, see Lopez Tonight.George Lopez is an American sitcom starring comedian George Lopez...
, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, and Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
among others. Monday through Friday, MyNetworkTV can be seen from 11 at night until 1 the next morning.
History
WLIO-DT2's origins began on January 24, 2006 when The WB and UPNUPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS
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...
(the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
unit of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. On February 22, News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
announced it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming Independent. It was also created to compete against The CW.
WLIO operated the area's cable-only WB affiliate "WBOH
West Central Ohio CW
West Central Ohio CW is the name of a cable-only television station in the Lima, Ohio, media market. It is owned and operated by Time Warner Cable....
" in partnership with The WB 100+
The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group was a group of primarily non-broadcast local cable television outlets for The WB Television Network, for markets below the top 100 television media markets in the United States. Dayparts with no WB programming were programmed by the network...
. UPN was seen in Lima on low-powered WLQP-LP
WLQP-LP
WLQP-LP is the ABC-affiliated television station for Northwestern Ohio that is licensed to Lima. It broadcasts a low-powered analog signal on UHF channel 25 from a transmitter on Rice Avenue in the city. WLQP can also be seen on Time Warner channel 12...
. With the pending network shakeup, WLIO gained the area's CW affiliation for "WBOH" which joined the new network through The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
and was added to this second digital subchannel in order to offer non-cable subscribers access to The CW. This station's official sign-on occurred September 18. Two weeks earlier, then Class A
Class A television service
The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...
Fox affiliate WOHL-CA added MyNetworkTV in a secondary nature.
It aired programming from the network Monday through Saturday nights from 11 until 1 the next the morning. Eventually, Saturday shows were dropped. On September 17, 2008, WLIO-DT2 dropped The CW after the network reverted back to a cable-exclusive status in Lima. The cable channel slot was eventually taken over by WBDT
WBDT
WBDT is the CW-affiliated television station for Ohio's Miami Valley. Licensed to Springfield, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter in the Frytown section of Dayton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 13 and in high...
from Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
as the network's de-facto affiliate.
As a result, this station became a primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate essentially becoming a second outlet in Lima for the two networks. The move resulted in a dispute between WLIO and WOHL. However, this second subchannel of WLIO served as WOHL's digital signal because that station did not receive a companion channel for digital transmission due to its Class A status. On June 12, 2009, a construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
allowed WOHL to perform a "flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
" to digital becoming WOHL-CD.
It first operated a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 25, but due to possible interference with ABC affiliate WRTV
WRTV
WRTV, channel 6, is the ABC television affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana; it is owned by McGraw-Hill. Its transmitter is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis at 8001 Township Line Road. Its studios are found at 1330 N...
in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, the station moved to channel 35 for its digital operations. That allotment previously served as WLIO's analog signal and 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....
display through Program and System Information Protocol
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
(PSIP). As a result, the virtual channel assignment was displaced since WOHL opted to use the same channel number as its actual frequency.
Lima is one of the few markets where two of the largest stations are currently using not only the same virtual channel numbers as actual RF channels, but also virtual channel numbers different from former analog channel number assignments. Soon after on September 28, WLQP and WLMO terminated analog operations. ABC programming was shifted to WOHL with CBS on a new second digital subchannel allowing the two networks to be offered over-the-air in high definition for the first time. Programming from Fox and MyNetworkTV continue to be seen on WLIO-DT2 and cable.
Newscasts
Weeknights at 5 and 10, WLIO produces two thirty minute newscasts for this second digital subchannel. The broadcasts feature news anchors Amyre Makupson (10 p.m. only) and Stuart Hall, Chief Meteorologist Kyle Adams, as well as Sports DirectorSports Director
A sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
Andy Young (10 o'clock only). Since the 5 p.m. weeknight newscast airs on this station, WLIO does not offer a show at that time unlike most NBC affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. There are no weekend local broadcasts seen on WLIO-DT2.
Reporters
- Sam Shriver - multimedia journalist
- James Rider - sports videographer
- Phil Thomas - videographer
- Tom Nartker - videographer
- Brent Stocksdale - opinion
- David Adams - movie critic
- Joe Miles - videographer
- Csaba Sukosd - sports
- Jeff Rex - opinion
- Marissa Sherer
- Tony Sudano
- Demi Heiks
- Tricia Bell