WOTF-TV
Encyclopedia
WOTF-DT Channel 43 is the TeleFutura
station serving the Orlando
/Daytona Beach
/Melbourne
, Florida
television market. It is owned by Univision
and managed by Entravision which owns Univision affiliate WVEN-TV
and radio station WNUE-FM
, and offers a Spanish language entertainment format featuring movies, dramas, comedy shows, and kids shows. The studios are located in Altamonte Springs which is also shared by WVEN.
. It was owned by Press Broadcasting, and programmed a general entertainment format with an emphasis on movies and drama, along with some game shows. Shows included Ironside
, Bonanza
, Soap
, One Day At A Time
, The Joker's Wild
, Tic Tac Dough, among others. In 1984, WMOD became a more traditional independent station
.
added sitcoms and cartoons such as Inspector Gadget
, Superfriends, He-Man
, Brady Bunch, Happy Days
, Laverne and Shirley, Lucy Show, All In The Family
, Odd Couple
, Honeymooners, and others.
Being licensed to Melbourne placed the station at a disadvantage, as it was located 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Orlando, and only reached Orlando with a grade B signal. It did not even reach Daytona Beach at all. As a result, the station received low ratings despite decent programming.
Soon afterwards, the FCC
allocated a commercial license to Clermont, a western suburb of Orlando, on Channel 68. Press applied for the license in 1985, and received it in March 1986. The plan was for Press Broadcasting to sell off WMOD to the Home Shopping Network
the same time as their new station on Channel 68 was built and on the air. In the meantime, WMOD agreed to affiliate with the Home Shopping Network on a part-time basis. Initially in October of 1986, WMOD began airing Home Shopping on overnights. In January of 1987, Home Shopping was increased to the midday hours and by the Summer of 1987 Home Shopping Network programming occupied 18 hours a day of WMOD's schedule. General entertainment continued running from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. The station still was unable to move its programming unit of general entertainment programming to Channel 68 by the fall. Plus financial constraints prevented them from moving forward. So in order to finish building the new station, in January 1988, WMOD 43 was sold to Home Shopping Network affiliate company, Blackstar Broadcasting. That February, it began to run HSN full time (except for a few hours of religious and public affairs shows Sunday mornings), and changed its call letters to WBSF. Its barter cartoons and other barter shows moved to Channel 56 WAYK (also a Melbourne station with an even weaker signal than Channel 43). Other existing programming was rested and moved in November of 1988 to their newly built WKCF
Channel 68 (moved to Channel 18 in the 90's).
When the television station ownership restrictions were lifted in 1996, Blackstar sold its stations, including WBSF, to HSN. Barry Diller
, owner of the USA Network
, bought HSN soon afterwards, and a new plan for WBSF emerged. The station was to become a general entertainment outlet by 2002, along with other USA Broadcasting
stations.
That plan, however, did not materialise, as Univision purchased the station in 2001. The sale was finalized in January 2002, and the station became an affiliate of TeleFutura under the new callsign of WOTF. (The WBSF
calls were since reassigned to a CW affiliate in Bay City, Michigan
.)
In May 2010, the station began broadcasting in 1080i HD and passing the TeleFutura network in HD.
TeleFutura
TeleFutura is a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami, Florida.-Overview:TeleFutura Is America’s #2 Spanish-Language Network in prime time...
station serving the Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
/Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
/Melbourne
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
television market. It is owned by Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
and managed by Entravision which owns Univision affiliate WVEN-TV
WVEN-TV
WVEN-TV digital channel 49 is a television affiliate of Univision licensed to serve Daytona Beach, Florida, but with sufficient signal to cover Orlando and Melbourne, Florida. The station is owned by Entravision and offers a Spanish language entertainment format. WVEN takes its call letters from...
and radio station WNUE-FM
WNUE-FM
WNUE-FM Jose 98.1 is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Tropical and Spanish Adult Hits format. Licensed to Deltona, Florida, USA, it serves the Orlando area, and is owned by Entravision Communications Corporation .Prior to becoming WNUE in 2000, 98.1 FM was country music station WGNE...
, and offers a Spanish language entertainment format featuring movies, dramas, comedy shows, and kids shows. The studios are located in Altamonte Springs which is also shared by WVEN.
Digital
WOTF's digital signal transmits on channel 43. WOTF's transmitter tower is located in the Christmas/Bithlo FL area.| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 43.1 | WOTF-HD TeleFutura HD (1080i) |
History
The station began operation in July 1982 on Channel 43 as WMOD, licensed to MelbourneMelbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
. It was owned by Press Broadcasting, and programmed a general entertainment format with an emphasis on movies and drama, along with some game shows. Shows included Ironside
Ironside
-Entertainment and literature:*Ironside , an American television series starring Raymond Burr*Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale, an urban fantasy novel by Holly Black-People:...
, Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
, Soap
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
, One Day At A Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
, The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild is an American television game show that aired at different times during the 1970s through the 1990s. Contestants answered questions based on categories that were determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine....
, Tic Tac Dough, among others. In 1984, WMOD became a more traditional independent station
Independent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
.
added sitcoms and cartoons such as Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget is an animated television series that revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, simple-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget – a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr...
, Superfriends, He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
, Brady Bunch, Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, Laverne and Shirley, Lucy Show, All In The Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, Odd Couple
Odd Couple
Odd Couple is a 1979 Hong Kong film directed by Lau Kar Wing , who also stars, alongside Sammo Hung. It was the first film to be released by Gar Bo Motion Picture Company , an independent production company set up by Hung, Lau and producer Karl Maka.The movie is a showcase for the different...
, Honeymooners, and others.
Being licensed to Melbourne placed the station at a disadvantage, as it was located 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Orlando, and only reached Orlando with a grade B signal. It did not even reach Daytona Beach at all. As a result, the station received low ratings despite decent programming.
Soon afterwards, the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
allocated a commercial license to Clermont, a western suburb of Orlando, on Channel 68. Press applied for the license in 1985, and received it in March 1986. The plan was for Press Broadcasting to sell off WMOD to the Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...
the same time as their new station on Channel 68 was built and on the air. In the meantime, WMOD agreed to affiliate with the Home Shopping Network on a part-time basis. Initially in October of 1986, WMOD began airing Home Shopping on overnights. In January of 1987, Home Shopping was increased to the midday hours and by the Summer of 1987 Home Shopping Network programming occupied 18 hours a day of WMOD's schedule. General entertainment continued running from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. The station still was unable to move its programming unit of general entertainment programming to Channel 68 by the fall. Plus financial constraints prevented them from moving forward. So in order to finish building the new station, in January 1988, WMOD 43 was sold to Home Shopping Network affiliate company, Blackstar Broadcasting. That February, it began to run HSN full time (except for a few hours of religious and public affairs shows Sunday mornings), and changed its call letters to WBSF. Its barter cartoons and other barter shows moved to Channel 56 WAYK (also a Melbourne station with an even weaker signal than Channel 43). Other existing programming was rested and moved in November of 1988 to their newly built WKCF
WKCF
WKCF is the CW-affiliated television station for Central Florida licensed to Clermont. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter in unincorporated Bithlo. The station can also be seen on Bright House Networks channel 8 and Comcast channel 13...
Channel 68 (moved to Channel 18 in the 90's).
When the television station ownership restrictions were lifted in 1996, Blackstar sold its stations, including WBSF, to HSN. Barry Diller
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller is the Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and the media executive responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting.-Early life:...
, owner of the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
, bought HSN soon afterwards, and a new plan for WBSF emerged. The station was to become a general entertainment outlet by 2002, along with other USA Broadcasting
USA Broadcasting
USA Broadcasting was an American media company owned by veteran entertainment industry executive Barry Diller. This network was the over-the-air broadcasting arm of USA Network....
stations.
That plan, however, did not materialise, as Univision purchased the station in 2001. The sale was finalized in January 2002, and the station became an affiliate of TeleFutura under the new callsign of WOTF. (The WBSF
WBSF
WBSF is the CW-affiliated television station for the Flint/Tri-Cities market that is licensed to Bay City. Owned by Barrington Broadcasting, the station is sister to NBC affiliate WEYI-TV and the two share studios on West Willard Road in Vienna Township along the Genesee and Saginaw County line...
calls were since reassigned to a CW affiliate in Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
.)
In May 2010, the station began broadcasting in 1080i HD and passing the TeleFutura network in HD.