WVEA-TV
Encyclopedia
WVEA-TV is the Univision
affiliate for Tampa Bay, Florida, licensed to Venice
. The station is owned by Entravision Communications
, and also operates Telefutura
affiliate WFTT-TV
. The two stations share studios on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, in a former Barnett Bank building west of Armenia Avenue. Its channel 25 digital transmitter is located at the antenna farm at Riverview
.
WVEA can be seen on Bright House
and Comcast
cable -- channel 8 in Hillsborough
, channel 7 in Pinellas
and channel 15 in Manatee
and Sarasota
counties. Currently, neither Bright House or Comcast carry the LATV subchannel.
area's own independent station, designed to compete against WWSB
and the other stations in the Tampa Bay and nearby Ft. Myers markets. The call letters stood for Bradenton
, Sarasota, and Venice, the three cities it primarily served. WBSV had a variety of syndicated and local programming, plus infomercial
s and home shopping
programs; early on, it also produced a local newscast. However, the station was unprofitable, eventually relying more on home shopping and infomercials to keep the station afloat.
In 2000, Entravision bought WBSV with the intent of moving the transmitter from Venice to Riverview and upgrade its low-power Univision station, WVEA-LP (channel 61). WBSV's history ended in early 2001, when the station left the air for a few weeks to perform the move and establish WVEA's new studios. In March 2001, the station returned to the air with its current programming and call letters.
In April, 2010 the station began transmitting in 1080i and passing the Univision network in HD.
flagship WBHS (now WFTT-TV), the station relocated to channel 61 and became W61BL; in 1994, the station changed its call letters to WVEA-LP. After Entravision bought channel 62, in March 2001, WVEA-LP's programming moved to that facility. WVEA-LP itself remains in operation on channel 46, carrying the Home Shopping Network.
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...
affiliate for Tampa Bay, Florida, licensed to Venice
Venice, Florida
Venice is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city had a population of 21,015. It is noted for its large snowbird population. Its newspaper is the Venice Gondolier Sun...
. The station is owned by Entravision Communications
Entravision Communications
Entravision Communications Corporation is a media company based in Santa Monica, California. Entravision primarily caters to the Spanish-speaking Hispanic community and owns television and radio stations and outdoor media, in several of the top Hispanic markets. They are the largest affiliate...
, and also operates Telefutura
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...
affiliate WFTT-TV
WFTT-TV
WFTT-DT is the Telefutura affiliate for Tampa Bay, owned by Univision and operated by Entravision, owners of WVEA-TV. The station, which broadcasts on UHF channel 50 , is based at WVEA's studios on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, and transmits from Riverview.WFTT can be seen on cable throughout the...
. The two stations share studios on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, in a former Barnett Bank building west of Armenia Avenue. Its channel 25 digital transmitter is located at the antenna farm at Riverview
Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida
Riverview is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. It is located near Brandon. The population was 71,050 at the 2010 census....
.
WVEA can be seen on Bright House
Bright House Networks
Bright House Networks is a cable television company, the seventh largest cable operator and the sixth largest traditional multiple system operator in the United States owned by Advance/Newhouse, headquartered in Syracuse, New York...
and Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
cable -- channel 8 in Hillsborough
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, channel 7 in Pinellas
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
and channel 15 in Manatee
Manatee County, Florida
Manatee County is a county in the state of Florida. According to the 2010 census by the U.S. Census Bureau there are 322,833 people living in Manatee Country.Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and Sarasota
Sarasota County, Florida
Sarasota County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 372,057. Its county seat is Sarasota, Florida....
counties. Currently, neither Bright House or Comcast carry the LATV subchannel.
Digital
WVEA's digital signal is multiplexed and transmits on channel 25.| Virtual Ch# | Programming |
|---|---|
| 62.1 | WVEA-HD Univision HD (1080i) |
| 62.2 | LATV SD (480i) |
History
Channel 62 first signed on May 3, 1991 as English-language WBSV-TV, the SarasotaSarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
area's own independent station, designed to compete against WWSB
WWSB
WWSB Channel 40 is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Florida Suncoast that is licensed to Sarasota. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter on Rutland Road in the unincorporated Manatee County community of Rye, about 5 miles ESE of Parrish...
and the other stations in the Tampa Bay and nearby Ft. Myers markets. The call letters stood for Bradenton
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
, Sarasota, and Venice, the three cities it primarily served. WBSV had a variety of syndicated and local programming, plus infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
s and home shopping
Home shopping
Home shopping commonly refers to the electronic retailing/home shopping channels industry, which includes such billion dollar television-based and e-commerce companies as HSN, QVC, eBay, ShopNBC, Buy.com, and Amazon.com, as well as traditional mail order and brick and mortar retailers as Hammacher...
programs; early on, it also produced a local newscast. However, the station was unprofitable, eventually relying more on home shopping and infomercials to keep the station afloat.
In 2000, Entravision bought WBSV with the intent of moving the transmitter from Venice to Riverview and upgrade its low-power Univision station, WVEA-LP (channel 61). WBSV's history ended in early 2001, when the station left the air for a few weeks to perform the move and establish WVEA's new studios. In March 2001, the station returned to the air with its current programming and call letters.
In April, 2010 the station began transmitting in 1080i and passing the Univision network in HD.
Intellectual property
WVEA was Tampa Bay's first Spanish-language TV station, beginning operations in the early-1980s as low-powered W50AC channel 50, which offered programming from the Spanish International Network, the forerunner of today's Univision. In 1988, to make way for new HSNHome 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...
flagship WBHS (now WFTT-TV), the station relocated to channel 61 and became W61BL; in 1994, the station changed its call letters to WVEA-LP. After Entravision bought channel 62, in March 2001, WVEA-LP's programming moved to that facility. WVEA-LP itself remains in operation on channel 46, carrying the Home Shopping Network.