W23BW-D
Channels
Programming
Affiliationssee § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner
WZCK-LD
History
FoundedJanuary 4, 1989
First air date
August 16, 1990 (1990-08-16)
Former call signs
  • W54BH (1989–2001)
  • W23BW (2001–2014)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 54 (UHF, 1989–2001), 23 (UHF, 2001–2014)
3ABN (1990–2020)
Azteca América (2020–2022)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID67000
ClassCD
ERP15 kW
HAAT121.9 m (400 ft)
Transmitter coordinates43°3′9″N 89°28′42″W / 43.05250°N 89.47833°W / 43.05250; -89.47833
Links
Public license information
LMS

W23BW-D (channel 23) is a low-power Class A television station in Madison, Wisconsin, United States.

History

W54BH, known as "WSSM-TV", began broadcasting in March 1989. It was owned by Chicago TV weatherman Dan Dobrowolski, who had previously been the general manager of another Madison LPTV, W05BD; that station left the owner when owner Warren Cave resisted an attempt by Dobrowolski to take over and carted away his equipment.[2] WSSM assumed the sports- and movie-heavy schedule that W05BD had broadcast.[3] WSSM leased a cable channel on the local system, but when it changed formats in November 1989 to The Jukebox Network, an all-request music video channel, the cable system removed it from its lineup.[4] After the switch, the station closed its Madison offices and became little more than a laserdisc player and a transmitter on the roof of the Concourse Hotel.[5] It also failed in its attempts to be reinstated on cable.[6]

In March 1994, after being sold to the Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN), the low-power station began airing its Seventh-day Adventist programming.[7] W54BH was moved to channel 23 in 2001 to accommodate the pre-transition digital signal of WREX in Rockford, Illinois. The station continued to broadcast 3ABN and, when the station flash cut to digital in 2014, several of its audio channels.

In 2017, W23BW was sold to HC2 Holdings as part of a 14-station, $9.6 million sale of Three Angels-owned LPTV stations.[8] The deal made W23BW the second LPTV station in Madison owned by HC2, which also operates WZCK-LD through its DTV America subsidiary. On October 30, 2020, HC2 would make changes to W23BW's subchannel lineup. 3ABN would remain in the lineup per terms of the purchase agreement between HC2 and Three Angels but would relocate to subchannel 23.5. The main channel, 23.1, would see the addition of HC2-owned Azteca América, giving W23BW the distinction of being Madison's first full-time Spanish-language television station, as well as the 2nd full-time Spanish broadcast outlet in the market (after WLMV radio). Spanish language programming was augmented in September 2021 via the addition of the telenovela focused Novelisima network added to 23.6. Content from the infomercial and classic TV service Timeless TV would replace Azteca América on January 1, 2023, after that network ceased operations. Novelisima would eventually relocate to the primary subchannel remaining the only secular Spanish language over-the-air television option in the Madison area.

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of W23BW-D[9]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
23.1 720p 16:9 W23BW-D Novelisima
23.2 480i Buzzr
23.3 4:3 OnTV4U
23.4 16:9 NTD America
23.5 4:3 3ABN
23.6 16:9 Lx
23.7 16:9 Oxygen

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for W23BW-D". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Kessenich, Tom (March 4, 1989). "Channel 54's Dobrowolski figures worst is in the past". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 19. Retrieved February 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Miller, Elissa (January 5, 1989). "Equipment gone, Ch. 5 off the air". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 1B. Retrieved February 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Wendling, Patrice (May 18, 1990). "TCI pulls plug on video channel". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 1D, 3D. Retrieved February 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Wendling, Patrice (August 1, 1991). "Another request channel?". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 1D, 5D. Retrieved February 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Seppa, Nathan (September 4, 1991). "OK by Channel 54 if ruled non-station". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 1A. Retrieved February 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Treleven, Ed (April 29, 1994). "New TV network reaches Madison: Religious beliefs making airwaves". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 1D. Retrieved February 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "3ABN Deals Away 14 LPTV Properties". Radio & Television Business Report. October 13, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  9. ↑ "RabbitEars listing for W23BW-D". RabbitEars.
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