WBKI (TV)

callsign

WBKI

city

Salem, Indiana

atsc3

yes

branding

WBKI MyTV 58 (58.3)

digital

16 (UHF)

virtual

affiliations

58.1: The CW 58.3: MyNetworkTV for others, see

owner

Block Communications (sale to Gray Media pending)

licensee

Independence Television Company

location

Salem, Indiana Louisville, Kentucky

country

United States

airdate

March 15, 1994

callsign meaning

"Warner Bros. in Kentucky and Indiana", from the original WBKI-TV on channel 34‡R1R‡

sister stations

WDRB

former callsigns

WFTE (1994–2006) WMYO (2006–2018) WBKI-TV (February 12–19, 2018)

former channel numbers

Analog: 58 (UHF, 1994–2009) Digital: 51 (UHF, 2002–2019)

former affiliations

Independent (1994–1995) UPN (1995–2006) MyNetworkTV (2006–2018; now on 58.3)

erp

860 kW

haat

390.4 m

facility id

34167

coordinates

38.35028°N, -85.84917°W

licensing authority

FCC

website

https://www.wdrb.com/wbki/

WBKI (channel 58) is a television station licensed to Salem, Indiana, United States, serving the Louisville, Kentucky, area as an affiliate of The CW and MyNetworkTV. WBKI is owned by Block Communications alongside Fox affiliate WDRB (channel 41). Both stations share studios on West Muhammad Ali Boulevard in downtown Louisville, while WBKI's transmitter is located northeast of Floyds Knobs innortheastern Floyd County, Indiana.

Channel 58 began broadcasting as WFTE on March 15, 1994. It was owned by Salem farmer Tom Ledford and put on the air under a local marketing agreement with WDRB owner Block Communications, which provided programming and facilities. It was an independent station for its first year but affiliated with UPN when that network began in 1995. Block was allowed to purchase the station outright in 2001. UPN and The WB merged in 2006 to form The CW, but that network opted to affiliate with WBKI-TV (channel 34), and WFTE instead became a MyNetworkTV affiliate under a new call sign of WMYO. In 2012, WBKI-TV was sold, and the new owner entered into an agreement with Block to provide services.

History

In 1987, Tom Ledford, a farmer from Salem, Indiana, read in his local newspaper that a television station allocation was available in his area. He applied and received a construction permit in September 1990.[2] By late 1993, Ledford and consultant Bob Gordon had made progress in putting the station on the air.[3] For programming, Ledford and Gordon entered into a local marketing agreement with WDRB (channel 41), Louisville's Fox affiliate, to program WFTE and use WDRB's tower at Floyds Knobs, Indiana.[4] WDRB owned the rights to air the rights to air Cincinnati Reds baseball and Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball in Louisville, as well as other programs, but lacked enough time in its broadcast day to air them due to increased Fox network programming commitments. In addition, WFTE became the Louisville-market home of NYPD Blue, an ABC series that local affiliate WHAS-TV refused to carry.[5]

WFTE began broadcasting on March 15, 1994.[6] Shortly after broadcasting, channel 58 committed to UPN, which launched in January 1995.[7] WDRB owner Block Communications acquired WFTE outright in 2001, creating the first television station duopoly in the Louisville market; this was allowed by the FCC even though there were fewer than eight unique commercial station owners because WFTE had only been put on the air as a result of the original local marketing agreement.[8]

In 2006, UPN and The WB merged to form The CW.[9] The WB affiliate in the market, WBKI-TV (channel 34), one of the highest-rated WB stations in the nation, was selected in early March as the CW affiliate.[10] Later that month, WFTE signed a deal to affiliate with MyNetworkTV, a new network set up by Fox Television Stations to serve stations not chosen for The CW.[11][12] On July 7, WFTE changed its call sign to WMYO in view of its new affiliation.[13] Block Communications entered into an operating partnership with WBKI-TV in 2012,[14]

On August 1, 2025, Gray Media announced it would purchase Block's television stations, including WBKI and WDRB. The $80 million transaction would put the stations under common operation with NBC affiliate WAVE (channel 3).[18][19]

History

Local programming

Technical information

Subchannels

Analog-to-digital conversion

References