WLTV-DT

WLTV-DT, branded as Univision 23, is a Spanish-language television station serving South Florida from the Miami–Fort Lauderdale market. It is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision and functions as one of Univision’s two flagship owned-and-operated stations, alongside WXTV-DT in the New York City market. The station broadcasts on channel 23 and also serves as the practical Univision outlet for the West Palm Beach area, which does not have a separate Univision station of its own. The station’s present identity developed from a complicated history for UHF channel 23 in South Florida. The frequency first went on the air in 1953 as WFTL-TV, an NBC affiliate licensed to Fort Lauderdale and operated by Tri-County Broadcasting Company. Storer Broadcasting acquired the station in 1954 and moved the operation toward Miami, relaunching it as WGBS-TV. The station struggled against established VHF competitors and the limited availability of UHF converters. It ceased broadcasting in April 1957, although the channel authorization and facilities remained part of a longer effort to revive channel 23. Channel 23 returned in November 1967 as WAJA-TV under Coastal Broadcasting System. Its early programming included stock-market reports, children’s shows, sports, local talk programming, and syndicated entertainment. Spanish-language movies and other Spanish programming gradually became more prominent. In 1969, the station leased substantial airtime to Tele-Cuba, a group led by Cuban exiles that supplied Spanish-language programming from Miami studios. Although that arrangement did not last, it helped establish the strategic direction that WAJA-TV would pursue. The station expanded Spanish programming over the following months and moved toward an all-Spanish format. Spanish International Communications Corporation acquired WAJA-TV in a transaction that closed in March 1971. The new owner changed the call sign to WLTV and sharply reduced English-language programming, retaining only limited syndicated and religious material. The station became an important source of Spanish-language television for Miami’s large Cuban and broader Latin American communities. Its programming developed in connection with the Spanish International Network, which later became Univision. A major technical and business step occurred in 1976, when the Spanish International Network became satellite-interconnected. WLTV installed South Florida’s first earth station for receiving and transmitting satellite-delivered network programming. This enabled a more consistent regional schedule and strengthened the station’s relationship with the emerging Spanish-language network. By 1978, advertising revenue had grown substantially, and Miami ranked among the most commercially valuable markets in the network’s station group because of its comparatively affluent Spanish-speaking audience. In the digital era, WLTV completed the federally mandated transition from analog broadcasting in June 2009. Its digital signal adopted channel 23 for post-transition operations, and the station added the “-DT” suffix to its call sign later that month. In December 2009, it upgraded its digital signal to 1080i high definition in preparation for Univision’s introduction of high-definition programming. Local newscasts followed with their own high-definition launch in October 2010. Today, WLTV-DT combines national Univision programming with locally produced Spanish-language news, public affairs, and newsmagazine content. It shares the NewsPort facility in Doral with sister station WAMI-DT, a UniMás station licensed to Hollywood, and other TelevisaUnivision operations. The station’s local output includes weekday newscasts, El News Café, Ahora en Nuestra Comunidad, and a Sunday newsmagazine program. Its core role is to provide Spanish-language entertainment, information, advertising, and community-oriented programming to viewers in Miami and surrounding South Florida communities.

The history of WLTV-DT is rooted in the development of UHF channel 23 in South Florida. The frequency initially served Fort Lauderdale as WFTL-TV, which began broadcasting on May 5, 1953, as Florida’s first UHF station. It was affiliated with NBC and operated alongside WFTL radio. After Storer Broadcasting acquired the station, the operation moved toward Miami and became WGBS-TV in December 1954. Despite higher-power facilities, WGBS-TV faced the structural disadvantages common to early UHF stations, including limited household access to UHF converters and competition from established VHF stations. It shut down in April 1957. Storer retained the channel’s operating authority and later attempted to revive it. The station returned to the air on November 14, 1967, as WAJA-TV, operated by Coastal Broadcasting System. Its early schedule mixed stock-market reports, children’s programs, sports, talk shows, syndicated entertainment, and local productions. A fire in March 1968 destroyed the station’s cameras and other equipment, but temporary and replacement equipment allowed broadcasting to resume quickly. WAJA-TV’s most important transformation began in 1969. The station leased much of its daytime schedule to Tele-Cuba, a Spanish-language programming venture organized by Cuban exiles José Alfredo López and Aramis del Real. Although Tele-Cuba soon failed financially, WAJA-TV continued developing Spanish-language programming. Spanish movies, newscasts, and weekend blocks expanded, and the station increasingly targeted Miami’s Spanish-speaking population. Spanish International Communications Corporation agreed to acquire WAJA-TV in 1970, completing the purchase in March 1971. The buyer changed the call letters to WLTV and removed most English-language programming. WLTV became part of the Spanish International Network, the predecessor of Univision, and emerged as a central Spanish-language television outlet in Miami. The station’s audience strategy reflected the area’s large Cuban-American community as well as the broader Latin American population of South Florida. In 1976, the Spanish International Network became satellite-interconnected. WLTV installed an earth station to receive network programming, improving schedule consistency and linking the station more closely to the expanding Spanish-language television system. The station’s commercial performance strengthened during the 1970s; by 1978, its advertising revenue was reported as substantial relative to the network’s other stations, supported by Miami’s affluent Spanish-speaking audience. The station later became an owned-and-operated Univision outlet. Its modern operations include locally produced news, public affairs, and community programming alongside national network shows. WLTV shares the NewsPort complex in Doral with WAMI-DT and other TelevisaUnivision operations. In 2009, it completed the federally required transition to digital broadcasting and adopted the WLTV-DT call sign. It subsequently upgraded its transmission and local news production to high definition. The station remains a major Spanish-language broadcast presence in Miami and serves West Palm Beach as the area’s de facto Univision outlet.

• 2010

  Local newscasts move to high definition

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  WLTV began airing its local news programming in high definition.

• 2009

  Digital transition and call-sign update

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  WLTV ended analog broadcasting, continued digitally on channel 23, and added the -DT suffix to its call sign.

• 1976

  Satellite network distribution reaches WLTV

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  WLTV installed an earth station after the Spanish International Network became satellite-interconnected.

• 1971

  WLTV identity begins

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  Spanish International Communications Corporation completed its purchase and changed the call letters from WAJA-TV to WLTV.

• 1969

  Spanish programming becomes central to the station

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  WAJA-TV leased substantial airtime to Tele-Cuba and expanded Spanish-language programming, setting the direction for its later identity.

• 1967

  WAJA-TV returns to the air

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  Channel 23 resumed broadcasting as WAJA-TV under Coastal Broadcasting System.

• 1957

  WGBS-TV shuts down

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  WGBS-TV ceased broadcasting after struggling against VHF competitors and the limited penetration of UHF reception equipment.

• 1954

  Channel 23 becomes WGBS-TV

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  After Storer Broadcasting acquired the operation, the channel moved toward Miami and adopted the WGBS-TV identity.

• 1953

  WFTL-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor operation on UHF channel 23 went on the air in Fort Lauderdale as WFTL-TV, described as Florida’s first UHF television station.

A Spanish-language Univision broadcast station focused on South Florida’s Hispanic audience, combining national network content with locally produced news and community programming.

• National television programming

  Univision network programming

  WLTV carries Univision’s Spanish-language national schedule, including entertainment, news, sports, specials, and other network programming. This forms the principal programming foundation of the station and connects the Miami market with Univision’s broader United States audience.

• Television news

  Local news

  WLTV produces a substantial schedule of locally originated Spanish-language newscasts for South Florida. The news operation covers regional events and serves as the station’s principal local-information product. Its newscasts moved to high-definition production in 2010.

• News and lifestyle program

  El News Café

  El News Café is a locally produced weekday half-hour program airing in the late morning. It extends WLTV’s news output beyond conventional scheduled newscasts and provides a format for additional reporting and topical coverage.

• Public affairs programming

  Ahora en Nuestra Comunidad

  Ahora en Nuestra Comunidad is a community-oriented public affairs program produced by the station. It airs on WLTV on Saturday mornings and on sister station WAMI-DT on Sunday mornings, addressing issues relevant to local residents and Spanish-speaking communities.

• News magazine

  Local newsmagazine

  WLTV also produces a Sunday hour-long newsmagazine program associated with anchor Ambrosio Hernandez. The format supplements daily newscasts with longer-form local coverage and features.

• 2010

  Moved local news production to high definitionGeneration change

  Background

  The station had upgraded its digital transmission in preparation for high-definition Univision programming.

  Action taken

  WLTV began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on October 22.

  Aftermath

  Local news production became aligned with the station’s high-definition broadcast infrastructure.

  Source

• 2009

  Completed the analog-to-digital transitionGeneration change

  Background

  United States full-power television stations were required to discontinue analog broadcasting under the national digital television transition.

  Action taken

  WLTV ended its analog signal and continued digital transmission on channel 23, later using the WLTV-DT call sign.

  Aftermath

  The station operated as a digital broadcast service and upgraded its signal to support high-definition programming.

  Source

• 1971

  Adopted an overwhelmingly Spanish-language formatStrategy

  Background

  Spanish International Communications Corporation acquired WAJA-TV after the station had experimented with Spanish programming and airtime leasing to Tele-Cuba.

  Action taken

  The new owner changed the call sign to WLTV and dropped nearly all English-language programming, retaining only limited syndicated and religious content.

  Aftermath

  WLTV became a principal Spanish-language television outlet in Miami and developed into a key station in the Spanish International Network and later Univision system.

  Source

1. 1WLTV-DTen.wikipedia.org