WRCF-CD

WRCF-CD is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to serve the Orlando, Florida, market. The station operates on digital channel 29 and carries programming from UniMás, the Spanish-language television network associated with TelevisaUnivision. Its service area is constrained by the limited coverage of a low-power facility, so the station also reaches the broader Orlando market through a high-definition simulcast on WVEN-TV's digital subchannel 43.7. The station is part of TelevisaUnivision's Central Florida television operations and is operated alongside WVEN-TV, the market's Univision affiliate. The two stations share studio facilities on Douglas Avenue in Altamonte Springs. WRCF-CD's transmitter is located in the Bithlo area of unincorporated Orange County, Florida. This combination of a local over-the-air signal and a simulcast on a full-market partner station allows UniMás programming to be distributed beyond the station's immediate low-power footprint. WRCF-CD's ownership history includes a 2017 transaction involving LocusPoint Networks and Univision Communications. Univision Local Media agreed to acquire the station for $2.5 million on May 8, 2017, and the transaction closed on August 14 of that year. In 2021, Entravision Communications announced that it would return control of WRCF-CD and WVEN-TV to Univision, together with the UniMás affiliation that had been associated with WOTF. These transactions consolidated control of the Orlando Spanish-language stations within the Univision organization, now TelevisaUnivision. The station previously transmitted in 480i standard definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Around 2019, it upgraded its digital presentation to 1080i high definition in a 16:9 format. WRCF-CD's principal offering is therefore not a diversified consumer product portfolio but a local broadcast service: Spanish-language network entertainment, news, sports, and other UniMás programming delivered over the air to viewers in and around Orlando.

WRCF-CD is a low-power Class A television station serving Orlando, Florida. Its operating model combines a locally licensed digital signal with distribution through a larger partner station. The station broadcasts on channel 29 from a transmitter in the Bithlo area of unincorporated Florida. Because a low-power facility reaches a smaller geographic area than a full-power market station, WRCF-CD is also carried as a high-definition simulcast on WVEN-TV's digital subchannel 43.7. WVEN-TV and WRCF-CD share studios on Douglas Avenue in Altamonte Springs. The station's programming identity is tied to UniMás, TelevisaUnivision's Spanish-language network. WRCF-CD functions as the Orlando-area UniMás outlet, while WVEN-TV serves as the area's Univision station. Together, the outlets provide TelevisaUnivision with complementary Spanish-language network distribution in Central Florida. The station's main service is television programming rather than a separately developed consumer brand, and its value is closely connected to its network affiliation, local coverage, broadcast authorization, and relationship with WVEN-TV. Ownership changed materially in 2017. On May 8 of that year, LocusPoint Networks reached an agreement to sell WRCF-CD to Univision Communications' Univision Local Media for $2.5 million. The sale closed on August 14, bringing the station into Univision's local-media portfolio. A subsequent control arrangement involving Entravision was addressed in 2021, when Entravision announced that it would return control of WRCF-CD and WVEN-TV to Univision. The announcement also concerned the UniMás affiliation that had been held by WOTF, helping consolidate the Orlando-area Spanish-language television assets under Univision. WRCF-CD's technical presentation evolved along with digital television standards. It had previously been offered in 480i standard definition using a 4:3 aspect ratio. Around 2019, the station adopted a 1080i, 16:9 high-definition presentation. The upgrade improved the quality and screen format of the station's broadcast output, while the WVEN-TV simulcast helped address the geographic limitations of its low-power signal. The station is currently associated with TelevisaUnivision and remains an active Orlando-area UniMás service. Its operational footprint is local and regional rather than national: programming is supplied through the UniMás network, while transmission and market access are provided through WRCF-CD's own facility and its simulcast relationship with WVEN-TV.

• 2021

  Control returned to Univision

  [1]WRCF-CDen.wikipedia.org

  Entravision announced that control of WRCF-CD and WVEN-TV would be ceded back to Univision, alongside the relevant UniMás affiliation.

• 2019

  High-definition upgrade

  [1]WRCF-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station moved from 480i 4:3 standard definition to a 1080i 16:9 high-definition presentation.

• 2017

  Agreement to sell the station to Univision

  [1]WRCF-CDen.wikipedia.org

  LocusPoint Networks agreed to sell WRCF-CD to Univision Communications' Univision Local Media for $2.5 million.

• 2017

  Univision acquisition completed

  [1]WRCF-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The sale of WRCF-CD to Univision Local Media was completed on August 14.

A Spanish-language UniMás outlet serving the Orlando market through a low-power Class A signal supplemented by a broader-market simulcast on WVEN-TV.

• Spanish-language television broadcasting

  UniMás television service

  WRCF-CD's principal broadcast offering is the Spanish-language UniMás network service for the Orlando market. Programming is transmitted over the station's digital channel 29 and made available more broadly through a high-definition simulcast on WVEN-TV's digital subchannel 43.7. The service gives viewers access to the network's scheduled Spanish-language programming through local over-the-air distribution.

• Low-power television station

  WRCF-CD digital broadcast signal

  The station operates a digital Class A low-power television signal serving the immediate Orlando area. Its transmitter is located in the Bithlo area of unincorporated Florida. Because the signal's coverage is limited, the station supplements it with carriage on WVEN-TV's 43.7 digital subchannel.

• 2021

  Return of station control to UnivisionStrategy

  Background

  Entravision Communications controlled WRCF-CD and WVEN-TV in an arrangement involving the Orlando-area UniMás affiliation.

  Action taken

  Entravision announced that it would cede control of both stations back to Univision, together with the UniMás affiliation then held by WOTF.

  Aftermath

  Control of the Orlando Spanish-language station group was consolidated again under Univision, now operating within TelevisaUnivision.

  Source

• 2019

  Conversion to high-definition presentationGeneration change

  Background

  WRCF-CD had previously been presented in 480i standard definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

  Action taken

  The station upgraded its digital presentation to 1080i high definition in a 16:9 format.

  Aftermath

  Viewers received a widescreen high-definition version of the station's UniMás programming.

  Source

• 2017

  Acquisition by Univision Local MediaM&A

  Background

  LocusPoint Networks owned WRCF-CD and agreed to sell the station to Univision Communications' local-media division.

  Action taken

  Univision Local Media agreed to acquire the station for $2.5 million; the transaction closed on August 14, 2017.

  Aftermath

  WRCF-CD became part of Univision's Orlando-area station operations and was operated alongside WVEN-TV.

  Purchase price. $2.5 million (Agreement announced May 8, 2017; closing August 14, 2017)

  Source

• 2021

  Entravision announces return of WRCF-CD and WVEN-TV control to Univision[1]WRCF-CDen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Leadership change

  Entravision Communications announced that it would cede control of WRCF-CD and WVEN-TV back to Univision, along with the UniMás affiliation then associated with WOTF.

• 2019

  WRCF-CD upgrades to 1080i high definition[1]WRCF-CDen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  The station upgraded from an earlier 480i, 4:3 standard-definition presentation to a 1080i, 16:9 high-definition format.

• 2017

  Univision Local Media agrees to acquire WRCF-CD from LocusPoint Networks[1]WRCF-CDen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Univision Communications' Univision Local Media agreed to purchase WRCF-CD from LocusPoint Networks for $2.5 million. The transaction was completed on August 14, 2017.

1. 1WRCF-CDen.wikipedia.org