WSBS-TV
WSBS-TV is a Key West, Florida television station that serves as the flagship outlet of the Spanish-language Mega TV network.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WSBS-TV is a television station licensed to Key West, Florida, and the flagship station of Mega TV, a Spanish-language television network owned and operated by Spanish Broadcasting System. Although its license city is Key West, the station maintains its studios on Northwest 77th Avenue in Miami, reflecting its role within the broader South Florida Spanish-language media market. Its main transmitter is located near Bahama and Simonton Streets in Key West. The station's regulatory history began with an original license under the call sign WYDH on October 2, 1989. The call sign changed to WEYS shortly afterward, on October 11, 1989, and the station began broadcasting in June 1993. During the following years, it underwent several call-sign changes, including WGEN-TV and WDLP-TV. These changes created continuing confusion in local references and archival descriptions, particularly because the station was also associated with the earlier WEYS TeleNoticias identity. The WDLP Licensing, Inc. name also remained connected with the license for a period after the station adopted other call letters. Before 2005, the station was co-owned with another Key West outlet, WGEN-TV, under Sonia Broadcasting. The current WSBS-TV identity was adopted permanently in connection with Mega TV's launch. The station became a charter affiliate of Mega TV on March 1, 2006, helping establish the network's initial distribution and giving the new service a full-power broadcast presence. Mega TV's programming strategy emphasized Spanish-language entertainment and productions aimed at younger Hispanic audiences. Its format also relied on developing recognizable television personalities, a model comparable to the personality-driven local Spanish-language programming used earlier by major South Florida affiliates of Telemundo and Univision. WSBS-TV's service footprint includes the Florida Keys through its full-power signal and parts of the Miami metropolitan area through WSBS-CD, a low-power Class A translator. The translator uses virtual channel 22 and extends the brand's availability across portions of Miami-Dade County, Miami, and southeastern Broward County. The translator's digital conversion took place in the early 2010s, while the main station completed the United States' federally mandated analog-to-digital transition on June 12, 2009. WSBS-TV retained virtual channel 22 while operating its post-transition digital signal on VHF channel 3, an unusual low-VHF assignment that places it among the relatively small number of United States stations using channels 2 through 4 for digital broadcasting. Today, WSBS-TV functions primarily as a broadcast distribution platform for Mega TV, supplemented by the station's local presence in the Florida Keys and its translator coverage in South Florida. Its identity is therefore closely tied to both the WSBS-TV call sign and the wider Mega TV network brand.
History
WSBS-TV's history combines a long sequence of regulatory call-sign changes with the development of Spanish Broadcasting System's Mega TV network. The station was initially licensed as WYDH on October 2, 1989. On October 11 of the same year, its call sign became WEYS. It did not begin broadcasting immediately; its first on-air transmission took place in June 1993. The station later became known in some contexts as WEYS TeleNoticias. Its call sign changed several times, contributing to inconsistent references in viewer, media, and archival materials. On April 4, 2003, it adopted the WGEN-TV call sign. That identity lasted until September 24, 2003, when the station became WDLP-TV. WSBS-TV was first used on July 1, 2004, but the station returned to the WDLP-TV designation on September 28, 2004. The repeated use and reuse of call signs among full-power and low-power stations in the region further complicated the station's historical record. Before 2005, the station was co-owned with WGEN-TV under Sonia Broadcasting. The ownership and licensing history did not always change in parallel with the call sign: WDLP Licensing, Inc. remained the licensee for several months after the station changed to WSBS-TV. These administrative details are part of the reason the station is sometimes described differently across older sources. A decisive change occurred on March 1, 2006, when WSBS-TV became a charter station of Mega TV at the network's launch. The station also returned to the WSBS-TV call letters, which became its continuing identity. Mega TV was designed as a Spanish-language service with programming directed particularly toward younger Hispanic viewers. Its schedule and presentation emphasized locally developed television personalities and entertainment formats, following a South Florida tradition in which Spanish-language stations used original talent and locally relevant programming to compete with larger network services. The station's technical history also reflects major changes in American television broadcasting. WSBS-TV ended analog broadcasting on UHF channel 22 on June 12, 2009, the federally designated date for the full-power digital television transition in the United States. It continued digitally on VHF channel 3 while retaining virtual channel 22. The use of the low-VHF band, particularly a channel in the 2-to-4 range, is relatively uncommon because of the band's susceptibility to interference. WSBS-TV's Miami-area reach is supported by WSBS-CD, formerly WSBS-CA. The translator originally operated on analog UHF channel 50 and listed Miami and nearby areas in its licensing description. It converted to digital in early 2010 and adopted the WSBS-CD call sign. The Class A translator uses virtual channel 22 and has a transmitter in the Andover area of Miami Gardens. Its directional transmission pattern serves northeastern Miami-Dade County, Miami, and southeastern Broward County. Through this arrangement, WSBS-TV combines a Key West full-power license with a wider South Florida distribution role, while remaining closely identified with Mega TV and Spanish Broadcasting System.
- 2010
WSBS-CA converted to WSBS-CD
[1]The Miami-area translator converted from analog to digital in early 2010 and adopted the WSBS-CD call sign.
- 2009
Analog shutdown and digital operation
[1]WSBS-TV ended analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, and continued digital service on VHF channel 3 while retaining virtual channel 22.
- 2006
Mega TV charter station
[1]On March 1, 2006, the station became a charter station of Mega TV and returned to the WSBS-TV call sign.
- 2004
First WSBS-TV call sign period
[1]The WSBS-TV call letters were first adopted on July 1, 2004, before the station reverted to WDLP-TV later that year.
- 2003
WGEN-TV call sign adopted
[1]The station changed its call letters to WGEN-TV on April 4, 2003.
- 2003
WDLP-TV call sign adopted
[1]The station adopted the WDLP-TV call sign on September 24, 2003.
- 1993
First broadcast
[1]The station began broadcasting in June 1993.
- 1989
Original WYDH license
[1]The station was originally licensed under the WYDH call sign on October 2, 1989.
- 1989
Call sign changed to WEYS
[1]The call sign changed from WYDH to WEYS on October 11, 1989.
Products and positioning
A Spanish-language broadcast station positioned as Mega TV's flagship outlet, serving the Florida Keys and extending network availability into the Miami-area Hispanic media market.
Spanish-language television network programming · 2006
Mega TV network programming
WSBS-TV's principal programming offering is the Spanish-language schedule supplied through its role as a charter and flagship station of Mega TV. The network's launch strategy included entertainment and other productions aimed at younger Hispanic viewers, with an emphasis on creating recognizable television personalities. WSBS-TV distributes this programming over its Key West full-power signal and supports its South Florida reach through the WSBS-CD translator.
Full-power broadcast television · 1993
WSBS-TV over-the-air service
The main station is licensed to Key West and broadcasts under the WSBS-TV identity with virtual channel 22. After the United States digital transition, its digital transmission continued on VHF channel 3. The service provides Mega TV programming to the Florida Keys while forming the technical foundation of the station's flagship role.
Class A television translator · 2010
WSBS-CD
WSBS-CD is the station's low-power, Class A translator serving parts of the Miami metropolitan area. Formerly identified as WSBS-CA on analog UHF channel 50, it converted to digital in early 2010 and retained virtual channel 22. Its Miami Gardens transmitter and directional coverage extend the WSBS-TV and Mega TV presence across portions of Miami-Dade County, Miami, and southeastern Broward County.
Brand decisions
2009
Transition from analog to digital broadcastingStrategyBackground
United States full-power television stations were required to end analog broadcasting under the federally mandated digital television transition.
Action taken
WSBS-TV discontinued its analog UHF channel 22 operation on June 12, 2009, and continued digitally on VHF channel 3 while retaining virtual channel 22.
Aftermath
The station continued its broadcast service in digital form, using an uncommon low-VHF assignment.
2006
Launch as a Mega TV charter stationStrategyBackground
Spanish Broadcasting System launched Mega TV as a Spanish-language network seeking a presence in the South Florida Hispanic television market.
Action taken
WSBS-TV joined Mega TV as a charter station on March 1, 2006, and restored the WSBS-TV call sign as its continuing station identity.
Aftermath
The station became the network's flagship outlet and continued to distribute Mega TV programming from its Key West license, with additional Miami-area reach through its translator.
Sources2 sources
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