WUVP-DT
WUVP-DT is a Spanish-language Univision television station licensed to Vineland, New Jersey, and serving the Philadelphia area.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
WUVP-DT is a full-power Spanish-language television station licensed to Vineland, New Jersey, and serving viewers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and the wider Delaware Valley. It is affiliated with Univision, the major United States Spanish-language broadcast network, and is branded primarily as Univision 65. The station is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision, which also operates nearby WMGM-TV and low-power UniMás affiliate WFPA-CD. WUVP's primary studios are located on North Delsea Drive in Newfield, New Jersey, north of Vineland, with additional offices in Center City Philadelphia. The station's history began with the construction permit for channel 65, awarded in 1979 to the Renaissance Broadcasting Corporation of Willingboro, headed by former New Jersey Public Television employee Donald McMeans. The station launched on July 13, 1981, under the call sign WRBV. Its creation was historically significant because Renaissance was among the earliest Black-owned television station groups in the United States. The project encountered substantial financing, permitting, construction, environmental, and legal difficulties, including disputes over the proposed tower site in Waterford Township and opposition connected with construction in the Pine Barrens. The construction site also experienced vandalism and racist threats. WRBV initially carried Wometco Home Theater subscription programming, supplemented by reruns and locally produced news and public-affairs material. High construction costs, loan-payment problems, limited cable carriage, and the difficulty of sustaining an independent station in the market led to severe financial distress. The station entered court-ordered receivership in December 1981, only months after its launch. The receiver reduced the staff sharply and attempted to preserve the station as an operating broadcast property while seeking a purchaser. The receivership continued for several years, partly because the original owner sought to regain control and because the Wometco contract complicated a sale. In 1985, Press Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Asbury Park Press, acquired the station for approximately $3 million. The call sign changed to WSJT, and the station relaunched with syndicated programs, classic reruns, CNN Headline News, music videos, and sports rather than a costly full local-news operation. Press Broadcasting sold the station to the Home Shopping Network in 1986 for approximately $23 million. The call sign became WHSP and Home Shopping Network programming began in December of that year. Barry Diller's acquisition of Silver King Broadcasting, the HSN stations division, brought WHSP into the corporate structure later known as USA Broadcasting. After USA Broadcasting's CityVision local-programming strategy failed to produce the expected results and the station group recorded substantial operating losses, the stations were sold to Univision. On January 14, 2002, WHSP adopted the WUVP call letters and became a Univision station. The change connected channel 65 with Univision's long-established Philadelphia-area Spanish-language presence, which had previously been served through a translator associated with WXTV. WUVP initially did not plan a full local news operation. That changed on March 10, 2008, when the station launched weeknight newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., adding staff and upgrading its New Jersey and Philadelphia facilities. In December 2013, WUVP announced a news-sharing arrangement with Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI-TV, enabling WUVP to air a live 11 p.m. newscast. The station later participated in the federal broadcast-spectrum incentive auction, selling its spectrum for $86 million and moving to a channel-sharing arrangement with CW affiliate WPHL-TV. WUVP now transmits digitally using WPHL's spectrum from the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. Its programming mix centers on Univision's Spanish-language network schedule, local news, weather, public affairs, and community-oriented coverage.
History
WUVP-DT traces its origins to a construction permit for UHF channel 65 in Vineland, New Jersey. The permit was granted on February 1, 1979, to Renaissance Broadcasting Corporation of Willingboro, led by Donald McMeans. Renaissance was one of the earliest Black-owned television groups to receive a station permit in the United States. The project was intended to serve Southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia area, but it faced repeated financial, legal, environmental, and engineering obstacles before reaching the air. Construction began in March 1980. Disputes arose over the proposed tower location in Waterford Township, including questions about local permits and environmental requirements associated with the Pine Barrens. Financing was also strained by construction overruns and complications involving a federal grant. The tower site was vandalized during construction, and workers encountered racist threats. Despite these setbacks, the station began broadcasting on July 13, 1981, as WRBV. It carried Wometco Home Theater subscription television programming and filled other hours with reruns, local news, and public-affairs material. The economics of the launch proved unsustainable. Renaissance missed payments to lenders and the City of Vineland, while cable operators resisted carrying the station because of concerns about competition from subscription programming. The company pursued litigation against cable systems, but the station's financial condition deteriorated rapidly. In December 1981, at the request of Girard Bank, a New Jersey Superior Court judge placed WRBV into receivership. The receiver reduced the operation to a small staff, cutting the news and advertising departments and retaining primarily engineering personnel. Legal disputes over the tower lease and the Wometco contract made the property difficult to sell, and the receivership continued for several years. Press Broadcasting Company, associated with the Asbury Park Press, eventually offered $3 million for the station. The FCC approved the transfer in 1985, and the call letters changed to WSJT. Press relaunched the station with syndicated entertainment, classic programs, CNN Headline News, music videos, and sports. It avoided a conventional local-news operation because of the expense involved. In August 1986, Press announced the sale of WSJT to the Home Shopping Network for $23 million. Home shopping programming began on December 30, 1986, and the station adopted the WHSP call sign. In 1995, Barry Diller acquired Silver King Broadcasting, HSN's television-station division, which was later reorganized as USA Broadcasting. USA Broadcasting experimented with CityVision, a proposed local-programming format, but the strategy did not scale successfully. Univision acquired the station group in 2001. WHSP became WUVP on January 14, 2002, joining Univision's Spanish-language network and strengthening the network's full-power presence in the Philadelphia market. WUVP initially operated without a full local-news service. On March 10, 2008, it launched weekday evening newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. The station added personnel and upgraded its New Jersey and Philadelphia facilities to support production. In December 2013, WUVP announced a news-sharing agreement with WPVI-TV, which helped it provide a live 11 p.m. newscast. The station completed the United States' digital television transition by ending its analog transmission on June 12, 2009. Its digital signal initially used pre-transition UHF channel 29. Later, WUVP sold its spectrum in the federal incentive auction for $86 million and entered a channel-sharing agreement with WPHL-TV. It now broadcasts through WPHL's spectrum from a tower in Philadelphia's Roxborough section. WUVP's studios are shared with other TelevisaUnivision-operated stations in Newfield, with additional Philadelphia offices. Its current identity is that of a Spanish-language Univision station combining national network content with local news, weather, public affairs, and advertising for the Delaware Valley.
- 2013
WPVI news-sharing agreement announced
[1]WUVP announced a news-sharing arrangement with WPVI-TV, supporting a live 11 p.m. newscast.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]The station shut down its analog signal on June 12 as part of the federally mandated transition to digital television.
- 2008
Local news operation launches
[1]WUVP began weeknight 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. local newscasts on March 10.
- 2002
Station becomes WUVP
[1]Following Univision's acquisition of the USA Broadcasting station group, WHSP became WUVP and joined the Univision network on January 14.
- 1986
Home Shopping Network ownership begins
[1]Home Shopping Network purchased the station, introduced home-shopping programming, and changed the call sign to WHSP.
- 1985
Press Broadcasting acquires the station
[1]Press Broadcasting Company acquired WRBV and changed the call sign to WSJT after receiving FCC approval.
- 1981
WRBV begins broadcasting
[1]The station launched on July 13 under the WRBV call sign, carrying Wometco Home Theater and additional independent programming.
- 1981
Receivership begins
[1]Financial problems led a New Jersey Superior Court to appoint a receiver for WRBV in December, only months after launch.
- 1979
Channel 65 permit granted
[1]The FCC granted Renaissance a construction permit for the station, making the group one of the earliest Black-owned television operators to receive such authorization.
- 1978
Construction-permit application filed
[1]Renaissance Broadcasting Corporation of Willingboro applied for authority to build a television station on UHF channel 65 in Vineland, New Jersey.
Products and positioning
A local Spanish-language Univision affiliate serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area, Southern New Jersey, and the broader Delaware Valley.
Spanish-language television programming · 2002
Univision network programming
WUVP carries the Univision network schedule for the Philadelphia market. The service provides Spanish-language entertainment, news, sports, specials, and other network programming to viewers in the Delaware Valley.
Local television news · 2008
WUVP local news
The station's local news operation provides Spanish-language coverage of Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, and surrounding communities. Weeknight 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts were introduced in 2008, with later support from a news-sharing agreement with WPVI-TV.
Broadcast advertising · 2002
Univision 65 advertising
WUVP sells local broadcast advertising and sponsorship opportunities to businesses seeking access to Spanish-speaking audiences in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and Southern New Jersey.
Brand decisions
2013
News-sharing agreement with WPVI-TVStrategyBackground
WUVP sought to strengthen the depth and timeliness of its local news output.
Action taken
WUVP entered a news-sharing agreement with WPVI-TV to support a live 11 p.m. newscast.
Aftermath
The arrangement enabled WUVP to provide a live late-evening newscast using resources shared with a major Philadelphia television station.
2008
Launch of local evening newscastsProduct launchBackground
WUVP had initially indicated that a full local news service was not an immediate priority.
Action taken
The station added staff and facility upgrades and began weeknight 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
Aftermath
The launch expanded WUVP's role as a local Spanish-language news provider in the Philadelphia area.
2001
Univision acquires the USA Broadcasting station groupM&ABackground
USA Broadcasting's local-programming strategy had not produced the expected results, and the station group was being divested by its owner.
Action taken
Univision acquired the group, including WHSP, which was subsequently converted into a Univision affiliate.
Aftermath
WHSP changed its call sign to WUVP on January 14, 2002, giving Univision a full-power station serving the Philadelphia market.
- Spectrum sale and channel-sharing transitionStrategy
Background
The federal broadcast incentive auction created an opportunity for television stations to monetize spectrum while continuing operations through shared transmission facilities.
Action taken
WUVP sold its spectrum and entered a channel-sharing agreement with WPHL-TV, transmitting from WPHL's Roxborough tower.
Aftermath
WUVP remained an operating Univision station while using shared spectrum and transmission infrastructure.
Spectrum-auction proceeds. $86 million (Federal broadcast-spectrum incentive auction; year not specified in the reference material)
Sources2 sources
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