WVEA-TV
A Tampa, Florida television station broadcasting Spanish-language Univision programming and serving the Tampa Bay market.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
WVEA-TV is a television station licensed to Tampa, Florida, serving viewers across the Tampa Bay area. The station operates on virtual channel 50 and is associated with the Univision Spanish-language television network. It is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision, the company formed through the combination of Univision and Televisa's United States media operations. WVEA-TV's facilities include an advertising-sales office and news vehicles at the Westlake Corporate Center in Tampa, while its transmitter is located at an antenna site in Riverview, Florida. The station began broadcasting on March 1, 1988, under the call sign WBHS. It was launched as the flagship station of the Home Shopping Network and was one of the stations operated through HSN's broadcasting arm, Silver King Communications. Its original schedule was primarily devoted to home-shopping programming, but the station also carried locally produced public-affairs and human-interest segments. These short features were scheduled throughout the day and exceeded the local-programming obligations then applicable to independent stations. Sunday programming included children's shows, including programs from the 1970s, as part of an effort to broaden the station's audience beyond home-shopping viewers. The station's ownership history became linked to the expansion and later restructuring of HSN's broadcasting business. Barry Diller acquired HSN in 1996, and HSN subsequently acquired USA Networks in 1998 and renamed its broadcast operation USA Broadcasting. USA Broadcasting considered converting WBHS-TV into a general-entertainment independent station by the early 2000s. The proposed format would have combined syndicated entertainment programming with a substantial local-production component, following experiments at other USA Broadcasting stations. Those plans were not implemented because USA Broadcasting put its television stations up for sale in 2000. Univision Communications ultimately outbid The Walt Disney Company for the group. WBHS-TV continued to carry HSN programming until January 14, 2002. On that date, the station became a charter owned-and-operated affiliate of TeleFutura, Univision's secondary Spanish-language network, and adopted the WFTT call sign. TeleFutura was renamed UniMás in 2013. For much of the following period, WFTT and WVEA were sister stations serving the same market with different network affiliations. A major technical and branding realignment took place on December 4, 2017. In the Tampa market, the call signs and programming affiliations of WFTT and WVEA were exchanged. UniMás programming and the WFTT identity moved to the facility associated with digital channel 25 and virtual channel 62, while Univision programming and the WVEA identity moved to the facility using digital channel 47 and virtual channel 50. The change made the current WVEA-TV the Tampa-market Univision station on channel 50. Univision announced in October 2021 that it would take over operation of WVEA-TV from Entravision when the relevant licensing arrangements ended on December 31, 2021. The operational transition took effect on January 1, 2022. WVEA-TV subsequently moved its facilities from its former Hillsborough Avenue location to the Westlake Corporate Center. The relocation was enabled in part by the Federal Communications Commission's repeal of the Main Studio Rule in 2019. The new site supports sales and field operations, while news production is coordinated with sister station WVEN-TV in Orlando. WVEA-TV has maintained a local-news presence despite sharing resources with WVEN-TV. It briefly produced its own newscasts under the Noticias Tampa Bay name beginning in 2013, after previously simulcasting WVEN programming. In 2015, production was transferred back to WVEN, which produces news, weather, and sports elements for WVEA's Tampa broadcasts. The station currently airs five hours of locally produced news each week, consisting of one hour on each weekday and no regular weekend newscasts. Its digital broadcasting history has also included a former ZUUS Latino music-video service on a third subchannel and Ion Mystery on a fourth subchannel until 2025.
History
WVEA-TV began broadcasting in Tampa on March 1, 1988, as WBHS. The station was established as the flagship of the Home Shopping Network's television holdings and was operated through Silver King Communications, HSN's broadcasting subsidiary. Its initial schedule centered on HSN shopping programming. To supplement that format, WBHS carried short locally produced public-affairs and human-interest segments at regular intervals. The station also devoted its Sunday schedule to children's programming, including older syndicated children's series. After Barry Diller acquired HSN in 1996, the company's media strategy expanded. HSN acquired USA Networks in 1998 and renamed its broadcasting operation USA Broadcasting. During the late 1990s, USA Broadcasting developed plans to transform WBHS-TV into a general-entertainment independent station. The proposed service would have combined syndicated entertainment programs with locally produced material, following a format being tested at other stations in the group. The plan was abandoned before implementation when USA Broadcasting decided to sell its television stations in 2000. The Walt Disney Company pursued the group, but Univision Communications submitted the successful bid. WBHS-TV remained an HSN station until January 14, 2002. It then became a charter owned-and-operated station of TeleFutura, Univision's second Spanish-language network, and changed its call sign to WFTT. TeleFutura was rebranded UniMás in 2013. During this period, WFTT and WVEA operated as related Tampa stations with separate network roles. On December 4, 2017, a multi-market realignment swapped the call signs and programming associated with WFTT and WVEA. WFTT-TV and UniMás moved to the facility using digital channel 25 and virtual channel 62. The Univision programming and WVEA-TV call sign moved to the digital channel 47 facility with virtual channel 50. This established the current WVEA-TV configuration as the Tampa Bay Univision station. Univision announced on October 13, 2021, that it would take over operation of WVEA-TV and WVEN-TV in Orlando after the related licensing agreements expired on December 31, 2021. The new operating arrangement began January 1, 2022. WVEA-TV also moved its Tampa operations from its former Hillsborough Avenue studio location to the Westlake Corporate Center. Because the FCC repealed its Main Studio Rule in 2019, the station's local facilities could focus on sales and field support rather than maintaining a traditional full-service studio. News production is coordinated with WVEN-TV in Orlando, and WVEN supplies portions of the sports and weather coverage used in WVEA broadcasts. The station's local news structure has changed several times. WVEA previously simulcast WVEN news programming, then launched its own Noticias Tampa Bay newscasts in 2013. In November 2015, newscast production returned to WVEN. Under the current arrangement, WVEA carries five hours of locally produced weekday news each week, with no regular Saturday or Sunday newscasts. The station has also carried digital subchannels over time, including ZUUS Latino until 2013 and Ion Mystery until 2025. Its analog service, then operating as WFTT-TV on UHF channel 50, ended on June 12, 2009, as part of the national digital television transition; the digital signal continued on UHF channel 47 while retaining virtual channel 50.
- 2022
TelevisaUnivision assumes operation
[1]Univision takes over operation of WVEA-TV after the previous licensing arrangements expire.
- 2017
WVEA and WFTT identities are exchanged
[1]The WVEA call sign and Univision service move to virtual channel 50, while WFTT and UniMás move to virtual channel 62.
- 2015
News production returns to WVEN-TV
[1]Production of WVEA's local newscasts is transferred back to sister station WVEN-TV in Orlando.
- 2013
TeleFutura becomes UniMás
[1]The station's former secondary-network affiliation receives the UniMás name; WVEA also begins its Noticias Tampa Bay newscast operation.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]The station shuts down its analog UHF channel 50 signal during the federally mandated digital transition.
- 2002
Station becomes a TeleFutura charter affiliate
[1]The station leaves HSN programming, adopts WFTT, and joins TeleFutura as an owned-and-operated station.
- 1992
The -TV suffix is added
[1]The station's call sign becomes WBHS-TV.
- 1988
Station launches as WBHS
[1]WBHS begins broadcasting on March 1 as a Home Shopping Network flagship station serving Tampa.
Products and positioning
A Spanish-language broadcast station serving the Tampa Bay area through Univision network programming, local news, weather and sports coverage, community information, and local advertising.
Spanish-language television network service · 2017
Univision network programming
WVEA-TV's principal service is the Tampa Bay distribution of Univision programming. The station provides Spanish-language network content to viewers in the Tampa market and combines that schedule with local commercial inventory and station-produced community information.
Television news · 2013
Local news
WVEA-TV airs weekday local news for the Tampa Bay area. The station's news operation shares resources with WVEN-TV in Orlando, including production support and selected sports and weather segments. The current schedule consists of five hours per week, with one hour on each weekday.
Local news brand · 2013
Noticias Tampa Bay
Noticias Tampa Bay was the station's local-news branding when WVEA began producing its own newscasts in 2013. Production later returned to WVEN-TV, but the brand represents the station's effort to provide a distinct Tampa-focused Spanish-language news service.
Multicast television services
Digital subchannels
WVEA-TV has used its digital multiplex for additional television services. ZUUS Latino, a Spanish-language music-video network, occupied the third subchannel until 2013. Ion Mystery was carried on the fourth subchannel until 2025.
Brand decisions
2021
Univision assumes direct operationM&ABackground
Univision announced an operational change affecting WVEA-TV and Orlando sister station WVEN-TV as existing licensing arrangements approached expiration.
Action taken
Univision took over operation of WVEA-TV on January 1, 2022, after the prior arrangements ended on December 31, 2021.
Aftermath
The station operated within the Univision organization, with Tampa sales and field activities supported locally and news production coordinated with WVEN-TV.
2017
Tampa-market call-sign and programming realignmentStrategyBackground
WFTT and WVEA were sister stations serving the Tampa market with different Spanish-language network affiliations.
Action taken
The station identities and programming assignments were exchanged. Univision and the WVEA-TV call sign moved to virtual channel 50, while UniMás and WFTT-TV moved to virtual channel 62.
Aftermath
WVEA-TV became the market's Univision station on channel 50.
2002
Transition from HSN to TeleFuturaStrategyBackground
After Univision acquired the former USA Broadcasting stations, WBHS-TV remained a Home Shopping Network outlet until the network transition.
Action taken
On January 14, the station ended HSN programming, adopted the WFTT call sign, and joined TeleFutura as a charter owned-and-operated station.
Aftermath
The station became part of Univision's Spanish-language network portfolio and later carried the UniMás brand.
2000
USA Broadcasting abandons planned independent-station conversionStrategyBackground
USA Broadcasting had considered converting WBHS-TV from a home-shopping service into a general-entertainment independent station modeled on locally oriented experiments elsewhere in its station group.
Action taken
The proposed conversion was not carried out because USA Broadcasting placed its television stations on the market before the planned format change.
Aftermath
Univision Communications acquired the station group, leading to WBHS-TV's later transition into a Spanish-language network operation.
Sources1 sources
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