| Port Jervis, New York | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 25 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | infomercials |
| Owner | Liberman Broadcasting (KRCA License LLC) |
| Founded | January 30, 2003 as W64CW |
| Former callsigns | W64CW (2003-2007) WASA-LP (2007-2010) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog 64(2003-2010) |
| Former affiliations | (independent) (2003-2010) |
| Transmitter power | 15 kW (digital) |
| Height | 544.1 m (both) |
| Facility ID | 130880 |
WASA-LD is a low-power television station officially licensed in Port Jervis, New York, but is technically serving the New York City market over UHF RF channel 25 (virtual channel 24). WASA briefly used virtual channel 64 to match its former analog channel number, then later changed its virtual channel to 24. Because the pre-existing WNYE-TV, the former long-time analog occupant of channel 25 which selected RF channel 24 for its post-transition operations, already uses virtual channel 25, WASA could not use virtual channel 25. WASA is owned by Liberman Broadcasting. The station broadcasts its digital signal from its transmitter on the Conde Nast Building Building in Manhattan.
In April 2009 it was announced that Venture would sell this station to Liberman Broadcasting for $6 Million, making NYC the 6th market to be served by Liberman if the sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission.[1] The deal closed on March 1, 2010.
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This station signed on over UHF channel 64 on January 30, 2003 by Venture Technologies as W64CW. It originally operated with 30 watts, and its transmitter was located at a site just west of "downtown" Port Jervis, at the triangle where New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all come together.
The call-sign was changed on January 12, 2007 to WASA-LP.
As a low-power station, WASA-LP was not required to turn off its analog signal on June 12, 2009, which was the end of the digital TV conversion period for full-service stations.[2]
WASA-LP has since built its construction permit to broadcast on digital channel 25 from the Condé Nast Building in Manhattan, with its calls changed to WASA-LD.
WASA airs a looping rotation of five half-hour infomercials running 24 hours a day on its primary channel. Technically, the five shows each interspersed with the legal station ID are recorded on one DVD and played on a Philips DVD player (whose screensaver is seen when the loop ends and is not restarted). The infomercials include the Nu-Wave Oven, TriVita Super B-12, Sweet Soul of the '70s, Montel William's Living Well Health Master Blender, and The H2O Ultra Steam Mop.
This looping rotation was ceased in January 2011. The Philips Screensaver had been airing on 24-1 ever since. On April 22, 2011, the looping infomercial programming was restored.
The station had planned to carry Estrella TV in September 2008, but it was picked up instead by a subchannel of WPIX. WASA had a problem where it appeared their signal would go off air every few minutes and then turn back on, resulting in a tear-down pixelation visual effect; however, this problem no longer exists. It was ultimately corrected when the station dropped the NYC Slideshow video airing on Virtual 64.2 since its DTV inception in favor of two new sub-channels promoting a launch of English and Chinese feeds of ICN (Information Culture News) Channel.
The ICN (Information Culture News) Channel, a Chinese-American channel, was expected to commence broadcasting on 64.2 (English) and 64.3 (Chinese)[3] in October 2010. That programming has launched on February 23, 2011.
As of February 23, 2011, ICN has been launched on 24-2. IAVC has also launched on 24-3. Between launch and 2/25/2011, a technical problem existed in which only the audio for this service aired on 24-3 with an EBU Test Pattern. This has since been corrected. WASA-LD is identifying itself as WASA 24-1, ICN 24-2 and IAVC 24-3 through PSIP. Presently, it is not clear which virtual channel ID they will eventually use. A loop promoting the start of Chinese programming on 64-2 and 64-3 had been running for several months.
April 22, 2011: The looping infomercial programming was restored to WASA 24-1. 24-2 is renamed ICNCH. 24-3 is renamed ICN TV.
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
| Channel | Name | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.1 | WASA | 480i | 4:3 | Infomercials (Looping) |
| 24.2 | ICN CH | 480i | 4:3 | ICN (as of 2/23/11) (in Chinese Mandarin) |
| 24.3 | ICNTV | 480i | 4:3 | IAVC (as of 2/25/11) (in English or English Subtitles) |
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