WDAY-TV

WDAY-TV

Fargo, North Dakota
Branding WDAY 6 Television (general)
WDAY 6 News (newscasts)
Slogan Your News Leader
Channels Digital: 21 (UHF)
Virtual: 6 (PSIP)
Subchannels 6.1 ABC HD
6.2 The CW
6.3 Storm Tracker/WDAY Radio audio
Affiliations ABC (secondary 1953-1959, primary since 1983)
Owner Forum Communications Company
First air date June 1, 1953
Call letters' meaning taken from sister radio station, which was randomly-assigned by the FCC [1]
Sister station(s) WDAY (AM), WDAZ-TV
Former channel number(s) Analog:
6 (VHF, 1953-2009)
Former affiliations NBC (1953-1983)
Transmitter power 1000 kW
Height 322 m
Facility ID 22129
Website www.wday.com

WDAY-TV, digital channel 21 (virtual channel 6), is the ABC affiliate television station for Fargo, North Dakota. The station serves the southern half of the Fargo-Grand Forks television market, with WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks serving the northern half. The two stations are counted as a single unit for Nielsen ratings purposes. WDAY broadcasts from a 1,000-foot (300 m) tower located near Amenia, North Dakota. WDAY is offered on cable channel 6 in most areas.

The station is owned by Forum Communications of Fargo, which also owns WDAY Radio and The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.

Fargo CW, a CW affiliate is carried on a digital subchannel of WDAY (channel 6.2 PSIP) and WDAZ (channel 8.2 PSIP). Fargo CW is offered on CableOne cable channel 8 in the Fargo-Moorhead area. It can be seen on Midcontinent cable channel 14 in Fargo, Moorhead, and most other areas. It can be seen on Midcontinent cable channel 7 in the Grand Forks area.

Contents

History

WDAY-TV went on the air for the first time in 1953 as the third television station in North Dakota, and the first in the eastern part of the state. It was originally an NBC affiliate, but shared ABC programming with KXJB-TV until KXGO-TV (channel 11, later KTHI-TV and now KVLY-TV) signed on in 1959. It swapped affiliations with KTHI and became an ABC affiliate in 1983, a year after former sister station KSFY-TV switched from NBC to ABC.

Unlike rivals KXJB and KVLY, WDAY-TV is all but unviewable in the northern part of the market, including Grand Forks. It must conform its signal to protect CBC Television's Winnipeg station, CBWT, which signed on a year after WDAY-TV. To solve this problem, it signed on semi-satellite WDAZ-TV in 1967. WDAZ-TV identifies as a station in its own right, producing its own newscasts and airing its own commercials. However, it rebroadcasts most of WDAY-TV's syndicated programming, and the two stations often share news stories. WDAZ serves the northern part of the Fargo-Grand Forks market, while WDAY-TV serves the southern portion.

In 1998, WDAY-TV launched a cable channel carrying The WB 100+ and The WB programming. The channel became "Fargo CW", and became available over the air as a digital subchannel of WDAY-TV. Fargo CW also carries programming from The CW Plus. In 2007, WDAY began broadcasting in high-definition.

WDAY-TV is one of the few stations in the country that still signs off at night. It goes off the air after the 1:06 am rebroadcast of WDAY News at 10 and does not air World News Now. NBA Countdown is frequently declined by the station to air additional paid programming on Sunday mornings.

Its daytime schedule includes the long-running sitcom Coach.

WDAY-TV is one of the western most stations in the country whose callsign begins with W. Most stations west of the Mississippi begin with K, however WDAY radio licensed its call letters before the U.S. government moved the K-W boundary in 1923 from the state borders between 102 and 104 degrees West longitude (including the North Dakota-Montana border) to the Mississippi River.

WDAY will broadcast in digital format only, effective June 12, 2009.[1]

News and sports

WDAY-TV produces local newscasts during Monday through Friday at 6:00am, 5:00pm, 6:00pm, and 10:00pm, Saturdays at 5:00pm, 6:00pm, and 10:00pm, and a Sunday newscast at 10:00pm. The morning newscast, First News, at 6:00am Monday through Fridays, is simulcast on WDAZ-TV. Unlike most ABC affiliates, WDAY does not air midday news during the week.

The station also broadcasts some North Dakota State University football and basketball games as well as WDAZ-produced University of North Dakota hockey games.

News team

Current on-air staff

Anchors

Meteorologists (Weather)

Sports

Other

WDAY 6 Fargo Television-

Past on-air staff

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

Station slogans

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Fargo CW

Fargo CW was a cable-only station with WB affiliation, and branded as "WBFG", a designation going back to its launch as a station transmitting the The WB 100+ distant network schedule to the area over cable exclusively. When The CW launched in September 2006 WBFG switched over to the distant The CW Plus schedule and eventually moved onto WDAY-DT2 to provide all viewers CW service in the area.

Translators

WDAY is broadcasted on the following translators (low-powered rebroadcasters):

See also

References

  1. ^ Congress delays digital TV conversion, The Forum, Fargo ND, February 5, 2009

External links