WBYD-CA
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
---|---|
Branding | Abacus Television Network |
Slogan | We're the ones to count on |
Channels | Analog: 35 (UHF) |
Affiliations | Shop at Home Network / Jewelry TV |
Owner | Benjamin Perez |
Founded | July 25, 1990[1] |
Call letters' meaning | BYD = Bid |
Former callsigns | WONT-LP |
Former affiliations | Shop at Home (2001–2006) |
Transmitter power | 5.68kW (analog) |
WBYD-CA is a Class A low-power television station in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, licensed to broadcast on channel 35. Its owner is Benjamin Perez and it broadcasts from the WQED tower in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, along with its sister stations WIIC-LP and WPTG-CD. However, the station is licensed to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is famous for televising a live auction for two years from 2001 to late 2002. It is an over-the-air station that is not carried on any local cable TV system or DBS provider.
History and Programming
W35AZ signed on in the early 1990s. It was a Network One affiliate for the life of the short-lived network. After the demise of Network One, the station became an affiliate of America's Collectibles Network. In 2001, it changed its call letters to WONT, and started broadcasting live programming from its studios, which at the time were located at the Eastland Mall in North Versailles, Pennsylvania.
WANTV was a live auction of salvage merchandise that ran from 7 PM until midnight daily. Originally, the show had multiple hosts, but in the first two months of the show being on the air, eventually had a rotating cast of three hosts: Sly Jock, a former DJ on WAMO-FM; John Hulmes, a local entertainer; and Cheryl McCall, a local florist. In the next few months, both Sly Jock and John Hulmes left and Cheryl McCall became the show's only host.
In mid-2001, WANTV was renamed Live Auction Television, and its hours were reduced to three days a week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) from 7 PM to 1 am. Also, WONT ended its affiliation with ACN, and became an affiliate of the Shop at Home Network.
The station had a very small staff at the time. As a result, people had to perform multiple job functions during the live shows. The owner of the station, Benjamin Perez was the manager of the auctions, and Joe Krinock, the technical director at the station, served as the cameraman and announcer. The lack of staff and the fact that only one camera was used caused the show to have a low-budget look. Also, the announcer or the manager of the auction would interrupt and talk to the host on-air to ask questions that viewers called in with, since the station did not have an IFB system.
However, the show was not profitable. In a move to boost revenue, in 2002, the show was renamed Auction Live, and started being simulcast on its sister stations, WIIC-LP and WPTG-LP. Also in 2002, the station changed its callsign to "WBYD" and became a Class A LPTV station.
In August 2002, Live Auction Television went on hiatus due to declining sales of merchandise on the show. It returned two months later, but the show ceased airing by the end of 2002.
WBYD then began showing limited locally-originated programming, including a local talk show created by the Pittsburgh-based band American Metal.
In 2005, the owner of the Eastland Mall, Benderson Development, announced the mall was going to be demolished, and cancelled the leases of all the remaining tenants, including WBYD. The station was moved to a trailer next to the broadcast tower of WQED-TV.
The station later began simulcasting Jewelry TV.
WBYD is currently off the air for financial reasons.[2][3]
See also
References
- ↑ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=68395&Callsign=WBYD-CA
- ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations". 8 July 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ↑ "Station Profile - WBYD-CA". Retrieved 6 August 2014.
External links
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