WTAC-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | ABC |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Trendle-Campbell Broadcasting Company |
| History | |
First air date | November 26, 1953 |
Last air date | April 30, 1954 (155 days) |
Call sign meaning | Trendle and Campbell |
| Technical information | |
| ERP | 13,770 watts[1] |
WTAC-TV was a television station broadcasting on ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 16 in Flint, Michigan, United States. It was owned by the Trendle-Campbell Broadcasting Company alongside radio station WTAC (600 AM) and was affiliated with ABC. The station began broadcasting on November 26, 1953, as Flint's first television station and the second in the region, but it ceased operation five months later on April 30, 1954. Early economic difficulties with UHF television in the United States and competition from the very high frequency (VHF) stations in Detroit, whose signals reached Flint, largely precipitated its demise.
After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lifted its four-year freeze on television station construction grants in 1952, it left three commercial channels for use in Flint; very high frequency (VHF) channel 12 and ultra high frequency (UHF) channels 16 and 28. The first group to file for channel 16 was W.S. Butterfield Theatres, which had done so by early July.[2] That month, a second group filed for the channel: the Trendle-Campbell Broadcasting Company, a partnership of George W. Trendle and H. Allen Campbell and owners of Flint radio station WTAC (600 AM).[3] Butterfield amended its application to seek channel 12 instead of channel 16 in October; this left WTAC unopposed[4] and led to the FCC giving Trendle-Campbell a construction permit for channel 16 on November 20, 1952.[5]
Construction began on the station site at 2302 Lapeer in June; the transmitter would be located here as well as 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of studio and office space.[1] The Television Tips column run by local dealers in The Flint Journal noted that this was a new use for the land; the site had previously been a circus grounds.[6] In August, WTAC-TV signed for affiliation with the ABC network.[7] The possibility of affiliating its television station with ABC, then having just finished a merger with United Paramount Theatres, was cited as one reason why WTAC had exchanged network affiliations with WFDF, which consequently affiliated with NBC, in March 1953.[8] However, WTAC-TV was one of multiple UHF stations whose ABC affiliations were essentially bonuses because they gave away air time to national advertisers for a limited time in hopes of building viewership.[9]
The station began broadcasting test patterns on October 28, 1953.[10] The start of a test pattern was enough to spark interest in television across Flint. A report in the Midland Daily News noted the response, "reminiscent of radio's early days", and noted that station officials were fielding reports from areas as far north as Tawas City and as far south as Detroit.[11] However, the station had a surprise for viewers: on November 14, it broadcast its first program, the college football game between Michigan and Michigan State, followed the next day by an NFL game.[12]