WKAB-TV was a television station on channel 48 in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was the first television station to broadcast in Mobile, operating from December 1952 to August 1954. As a
UHF television
UHF television broadcasting is the use of ultra high frequency (UHF) radio for over-the-air transmission of television signals. UHF frequencies are used for both analog and digital television broadcasts. UHF channels are typically given highe ...
station it was at a severe competitive disadvantage to the VHF station—
WALA-TV
WALA-TV (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Mobile, Alabama, United States, serving as the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox affiliate for southwest Alabama and northwest Florida. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studio ...
—which started up in Mobile at the same time causing WKAB-TV to lose money and eventually fold.
History
The Pursley Broadcasting Service, owners of Mobile independent radio station WKAB (840 AM), received a construction permit for a new channel 48 television station in Mobile on August 6, 1952. Construction began nearly immediately at the studio site in the Toulminville neighborhood of Mobile.
When WKAB-TV's construction permit was issued, radio station WALA had been granted a construction permit for channel 10, and channel 5 was between radio stations WKRG and
WABB
WABB is an American radio station located in Belton, South Carolina, The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast on 1390 AM with a transmitter power of 1,000 watts during the day and 17 watts at night unde ...
. As Christmas approached, both WKAB-TV and WALA-TV were rapidly approaching air, with channel 48 receiving the first 100-watt UHF transmitter made by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
. WALA, however, became bogged down in delays, and WKAB-TV became the fifth operating UHF television station and 15th new outlet to sign on after the end of the lifting of the 1948 TV freeze when it began telecasting on December 29, 1952. WALA-TV joined it on January 14, 1953. WKAB-TV was an affiliate of CBS and the
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of bein ...
; it was not interconnected to network coaxial cables, so all network shows would have aired on
kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940 ...
s.
WKAB-TV initially operated on reduced power at 22.6 kW ERP until August 1, 1953, when it stepped up to its full authorized power of 270,000 watts. This improved reception in some outlying areas of channel 48's coverage pattern, such as
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principa ...
.
On July 30, 1954, Channel 48 announced that it would go silent, intended as a temporary measure, on August 2. At the time, it was announced that there were plans to return the station to air when microwave service for network programming was available. However, Pursley was in heavy debt from the television station, which had been unable to compete with the VHF WALA-TV. After the company became unable to pay its bills, it (and WKAB radio, which continued to operate) was sold to the owners of radio advertising firm Dwight and Associates in 1957.
The end of channel 48's telecasts, however, was not immediately the end of the WKAB-TV story, as in 1955 one buyer expressed interest in the facility. That prospective owner was George Mayoral, who owned UHF television station
WJMR-TV
WVUE-DT (channel 8) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains primary studios on Norman C. Francis Parkway in the city's Gert Town secti ...
Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
UHF outlet KNUZ-TV, with plans to operate the trio as a network specializing in Hispanic and African American programming. However, neither purchase materialized, and the station was deleted on February 28, 1956.
The channel 48 frequency is now occupied by TCT affiliate WFBD.