WTAM-LD,
virtual channel
In most telecommunications organizations, a virtual channel is a method of remapping the ''program number'' as used in H.222 Program Association Tables and Program Mapping Tables to a channel number that can be entered via digits on a receiver's ...
30 (
UHF digital channel 35), is a
low-powered Estrella TV
Estrella TV () is an American Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by the Estrella Media subsidiary of HPS Investment Partners, LLC. The network primarily features programs, the vast majority of which are produced by the network ...
owned-and-operated television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the eart ...
licensed
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, United States and also serving
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. The station is owned by
HC2 Holdings
INNOVATE Corp. (formerly known as HC2 Holdings, Inc. and Primus Telecommunications Group, Inc.) is an American public financial services company founded in 1994.
History
Beginning (1994–1997)
Primus commenced operations in 1994 intent on bei ...
. The station's transmitter is located in
Riverview.
History
The station signed on in August 2005 as ''TV Informa 30'', affiliated with the Mexican
Multimedios
Canal 6 (alternately known as Multimedios Televisión) is a network of Spanish language television stations primarily concentrated in northeastern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The system is part of Grupo Multimedios. The flagship sta ...
network, but closed down in February 2006, after failing to find any cable system that would offer the channel in their line-up. Being a low-powered station with no connections with any local full-powered outlets, WTAM was exempt from the Federal
Must-carry
In cable television, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally licensed television stations must be carried on a cable provider's system.
North America Canada
Under current CRTC regulations, the lowest tier of service on ...
rules that full-powered stations enjoyed, meaning that cable and satellite companies weren't obligated to offer the channel. Apparently not having the funds or the patience, Lotus opted to shut down WTAM, instead of keeping the station on the air as a terrestrial-only offering.
As of November 2006, WTAM has returned to the air under Rios as a family-oriented channel, ''TV Visión'', still affiliated with Multimedios and also including programming from
La Familia Network,
brokered by Lotus to TV Vision Network, LLC, a broadcaster founded and owned by Francisco Rios, a founder of the
Brandon
Brandon may refer to:
Names and people
*Brandon (given name), a male given name
*Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins
Places
Australia
*Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales
*Brandon, Q ...
Christian group, CPR Ministries.
[St. Petersburg Times: "Spanish TV, rated G", July 28, 2006.]
/ref> WTAM also carried some bilingual, locally produced programs, such as ''Project 1805'' (a weekly music video countdown), ''El Mundo de Luisitin'' (a children's program) and ''Total Action'' (featuring local sports).[Hispanic PR Wire (press release): "U.S. Hispanic Channel from TV Vision Network Launches on Verizon FiOS TV in Tampa Bay Area", September 15 (year unknown).]
/ref> It was unknown how long TV Visión's contract with Lotus lasted.
In June 2010, the station began broadcasting a digital signal on channel 28, with virtual channels 30.1-30.4. Subchannels featured included My Family TV
The Family Channel is an American general entertainment television network owned by Get After It Media (formerly Luken Communications and Reach High Media Group), and based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
History
In September 2008, ValCom announced ...
on 30.1,
/ref>
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed
In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource - a ...
:
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wtam-Ld
TAM-LD
Innovate Corp.
Low-power television stations in the United States
Television channels and stations established in 2005
Lotus Communications stations