WDNI-CD facts for kids
 |
|
| Indianapolis, Indiana United States |
|
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 16 (UHF) Virtual: 19 |
| Branding | Telemundo Indy (general) En Contexto con Luis Navarro (newscasts) |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Urban One (Radio One of Indiana, LLC) |
| History | |
|
First air date
|
March 7, 1989 |
|
Former call signs
|
W53AV (1989–1999) W65DW (1999–2001) WDNI-LP (2001–2009) |
|
Former channel number(s)
|
Analog: 53 (UHF, 1989–1999) 65 (UHF, 1999–2009) 19 (UHF, 2009) Digital: 19 (PSIP, 2009–2019) |
|
Former affiliations
|
America One (until 2001) MuchUSA (1990s) Independent/music videos (2001–2013) |
| Technical information | |
|
Licensing authority
|
FCC |
| Facility ID | 28199 |
| Class | CD |
| ERP | 15 kW |
| HAAT | 145.6 m (478 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°48′01″N 86°04′39″W / 39.80028°N 86.07750°W |
| Links | |
|
Public license information
|
Profile LMS |
WDNI-CD (channel 19) is a low-power TV station in Indianapolis, Indiana. It broadcasts in Spanish and is part of the Telemundo network. Urban One owns this station through its Radio One company. It's their only TV station.
You can find WDNI-CD's studios in downtown Indianapolis. Its transmitter is located on the city's near-northeast side.
Contents
Station History
How WDNI-CD Started
The station first went on air on March 7, 1989. It was called W53AV and broadcast on channel 53. A company called Hoosier Radio and TV started it. People knew it as "WAV53" or "Hoosier TV 53."
The station showed many different programs. These included old movies and Major League Baseball games from the Cincinnati Reds. It also aired a wrestling show called ECW Hardcore TV. For a short time in the early 1990s, it was part of a network called Network One. In the mid-1990s, it played music videos, mostly at night, from MuchUSA (now Fuse). A local person named Bill Shirk also hosted some shows. In 1999, the station moved to channel 65 and changed its name to W65DW.
Becoming Indy's Music Channel
Radio One bought the station in 2000. The next year, they changed its name to WDNI-LP. At the same time, WDNI became Indy's Music Channel. It played music videos, focusing on rock, alternative rock, hip-hop, R&B, dance, and heavy metal.
During weekdays, the station had music shows like Drive Time with Reka. Other shows included The Tease with Deacon and The Main Attraction with Scotty Davis. There was also Max Hits with Mikey V and Free Style with JJ. The Rock Block with Rusty, The List with Stick, and Hip Hop Rhythm & Vibes with Jay Rio also aired. The After Party with DJ Wrekk1 was another popular show.
The station also created The Amos Brown Show. This was a local talk show that lasted an hour each weekday. It featured important people from the African American community in Central Indiana. This program stopped in 2007. On Sundays, the station aired religious programs called "IMC Goes to Church." In 2009, the station moved its signal to channel 19.
Switching to Telemundo
On March 6, 2013, Radio One announced a big change. They signed a deal with Telemundo for WDNI-CD to join their network. This made WDNI-CD the first TV station in Indianapolis to show programs from a major Spanish-language network. The last one, WIIH-CA, stopped showing Univision programs in 2009. WDNI-CD officially became a Telemundo station on March 11, 2013.
In 2022, WDNI-CD did not show Telemundo's first Spanish-language coverage of the Indianapolis 500. This was done to prevent people in Central Indiana from watching the race live. The race was shown later on WTHR, as required by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
News and Local Shows
WDNI-CD currently broadcasts seven hours of local news-like programs each week. They air one hour daily. The station does not create traditional news reports. Instead, they offer local weather updates and forecasts.
The main local show is En Contexto. This program focuses on public affairs and lasts an hour. It airs on weekend mornings at 9:00 a.m. and weekday mornings at 5:00 a.m. Luis Navarro hosts the show. He used to be a reporter and weather forecaster for WIIH when it was a Univision station.
Technical Information
Digital Channels
The station's digital signal is split into different channels:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WDNI-HD | Main WDNI-CD programming / Telemundo |
| 19.2 | 480i | 4:3 | TeleXit | TeleXitos |
Going Digital
The station stopped broadcasting its old analog signal in February 2009. It then immediately started broadcasting its digital signal on UHF channel 19. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave WDNI a special license upgrade. Because of this, its call letters ended with "-CD" instead of "-LD" or "-CA."
