WOOK-TV facts for kids
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| Washington, D.C. United States |
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|---|---|
| Channels | Analog: 14 (UHF) |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | Independent |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | United Broadcasting Company (United TV Company) |
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Sister stations
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WOOK, WFAN |
| History | |
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First air date
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March 5, 1963 |
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Last air date
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February 12, 1972 ; 8 years, 344 days |
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Former call signs
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WOOK-TV (1963–1968) |
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Call sign meaning
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Adopted from WFAN (FM) 100.3 |
| Technical information | |
| ERP | 245 kW |
| HAAT | 330 ft (101 m) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 38°57′17″N 77°00′17″W / 38.95472°N 77.00472°W |
WOOK-TV was a special television station in Washington, D.C.. It was also known as WFAN-TV from 1968 to 1972. This station was on UHF channel 14. It started broadcasting on March 5, 1963, and stopped on February 12, 1972.
WOOK-TV was the first TV station in the United States to create all its shows for an African-American audience. It was like its sister radio station, WOOK radio. The station faced money problems and issues with its broadcasting license. It also struggled to improve its equipment to compete with other stations. These challenges led to WFAN-TV closing down in 1972.
Contents
The Story of WOOK-TV
Getting on the Air
In 1953, a company called United Broadcasting, owned by Richard Eaton, wanted to start TV stations. They already owned radio stations like WOOK AM and WFAN FM. Eaton asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move TV channel 14 to Washington, D.C. The FCC agreed in 1955.
Richard Eaton announced that WOOK-TV would start broadcasting in the evenings. It would not be part of a big TV network. The station hired famous jazz musician Lionel Hampton to be its music director. WOOK-TV was set up in the same building as WOOK radio.
The station was supposed to start in September 1962, but there were technical problems. It missed another start date in February 1963. There were also concerns from community leaders, like those from the Urban League and the NAACP. They worried the station might show African Americans in a way that wasn't respectful. Eaton promised to avoid "distasteful" shows.
WOOK-TV finally began broadcasting on March 6, 1963. It was the second UHF TV station in Washington, D.C. The first was public TV station WETA-TV, which started in 1961. When channel 14 began, many homes already had special devices to watch UHF channels.
Early Shows and Programs
When channel 14 started, it had many shows hosted by Black people. It aired two news programs every day. There was also an interview show called Washington Speaks. The station showed many syndicated programs made for an African-American audience.
WOOK-TV also aired movies, mostly older ones. It produced some shows for everyone, like a high school quiz show. There was a children's program called Aunt Mary's Birthday Party. The music director, Lionel Hampton, created a music show that was shared with other stations. The Precola DeVore Show focused on fashion and beauty. Precola DeVore was one of the first Black women to own a business in Washington. She helped break barriers for Black models.
The station's connection to WOOK radio was a big help. Six days a week, WOOK radio DJ Bob King hosted Teenarama Dance Party. This was a live dance show in the studio with a teenage audience. Over seven years, Teenarama featured many rising stars and famous musicians. These included Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, and Brook Benton. They also had musical talent who were in town to play at the Howard Theatre. Teenarama Dance Party became the most important show in the station's history.
WOOK-TV also made commercials for local and national companies. They created ads for brands like Budweiser, Safeway, and Sinclair Oil.
Changes and Challenges
In 1967, WOOK-TV started to show more local news and public affairs programs. This helped the station save money on buying movies. That year, it added more news hours and a new talk show called Controversy. The news show struggled because the news department was small.
In early 1968, channel 14 also added weekly shows in Italian and Spanish. On February 14, 1968, the station changed its name from WOOK-TV to WFAN-TV. This matched Eaton's other Washington station, the Spanish-language FM radio station WFAN 100.3.
Many things changed at WFAN-TV in 1968. The general manager was replaced. Bob King left Teenarama Dance Party, and the show ended in 1970.
License Problems
In 1969, the FCC reviewed the licenses for WOOK radio and WFAN-TV. Another group, Washington Community Broadcasting Company, wanted to take over channel 14. This group later dropped its challenge for the TV station.
United Broadcasting tried to make WFAN-TV's signal stronger. However, the FCC did not allow this. They said the stronger signal would overlap with another station's signal.
Closing Down
On February 12, 1972, United Broadcasting shut down WFAN-TV. The company said it was because of their financial situation. Richard Eaton, the owner, placed an "In Memoriam" ad in Washington Post. He said channel 14 was "choked to death" because it couldn't reach enough people. He also said the station had lost a lot of money, about $1.45 million over nine years. Eaton also mentioned the strong competition from other independent stations in Washington. Thirteen employees lost their jobs.
In November 1972, United Broadcasting found buyers for WFAN-TV. Two businessmen from Milwaukee wanted to buy the channel for $250,000. They planned to use it for subscription television.
In 1973, the FCC decided that United Broadcasting was qualified to hold a license. They recommended renewing channel 14's license. However, the FCC told United to put WFAN-TV back on the air by July 1, 1973. This deadline was later moved to December 1. United decided to appeal this order. On April 26, 1974, the FCC officially took away the licenses for both WFAN-TV and its sister station in Baltimore. This allowed new groups to apply for these channels.
Channel 14 After WOOK-TV
Channel 14 in Washington was not used by a full-power station for over 20 years after WOOK-TV closed.
In 1976, a smaller station called W14AA started using channel 14. It relayed shows from WNVT, an educational TV station from Virginia. WNVT was too far south to reach all of Washington.
Later, W14AA was sold to Los Cerezos Television Company. This company started broadcasting shows from the Spanish International Network. This network is now known as Univision. To make way for a new full-power station, W14AA moved to channel 48 in 1989. Today, it is known as WMDO-CD.
The FCC started taking applications for a new license for channel 14. Washington, D.C. mayor Walter E. Washington wanted the new channel 14 to be owned by a minority group. In 1984, a judge chose Urban Telecommunications Corporation to run the station. After many delays, the station finally went on the air in 1993. It was called WTMW, named after its owner, Theodore M. White.
