Technical Profile: WEDS-LD

TV Technical Profile: WEDS-LD

Channel:: 26
Programming:: [29.1] Infomercials to be: Story Television
[29.2] beIn Sports Xtra Español
[29.3] beIn Sports Xtra
[29.4] Jewelry TV
[29.5] Magnificent Movies Network
Transmitter Location:: [map] [street view] South of County Road 32 in Baldwin County, off Old Pierce Road.
Power (ERP):: 15 kW
Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT):: 295 feet
Antenna:: Omnidirectional
Other Information:: [FCC]
[FCCdata]
[RabbitEars.info]; [Wikipedia]
[Image] A picture of the transmitter site, behind Magnolia Oaks Ranch, in rural Baldwin County.
[Image] A screenshot of the station, airing a "Test Signal" slate on all subchannels as of August 21 2021.
Owned By:: DTV America
History:: This station dates back to a construction permit for a new digital low power station in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, on channel 29. Owned by MIK, LLC, the station struggled to get on the air and didn't file a license to cover until March of 2014. Originally W29DS-D, the call sign changed to the present WEDS-LD in March 2013. It originally transmitted from a site off Mayflower Road in Fort Walton Beach; a year later the company filed a Silent STA request citing that they needed to purchase permanent equipment. It's unclear if the station was really even on the air at all prior to this.

In the spring of 2015, MIK, LLC sold dozens of their stations and/or construction permits to DTV America for $156,000. This station was part of the deal. DTV America filed a resumption of operations shortly after the license became theirs, but filed to go silent again in February 2016, citing loss of the tower site. Later that same year, the station filed several construction permits, followed by requests to go silent, followed by resumption of operations, culminating with a resumption in August 2016 with the transmitter now located in rural Baldwin County, off US-90 near Fire Tower Road. This facility included a highly directional antenna aimed towards both Mobile and Pensacola, and a boosted power of 6 kW.

It's unclear if this facility ever actually went on the air. It continued to file regular silent/resumption of operation updates with the FCC up through 2018.

After yet another update to the transmitter site and power levels, to the ones currently listed, the station was finally reported on air in early March 2020. After a short period of nothing but color bars, it began airing Azteca America on the main channel, and infomercials on two other subchannels. Retro TV showed up on a fourth subchannel, and in November 2020 a fifth subchannel was added, called MMN or Magnificent Movies Network.

Starting in the third week of August 2021, the station abruptly dropped all programming, replacing each subchannel with a still picture with the words "Test Signal". That only lasted a short time before programming resumed. In 2022, the two infomercial channels were replaced with feeds of beIn Sports Xtra, in Spanish and English.

In June 2022 the station changed antenna models, although this did not affect any other technical parameters or coverage areas. The station dropped the Classic Retro TV/infomercials channel for Jewelry TV at some point in the summer of 2022.

Azteca America shut down operations on 31 December 2022, with some of its programming going to Estrella TV. Some sources indicate this channel will be replaced with Weigel Broadcast's Story Television at some point.