Spectrum (TV channel)

Spectrum

Type	Pay television network (movies, sports)
Country
Availability	United States
Headquarters	Chicago, IL
Owner	United Cable

Spectrum was a subscription TV channel in the Chicago area that existed in the early 1980s. It was a direct competitor to ON-TV and operated in the same way. It was owned and operated by United Cable.

Usage

Subscribers were required to purchase a descrambler box for their TV set and pay a monthly fee. The signal broadcast on UHF channel 66 (WFBN, now WGBO). Spectrum aired a combination of sporting events and movies, all commercial free.

United Cable intended Spectrum as a way to penetrate the Chicago market as the city of Chicago was not wired for cable TV until the mid 1980s.

Demise

Ultimately, Spectrum was unsuccessful. They encountered technical issues with their broadcast signal because WFBN 66's signal transmitter on the John Hancock Center only transmitted to the east antenna mast. This seriously hampered Spectrum's ability to reach viewers to the west of the tower. By 1983, in the face of cable TV entering the Chicago market and the economic recession, Spectrum went out of business the following year and sold its subscriber list to competitor ON-TV. By mid-1985, ON-TV was also out of business, and its broadcast UHF channel (WSNS 44) would eventually be affiliated with Univision and later by the Telemundo network.