WMDE
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| City | Dover, Delaware |
| Channels | |
| Branding | WMDE 36 |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 36.1: ShopHQ for others, see § Subchannels |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | May 24, 2013 |
| Soul of the South Network Newsmax TV Doctor TV | |
Call sign meaning | Maryland & Delaware |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 189357 |
| ERP | 10 kW |
| HAAT | 145 m (476 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 38°57′17.3″N 76°5′34.8″W / 38.954806°N 76.093000°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WMDE (channel 36) is a television station licensed to Dover, Delaware, United States. Owned by WRNN-TV Associates, the station maintains a transmitter in the unincorporated community of Wye Mills in Talbot County, Maryland, 41 miles (66 km) southwest of Dover. Despite its physical location well east of the city, the station is assigned by Nielsen to the Washington, D.C. television market. With the repeal of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s Main Studio Rule in 2019, WMDE is fully automated out of WRNN-TV's studios in Rye Brook, New York, with no local presence whatsoever.
Outside of a morning rebroadcast of the Japanese network Fuji TV's News Catch program, the station's schedule on its main channel is made up of home shopping programming from ShopHQ, which also airs on the main channel of all of WRNN's stations.
History
WMDE signed on May 24, 2013. The station was originally owned by Western Pacific Broadcast LLC.[2]
Shortly after sign-on, Nielsen granted WMDE's request to be assigned to the Washington market instead of Philadelphia (where Dover is located) or Baltimore (where Wye Mills is located). WMDE is thus carried on every cable and satellite provider in the Washington market, with the exception of Cox Communications, which filed a complaint to the FCC seeking to avoid carriage and prevailed in 2015. Although the FCC's ruling called Nielsen's market modification decision "inexplicable", must-carry rules otherwise defer to Nielsen with respect to market assignment.[3]
WRNN-TV Associates agreed to acquire the station for $11.5 million on April 25, 2018;[4] the sale was completed on July 11, 2018.[5]
Subchannels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WMDE.1 | ShopHQ |
| 36.2 | CourtTV | TrueReal | ||
| 36.3 | 480i | DABL | Dabl | |
| 36.4 | Circle | Circle | ||
| 36.5 | Arirang | ArirangTV | ||
| 36.6 | WMDE 36 | [Blank] | ||
| 36.7 | CRTV | Jewelry TV | ||
| 36.8 | ShopLC | Shop LC | ||
| 36.9 | WMDE 36 | Infomercials |
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WMDE". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "FCC Ownership Report Search Results - Facility ID 189358". FCC.gov. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "In the Matter of CoxComm, LLC for Modification of the Market of WMDE, Dover, Delaware" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. 13 October 2015.
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. May 1, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for WMDE". RabbitEars.Info. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- Television channels and stations established in 2013
- 2013 establishments in Delaware
- Independent television stations in the United States
- Television stations in Delaware
- Television stations in Salisbury, Maryland
- Television stations in Washington, D.C.
- TrueReal affiliates
- Dabl affiliates
- Circle (TV network) affiliates