WUMN-LP
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| Minneapolis-St. Paul | |
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| Branding | Univision Minneapolis Univision 13 |
| Channels | Analog: 13 (VHF) |
| Affiliations | Univision |
| Owner | Silver Point Finance (SP Minneapolis LLC) |
| Founded | September 26, 1985 (On-air since 1990) |
| Call letters' meaning | W Univision MiNneapolis or MiNnesota (postal abbreviation) |
| Former callsigns | K13UT, K33FB, WBWX-CA |
| Former affiliations | The Box, MTV2 |
| Website | none |
WUMN-LP (channel 13) is a Univision affiliate in Minneapolis, Minnesota owned by Silver Point Finance of Greenwich, Connecticut and is the only Spanish-language television station in Minnesota, and currently the final station in the Twin Cities market to transmit in analog.
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[edit] History
It was owned by Viacom subsidiary The Box and carried MTV2 until it was purchased by Equity Broadcasting in 2004 (curiously, the station operated 24 hours a day, while the MTV2 channel on the city's Time Warner Cable system operated only 12 hours daily from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
On September 26, 1985, the low-power station received their license, with the assignment of the calls K13UT. From its official inception in 1990, the station was low-powered, operating at just 110 watts effective radiated power. Around 1995, it used the moniker "Lucky 13." The station had an application to move to channel 33 and increase power (this would have changed the call sign to K33FB), but permission expired before that change could be made. The name changed to WBWX-CA in 2001, then to WUMN-CA after the purchase by Equity. In early 2005, the transmitter was upgraded to 1.25 kW, extending the reach of the signal into the suburbs of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The transmitter is located in downtown Minneapolis on the IDS Tower at 44°58′25″N 93°16′13.00″W / 44.97361°N 93.27028°W. Because of the flux of the license between channels 13 and 33, the call letters changed several times between K13UT and K33FB before the station acquired Class A status in 2001.
On June 25, 2008, Equity disclosed that it was selling WUMN to Luken Communications, LLC.[1]
Equity Media Holdings has been in chapter 11 bankruptcy since December 2008[2] and offers by Luken Communications to acquire Equity-owned stations in six markets have since been withdrawn.[3]
WUMN was sold at auction to Silver Point Capital on April 16, 2009.[4] The sale closed on August 17, 2009.[5] WUMN has since surrendered its class A classification, and is now known as WUMN-LP.
[edit] News
Equity also produced Spanish-language local newscasts at 5 and 10 pm, originating out of the company's program production center in Davenport, Iowa. On June 6, 2008, Equity discontinued local newscasts at its six Univision affiliates, including WUMN.[6]
[edit] Gallery
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Station ID for WUMN in March 2005 -- now as a Univision network affiliate.
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WUMN's modified logo as found on its website.
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Current logo used on-air.
[edit] External links
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WUMN
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WUMN-LP
- NorthPine.com: WUMN-LP screen captures
[edit] References
- ^ Marich, Robert (2008-06-26). "Equity Media Sells RTN to Ease Crunch". Broadcasting & Cable. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6573488.html. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
- ^ Larson, Erik (December 8, 2008). "Equity Media, U.S. TV Station Owner, Seeks Bankruptcy". Bloomberg News. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email_en&refer=home&sid=aDVf83geoJ3c. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
- ^ Equity's Management Cause of Downfall, Former CEO Asserts, Mark Hengel, Arkansas Business, February 2, 2009
- ^ "Takers found for 60 Equity stations". Television Business Report. April 18, 2009. http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/tv_deals/14101.html. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
- ^ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 19, 2009. http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1328451&Form_id=905&Facility_id=64505. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ TV Newsday, 6/10/2008
- Deborah Caulfield Rybak (March 26, 2005). New at 5 and 10, news in Spanish. Star Tribune.
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