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WAMI-DT

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WAMI-TV is the Telefutura Network-Owned station for the Miami / Fort Lauderdale market, licensed to Hollywood, Florida. Thie station is owned by Univision and transmits on channel 69.

History

WAMI-TV signed on March 14, 1988 as WYHS-TV, airing Home Shopping Network programming, owned by HSN's broadcasting arm, Silver King Television. Silver King would eventually own interest in the USA Network and later became USA Broadcasting.

In the fall of 1997, WBZL (then known as WDZL) dropped Fox Kids from its line-up and so channel 69 picked it up.

On June 1, 1998, the station changed to WAMI-TV, and began running a general entertainment format with a strong focus on locally produced shows aimed at the age 15-24 demographic. The Fox Kids programming was supplemented with some first run syndicated reality and talk shows, off network sitcoms and other cartoons. They also aired locally-produced Florida Marlins telecasts and Miami Heat telecasts.

By late 1999, WAMI had evolved into a traditional independent station. The station's format was spread by USA to Dallas KSTR-TV, Boston WHUB-TV and Atlanta WHOT-TV. ABC/Disney nearly bought the company in 2000, but ended up being outbid by Univision.

More on WAMI-TV and it's original programming lineup can be viewed at http://ke4qpf.com/wami

Under Univision, as of January 14, 2002, WAMI-TV became a Telefutura affiliate. PAX-TV (now the i network) picked up the Marlins telecasts (currently produced by Fox Sports), which are aired on the Florida Marlins Television Network. The Miami Heat telecasts are now primarily cable-only on Sun Sports formerly Sunshine Network and carried over-the-air on WFOR-TV CBS4.

There were rumors that Tribune Company would buy WAMI-TV from Univision, essentially creating a duopoly in Miami /Fort Lauderdale Florida with The CW affiliate WBZL-TV. As of 2006, this has not occurred, nor has it been confirmed.