television markets. On
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
, the station was seen on
Spectrum
A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of color ...
channel 22. Its
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to ...
was located off
US Highway 51
U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered High ...
just south of
Natalbany, Louisiana
Natalbany is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,739 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology
The community is named after the nea ...
and north of Hammond.
History
The channel began as a
translator
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
for
independent station
An independent station is an independent radio or terrestrial television station which is independent in some way from broadcast networks. The definition of "independence" varies from country to country, reflecting governmental regulations, market ...
WBTR (then known as WKG-TV) in 1988. As original station owner
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood Jenkins Jr., known as Woody Jenkins (born January 3, 1947), is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge and Central City, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 2000 and waged three unsuc ...
and Great Oaks Broadcasting had problems garnering cable coverage in the Greater Baton Rouge area, he set up translator stations, including W39AW, to broaden the station's cable coverage. W39AW also brought
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
programming to the region when the network began operations. In 1996, the station changed its channel to 23.
By the mid 1990s, Jenkins succeeded in gaining enough cable coverage for WBTR that he began to sell off his former translators or adapt them to bring localized programming to the communities served. In late 1998, Jenkins began different test formats for a TV station to cover the Florida Parishes (Tangipahoa, St. Helena, Livingston, and St. Tammany Parishes) with the station signing on by the end of December. On December 16, 1998, the station signed on with localized programming to the Hammond-Ponchatoula region as well as with a primary affiliation with
America One
America One was an American television network established in 1995 by USFR Media Group through its America One Television subsidiary. and a secondary affiliation with
America's Voice.
Like with WBTR, Woody Jenkins struggled to get WSTY-LP on the local cable provider, Charter Communications, given the limited number of channels available at the time. Exercising the right of
must-carry
In cable television, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally licensed television stations must be carried on a cable provider's system.
North America Canada
Under current CRTC regulations, the lowest tier of service on ...
, he filed a complaint with the
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...
against Charter asking for cable coverage and reparations. By August 1, 1999, Charter began carrying WSTY-LP on its lineup.
[http://www.hammondstar.com/charter-to-begin-carrying-wsty-saturday/article_229b49d6-7ce8-5cb5-be6e-cbbc2f178dcb.html]
In 2005, Jenkins and Great Oaks Broadcasting sold the station to Veritas Broadcasting Company, and the station soon fell into the hands of Pontchartrain Investors, LLC. Most recently, WSTY-LP was affiliated with The Family Channel (previously My Family TV). It is unknown as to when the station dropped its America One affiliation.
Station owners Pontchartrain Investors also had a
construction permit
Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building per ...
to convert WSTY-LP's signal from analog to digital on channel 38.
The FCC cancelled WSTY-LP's license on June 8, 2021 due to the station failing to file an application for license renewal.
Programming
Current local programming for WSTY includes: The Great Outdoorsmen, Louisiana's Bayou Country Outdoors, and Spiritual Outdoor Adventures.
References
External links
*
{{Other Louisiana Stations
Television stations in Louisiana
Television channels and stations established in 1988
1988 establishments in Louisiana
Defunct television stations in the United States
Television channels and stations disestablished in 2021
2021 disestablishments in Louisiana
Defunct mass media in Louisiana