City Hammonton, New Jersey | ||
Channels Digital: 38 (UHF)
Virtual: 8 (PSIP) Subchannels 8.1: América Tevé
8.2: Youtoo America
8.3: GOD TV
8.4: Hope Channel Owner Prime Time Partners, LLC
(WPSJ-CD Station, LLC) First air date June 14, 1986; 30 years ago (1986-06-14) Call letters' meaning Philadelphia and South Jersey | ||
WPSJ-CD channel 8 is an independent commercial digital Class A television station serving the Southern New Jersey area, broadcasting on digital channel 38 UHF. It is owned by Prime Time Partners, LLC of Doral, Florida since December 19, 2012, with a transmitter located in Waterford Township, New Jersey. The channel is not commonly carried by satellite or cable TV systems, but can be received over the air with a standard ATSC tuner.
Contents
History
WPSJ signed on the air June 14, 1986 as a FCC Class A television station in the Philadelphia market #4 with 24-hour operation serving the Delaware Valley with local programs. Originally licensed to Berlin, NJ, WPSJ's studio is located in Winslow Township.
On September 11, 2001, the station broadcast CNN.
At the station's height in 2005, it took in $400,000 in ad revenue and a percentage of sales on the Shop At Home Network, which it aired in the overnight time slots.
Then, in 2006, income dropped to more than half after the FCC moved WPSJ from VHF Channel 8 to the less powerful signal of UHF Channel 24. This move reduced its potential viewership from 3.5 million to just 150,000. With the business suddenly losing money, Engle (Engle Broadcasting of Cedar Brook, New Jersey) considered shutting it down. Some Channel 24 branded material can still be seen on the channel to this day, such as with the station ID.
But as they held on, convinced of the potential of digital TV, the bet paid off in 2007 when the FCC granted WPSJ the right to move back to Channel 8 with a digital signal, part of a government push to convert the broadcast systems to digital. Engle made an investment of $150,000 to convert to digital transmission, and the station's potential audience is now almost six million viewers.
MundoFox
On July 31, 2012, the station upgraded the main 8.1 channel to 720p in preparation for the soft launch of the Spanish language network MundoFox the next day. Before the launch, it and Boston sister station WFXZ-CD used the same feed (including WFXZ's morning 'bulletin board') during testing of the MundoFox feed, and thus, both stations were featured in the same station identification card. The America One programming formerly featured on 8.1 moved to 8.4, and the 8.5 subchannel with AMG TV programming, along with an audio channel on 8.6 featuring NOAA Weather Radio's KIH28 were discontinued to facilitate high definition programming on 8.1. Eventually, 8.4 came back to the air with programming from the Hope Channel, along with 8.1's programming being simulcast throughout the market via Fox's WTXF, where WPSJ-CD1 is simulcast on WTXF-DT3.
Sale to Prime Time Partners, LLC
On December 19, 2012 Engle Broadcasting of Cedar Brook, New Jersey sold WPSJ-CD to WPSJ-CD Station, LLC of Doral, Florida, whose ownership is PTP Broadcasting Holding, LLC owned by Prime Time Partners, LLC both of Doral, Florida. Effective January 12, 2012 was an Asset Purchase Agreement and August 1, 2012 a Time Brokerage Agreement.
Move from UHF 51 to UHF 38
On January 13, 2012 WPHA-CD owner D.T.V. LLC and WPSJ-LD owner Engle Broadcasting submitted Joint Request for Approval of Settlement Agreement where WPHA-CD would move from UHF 38 to UHF 24 and WPSJ-LD would move from UHF 51 to UHF 38, which FCC granted on June 26, 2012. On May 29, 2012 FCC granted Construction Permit February 6, 2012 and March 17, 2013 amendment for WPSJ-CD displacement to UHF 38 at ERP 6 kW. On or before June 16, 2013 WPSJ-CD started tranmitting on UHF channel 38. On June 17, 2013 FCC accepted for filing WPSJ-CD UHF 38 application for Digital Class A Television station license.
WPSJ affiliation switch
On December 1, 2016, WPSJ-CD would involuntarily end their MundoMax affiliation with that network's demise, moving Sonlife Broadcasting Network to the station's main channel. However, on February 1, 2017, WPSJ-CD disaffiliates from Sonlife and switched to América Tevé on the main channel, and Youtoo America on the second subchannel.