WADL (TV)
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| WADL | |
|---|---|
| Mount Clemens / Detroit, Michigan | |
| Branding | TV 38 Mount Clemens |
| Channels | 38 (UHF) analog, 39 (UHF) digital |
| Affiliations | Independent/Jewelry TV/WORD |
| Owner | Adell Broadcasting |
| Founded | September 25, 1985 |
| Call letters meaning | W Adell Broadcasting |
| Former affiliations | HSN, N1 |
| Transmitter Power | 5000 kW/192 m(analog) 1000 kW/170 m (digital) |
WADL 38 is a commercial independent television station licensed to Mount Clemens, Michigan and serving the Detroit, Michigan, market. The station is owned by Adell Broadcasting. It primarily broadcast infomercials, shop-at-home programs, religious shows and some low-rated syndicated programs.
On cable, WADL can be seen on Comcast Detroit channel 4 and Bright House Livonia channel 19. It is not seen on Cogeco Windsor. It is however available on Cogeco Cable in some rural areas of Southwestern Ontario. These systems were likely purchased by Cogeco in recent years and this station simply remained on the line-up in these areas.
[edit] History
WADL began operation in 1986 despite filing for the license on September 25, 1985 with mostly Home Shopping Network programs, religious shows, paid programming, classic B&W movies and hourly blocks of the syndicated music video show Hit Video USA. In 1990, it began running several hours of syndicated shows, pro-wrestling programs and repeats of newscasts from WJBK-TV, the CBS affiliate at the time.
WADL was originally nicknamed "the 5 Million Watt Powerhouse", but by 1992, it became known as "Detroit's Alternate CBS Station", because of its relationship with WJBK. When WJBK defected to FOX, WADL was the top choice to become the new CBS station. However, Adell made unreasonable demands of CBS that caused the deal to quickly breakdown and sent CBS to make a deal with WGPR (now WWJ-TV).
The station never grew through the years. Eventually, Home Shopping Network programs disappeared in favor of more infomercials and religious shows. A vast majority within the broadcast range of the station have never heard of it or ironically mistake the station's call letters for a radio station, compounding existing problems with an already negligible ratings and viewership demographic (Nielsen Media Research).
Most viewers think of it as the "hand-me-down" station airing shows that the rest of the Detroit market stations either don't have room for, or don't want.
Up until roughly 1995, the station also rebroadcast news from WJBK-TV when it was the CBS affiliate for Detroit, played at a different time (usually 8 PM the same day). WADL-TV has since stopped this practice.
In September 1998, WADL would pick up Fox Kids on the weekdays and weekends. As Fox Kids ended its weekday airings 2002, WADL continued running the revamped Fox Box until the fall of 2003, when Fox's 4Kids TV Saturday Morning lineup moved to WDWB (now WMYD).
WADL-TV broadcasted NBC's soap "Passions" (that was not carried on NBC affiliate WDIV) from its premiere in 1999 until 2002 when WDIV finally start to broadcast the soap opera to replace the syndicated talk show hosted by Sally Jesse Raphael which was cancelled that year and is now a semi-affiliate of Adell's own religious "THE WORD" network, mixed with infomercials and Jewelery television programming. WADL still occasionally (but rarely) picks up network shows not cleared in Detroit, but only if they are bumped on the main station for local sports or specials.
WADL and the THE WORD NETWORK are co-owned by Frank Adell and his son Kevin Adell.
[edit] External links
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WADL
- WADL-TV and WADL-DT information at fccinfo.com
- WADL-TV schedule from Yahoo.com
- WADL TV Lineup and Demographic Data
