WEDE-CD (channel 34), branded on-air as MCTV, is a low-power, Class A religious independent television station licensed to Arlington Heights, Illinois, United States, serving the Chicago area. The station is owned by First United, Inc. It can also be viewed on WJYS (channel 62)'s tenth digital subchannel.

WEDE-CD
CityArlington Heights, Illinois
Channels
BrandingMCTV
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerFirst United, Inc.
History
FoundedNovember 30, 1999 (24 years ago) (1999-11-30)
Former call signs
  • W17BD (1989–1998)
  • W34CK (1998–2005)
  • WEDE-CA (2005–2014)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 17 (UHF, 1989–1998), 34 (UHF, 1998–2014)
FamilyNet (1989–2017)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID66978
ClassCD
ERP2.84 kW
HAAT445.5 m (1,462 ft)
Transmitter coordinates41°52′44.1″N 87°38′10.2″W / 41.878917°N 87.636167°W / 41.878917; -87.636167 (WOCK-CD)
Links
Public license information

History

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WEDE-CD's beginnings were as a translator station on channel 17 since its inception in 1989. It moved to channel 34 in 1998 and the call letters were changed to W34CK. The station received Class A status with their new call letters as WEDE-CA in 2005. Channel 34 was once an affiliate of FamilyNet while also airing some religious programming and infomercials. Around 2008, its programming began to be simulcast on WJYS' second digital subchannel.

After the full-power digital transition in June 2009, WEDE-CA began to receive increased signal coverage from its transmitter at Willis Tower since, as a low-power station, it was not obligated at the time to convert to digital. In the summer of 2014, WEDE-CA turned off its analog signal on channel 34 and flash cut to digital as WEDE-CD. It currently reaches about 8 million people in the Chicago market and continues to serve its surrounding areas as MCTV.

Subchannels

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The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WEDE-CD[2]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
34.1 480i 4:3 WEDE MCTV
34.2 Retro Retro TV
34.3 Gem MCTV

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WEDE-CD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for WEDE-CD". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved August 22, 2023.