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54-580: WGBO-DT (channel 66) is a television station licensed to Joliet, Illinois , United States, serving as the Chicago -area outlet for the Spanish-language network Univision . It is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision alongside Aurora -licensed UniMás station WXFT-DT (channel 60). The two stations share studios at 541 North Fairbanks Court in the Streeterville neighborhood; WGBO-DT's transmitter

108-436: A barter in some cases. Write-off#Write-down A write-off is a reduction of the recognized value of something. In accounting , this is a recognition of the reduced or zero value of an asset. In income tax statements, this is a reduction of taxable income, as a recognition of certain expenses required to produce the income. In income tax calculation, a write-off is the itemized deduction of an item's value from

162-403: A Spanish-language station for a decade when WGBO converted to Univision, channel 66 immediately took the ratings lead. By November 1996, its audience among Hispanics tripled that of WSNS. Upon switching to Univision on January 1, 1995, WGBO launched a news department and began producing local Spanish-language newscasts at 5 and 10 pm, hiring former KVEA news director Jacqueline Gallardo for

216-564: A full-time affiliate in the nation's third-largest market (and fifth-largest Hispanic TV market), leading it to scout out and then enter into negotiations to purchase WGBO-TV, even though that station was no longer seeking a buyer. In January 1994, Univision announced that it would purchase WGBO from Combined for $ 35 million and move its programming there. While the deal included most of WGBO's non-license assets such as its studio facilities, transmission equipment and transmitter, it excluded its English-language programming inventory. The purchase

270-521: A limited number of children's programs, and several western series to its schedule, as well as daily simulcasts of CNN Headline News . Even though the station lucked into a modicum of success with the Ramblers, Chicago proved to be the toughest market of any in which Grant operated. Its stations in Philadelphia ( WGBS-TV ) and Miami ( WBFS-TV ) were third independents in their respective markets, but WGBO-TV

324-408: A loan on a defunct business, or a credit card due that is in default), removing it from their balance sheets. A reduction in the value of an asset or earnings by the amount of an expense or loss. Companies are able to write off certain expenses that are required to run the business, or have been incurred in the operation of the business and detract from retained revenues. A negative write-off refers to

378-402: A motion by the company's creditors to assume control of the stations or force their sale. However, on July 7, Grant agreed to enter into receivership and turn over control of the company and its three stations to its television program suppliers and bondholders under a reorganization plan—which was formally filed on October 13 and approved on March 30, 1988—to repay $ 420 million in debt from

432-415: A much shorter wavelength, and thus requires a shorter antenna, but also higher power. North American stations can go up to 5000 kW ERP for video and 500 kW audio, or 1000 kW digital. Low channels travel further than high ones at the same power, but UHF does not suffer from as much electromagnetic interference and background "noise" as VHF, making it much more desirable for TV. Despite this, in

486-671: A person's taxable income. Thus, if a person in the United States has a taxable income of $ 50,000 per year, a $ 100 telephone for business use would lower the taxable income to $ 49,900. If that person is in a 25% tax bracket , the tax due would be lowered by $ 25. Thus the net cost of the telephone is $ 75 instead of $ 100. In order for American business owners to write off business expenses, the Internal Revenue Service states that purchases must be both ordinary and necessary. This means that deductible items must be usual and required for

540-451: A reported asking price of $ 100 million for channel 66; four buyers were said to have toured the station. WBFS-TV in Miami went up for sale as well, and a report in Miami noted interest from Chris-Craft Industries , which had apparently attempted to negotiate a $ 90 million purchase of both outlets. Broadcasting & Cable magazine reported industry speculation that Univision was among

594-496: A simulcast of ON TV programming on March 1, 1984, allowing for Oak to convert them to ON TV equipment using WSNS-TV's signal. WFBN began to prepare for a life beyond STV programming. Operational responsibilities were transferred to UPI , the wire service that Focus principals Douglas Ruhe and William Geissler had purchased in 1982. Media Capital Group took a minority stake in the station; the firm solicited investors for limited partnerships. The STV simulcasts ended on May 31, 1984, and

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648-441: A two-hour local morning newscast on weekdays, Primera Hora , leading into the national morning show Despierta América . Univision billed the program as being Chicago's first local, Spanish-language morning newscast. It was the second attempt at such for WGBO, which had also produced a morning show in 2001. In 2019, WGBO partnered with The Chicago Reporter to create Latinext, a multiplatform bilingual newsroom focusing on

702-425: A variety of ways to generate revenue from television commercials . They may be an independent station or part of a broadcasting network , or some other structure. They can produce some or all of their programs or buy some broadcast syndication programming for or all of it from other stations or independent production companies. Many stations have some sort of television studio , which on major-network stations

756-496: Is non-commercial educational (NCE) and considered public broadcasting . To avoid concentration of media ownership of television stations, government regulations in most countries generally limit the ownership of television stations by television networks or other media operators, but these regulations vary considerably. Some countries have set up nationwide television networks, in which individual television stations act as mere repeaters of nationwide programs . In those countries,

810-470: Is broadcast via terrestrial radio waves. A group of television stations with common ownership or affiliation are known as a TV network and an individual station within the network is referred to as O&O or affiliate , respectively. Because television station signals use the electromagnetic spectrum, which in the past has been a common, scarce resource, governments often claim authority to regulate them. Broadcast television systems standards vary around

864-650: Is located atop the John Hancock Center . WGBO was established as WFBN in 1981 and primarily aired subscription television (STV) programming from the Spectrum service. After a consolidation in the Chicago STV market in 1984, the station converted to a more typical independent station . It was owned by the Grant Broadcasting System from 1986 to 1988, during which time it was the least successful station in

918-792: Is often used for newscasts or other local programming . There is usually a news department , where journalists gather information. There is also a section where electronic news-gathering (ENG) operations are based, receiving remote broadcasts via remote pickup unit or satellite TV . Outside broadcasting vans, production trucks , or SUVs with electronic field production (EFP) equipment are sent out with reporters , who may also bring back news stories on video tape rather than sending them back live . To keep pace with technology United States television stations have been replacing operators with broadcast automation systems to increase profits in recent years. Some stations (known as repeaters or translators ) only simulcast another, usually

972-524: Is recorded on the buying company's accounts as goodwill . If it becomes apparent that the purchased asset no longer has the value recorded in the goodwill account (i.e., if the asset cannot be resold at the same price), the value in the goodwill asset account is "written down". One example is when Rupert Murdoch 's News Corp bought Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones at a 60% premium in 2007, which News Corp. later had to write down by $ 2.8 billion because of declining advertising revenues. A write-down

1026-401: Is sometimes considered synonymous with a write-off. The distinction is that while a write-off is generally completely removed from the balance sheet , a write-down leaves the asset with a lower value. As an example, one of the consequences of the 2007 subprime crisis for financial institutions was a revaluation under mark-to-market rules: "Washington Mutual will write down by $ 150 million

1080-435: Is thus canceled and removed from ("written off") the business's balance sheet . Common write-offs in retail include spoiled and damaged goods. In commercial or industrial settings, a productive asset may be subject to write-off if it suffers failure or accident damage that is infeasible to repair, leaving the asset unusable for its intended purpose. Similarly, banks write off bad debt that is declared non collectable (such as

1134-621: The Hoosier Millionaire lottery game show in Indiana, and University of Illinois and syndicated Big Ten Conference college basketball. After Time Warner announced the launch of The WB on November 2, 1993, the network had entered into discussions with WGBO to become the network's Chicago affiliate. Even though Tribune Broadcasting would hold a partial ownership interest in The WB and tapped its independent stations in other markets to serve as

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1188-587: The Wometco Home Theater service operating in the New York area. A fourth bid was received from Lago Grande Television Company. The four bidders agreed on a settlement under which Focus was granted the construction permit on July 22, 1980. ATC and Lago Grande's bids were dismissed after the companies were reimbursed for their costs. Murchison provided financing for the station, guaranteeing loans of up to $ 7 million for its construction in exchange for most of

1242-405: The broadcast range , or geographic area, that the station is limited to, allocates the broadcast frequency of the radio spectrum for that station's transmissions, sets limits on what types of television programs can be programmed for broadcast and requires a station to broadcast a minimum amount of certain programs types, such as public affairs messages . Another form of television station

1296-534: The electricity bill and emergency backup generators . In North America , full-power stations on band I (channels 2 to 6) are generally limited to 100 kW analog video ( VSB ) and 10 kW analog audio ( FM ), or 45 kW digital ( 8VSB ) ERP. Stations on band III (channels 7 to 13) can go up by 5 dB to 316 kW video, 31.6 kW audio, or 160 kW digital. Low-VHF stations are often subject to long-distance reception just as with FM. There are no stations on Channel 1 . UHF , by comparison, has

1350-459: The 125,000 for ON TV on WSNS; further, Spectrum had not turned a profit since it launched, and the industry was starting to shrink as cable penetration increased (though the city of Chicago itself was still not cabled). It tied up almost all of channel 66's broadcast hours, with WFBN's lone free offerings being a daily exercise show and a public affairs program aired twice a week. The station, however, did try several other ad-supported programs in 1983,

1404-619: The 29th. Several months later, Buford sold a majority 80 percent stake in its STV interests, grouped under the Home Entertainment Network banner, to United Cable of Denver for $ 20 million. United launched its third and final STV station, KTMA-TV in Minneapolis , in September 1982. Spectrum was Chicago's second-largest STV operation behind ON TV on WSNS-TV (channel 44). By March 1983, WFBN's Spectrum had 60,000 subscribers to

1458-578: The Hispanic community in Chicago. WGBO is the only full-power TV station to use the John Hancock Center site full-time; six other low-power TV multiplexes and several backup FM facilities are also on the west mast, and four full-power Chicago TV stations use the east mast in a backup capacity. The station's signal is multiplexed : WGBO shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 66, on June 12, 2009,

1512-627: The U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking another large portion of this band (channels 52 to 69) away, in contrast to the rest of the world, which has been taking VHF instead. This means that some stations left on VHF are harder to receive after the analog shutdown . Since at least 1974, there are no stations on channel 37 in North America for radio astronomy purposes. Most television stations are commercial broadcasting enterprises which are structured in

1566-430: The amount is considered low (e.g., $ 5 at some institutions or up to $ 15 or more at others). A write-down is an accounting treatment that recognizes the reduced value of an impaired asset . The value of an asset may change due to fundamental changes in technology or markets. One example is when one company purchases another and pays more than the net fair value of its assets and liabilities . The excess purchase price

1620-506: The biggest money-loser in the Grant portfolio, having lost $ 13.76 million for 1986 compared to $ 9.72 million for the Philadelphia station and $ 6.54 million at the Miami outlet; that year, the company as a whole lost $ 35.96 million. In a March 1987 bankruptcy court proceeding in Philadelphia, Grant was allowed to continue operating its stations until at least July 1 through cash and accounts receivables to fund operations, denying

1674-412: The business owner's field of work. For example, a telemarketer may deduct the purchase of a telephone, since telephones are crucial for that line of work, whereas a professional musician may not. In business accounting, the term "write-off" is used to refer to an investment (such as a purchase of sellable goods) for which a return on the investment is now impossible or unlikely. The item's potential return

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1728-463: The company's portfolio. Combined Broadcasting, the consortium of creditors formed in the wake of Grant's bankruptcy, sold the station to Univision in 1994, giving the network its first full-time outlet in Chicago in six years. Since 1995, WGBO has been Chicago's Univision station and has also produced Spanish-language local newscasts. In 1979, four firms applied for construction permits to build television stations on Joliet's channel 66. Three of them had

1782-561: The contract with WCIU expired. On January 1, 1995, WGBO switched to Spanish-language programming, giving Univision a full-time presence in the market for the first time since 1989, when the network disaffiliated from WSNS-TV to return to WCIU. Most of WGBO's syndicated inventory, as well as Hoosier Millionaire , was picked up by a new independent station in Hammond, Indiana , WJYS , while the Catholic Mass moved to WEHS-TV . Though WSNS had been

1836-460: The deal would likely lead to the station leaving the air or even involuntary bankruptcy. Metrowest Corporation, then-owners of competing WPWR-TV (channel 60), filed a petition to deny the sale, claiming that even before it acquired the WFBN license, Grant had attempted to "stifle competition in the Chicago television market with multimarket program purchases, exclusive arrangements and similar deals". Grant

1890-455: The decision not to pay back an individual or organization that has overpaid on an account. Negative write-offs can sometimes be seen as fraudulent activity if those who overpay a claim or bill are not informed that they have overpaid and are not given any chance to reconcile their overpayment or be refunded. Some institutions such as banks, hospitals, universities, and other large organizations regularly perform negative write-offs, especially when

1944-420: The highest point available in the transmission area, such as on a summit , the top of a high skyscraper , or on a tall radio tower . To get a signal from the master control room to the transmitter, a studio/transmitter link (STL) is used. The link can be either by radio or T1 / E1 . A transmitter/studio link (TSL) may also send telemetry back to the station, but this may be embedded in subcarriers of

1998-666: The interested buyers. Univision's interest in WGBO stemmed from its unusual arrangement in Chicago. Its schedule was partially cleared by a longtime independent and ethnic station, WCIU-TV (channel 26). While the station had shifted its weekday ethnic programming off its lineup to focus on Spanish-language shows, in the daytime hours, it continued to air the Stock Market Observer , an English-language business news programming block before 3:30 p.m. each weekday, and some shows in other languages still aired on weekends. Univision wanted

2052-400: The local television station has no station identification and, from a consumer's point of view, there is no practical distinction between a network and a station, with only small regional changes in programming, such as local television news . To broadcast its programs, a television station requires operators to operate equipment, a transmitter or radio antenna , which is often located at

2106-419: The main broadcast. Stations which retransmit or simulcast another may simply pick-up that station over-the-air , or via STL or satellite. The license usually specifies which other station it is allowed to carry. VHF stations often have very tall antennas due to their long wavelength , but require much less effective radiated power (ERP), and therefore use much less transmitter power output , also saving on

2160-477: The most notable being a morning show, It's Too Early , helmed by longtime Chicago radio DJ Steve Dahl ; it lasted less than a month after Focus claimed viewers complained, thinking the program too obscene for "public viewing". In August 1983, United Cable wrote down the Home Entertainment Network division and put all three of its STV systems up for sale. United Cable sold the Chicago business to ON TV parent Oak Communications, and Spectrum subscribers began viewing

2214-516: The network's charter affiliates, WGN-TV was not initially expected to affiliate because of its national superstation feed and extensive sports programming, and network president Jamie Kellner told Electronic Media that The WB was more likely to be seen in Chicago on WGBO. WGN-TV reversed course on December 3 in a deal that also resulted in its superstation feed carrying the network nationally to areas without WB stations. Meanwhile, Combined put WGBO and its other stations up for sale in 1993, with

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2268-401: The next day, the station debuted an interim format consisting of 18 hours a day of music videos to last it through the summer. The station then became a conventional independent focusing on syndicated reruns and movies, as well as telecasts of Loyola Ramblers basketball games. Ruhe and Geissler's businesses began to experience financial reversals in 1984, with UPI filing for bankruptcy early

2322-470: The next year. Focus put WFBN up for sale and reached a deal to sell a 50-percent interest in the station to the Grant Broadcasting System in September 1985 for $ 2 million and an estimated $ 50 million in debt (some of which was forgiven or refinanced). Grant also obtained an option to acquire the remaining 50% interest by 1990. With many program distributors having gone unpaid, some since September 1984, Focus and Grant warned that any failure to approve

2376-484: The official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station moved its digital signal from its pre-transition UHF channel 53 to UHF channel 38 for post-transition operations. Television station The Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow ( TV Station Paul Nipkow ) in Berlin , Germany , was the first regular television service in

2430-476: The programmes seen on its owner's flagship station, and have no television studio or production facilities of their own. This is common in developing countries . Low-power stations typically also fall into this category worldwide. Most stations which are not simulcast produce their own station identifications . TV stations may also advertise on or provide weather (or news) services to local radio stations , particularly co-owned sister stations . This may be

2484-729: The revenue to be garnered from STV programming. However, before launch, Murchison sold most of his interest to another Texas company: Buford Television of Tyler . Buford, whose only broadcast properties were TV stations in Tyler and Lufkin, Texas , was making an entry into the STV game. In 1980, it built and signed on WBTI , a hybrid subscription and ad-supported station in Cincinnati , and it had filed for permits to build similar stations in other cities. WFBN began broadcasting on September 18, 1981, and its subscription offering, Spectrum , initiated programming on

2538-491: The same idea. American Television and Communications Corporation (ATC) was the division of Time Inc. that owned subscription television service Preview . Channel 66 of Illinois was owned by Clint Murchison , who owned Subscription Television of America. Focus Broadcasting Company, a company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee , was the third applicant; it, too, sought STV, having secured a lease for technology and programming of

2592-416: The same post in Chicago. The original newscasts were produced from a studio at WTTW , with the early-evening broadcast originally anchored by Elio Montenegro and Edna Schmidt , and Jorge Barbosa serving as anchor of the 10 p.m. newscast. On January 4, 2012, WGBO began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition . After adding a midday newscast in 2018, on January 21, 2019, the station premiered

2646-492: The stations' operations by 1995, at which point the stations would be sold off. In July 1988, Combined Broadcasting, a creditor-controlled company, took over Grant and the three stations. For the next five years, WGBO subsisted on reruns, infomercials, and a variety of local programs of secondary interest: local religious programs (including the Catholic Mass) dropped by WGN-TV, a country music video show from radio station WUSN ,

2700-630: The world. It was on the air from 22 March 1935, until it was shut down in 1944. The station was named after Paul Gottlieb Nipkow , the inventor of the Nipkow disk . Most often the term "television station" refers to a station which broadcasts structured content to an audience or it refers to the organization that operates the station. A terrestrial television transmission can occur via analog television signals or, more recently, via digital television signals. Television stations are differentiated from cable television or other video providers as their content

2754-399: The world. Television stations broadcasting over an analog system were typically limited to one television channel , but digital television enables broadcasting via subchannels as well. Television stations usually require a broadcast license from a government agency which sets the requirements and limitations on the station. In the United States, for example, a television license defines

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2808-540: Was finalized on May 13. In August 1994, Combined Broadcasting subsequently announced that it would sell its other two stations, WGBS and WBFS-TV, to the Paramount Stations Group for $ 165 million. In August 1994, Univision officially assumed ownership of WGBO. However, Univision's part-time affiliation agreement with WCIU did not expire until December 31, 1994; as a result, Univision continued to run WGBO as an English-language independent for five months until

2862-548: Was reported to be keen on reducing and restructuring expensive agreements WFBN had made for syndicated programming. After the FCC approved Grant's purchase of WFBN in November 1985, the station changed its call letters to WGBO-TV on January 4, 1986, adopting "Super 66" as its on-air branding. Although not dramatically different overall, in January 1986, WGBO added a few more off-network sitcoms,

2916-503: Was the fourth independent in Chicago behind the established WGN-TV , WFLD , and WPWR-TV. It was also a noted free-spender, entering the market with a massive advertising blitz that prompted some of those competitors to increase their own marketing spending. By late 1986, rapidly rising costs for programming left Grant badly overextended. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 8, 1986, in an attempt to protect itself from its creditors. Bankruptcy court statements revealed WGBO-TV to be

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