WFTV-TV
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Orlando, Florida United States |
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| Branding | WFTV Channel 9 (general) Channel 9 Eyewitness News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Coverage You Can Count On |
| Channels |
Digital: 39 (UHF) Virtual: 9 () |
| Subchannels | (see article) |
| Affiliations | ABC |
| Owner |
Cox Media Group (WFTV, LLC) |
| First air date | February 1, 1958 |
| Call letters' meaning | Florida TeleVision |
| Sister station(s) | WRDQ |
| Former callsigns | WLOF-TV (1958–1963) |
| Former channel number(s) |
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| Former affiliations |
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| Transmitter power | 1,000 kW |
| Height | 492 m |
| Facility ID | 72076 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 28°34′7″N 81°3′13″W / 28.56861°N 81.05361°WCoordinates: 28°34′7″N 81°3′13″W / 28.56861°N 81.05361°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website | www |
WFTV, virtual channel 9 (UHF digital channel 39), is the ABC-affiliated television station located in Orlando, Florida, United States. The station is owned by the Cox Media Group division of Cox Enterprises, and is part of a duopoly with independent station WRDQ (channel 27). The two stations share studios on East South Street (SR 15) in downtown Orlando, and its transmitter is located between Bithlo and Christmas. WFTV is also carried on cable providers in Lakeland, which is part of the Tampa Bay market.
The station first signed on the air on February 1, 1958 under the callsign WLOF-TV (standing for "We Love Orlando, Florida"). It has been an ABC affiliate since the station's inception. For years, the station was owned by a consortium of local investors. Channel 9 changed its callsign to the current WFTV in 1963. In 1984, the station was purchased by the SFN Companies. SFN in turn sold the station to Cox Broadcasting (now Cox Media Group) in 1985. In 1987, WFTV announced that they would move from their original location on West Central Boulevard, to a new studio located at their present-day location.
Since July 2006, WFTV is seen on the co-owned Cox cable system in Ocala (standard definition channel 9 and high definition channel 729) in addition to Gainesville's WCJB-TV. Ocala and Marion County are both part of the Orlando market. Prior to this, the Cox system in Ocala only offered WCJB due to contractual obligations even though that city is not in the same television market as Gainesville. To further complicate matters for viewers in the area of Northwest Marion county, WNBW-DT an NBC affiliate located in Gainesville and in operation since 2008, also identifies itself as channel 9, using that channel as its PSIP, though broadcasting on VHF channel 9 itself, as opposed to WFTV, which broadcasts on UHF channel 39, but also using a PSIP of 9. WNBW is not seen on the Cox or Bright House systems serving Marion County.
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