WGLV
Channels
Programming
AffiliationsABC, DuMont
Ownership
Owner
  • Easton Publishing Co.
  • (WGLV Inc.)
WEEX, WEEX-FM
History
First air date
August 14, 1953 (1953-08-14)
Last air date
October 31, 1957 (1957-10-31)
Technical information
ERP100 kW[1]
HAAT1,063 feet (324 m)
Transmitter coordinates40°37′35″N 75°15′19″W / 40.62639°N 75.25528°W / 40.62639; -75.25528

WGLV (channel 57) was a television station in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States, which operated from August 1953 to October 1957. It was owned by the Easton Publishing Company, publisher of the Easton Express newspaper, and broadcast programming from ABC and the DuMont Television Network. It was the second station in the Lehigh Valley, which at one point had three local UHF outlets. However, largely due to power increases from competing very high frequency (VHF) stations in Philadelphia and New York City, WGLV left the air on October 31, 1957.

History

When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ended its four-year freeze on television stations in 1952 and established the UHF band for television broadcasting, the Lehigh Valley received four channel allotments: two in Allentown, one in Bethlehem, and channel 57 in Easton.[2] A preexisting application by Easton Publishing, which had specified channel 8,[3] was amended after the freeze to specify channel 57.[4] The commission granted a construction permit to the company on December 18, 1952.[5]

Construction took place in the early part of 1953. In addition to securing affiliation with ABC and DuMont,[6] work took place to erect a transmitter building and interim studio on Gaffney Hill in Williams Township. WGLV promised stronger signals than those put into the area by the very high frequency (VHF) stations in Philadelphia, as well as regional news coverage.[3] The first day of telecasting was August 14, 1953.[7] Two days prior, in a demonstration staged by DuMont Laboratories, journalists saw WGLV-TV pictures on a set in the upper floors of the Empire State Building in New York City.[8]

WGLV moved its studios from Gaffney Hill to a former school building, dubbed "Television Center", in January 1955.[9]

October 31, 1957, marked the end of an era in Lehigh Valley television. Within 24 hours of each other, NBC affiliate WLEV-TV in Bethlehem and WGLV both received permission to go silent, and both did so on the same night.[10] WGLV declared that FCC policies had made UHF survival unworkable in the market, particularly after the commission granted power and coverage increases to existing VHF stations in the region; this came even though Variety called WGLV "one of the best equipped U[HF] stations in the country".[11] The former studio building was sold to two Easton doctors in 1959.[12]

References

  1. ^ "WGLV" (PDF). Television Factbook. Spring 1957. p. 214. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2023-02-20 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ "FCC Allots Two Television Channels to Allentown, One Each to Bethlehem, Easton". The Morning Call. April 14, 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Construction Work Near Completion At WGLV, New UHF Station at Easton". The Morning Call. April 21, 1953. p. 26. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "4 More Apply for Penna. TV Channels". Pottsville Republican. Associated Press. July 3, 1952. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Easton and Hazleton TV Permits Approved". The Morning Call. Associated Press. December 19, 1952. p. 7. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Brooker, Ruth (April 3, 1953). "Chess Scripts". The Morning Call. p. 14. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Station WGLV, Easton, Starts Telecasts Today". The Morning Call. August 14, 1953. p. 7. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Easton UHF Picture Received in New York". The Times Leader. Associated Press. August 13, 1953. p. 4. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "WGLV (TV) Dedicates New Television Center" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 31, 1955. p. 73. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  10. ^ "Valley TV Stations Go Off Air Tonight". The Morning Call. October 31, 1957. p. 17. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Two Pennsy U's Throw in Towel". Variety. November 13, 1957. p. 57. ProQuest 1401273893 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ "Theater Property Transferred: Transaction Of Globe Inc. Set at $92,500". The Morning Call. September 14, 1959. p. 9. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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