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WDEM-CD
	HC2 default slide
Columbus, Ohio; United States;
Channels	Digital: 24 (UHF); Virtual: 17;
Programming
Affiliations	see § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner	Innovate Corp.; (HC2 Station Group, Inc.);
History
Founded	January 8, 1986
First air date	August 31, 1987; (37 years ago)
Former call signs	W17AI (1986–1998); WDEM-LP (1998–2008); WDEM-CA (2008–2009);
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 17 (UHF, 1988–2009); Digital: 17 (UHF, 2009–2019);
Former affiliations	Independent (via WWAT-TV, 1987–1992); HSN (1992–1998, 2007–February 2009); America's Store (1998–2007); Local programming (February–July 2009); Universal Sports (July 2009–2011); Silent (2011–2013); Telemundo (2013–2019); Azteca América (2019–2022);
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	54414
Class	CD
ERP	15 kW
HAAT	219.6 m (720 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	39°58′14″N 83°1′16″W / 39.97056°N 83.02111°W
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;

WDEM-CD (channel 17) is a low-power, Class A television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The station is owned by Innovate Corp. and mostly broadcasts subchannels featuring infomercials and diginets.

History

W17AI began broadcasting in 1987. It was owned by Regional Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Gary and Susan Clarke; beginning in 1988, it primarily served to rebroadcast WWAT-TV in Chillicothe. At the time, WWAT-TV had been removed from all three of the cable systems in the Columbus area.^[2]^[3] This was a change from Clarke's original plan for programming W17AI after he purchased the permit from the LaMarca Group of New York City the year before; he had originally intended on programming oriented to the large campus audience at Ohio State University.^[4]^[5] The Clarkes sold the station in August 1989 to WWAT-TV owner Wendell A. Triplett.^[6] In 1991, W17AI split from WWAT-TV to broadcast the Home Shopping Network.^[7] The call sign was changed to WDEM-LP in 1998.

In early 2009, the station—still owned by Triplett—changed its programming from home shopping to an arts and culture format known as "Lifeline Columbus" under the leadership of David Chesnet.^[8] The station had previously become a Class A station in December 2008, changing call signs from WDEM-CA to WDEM-CD.^[9] The station also converted to digital in 2009 and added a subchannel airing Telemundo in 2010. Subchannels aired in the 2010s included Universal Sports and Justice Network (now True Crime Network). Minority Brands, owned by Richard Schilg, acquired WDEM-CD from Triplett for $75,000 in 2014.^[10]

On April 3, 2019, HC2 Holdings closed on its acquisition of WDEM from Minority Brands, Inc., for $866,000.^[11] The station then moved from channel 17 to channel 24 as part of the repack, with Telemundo replaced by HC2-owned Azteca América.

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WDEM-CD^[12]
Channel	Res.	Aspect	Short name	Programming
17.1	480i	4:3	WDEM-CD	Infomercials
17.2		16:9		Oxygen
17.3				NBC American Crimes
17.4				The365
17.5				Defy
17.6				Outlaw
17.7				NTD America
17.8		4:3		ShopHQ

References

^ "Facility Technical Data for WDEM-CD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ "Channel 17 has plans for live TV: Station to start with programs from Channel 53". The Columbus Dispatch. August 26, 1988. p. 11F.
^ Lilly, Stephen (August 29, 1988). "WWAT Buys Share of Channel 17". Columbus Business First. p. 7. ProQuest 232371732.
^ Jones, David (April 21, 1987). "Low-power TV goes strong". The Columbus Dispatch. p. 8B.
^ Jones, David (September 3, 1985). "CBS looks at invasion by Latin neighbors". The Columbus Dispatch. p. D9.
^ "At the FCC" (PDF). LPTV Report. October 1989. p. 45.
^ "Broadcast bits". The Columbus Dispatch. November 13, 1991. p. 9E.
^ Feran, Tim (March 9, 2009). "Tiny station seeks niche as beacon of culture". The Columbus Dispatch. p. 1D.
^ "Report No. 513 Media Bureau Call Sign Actions December 17, 2008". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
^ "Richard Schilg Acquires WDEM Columbus". Broadcasting & Cable. July 30, 2014.
^ Jacobson, Adam (April 3, 2019). "HC2 Closes On Columbus Class A". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
^ "RabbitEars listing for WDEM-CD". RabbitEars.info.