Adell Broadcasting’s Independent WADL Detroit is readying a launch of Antenna TV on its dot .2 multicast channel beginning 10/1. Antenna TV will bring additional classic TV programs, including “The Flying Nun,” “The Monkees,” “The Partridge Family,” “All in The Family,” “Maude” and “Soap.”
Kevin Adell, CEO and owner of WADL, who also owns “The Word Network” (the largest African-American religious network in the world), explains: “We have looked at many programming options for our .2, but ‘Antenna TV’ was by far the best fit with its quality classic programming lineup, expansive national distribution with Tribune stations and will have the longevity over fledgling networks.”
Locally, “Antenna TV” will be available on channel 38.2 and channel 295 on Comcast Cable.
WADL’s main signal is dubbed “Detroit’s TV Station.” It carries syndicated programming including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the Heat of the Night, Chappelle’s Show, A Different World, ‘Til Death, Roseanne, Sanford and Son, Excuse, Gossip Queens, True Hollywood Story, Benny Hill, I Love Lucy, Happy Days, M*A*S*H, The Jeffersons, Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle, Laverne and Shirley, Frasier, Hawaii Five-O (the original), Deadliest Catch, Cash Cab and health and fitness guru Peter’s Principles.
The station also created a child and family friendly block on Saturdays by adding The Three Stooges, The Addams Family, Fat Albert, The Brady Bunch, The Munsters, Curiosity Quest, Dog Tales, Animal Exploration, and Animal Rescue.
WADL continues to provide religious broadcast Mon-Fri 8AM-12 Noon and all day on Sundays. Saturday programming features a community block as well as “The Movie of the Week”, Cheaters, Dance Party, and American Chopper. Heartland also airs Sundays.
WADL’s 2010 fall line up included Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, South Park and The Twilight Zone.
RBR-TVBR observation: WADL reminds us of independent UHF stations in years past that relied upon quality syndicated programming for their programming mainstay. Many of these stations disappeared with the advent of new networks, such as Fox, MyNetworkTV, The CW, Univision, Telemundo and others. Only the largest markets such as LA had any independent stations left, but they were (and still are) few and far between. With multicast networks such as AntennaTV, MeTV and BounceTV, new homes in a multitude of markets are being created again for the syndicators.
