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WPSD-TV is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Paducah, Kentucky, United States, serving Western Kentucky's Jackson Purchase region, Southern Illinois, the Missouri Bootheel, Northwestern Tennessee, and far Northeastern Arkansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 (or virtual channel 6 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky. On cable, the station can be seen on Comcast Xfinity channel 5, Mediacom channel 6, and Charter Spectrum channel 10. There is a high definition feed provided on Xfinity digital channel 432, Mediacom digital channel 706, and Spectrum digital channel 785.

Owned by the Paxton Media Group, WPSD has studios on Television Lane in Paducah. It formerly operated a low-powered VHF analog repeater W10AH (channel 10) in Carbondale, Illinois from a transmitter (sharing the WSIU-TV-FM tower) on the Southern Illinois University campus, but the station's license has since been cancelled by the FCC.

History

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2018)

The station signed-on as WPSD on May 28, 1957 with an analog signal on VHF channel 6. It has been an NBC affiliate and owned by the Paxton family for its entire existence alongside Western Kentucky's major newspaper, The Paducah Sun. The "PSD" letters in the calls stands for Paducah Sun-Democrat which was the paper's name at the time the station launched in 1957.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Analog-to-digital conversion

WPSD-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 6, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 32. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 6.

Programming

Syndicated programming on the station includes Wheel of Fortune, Inside Edition, Jeopardy!, and Dr. Phil among others.

WPSD initially declined to carry Saturday Night Live. WPSD made a compromise after receiving negative feedback for the preemption; they delayed the variety show for an hour. In the early 1990s, the station finally decided to air the program at its network-recommended time of 10:30 p.m. CT.

News operation

WPSD serves more than fifty counties in southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and north Western Tennessee. Among the area's big three outlets, the station focuses more on Western Kentucky since it is based in Paducah. In addition to its main studios, WPSD operates a bureau on South Illinois Avenue in Downtown Carbondale.

For several years, WPSD produced a nightly prime time newscast on Fox affiliate KBSI through a news share agreement, known as Local 6 News at 9 on Fox 23 and featured a regional summary of headlines because KBSI is based in Cape Girardeau. For a while, the broadcast competed with KFVS' own nightly prime time news at 9 seen on the area's low-powered CW affiliates WQTV-LP/WQWQ-LP which was cancelled on July 29, 2007. WPSD's partnership with KBSI expired on September 30, 2010. KBSI entered into a new partnership with KFVS presumably to refocus the prime time production to the Missouri Bootheel area and expand it to sixty minutes. On October 3, 2010, WPSD brought back its own newscast at 9 to its RTV and Antenna TV. Known as The Nine and seen every night for a half-hour, this is simulcasted on those two services.

For several years, Tom Butler served as news anchor and vice president of the news department. He died March 31, 2017. Managing editor and anchor Ron Beaton retired in May of 2004 after 29 years. Jennifer Horbelt, who had worked at KOAA since 2012 returned as evening anchor in 2014.

On June 3, 2012, starting with the 5:00 p.m. newscast, WPSD-TV became the last station in the market to offer local news in high definition. Minor set and graphics changes were also made.

Notable former on-air staff

• Sam Champion - now Managing Editor for The Weather Channel and host of AMHQ

Availability

Over-the-air signal

WPSD's over-the-air signal can also reach some of the Nashville media market's far western areas, like in Henry County, including Paris. Parts of Trigg County, Kentucky, near the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area can also pick up the station's signal. Residents of Dawson Springs (Hopkins County, in the Evansville market), can also pick up the station's signal with an outdoor antenna as that area is just within range of the station's signal area. WPSD is the only station in the Paducah market that can reach that area. The signal has also been known to reach as far as areas in northeastern Arkansas, such as Blytheville, Trumann and Osceola.

Until the 2009 digital television transition, the signal also used to be able to reach the far northern areas of Dyer and Gibson counties in northwest Tennessee, which is in the small Jackson, Tennessee market.

Out-of-market coverage

In Hopkinsville (Christian County (KY)), which is in the Nashville media market, WPSD and WPSD-DT3 (its Antenna TV subchannel) is carried on that area's local Charter Spectrum system. WPSD's main channel is also carried on Mediacom cable channel 15 on that provider's system in the Cadiz and Trigg County areas (including the Land Between the Lakes area), which are also in the Nashville market.

In Webster County, Kentucky, including Dixon (within the Evansville DMA), WPSD-TV's main channel is carried on Spectrum channel 37.

References

1. RabbitEars TV Query for WPSD
2. http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/32554372/heartland-on-wpsd-62-being-replaced-with-this-tv
3. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
4. https://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?543123-TV-Shows-That-Had-Trouble-In-Certain-Regions-Of-The-County&p=4815540&viewfull=1#post4815540
5. http://westkentuckystar.com/News/Local-Regional/McCracken-County/Local-News-Icon-Tom-Butler-Passes-Away-at-Age-79.aspx. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
6. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
7. services, News. "KOAA losing anchor Jennifer Horbelt to Kentucky". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2018-09-10. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
8. RECNet CDBS Query for WPSD-TV
9. Time Warner Cable Channel Lineup for Hopkinsville/Christian County, KY
10. Mediacom Channel Lineup: Cadiz, KY
11. Mediacom Channel Lineup: Trigg County, KY
12. Time Warner Cable Channel Lineup for Dixon, Clay, and Wheatcraft, KY (Webster County, KY)

External links

• WPSD-TV "Local 6"
• Template:TVQ
• Template:BIA

• NBC affiliates
• Television channels and stations established in 1957
• This TV affiliates
• Antenna TV affiliates
• Television stations in Kentucky
• NBC network affiliates
• 1957 establishments in Kentucky