| Translator ofWOHL-CD,Lima, Ohio[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| |
| Channels | |
| Branding | see WOHL-CD |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WPNM-LD,WOHL-CD,WLIO | |
| History | |
| Founded | September 22, 1998 (27 years ago) (1998-09-22)[a] |
Former call signs |
|
Former channel number |
|
| |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 70612 |
| ERP | 15kW |
| HAAT | 83.2 m (273 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 40°23′19.2″N84°21′26.4″W / 40.388667°N 84.357333°W /40.388667; -84.357333 |
| Links | |
Public license information | LMS |
| Website | www |
WAMS-LD (channel 35) is alow-power television station licensed to bothMinster andNew Bremen, Ohio, United States. It is atranslator ofLima-basedClass A dualABC/CBSaffiliateWOHL-CD (channel 35) which is owned byBlock Communications, and is alsosister to full-power dualNBC/Fox affiliateWLIO (channel 8). WAMS-LD's transmitter is located offSR 119 east of Minster; its parent station shares studios with WLIO on Rice Avenue northwest of downtown Lima.
The station signed on September 22, 1998, with the calls W65DP. It aired an analog signal on UHF channel 65 and was a full-timetranslator of WOHL-LP (now WOHL-CD). The channel was spun off in 2002 and became a CBS affiliate with the calls WLMO-LP while moving to UHF channel 38. This aired from a transmitter west ofCridersville inAuglaize County. Before the station affiliated with CBS,Dayton affiliateWHIO-TV served as the CBS affiliate of record for the Lima market, whileColumbus affiliateWBNS-TV andToledo affiliateWTOL served the eastern and northern portions of the market; some areas of the western portion of the market were also served byFort Wayne affiliateWANE-TV. After picking up CBS, WLMO fought an uphill battle withTime Warner Cable (nowCharter Spectrum). The company initially refused to carry the station on its Lima system due to the presence of both WHIO-TV and WBNS-TV, the latter of which would replace WTOL-TV on most cable providers in the area.
With WLMO being a low-power station with no support from any full-power channels, Time Warner was not obligated to carry the station.Must-carry regulations do not apply to low-power stations regardless of affiliation. However, on March 29, 2006, Time Warner added the station to its systems in Lima, Cridersville, andWapakoneta.[citation needed] At one point, this station carriedAmerica One on a secondary basis that was shared withWLQP-LP.
WLMO had applied to theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to perform a "flash-cut" of its signal to digital in 2006. This application was dismissed as of July 1, 2009, because the station decided instead to apply for a low-power digital companion channel on UHF channel 47 with the calls WLMO-LD.[4] On September 28, 2009, WLMO terminated its analog operations[5] and programming was shifted to WOHL-CD's second digital subchannel.
On November 29, 2008, it was announced that Metro Video Productions would sell its stations (including WLMO) to West Central Ohio Broadcasting, a subsidiary ofBlock Communications (owner of WLIO).[6] While Block assumed control of the station's operations after the sale's completion, it was initially stated that the company would not consolidate WLMO's facilities on South Central Avenue with WLIO.[7] It has since been stated that some consolidation would take place with the station moving to WLIO's studios on Rice Avenue.[8] On June 8, 2010, WLMO-LD was granted aconstruction permit.[9] On June 10, to avoid automatic license termination, the FCC granted WLMOspecial temporary authority to restore analog service on channel 38.[10] WLMO-LP's analog signal was restored on September 13.[11]
On November 15, 2018, WLMO-LP's call sign was changed to WAMS-LP.[12] By 2019, Block Communications had filed with the FCC to convert WAMS-LP into a digital translator of WOHL-CD for the southern part of the market, licensed to bothMinster andNew Bremen, Ohio, offering ABC and CBS programming over digital channels 29.5 and 29.6, virtually mapped to channels 35.1 and 35.2, respectively,[1] in likely anticipation of the new July 13, 2021, low-power analog television shutdown date announced by the FCC on May 17, 2017.[13] By March 2020, Block Communications commenced digital operations of this low-power television station. WAMS-LP was obligated to convert to digital by July 13, 2021, as part of the digital TV transition for low-power TV stations.[14] On March 2, 2020, the translator's call sign was changed to WAMS-LD.[1]
On August 1, 2025,Gray Media announced it would acquire all of Block's broadcast television stations, including WAMS-LD, WOHL-CD, WPNM-LD and WLIO, for $80 million.[2]
This station rebroadcasts the subchannels of WOHL-CD.
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WOHLABC | ABC |
| 35.2 | WOHLCBS | CBS |
Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state ofOhio | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Ohio | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Spanish | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
| ||
Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state ofOhio | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Ohio | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Spanish | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
| ||
