View source for WREP-LD

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign            = WREP-LD
| branding            =
| digital             = 15 ([[UHF]])
| virtual             = 15
| affiliations        = {{ubl|'''15.1:''' [[YTA TV]]|'''15.2:''' Sports|'''15.3:''' Weather info}}
| airdate             = {{Start date and age|1990|8|1}}
| location            = [[Martinsville, Indiana]]
| country             = United States
| callsign_meaning    = Was owned by ''[[Reporter Times|The Daily Reporter]]'' newspaper
| former_callsigns    = {{ubl|W15AY (1990–1995)|WREP-LP (1995–2009)}}
| owner               = Metropolitan School District of Martinsville
| former_affiliations = [[America One]] (until 2015)
| erp                 = 0.2 [[kW]]
| haat                = {{convert|78.9|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id         = 55759
| class               = [[low-power broadcasting#Television|LD]]
| coordinates         = {{coord|39|26|43.1|N|86|25|5.9|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline, title}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
}}
'''WREP-LD''' (channel 15) is a [[low-power television station]] in [[Martinsville, Indiana]], United States, affiliated with [[YTA TV]]. The station is owned by the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville and managed by students at [[Martinsville High School (Indiana)|Martinsville High School]].
The station went on the air in 1990 as W15AY, affiliated with [[FamilyNet]] and similar services. It produced local programming for the Martinsville area. The next year, Reporter-Times Inc., publisher of ''[[Reporter Times|The Daily Reporter]]'' newspaper in Martinsville, acquired the station. It continued the local programming until 1992, dropping it due to low viewership and lack of access to the city's cable system. Once the cable system added the station, local programming resumed. The newspaper was acquired in 1998, and in lieu of closing WREP-LP, new owner [[Schurz Communications]] donated it to Martinsville High School. The station airs student-produced programming, including local sports.
==History==
Randy Manley built the station as W15AY and put it on the air on August 1, 1990. It was programmed with a family-friendly lineup,<ref name="Repo900417">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-manley-expects-to-hav/141822622/|date=April 17, 1990|page=1|first=Bette|last=Nunn|title=Manley expects to have TV station operating in few months|newspaper=The Daily Reporter|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --> using the [[FamilyNet]] and Keystone Inspirational networks as well as [[The Learning Channel]],{{r|Repo910301}} as well as several locally produced shows.<ref name="Repo900723">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-local-tv-station-to-b/141822663/|date=July 23, 1990|page=1|first=Jim|last=Asher|title=Local TV station to begin Aug. 1|newspaper=The Daily Reporter|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Mon --> It was sold effective February 1, 1991, to The Reporter-Times Inc., publisher of newspapers in Martinsville;<ref name="Repo910205">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-city-wants-cable-comp/141822770/|date=February 5, 1991|page=1|title=City wants cable company to add Martinsville's TV 15|newspaper=The Daily Reporter|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --> Manley remained with the station after the sale.<ref name="Repo910301">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-the-fulfillment-of-a/141822910/|date=March 1, 1991|page=10|title=The fulfillment of a 10-year dream|newspaper=The Daily Reporter|first=Joanna|last=Henning|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri -->
The station struggled in its early years to obtain a channel on Martinsville's cable system. The city of Martinsville requested that [[Tele-Communications Inc.|TCI]] add the channel in 1991,{{r|Repo910205}} but it never did. As a result, Reporter-Times discontinued local programming in 1992. The next year, it filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against TCI.<ref name="Repo930923">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-reporter-times-sues-t/141823050/|date=September 23, 1993|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-reporter-times/141823090/ 13]|title=Reporter-Times Sues TCI Over Martinsville's TV Channel 15|newspaper=The Daily Reporter|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu --> In December 1994, the city voted to join the lawsuit against TCI.<ref name="Repo941231">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-martinsville-city-cou/141823154/|date=December 31, 1994|page=1|first=Keith|last=Rhoades|title=Martinsville City Council Conducts Year's End Business|newspaper=The Daily Reporter|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sat --> TCI settled the lawsuit in 1995 and agreed to place channel 15 on its lineup.<ref name="Repo950926">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-council-cuts-hacker-p/141823205/|date=September 26, 1995|page=1|title=Council Cuts Hacker Property Annexation|newspaper=The Daily Reporter|first=Keith|last=Rhoades|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->
With cable access, Reporter-Times Inc. moved to resume producing local programming on channel 15. The station became WREP-LP and affiliated with America One.<ref name="Repo960507">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-local-television-retu/141823414/|date=May 7, 1996|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-local/141823437/ 6]|title=Local Television Returns to Martinsville|newspaper=The Daily Reporter|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->
Reporter-Times Inc. was purchased by [[Schurz Communications]], publisher of the Bloomington ''[[Herald-Times]]'', in March 1998. Schurz opted to focus on the newspapers and considered closing WREP-LP. Instead, it offered the station to the school system of Martinsville.<ref name="Repo981119">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-the-reporter-offers-t/141823606/|date=November 19, 1998|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-the-reporter/141823693/ 6]|title=The Reporter offers to donate WREP-TV to school district|newspaper=The Reporter-Times|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The transfer took place in February 1999; TV newscasts produced by the newspaper were discontinued, while Martinsville High School planned to produce athletic events and other school-related programming.<ref name="Repo990219">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-gift-of-tv-15-to-scho/141823745/|date=February 19, 1999|page=1|first=Bette|last=Nunn|title=Gift of TV 15 to school now complete|newspaper=The Reporter-Times|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Some shows were produced by high school students,<ref name="Repo030118">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-wrep-tv-martinsville/141823856/|date=January 18, 2003|pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-wrep-tv/141823882/ 8A]|first=Amy|last=Hillenburg|title=WREP-TV: Martinsville's own 'Broadcast News'|newspaper=The Reporter-Times|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sat --> including sports events, as well as other material not telecast on the station but used by units in the high school.<ref name="Repo090301">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-wrep-tv-celebrates-10/141823942/|date=March 1, 2009|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-wrep/141823966/ A2]|first=Bette|last=Nunn|title=WREP-TV celebrates 10th anniversary at MHS|newspaper=The Reporter-Times|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun -->
In July 2009, WREP-LP converted to digital broadcasting, only slightly later than full-service stations and began adding material from [[America One]] to fill several [[digital subchannel]]s.<ref name="Repo091025">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-student-station-fine/141824134/|date=October 25, 2009|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-times-wrep/141824171/ A4]|first=Ronald|last=Hawkins|title=Student station fine-tuning digital channel options|newspaper=The Reporter-Times|location=Martinsville, Indiana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun -->
==Subchannels==
The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WREP-LD<ref name="rei">{{cite web |title=Digital TV Market Listing for WREP-LD |url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WREP#station |website=[[RabbitEars]] |access-date=February 21, 2024}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | Channel
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 15.1
| rowspan=3 |[[480i]] || rowspan=3| [[4:3]] || WREP 1 || [[YTA TV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 15.2
| WREP 2 || Sports
|-
! scope = "row" | 15.3
| WREP 3 || Weather info
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Indy TV}}
{{Other Indiana Stations}}
[[Category:1990 establishments in Indiana]]
[[Category:Low-power television stations in Indiana|REP-LD]]
[[Category:Morgan County, Indiana]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1990]]
[[Category:YTA TV affiliates]]