WBPA-LD

WBPA-LD (channel 12) is a low-power television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, owned by Venture Technologies Group. Since 2025, it has operated as a translator of PBS member station WQED (channel 13).

History

On January 14, 1988, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a construction permit to Channel 29 Associates of Calabasas, California—owned by Venture founder Lawrence Rogow—for a new low-power TV station on channel 29 at Pittsburgh, W29AH. The station began test broadcasts on September 28, 1989, airing programming from the Video Jukebox Network.[1]

After five years of running music videos, channel 29 found a new calling in January 1995, when The WB launched. W29AH was intended to serve as one half of a simulcast with Johnstown's WTWB-TV channel 19, filling the largest missing market gap for the new network.[2] W29AH became WTWB-LP on June 1, 1995, and WBPA-LP on December 15. Channels 19 and 29 became the new UPN affiliate in 1998 when that network's former outlet, WPTT channel 22, switched to The WB (with WTWB-TV becoming WNPA); they briefly were independents due to lawsuits surrounding that station's change.[3][4]

Venture sold channel 19 to the Paramount Stations Group late in 1998, making it a network owned-and-operated station and splitting it from WBPA-LP.[5] For several months, the two continued simulcasting.[6] In the early 2000s, WBPA-LP moved to channel 30.

In 2012, Venture sought to build digital facilities for WBPA-LP on channel 6, utilizing hybrid analog-digital technology to turn it into a "Franken-FM" station with audio on 87.7 MHz. The FCC denied this proposal on technical grounds with the standard that the company proposed for WBPA and a station in Lubbock, Texas.[7]

WBPA-LP was displaced during the repack by Class A station WPTG-CD and applied to move to channel 12 and convert to digital. The station went silent to allow WPTG-CD to move in 2019, but delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of transmitter installers, and a contracted electrician's foot operation set the reconstruction of WBPA back enough that Venture had to apply for a waiver to avoid automatic license cancellation.[8] The facility was completed in late October, when a license to cover was filed.[9]

On October 23, 2025, it was announced that PBS member station WQED (channel 13) would start simulcasting its programming on WBPA-LD.[10] Both WQED and WBPA-LD share the same transmitting tower. The same digital channels that are available on WQED's main frequency are also carried on WBPA-LD.

Subchannels