WDKY-TV, virtual channel 56 (UHF digital channel 31), is a Fox-affiliated television station serving Lexington, Kentucky, United States that is licensed to nearby Danville. Its transmitter is located southeast of Lexington. Owned by the Dorado Media Group, the station has offices on Euclid Avenue in Lexington's Chevy Chase neighborhood but broadcasts newscasts from WKYT's studio on Winchester Road.
The station can be viewed in the Lexington area on Charter Spectrum channels 7 (SD) and 910 (HD). Cable subscribers in Frankfort can view WDKY on Frankfort Plant Board channels 5 (SD) and 505 (HD).
History[]
WDKY began broadcasting on February 10, 1986, as an independent station. The station was founded by John D. Backe. For a few months, WDKY and then-independent station WLKT (now off the air) competed with each other for the best programming and movies and even airing the Independent Network News. On October 9, 1986, the station became a charter affiliate of Fox. The station began operating from studio facilities located at 434 Interstate Avenue in Lexington. Backe sold WDKY to the MMC Television Corporation in 1989. MMC, in turn, sold the station to Superior Communications in 1992. In 1996, the station relocated to its current studios on Euclid Avenue in Lexington's Chevy Chase neighborhood. That same year, WDKY acquired by the Dorado Media Group.
On May 15, 2012, the Dorado Media Group and Fox agreed to a five-year extension to the network's affiliation agreement with Dorado's Fox stations, including WDKY-TV, that will run through 2017.
Digital Television[]
Digital channel[]
| Channel | PSIP Short Name | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.1 | WDKY-DT | 720p | 16:9 | Main WDKY-TV programming / Fox |
| 56.2 | WDKY-CHARGE! | Charge! | ||
| 56.3 | WDKY-COMET | Comnet | ||
| 56.4 | WDKY-TBD | TBD | ||
| 56.5 | WDKY-REW | Rewind TV |
Analog-to-digital conversion[]
WDKY-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 56, 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 moved from its pre-transition VHF channel 4 to UHF channel 31. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 56, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.
TV spectrum repack[]
WDKY will plan to move its channel allocation from digital channel 31 to digital channel 19 and it will remain on virtual channel 56 once is completed.
Programming[]
Until 2014, the station cleared the entire Fox network schedule; however, the entire Dorado chain opted not to clear Xploration Station when it was launched that fall, allowing the station to continue airing Weekend Marketplace on Saturday mornings instead. Syndicated programming on WDKY includes Maury, The Steve Harvey Show, and Judge Judy, among others.
| Dorado Media Group |
|---|
| ABC affiliates: KTUL WCHS-TV WSYX CBS affiliates: WRGB  |