WALI

WALI is an independent television station licensed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, serving the Miami/Fort Lauderdale, FL market. The station is owned and operated by Palm, Inc., owner of sister Horizon affiliate WIFL. The station carries the Spanish-language network UniMás on its .2 subchannel. 
==Station History==
WALI launched on December 6, 1968, as an independent television station, WPGB-TV. The station, owned by Pine Grove Broadcasting, struggled early on as an English-language independent station due to heavy competition from other, more established stations nearby, a lack of funding, and a high UHF channel position in an environment where most UHF viewers needed converters to see the station. The station would go dark in 1969, and Pine Grove would put the station's transmitter and license up for sale.
In 1970, a group of seven investors known as Tele-Cuba, Inc. would purchase WPGB. Under the leadership of Cuban exiles José Alfredo López and Aramis del Real, Tele-Cuba presented Spanish-language programming from its own studios in Miami. del Real had previously helped organize two telethons aimed at Spanish-speaking viewers on the station. The station became an early affiliate of the Spanish International Network (SIN), a precursor to the modern-day Univision.
After the 1959 Cuban Revolution, thousands of Cuban migrants fled their home country and settled in Miami over the next two decades. This television station was considered an effort to bring Spanish-language news and entertainment programming to an underserved and growing Cuban community in South Florida.
Tele-Cuba soon collapsed due to lack of financial support, and the station was purchased directly by del Real. Under a new company called Canal 51, Inc., WPGB would launch a news department, with Norman Díaz, a popular exile and radio commentator, brought on board to present newscasts.
Financial troubles continued to plague WPGB, and the newscasts were scrapped by 1975. del Real attempted to sell the station directly to the Spanish International Network, but they balked at his selling price. Problems between the station and the network, including recurring transmission issues, would ultimately lead to the network pulling their affiliation from the station in 1979. The network would affiliate with a newly-launched competitor WMMI (now WUMF).
del Real successfully sold the station in 1980 to Hialeah Broadcasting, led by businessman Alberto Álvarez. The station continued to carry a predominantly Spanish programming lineup of movies, dramas, and Spanish-language coverage of local sports. However, it also added some more recent English-language sitcoms and dramas to its lineup to cater to both audiences, and joined as Miami's affiliate for the English pay-TV service ON TV at night. The station was one of only a few affiliates of ON TV not to be owned by Oak Industries, nor have objections over its late-night adult programming.
===As WMNS===
The station returned to being full-time Spanish in 1984 when it joined the upstart NetSpan, the second Spanish-language network to launch in the United States and a precursor to today's Telemundo, taking on the callsign WMNS.
Much like with earlier problems with Spanish International Network, the station was experiencing financial problems largely in part to the failure of the ON TV service (of which Álvarez was an investor and sunk a small fortune into helping out troubled owner Oak). The station would be put up for sale again by 1985 and was purchased by RKO General, bringing it under common ownership with radio stations they already owned in the market.
RKO briefly continued to run the station as a NetSpan affiliate and the only Spanish-language station in their portfolio.
In 1987, NetSpan signed an affiliation agreement with Spanish independent and competitor WSFI (now WJBE), the same year the network relaunched as Telemundo. Instead of returning to being a Spanish independent station, RKO saw this as an opportunity to relaunch the station as a full-time English outlet.
===As WLIF===
When the station assumed its new format in 1987, it acquired several first-run syndicated shows, some more recent off-network sitcoms and dramas, and filled the primetime hours each night with movies. The station formed a news partnership with WMIA, Channel 9, to produce a nightly 10 p.m. newscast. This attempt at airing a local newscast would be short-lived and canceled by 1990 due to low ratings and competition from stations such as eventual sister station WIFL.
===As WALI===
The station would take on the callsign WALI-TV in 1990. Originally, the callsign was spoken by letter, W-A-L-I, and stood for "We Are 51."
RKO General would fold in 1991, and the station was sold to Naples, Florida-based radio broadcaster Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. as their sole television property. Beasley would own the station until 1995, when it was sold again to Davidson Communications.
The station was a charter affiliate for the Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN) in 1993, it carried the fledgling network throughout its entire run until 1997. The station was not considered a likely choice to take either The WB or UPN when those networks formed in late 1995.
In 1998, Davidson Communications sold the station to USA Broadcasting, the broadcasting arm of the USA Network and Studios USA, owned by veteran entertainment industry executive Barry Diller. The station doubled down on its callsign, adopting the phonetic pronunciation of WALL-Y, and introduced a cartoon mascot named "Wali Wallaby," drawn by veteran animator Chuck Jones, that presented programs, especially during cartoon blocks for kids on the weekends.
==="CityVision"===
Diller wanted to tie each of his stations very closely to the communities they served, and to open up opportunities for locally-produced programs. This format was dubbed "CityVision," and took heavy influence from a format used by a station in Canada. By 2000, four stations including WALI were transformed into Diller's new model.
The revamped station adopted a general entertainment format with a strong focus on locally produced programs including a daily news program called The Times; the sports discussion show SportsTown; Generation ñ, a program targeted at bilingual, 2nd generation Latinos in the U.S.; the lifestyle programs Ocean Drive (which was based on the magazine of the same name) and Ten's; the dance program Barcode; an alternative lifestyle program called Kenneth's Frequency; and the talk show Out Loud, which was hosted by Bill Teck and produced by Miami producer and media personality Paul Bouche. The station's programming was mostly aimed at teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 34.
WALI repackaged the Fox Kids block, incorporating it into the live, locally produced interactive children's show WALI on Miami. Children would show up at WALI-sponsored Fox Kids/Power Rangers events that were held throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Another pickup for the station was Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, which had not been cleared by ABC affiliate WMIA.
The station soon began to heavily incorporate local remote interstitials that were broadcast live. WALI-TV often shot its interstitials, "live" at remote locations all over Miami-Dade and Broward counties, with the WALI interstitial host often literally pulling passers-by off the streets to read the cue cards announcing the programs that would be shown on the station during the next hour. Another short program not seen on most other USA-owned stations was the topical program Lips, featuring a pair of ruby red lips in front of a black background, teasing the day's stories or issues, a concept that was thought to be inspired by The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
WALI-TV prominently used the on-air station "bug" or WALI station ID logo; the station ID graphic would flash on the lower part of the screen, at the top and bottom of the hour, or each time a program returned from a commercial break, and then fade out. WALI's vice president of promotions ordered that the logo bug remain on-screen during its programs, around the clock, and to give it a translucent appearance so that it was seen constantly. WALI also featured "WALI-cams", which were three to five-second on-air spots that were used to fill airtime, usually catching a glimpse of South Beach street life, scenic views, or interesting goings-on in Miami, followed by a "pop" sound and the appearance of the WALI logo. The rest of WALI-TV's programming schedule was supplemented with some first-run syndicated reality and talk shows, syndicated reruns of network sitcoms, movies (under the WALI Movie Palace banner), cartoons, and a few religious programs.
By December 1998, WALI-TV had outbid several Miami stations to land an exclusive six-year contract for the local television rights to Major League Baseball games from the Florida Marlins. WALI had also procured the rights to broadcast Miami Heat NBA games.
===Sale to Univision and switch to a Spanish-language format===
Due to financial problems that USA Networks began facing in 2000, the company began looking to divest some of its assets. USA Broadcasting, as one of these assets, was considered for divestiture as part of a deal to help USA Networks repair its financial footing. In 2001, the remaining entertainment units of USA Broadcasting were sold to Vivendi Universal, along with $10.3 billion worth of shares held by Barry Diller. The television stations were to be sold to The Walt Disney Company, but Univision Communications outbid its competition in a close race. The sale was finalized on January 3, 2002.
On January 14, 2002, WALI-TV became a charter owned-and-operated station of Univision's fledgling Spanish-language secondary network, TeleFutura (which rebranded as UniMás eleven years later on February 7, 2013) and took on the callsign WTFM.
WIFL acquired the rights to the Marlins and Miami Heat telecasts (which were now produced in partnership with Jefferson-Pilot Sports), in return, WIFL would produce a 30-minute nightly 9 p.m. Spanish-language newscast for WTFM called Noticias TeleFutura Miami. The newscast would eventually be expanded to one hour by 2005. It was canceled in 2008 due to the economic recession and low ratings.
Univision's ownership of the station would be short-lived, with the network selling its stake in WTFM and its sisters to private equity firm Sun Capital Partners, based in Boca Raton by 2006. Sun Broadcasting, the broadcast arm, would own the station until 2010. In 2010, the station was sold to Park Place Media.
===Return of WALI===
Park Place would return the WALI callsign and an English-language general entertainment format in 2013, shortly after TeleFutura rebranded as UniMás, moving the Spanish-language network to its second digital subchannel.
The new WALI would be only a shadow of its former self, largely carrying syndicated talk and game shows, off-network sitcoms and dramas, and very little, if any, local programming. Park Place intended to return some local programming to the station, but budgetary constraints halted those plans. To offset the lack of local programming and meet FCC requirements, WALI produced a 1-hour political/current events talk show on Sunday mornings called Roundtable. After years of inconsistent viewership, it was canceled in 2020.
In 2020, the station began producing its own local hour-long newscast at 7 p.m., initially under the title "COVID 19: Facts Not Fear" with a format dedicated entirely to covering the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the station added a weather and traffic staff and retooled, with the 7 p.m. newscast being moved to 6 a.m. under the title "No Wait Weather & Traffic" with a heavy focus on weather and traffic and some local news. The station launched an hour-long nightly 30-minute 9 p.m. Spanish-language newscast for UniMás Miami around this time as well.
In 2023, Park Place filed for bankruptcy and announced it would sell the station. Upon the announcement that the station was being put up for sale, the company laid off its comparatively small news department, citing low ratings and high production costs, and replaced the newscasts with syndicated programming and a rebroadcast of WIFL local talk show, The SoFlo Show.
In May 2024, Palm, Inc., who had been brought in by the bankruptcy court to help run the station while the station was in receivership, purchased the station outright. Almost immediately as WIFL joined as a Horizon affiliate, WALI took on additional newscasts and syndicated programming that WIFL could no longer run.
On June 1, 2024, the station rebranded as Horizon 7 Plus.
==Programming Schedule==
 	SUN 	MON 	TUE 	WED 	THU 	FRI 	SAT
6:00AM 	Paid Programming 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Paid Programming
6:30AM 	Paid Programming 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Justice for the People with Judge Milian 	Paid Programming
7:00AM 	Paid Programming 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Paid Programming
7:30AM 	Paid Programming 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Paid Programming
8:00AM 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News
8:30AM 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 Morning News
9:00AM 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 Morning News
9:30AM 	Horizon 7 Morning News 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 News at 9 a.m. 	Horizon 7 Morning News
10:00AM	People Puzzler 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	E/I Programming
10:30AM	Pictionary 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	E/I Programming
11:00AM	Political Perspectives (rebroadcast from Horizon)	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	E/I Programming
11:30AM	Political Perspectives (rebroadcast from Horizon)	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	Dateline 	E/I Programming
12:00PM	Sunday Afternoon Double Feature (Movie) 	People Puzzler 	People Puzzler 	People Puzzler 	People Puzzler 	People Puzzler 	E/I Programming
12:30PM	Sunday Afternoon Double Feature (Movie) 	Pictionary 	Pictionary 	Pictionary 	Pictionary 	Pictionary 	E/I Programming
1:00PM 	Sunday Afternoon Double Feature (Movie) 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Saturday Afternoon Movie
1:30PM 	Sunday Afternoon Double Feature (Movie) 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Saturday Afternoon Movie
2:00PM 	Sunday Afternoon Double Feature (Movie) 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Saturday Afternoon Movie
2:30PM 	Sunday Afternoon Double Feature (Movie) 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Saturday Afternoon Movie
3:00PM 	Sunday Afternoon Double Feature (Movie) 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Law & Order: SVU
3:30PM 	Sunday Afternoon Double Feature (Movie) 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Horizon Afternoon Programming 	Law & Order: SVU
4:00PM 	Mike & Molly 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Law & Order: SVU
4:30PM 	Mike & Molly 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Bob Hearts Abishola 	Law & Order: SVU
5:00PM 	2 Broke Girls 	Mom 	Mom 	Mom 	Mom 	Mom 	Law & Order: Criminal Intent
5:30PM 	2 Broke Girls 	Mom 	Mom 	Mom 	Mom 	Mom 	Law & Order: Criminal Intent
6:00PM 	Two and a Half Men 	The Big Bang Theory 	The Big Bang Theory 	The Big Bang Theory 	The Big Bang Theory 	The Big Bang Theory 	CSI: Miami
6:30PM 	Two and a Half Men 	Horizon 7 News at 6:30pm 	Horizon 7 News at 6:30pm 	Horizon 7 News at 6:30pm 	Horizon 7 News at 6:30pm 	Horizon 7 News at 6:30pm 	CSI: Miami
7:00PM 	The Office 	The Big Bang Theory 	The Big Bang Theory 	The Big Bang Theory 	The Big Bang Theory 	The Big Bang Theory 	CSI: Miami
7:30PM 	The Office 	Young Sheldon 	Young Sheldon 	Young Sheldon 	Young Sheldon 	Young Sheldon 	CSI: Miami
8:00PM 	Chicago PD 	Abbott Elementary 	Abbott Elementary 	Abbott Elementary 	Abbott Elementary 	Abbott Elementary 	Chicago PD
8:30PM 	Chicago PD 	American Housewife 	American Housewife 	American Housewife 	American Housewife 	American Housewife 	Chicago PD
9:00PM 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm
9:30PM 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm 	Horizon 7 News at 9pm
10:00PM	Horizon 7 News at 10pm 	Horizon 7 News at 10pm 	Horizon 7 News at 10pm 	Horizon 7 News at 10pm 	Horizon 7 News at 10pm 	Horizon 7 News at 10pm 	Horizon 7 News at 10pm
10:30PM	Law & Order: SVU 	Young Sheldon 	Young Sheldon 	Young Sheldon 	Young Sheldon 	Young Sheldon 	Chicago PD
11:00PM	Law & Order: SVU 	Schitt's Creek 	Schitt's Creek 	Schitt's Creek 	Schitt's Creek 	Schitt's Creek 	Chicago PD
11:30PM	Law & Order: SVU 	Schitt's Creek 	Schitt's Creek 	Schitt's Creek 	Schitt's Creek 	Schitt's Creek 	The First 48
12:00AM	Law & Order: SVU 	Mike & Molly 	Mike & Molly 	Mike & Molly 	Mike & Molly 	Mike & Molly 	The First 48
12:30AM	Law & Order: Criminal Intent 	Mike & Molly 	Mike & Molly 	Mike & Molly 	Mike & Molly 	Mike & Molly 	The First 48
1:00AM 	Law & Order: Criminal Intent 	2 Broke Girls 	2 Broke Girls 	2 Broke Girls 	2 Broke Girls 	2 Broke Girls 	The First 48
1:30AM 	Law & Order: Criminal Intent 	2 Broke Girls 	2 Broke Girls 	2 Broke Girls 	2 Broke Girls 	2 Broke Girls 	Dateline
2:00AM 	Law & Order: Criminal Intent 	Two and a Half Men 	Two and a Half Men 	Two and a Half Men 	Two and a Half Men 	Two and a Half Men 	Dateline
2:30AM 	The First 48 	Two and a Half Men 	Two and a Half Men 	Two and a Half Men 	Two and a Half Men 	Two and a Half Men 	Dateline
3:00AM 	The First 48 	The Office 	The Office 	The Office 	The Office 	The Office 	Dateline
3:30AM 	The First 48 	The Office 	The Office 	The Office 	The Office 	The Office 	48 Hours
4:00AM 	The First 48 	48 Hours 	48 Hours 	48 Hours 	48 Hours 	48 Hours 	48 Hours
4:30AM 	Paid Programming 	48 Hours 	48 Hours 	48 Hours 	48 Hours 	48 Hours 	Paid Programming
5:00AM 	Paid Programming 	America's Court with Judge Ross 	America's Court with Judge Ross 	America's Court with Judge Ross 	America's Court with Judge Ross 	America's Court with Judge Ross 	Paid Programming
5:30AM 	Paid Programming 	Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez	Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez	Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez	Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez	Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez	Paid Programming
Category:Miami
Category:Florida
Category:Palm, Inc.
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1968
Category:Channel 51
Category:Independent television stations
Category:Independent stations