WBSV-TV

WBSV-TV (virtual and VHF digital channel 7) is a television station in Baconville, Indiana, United States, serving as the market's ABC television network outlet. Owned and operated by the network’s ABC Owned Television Stations division, WBSV-TV maintains studios in the New City building in the city center, and a transmitter in the SoGo neighborhood, between Baconville and Birmingham.
== History ==
=== Pre-sign on preparations ===
In 1952, when the TV license freeze of 1948 was lifted by the FCC’s "6th Report and Order”, the owners of the Baconville Gazette and the WWBV radio stations applied for a TV license on channel 7 under the WBAG call letters, standing for “The BAconville Gazette”. (The callsign would later be taken by an independent station in Bangor.) After the permit was granted, though, the call letters were changed to WVII. (the VII standing for the roman numeral 7) The station’s transmitter and studios were finished on August, but they didn’t sign on until 1 month later due to internal issues at the Baconville Gazette.
=== The beginning of channel 7 ===
WVII finally signed on on November 1, 1952. Unfortunately, only a few people knew about the channel signing on until the station got promoted on WWBV, which was the most popular music station in Baconville at the time. Soon, the news about the station signing on spread, and over 10,000 people watched WVII during peak hours, beating WCN, which had a 2-month streak of being #1 in Baconville. Unfortunately, the station’s viewership dropped relatively quickly, with only 2,950 people watching at peak hours a month later.
WVII’s callsign changed to WBSV in 1954 due to another station wanting to take the WVII callsign. 
After WKL signed off in 1960, the channel 11 TV allocation was freed up, and in 1961, WBSV signed on a semi-satelite of the station on channel 11 with the same callsign. The semi satelite’s studio and transmitters are located in Eastville, where the main WBSV signal is hard to pick up. 
In 1968, the FCC passed a rule dissallowing newspapers and broadcast stations being owned by the same company, in the same market. The Baconville Gazette sold the WWBV stations to Hearst Inc., and WBSV got sold to Capital Cities Communications.
=== Under Capital Cities (pre-split)) ===
In 1975, WBSV and WKL branded themselves as 7/11 (not to be confused with the popular convenience store chain of the same name). This was done partly because viewers in Eastville forgot about WKL (WBVB’s semi-satelite at the time) altogether, and relied on the WBVB signal, which was hard to receive in the north of the market. This was also done because Graham (in his own words) “thought that the numbers 7 and 11 together…had a ring to it.”
==== The split ====
In 1978, tensions started and rose between WKL (WBSV’s former semi-satelite on channel 11) and WBSV staff when WBSV managers emotionally abused and overworked the employees working at WKL. The conflict then escalated into WKL wanting to become a completely separate station from WBSV. Soon, John H. Graham (the manager of both stations) noticed what was going on, and fired the staff who abused the WKL employees. He then sold WKL to Metromedia in 1981, meeting the employees’ demands, and separating WKL and WBSV. 
=== Post-split ===
After WKL got sold to Tribune, WBSV put a translator (WVII-LD) in Eastville to alleviate any reception concerns in the southern part of the market. They also changed their on-air moniker to TV-7 to separate themselves from the former 7/11 branding.
In 1985, Capital Cities, (then owner of WBSV) announced that it was purchasing ABC. When the transaction was finished in 1986, WBSV became the smallest ABC owned-and-operated station in terms of market size.
In 1990, ABC almost put up WBSV for sale when it was divesting some of their smaller market properties. ABC then decided to keep WBSV, as the Baconville market slowly grew in size.
In 1994, WBSV received a Spectrum Award (the Indiana Broadcasters Association’s award for exceptional stations) for Station of the Year, and Investigative Reporting. WBSV kept the streak up for 5 more years until WCNT, the long-standing #1 station in the market took the streak back from WBSV.
In 2020, WBSV celebrated its 70th anniversary with a special program called “7’s 70th”. It featured many stars and alumni from the station, and its network, ABC.
== Programming ==
WBSV was the 2nd station to carry the local show, “Baconville Battle of the Bands”, due to a lawsuit between WCNT (the first station to air the program) and a WBSV official in 1961. Carriage ended in 1964, when WCNT regained the rights to air the series. 
As of 2021, aside from Live with Kelly and Ryan, WBSV’s first-run syndicated programs include Tamron Hall, Rachael Ray, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
Category:Baconville
Category:Indiana
Category:ABC network affiliates
Category:ABC Owned Television Stations
Category:Established
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1952
Category:Channel 7