WSCV

About WSCV

WSCV is a television station licensed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, broadcasting on channel 51 and serving as a flagship station of the Telemundo network for the Miami area. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group alongside NBC station WTVJ, the station has been part of the Telemundo network since its 1987 launch as one of the network's charter stations. Channel 51's history is among the most varied in South Florida: it operated as English-language independent WSMS-TV from 1968 to 1970, returned as bilingual independent WKID in 1972, carried the ON TV subscription service from 1980 to 1984, and was relaunched as Spanish-language WSCV in 1985. The two stations share studios on Southwest 27th Street in Miramar, with WSCV's transmitter in Pembroke Park, Florida.

The WSMS-TV years

Channel 51 first went on the air on December 6, 1968, as WSMS-TV, an English-language independent station owned by Gold Coast Telecasting. The station ceased operations on August 10, 1970, due to financial difficulties, a common fate for UHF independents in the era before all-channel television sets became universal.

The channel remained dark for less than two years before a new company acquired the license and returned it to the air.

WKID and bilingual programming

WSCV first signed on in its current incarnation on February 14, 1972, as WKID-TV, operating as an independent station with a bilingual format mixing English and Spanish programming. The station was acquired by an investment group headed by William F. Johns and Alvin Koenig in 1976 after its previous owners went bankrupt.

The bilingual format reflected South Florida's evolving demographics, and the station served both English and Spanish-speaking viewers during a period of rapid Hispanic population growth in the region.

The ON TV years

From 1980 to 1984, the station primarily broadcast the ON TV subscription television service, carrying scrambled premium programming in the evenings while maintaining some advertiser-supported programming. The subscription-TV era was a nationwide phenomenon on UHF stations in the early 1980s, and channel 51 was South Florida's outlet for the service.

When ON TV's business declined, owner Oak Communications sold the station to John Blair & Co., which relaunched it the next year as Spanish-language WSCV.

Joining Telemundo

In 1985, the station was relaunched as WSCV with full-time Spanish-language programming, positioning it for the launch of the Telemundo network. When Telemundo debuted in 1987, WSCV was one of its charter stations, giving the network a flagship outlet in Miami, one of the country's most important Hispanic markets.

The Telemundo affiliation gave the station access to the network's telenovelas, news, and sports programming, and WSCV has been with the network ever since, experiencing ratings increases and expanded local news offerings over the decades.

Flagship of Telemundo

WSCV is one of two flagship stations of the Telemundo network, the other being WNJU in the New York City market. As a flagship, the station carries the network's full lineup of telenovelas, reality programming, news, and sports, including Telemundo's coverage of the FIFA World Cup.

The station also serves as the de facto Telemundo outlet for the West Palm Beach market, which lacks its own Telemundo station, extending its reach across South Florida.

Noticias Telemundo 51

WSCV produces extensive local news as Noticias Telemundo 51, with multiple daily newscasts covering South Florida's Hispanic community. The station's news operation has expanded over the years, reflecting Telemundo's investment in local journalism at its owned stations.

The newsroom covers immigration, local politics, hurricanes, and community stories, serving an audience that relies on Spanish-language television as a primary news source. The station has won recognition for its journalism serving the region's diverse Hispanic communities.

Ownership

WSCV is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group, alongside NBC owned-and-operated station WTVJ, channel 6. The duopoly shares studios on Southwest 27th Street in Miramar, allowing the stations to share resources while maintaining distinct English and Spanish-language identities.

NBCUniversal's ownership, dating to the company's acquisition of Telemundo, has provided the station with corporate resources and integration with the company's broader media portfolio, including the Paris Olympics coverage and other NBC Sports properties carried on Telemundo.

Technical operations

WSCV broadcasts on digital UHF channel 30, displayed as virtual channel 51, from its transmitter in Pembroke Park, Florida. The station's subchannels carry additional Telemundo and NBCUniversal programming services, including TeleXitos.

The station completed the digital television transition in 2009, and its technical facilities have been modernized as part of NBCUniversal's investment in its owned stations.

Digital presence

WSCV's digital home is telemundo.com/local/telemundo-51-miami, offering live streaming, on-demand video, and comprehensive Spanish-language coverage of South Florida news. The station maintains mobile apps and active social media accounts under the Telemundo 51 brand.

As part of the Telemundo Station Group, the station's digital operations are integrated with the network's streaming platforms and digital media strategy for Hispanic audiences. Its official website is https://www.telemundo.com/local/telemundo-51-miami.

From English independent to ON TV

Channel 51 in Fort Lauderdale first went on the air on December 6, 1968. It operated as a primarily English-language independent station, as WSMS-TV from 1968 to 1970 and as WKID from 1972 to 1980. From 1980 to 1984, the station primarily broadcast the ON TV subscription service, until its owner, Oak Communications, sold it to John Blair & Co., which relaunched it the next year as Spanish-language WSCV. Senior political reporter Marilys Llanos helped found the Spanish-language station in 1985, later winning the station's first Florida Emmy award for her reporting on cocaine trafficking in Miami.

A charter Telemundo station

In 1985, Estrella Communications, owned by Joe Wallach, Paul Niedermeyer, and Reliance Group Holdings, purchased KVEA in Los Angeles, the first full-time independent Spanish-language station there. The next year, Reliance acquired the Telemundo brand when it purchased Blair Broadcasting, a purchase that included WSCV in Fort Lauderdale/Miami and Puerto Rico's WKAQ-TV. In 1987, Reliance merged these stations into the Telemundo Group, which quickly went public and launched the Telemundo network, later that year purchasing additional stations in San Francisco, Houston, and San Antonio. WSCV was one of Telemundo's charter stations in 1987 and has since experienced ratings increases and expanded its local news offerings. NBC bought Telemundo, including WSCV, in 2001, and the station moved to the shared Miramar facility with WTVJ in 2002, a combination that bolstered the news resources available to WSCV. Telemundo later donated objects from WSCV, including microphone cubes used over the years, to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History as part of its "Escuchame" initiative documenting Spanish-language broadcasting in the United States.

WSCV is one of two flagship stations of the Spanish-language Telemundo network, the other being WNJU in the New York City market. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group alongside NBC station WTVJ channel 6, with the two stations sharing studios on Southwest 27th Street in Miramar and WSCV's transmitter in Pembroke Park, Florida. The station also serves as the de facto Telemundo outlet for the West Palm Beach market, which does not have a Telemundo station of its own. Since becoming a charter Telemundo station, WSCV has experienced ratings increases and expanded its local news offerings, serving South Florida's large Spanish-speaking audience with local newscasts and network programming.

WSCV is the Telemundo owned-and-operated station for South Florida, serving Miami and Fort Lauderdale with Spanish-language news and entertainment programming.