WZCK-LD
WZCK-LD, virtual channel 8 (UHF digital channel 36), is a low-powered Cozi TV-affiliated television station licensed to both Middleton and Madison, Wisconsin, United States and serving the Madison television market. The station is owned and operated by DTV America Corporation.
| Madison-Middleton, Wisconsin United States | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 36 (UHF) Virtual: 8 (PSIP) |
| Branding | WZCK 8 Madison |
| Programming | |
| Subchannels | (see article) |
| Affiliations | Cozi TV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | HC2 Holdings (DTV America Corporation) |
| W23BW, WTSJ-LP | |
| History | |
Former call signs | W08CK (1987–2016) WZCK-LP (2016) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 8 (VHF, until 2016) |
Call sign meaning | Disambiguation of former W08CK callsign with closest equivalent available letter Z in place of 8 |
| Technical information | |
| Class | TX/LD |
| ERP | 36 W |
History
WZCK was originally known as W08CK, and broadcast a low-power analog television signal on channel 8. The station was owned by the Science of Identity Foundation, a new religious movement with Hindu roots, and broadcast music, some religious programming, and a station ID from a transmitter atop the Tenney Building near the Wisconsin State Capitol and a signal only strong enough to cover the central Madison Isthmus and the UW campus. Though it was off the air for most of the 2010s, W08CK was for a time the only station in Madison to broadcast on the VHF band (CBS affiliate WISC-TV left analog channel 3 for digital channel 50 in the 2009 digital TV transition; Fox affiliate WMSN-TV (channel 47) would relocate its physical digital signal from 11 to 49 earlier in the 2010s).
By 2016, W08CK would be acquired by DTV America, an owner/operator of LPTV stations throughout the U.S. With the silent station rechristened WZCK-LD, DTV America proceed to construct a digital signal on physical channel 36 at the WKOW studio/transmitter link tower on the west side of Madison. On November 16, 2016, WZCK began digital broadcasting.
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | 480i | 16:9 | Cozi TV | Cozi TV |
| 8.2 | 4:3 | GetTV | GetTV | |
| 8.3 | SonLife | SonLife | ||
| 8.4 | 16:9 | Quest | Quest | |
| 8.5 | 4:3 | Shop LC | Shop LC | |
| 8.6 | OnTV4U | OnTV4U | ||
| 8.7 | OnTV4U/Classic TV | |||