RNN, Regional News Network

RNN
Rye Brook - Los Angeles
United States
City Kingston, New York
Branding RNN
Channels Digital: 48 (UHF)
Virtual: 48 (PSIP)
Subchannels CNN Latino
Fuji Television
Radio Korea
Affiliations Independent
Owner WRNN License Company, LLC
First air date December 15, 1985 (1985-12-15)
Call letters' meaning Regional News Network
Former callsigns WTZA (1985–1995)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
62 (UHF, 1985–2004)
Transmitter power 950 kilowatts
Height 378 metres
Facility ID 74156
Transmitter coordinates 41°29′18.4″N 73°56′52″W / 41.488444°N 73.94778°W / 41.488444; -73.94778Coordinates: 41°29′18.4″N 73°56′52″W / 41.488444°N 73.94778°W / 41.488444; -73.94778
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website rnntv.com

RNN (Regional News Network) is a news content producer that programs and manages nine channels, including multiple 24/7 news channels, across linear, online and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. RNN has digital facilities in New York, New Jersey, and Washington DC. RNN content can be accessed nationally via OTT and mobile platforms and reaches more than 7 million homes in the tri-state area.

RNN and the Tri-State Area Focus

In 1995, RNN initially produced news programming seven days a week, and 24 hours a day on weekdays for its broadcast station WRNN. Its coverage area included the entire Hudson Valley region, and news bureaus established in the Capital District and Long Island, within New York State, and in the neighboring states of New Jersey and Connecticut. The station was an affiliate of All News Channel and used stories from that service to augment its national coverage.

In the late 1990s, WRNN would appear on New York City cable, and as part of satellite provider DirecTV's local station package. WRNN opened a new main studio facility in the village of Rye Brook in 2005, though it has retained its facilities in Kingston and Manhattan.

The RNN talk set, used for nightly programming, located in Rye Brook, July 2006.

Premium Content Era

Digital Television

In 2004, the Federal Communications Commission opened an early digital conversion window for full-power UHF stations located between channels 52 and 69 in the analog UHF band, as long as the stations all met certain qualifying criteria. This portion of the television spectrum was slated to be reassigned to other communications purposes following the June 2009 transition. WRNN applied for FCC permission to shut off its analog signal on channel 62 and broadcast solely on its assigned digital frequency, UHF channel 48. The FCC granted the request on July 8, 2004,[1] and WRNN's analog channel 62 went silent later that year. Moving forward, WRNN used PSIP to display WRNN-TV's virtual channel 48 on digital television receivers.

Channel Management and Operation

2009 marked the beginning of RNN’s focus on managing and creating content for third parties, with the launch of premium news content which it produces for the Verizon FiOS1 News channels in Long Island and New Jersey. These two 24-hours news channels feature local news, weather, and traffic, as well as local high school and college sports. Since then, the programming has expanded to online and other cross platform content and channel management services.

On August 1, 2011, digital channel 48.2 began carrying the Qatari-based Al Jazeera English.[2] RNN was the first and only New York station to put Al Jazeera on the air, symbolizing our progressive approach to content. One hour of local programming and station-provided E/I programming was scheduled in off periods to meet FCC guidelines. Al Jazeera English was removed on August 20, 2013 when it was pulled from US distribution due to the launch of Al Jazeera America.

In April 2012, RNN activated its fifth subchannel to carry NHK World, the English language international broadcasting service of Japan's public broadcaster, NHK. In August 2013, RNN partnered with CNN Latino to deliver the channel to most of New York City via their D2 channel.

Current programming

Before RNN

As WTZA

The station first signed on the air on December 15, 1985 as WTZA, originally broadcasting on UHF channel 62. It was formatted as an independent station serving the middle Hudson Valley region of New York State. However, by virtue of the outer range of its signal, WTZA also served the Capital District area and the northern suburbs of New York City. The call letters designated the coverage area, and also served as the station's slogan – "From the Tappan Zee to Albany". The upper Hudson Valley area was one of the largest in the country to lack its own television station, this due to its proximity to both the New York and Albany-Schenectady-Troy television markets.

Notable former on-air staff

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.