WPNY-LP
 | |
| Utica/Rome, New York United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
My WPNY TV (general) WUTR Eyewitness News (newscasts) |
| Channels |
Analog: 11 (VHF) Digital: WUTR-DT 30.4 (UHF) Virtual: 20.2 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | MyNetworkTV |
| Owner |
Nexstar Broadcasting Group (Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.) |
| First air date | January 1, 1988 |
| Call letters' meaning |
UPN New York (previous affiliation) |
| Sister station(s) |
WUTR, WFXV, WROC-TV, WETM-TV, WSYR-TV, WWTI, WIVT, WBGH-CD, WFFF-TV, WVNY |
| Former callsigns |
W11BS (1988–1995) WUPN-LP (1995–1996) |
| Former affiliations |
Independent (1988–1995) UPN (1995–2006) |
| Transmitter power |
0.094 kW 50 kW (WUTR-DT2) |
| Height |
187 m 227 m (WUTR-DT2) |
| Class | LP |
| Facility ID |
43424 57837 (WUTR-DT2) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 43°8′43″N 75°10′35″W / 43.14528°N 75.17639°W |
WPNY-LP is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central New York State's Mohawk Valley. Licensed to Utica, it broadcasts a low-powered analog signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter at studios on Smith Hill Road in Deerfield (official address is Utica). The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 12 and in 720p high definition on digital channel 1215 (however, the HD feed is cable-only).[1] Owned by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, WPNY is sister to Fox affiliate WFXV and ABC affiliate WUTR.
The latter is actually owned by Mission Broadcasting but operated by Nexstar through local marketing and joint sales agreements. Syndicated programming on WPNY-LP includes Extra, The Queen Latifah Show, Judge Mathis and Divorce Court among others. It also simulcasts some New York Yankees games produced by the YES Network for fellow MyNetworkTV affiliate WWOR-TV in New York City.
Due to its low-powered status, WPNY-LP is not required to air a digital signal of its own and instead continues to operate its low-powered analog signal (and is thus continuing to opt out of the optional maneuver of upgrading to a low-powered digital signal); however, in addition to its low-powered analog signal, WPNY-LP also receives full-market over-the-air digital coverage (although, only in standard definition), via the second digital subchannel of WUTR's (digital subchannel 20.2 for those with digital converters). This airs on UHF channel 30.4 from the same Smith Hill Road transmitter in Deerfield.
History
The station signed-on January 1, 1988 with the call sign W11BS licensed to Little Falls. It was a low-powered translator and general entertainment Independent outlet. The station joined UPN as a charter affiliate on January 16, 1995. On December 22 of that year, W11BS upgraded to low-lowered status and adopted the WUPN-LP calls. However, less than a year later, the station became WPNY-LP after a full-powered outlet in Greensboro, North Carolina took the call letters.
At some point in time, WPNY became a sister outlet to WFXV and began to be housed at the latter's facility on Greenfield Road in Rome. In 1996, both stations were sold to Sullivan Broadcasting which would itself be bought out by the Sinclair Broadcast Group only two years later. Instead of being acquired by that company, WPNY and WFXV were purchased by Quorum Broadcasting founded by former Sullivan head Dan Sullivan.[2]
The stations were acquired by current owner Nexstar in 2003. It was announced in December of that year Clear Channel Communications would sell WUTR to Nexstar subsidiary Mission Broadcasting. The sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on April 1, 2004 at which point Nexstar took over operations of WUTR under local marketing and joint sales agreements through the company's operational arrangement with Mission. Although the ABC affiliate was the subordinate entity, WPNY and WFXV were consolidated into WUTR's Deerfield studios.
In 2006, The WB and UPN merged into one network called The CW Television Network. Several weeks later, Fox announced the establishment of another network called MyNetworkTV, for the benefit of those UPN or WB affiliates that did not earn a CW affiliation. Since "WBU", the cable-only WB affiliate operated by NBC affiliate WKTV through The WB 100+, was the default choice to take the CW affiliation, WPNY-LP chose to associate with MyNetworkTV, and promptly did so on September 5, 2006.
Newscast
After WUTR's sale to Mission Broadcasting, speculation began circulating Nexstar would establish a combined news department for WUTR as well as WPNY and WFXV in order to take on longtime dominant WKTV. Progress was not made until March 31, 2011 when the company announced it would launch a news operation for the three stations by mid-September. Nexstar invested $1 million for new equipment and the hiring of twelve employees. On weeknights, there is an early evening newscast at 6 on WUTR that is repeated at 7:30 on WPNY.
The taped show on this station is the only offering of local news in the time slot since there is no broadcast seen on WKTV. Throughout the process of building a local news operation from scratch, WUTR consulted with viewers and businesses for input in developing the final product. The newscast replay on this station is known as WUTR Eyewitness News at 6 and debuted September 12, 2011. There is no sports department at the operation's inception. Due to WPNY only airing an analog signal, WUTR's show airs in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition on WPNY.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
References
- ↑ tv.twcc.com/listings (Via Entering The Appropriate Zip Codes)
- ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 9, 1998). "North East RadioWatch". Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ↑ http://cnyhomepage.com/more-news
- ↑ http://www.cnyradio.com/2011/03/31/uticas-wutr-to-revive-local-news-operation/
- ↑ http://uticadailynews.com/utica_daily_focus/13012-Company-has-not-had-news-since-2003.html
- ↑ http://www.uticaod.com/topstories/x479634772/Local-news-coming-to-ABC-and-FOX-in-Utica-and-Rome
- ↑ http://cnyhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=52196
- ↑ http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2011/08/15/53260/nexstar-to-launch-news-in-utica-on-sept-12
- ↑ http://cnyhomepage.com/fulltext-news/?nxd_id=53437