W25AW, known on-air as WZBN-TV, broadcasts on digital broadcast Channel 25-1 and serves Mercer County, New Jersey

Mercer County, New Jersey

As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...

, portions of Hunterdon

Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....

, Burlington

Burlington County, New Jersey

There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...

, Middlesex

Middlesex County, New Jersey

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...

, and Somerset

Somerset County, New Jersey

Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....

 Counties in New Jersey. The station broadcasts news as well as local events and specials specifically for residents in the greater Mercer County area. The station affiliates with America One

America One

America One is an over-the-air television network in the United States. The network serves over 170 LPTV, Class A, Full Power, Cable and Satellite affiliate stations...

, which provides a variety of programming during the days and weekends. The station's tower is in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey

Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey

Hamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...

. It is the only independent television station to exclusively serve the residents of central New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

.

W25AW is owned by the Zanoni family.

The station is a Class-A operation, even though the station's official calls are still translator-style calls.

History

The station first broadcast in 1993.

Received several awards from the Community Broadcasters Association

Community Broadcasters Association

The Community Broadcasters Association was a trade organization representing low-power broadcasting interests, including LPTV and Class A television stations, in the United States of America...

 for local service and programming.

With the creation of a statewide and regional cable news service owned by the cable companies, cable outlets threatened to pull WZBN off their systems in the late 1990s. Protests by viewers ensured the station remained on cable. WZBN has since expanded its reach with additional broadcasts on three competing cable systems (Verizon Fios

Verizon FiOS

Verizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...

, Cablevision, Comcast

Comcast

Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...

) in the area.