WKTV
Encyclopedia
WKTV is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for Central
Upstate
New York's Mohawk Valley
licensed to Utica
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 29 (or virtual channel
2.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in the Eatonville section of Fairfield
and Herkimer
. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 863. Owned by Smith Media
, it has studios on Smith Hill
Road in Deerfield
(station address says Utica). Syndicated
programming on WKTV includes Jeopardy!
, Wheel of Fortune
, Dr. Phil
and Judge Judy
among others.
. Known on-air as The CW 11, this can also be seen on Time Warner
Cable channel 11 (hence the branding). WKTV-DT2 gets all of its programming from The CW Plus
. Its logo is similar to fellow CW affiliate (and CW Plus outlet) WBNG-DT2 in Binghamton
.
as the market
's first television outlet and aired an analog
signal on VHF channel 13. It was the 93rd television station in the United States
to sign-on. This made Utica one of the smallest cities in the nation with its own television property. Initially affiliated with NBC and maintaining secondary relations with DuMont
, WKTV eventually picked up secondary affiliations with CBS
and ABC
. This distinction resulted in the interesting situation of being a local network affiliate for all major television networks
for a period of time. The DuMont affiliation ended in the mid-1950s with that network's closure and, due to a dispute with CBS, that affiliation ended soon after. WHEN-TV (now WTVH
) in Syracuse
would become the default affiliate for the Utica area and remains so to this day.
On New Year's Day 1959
, WKTV moved to VHF channel 2 in a dial realignment. The change involved a station located on channel 13 in Hamilton, Ontario
switching channel positions to add a channel 13 allotment in Rochester
. This, in turn, allowed a relocation of a channel 13 in Albany. With the switch, WKTV upgraded its signal and began to cover a fairly wide area stretching from as far south as the Catskill Mountains
, as far east as The Berkshires
in Western Massachusetts
and into Southern Ontario
, Canada
.
In the mid-1950s, a young local radio announcer named Dick Clark joined the staff at WKTV. He was a talented and good-looking announcer that quickly gathered a loyal following. Clark's father was the manager of Utica radio station WRUN-FM (now WAMC
-FM in Albany
) and his son wanted to avoid the name recognition factor. To avoid confusion, the younger Clark became known on-air as "Dick Clay". Eventually, Clark would anchor the weeknight newscasts on WKTV (replacing Robert Earle
) who would later host the GE College Bowl
. WKTV enjoyed a monopoly in the Utica/Rome
television market until February 28, 1970 when WUTR
signed-on as an ABC affiliate. WKTV then became an exclusive NBC station resulting in the outlet being one of the oldest affiliates of the network today.
In 1980, its original owner Kallet Television (hence the call sign) sold WKTV to Harron Communications (owner of a chain of cable
companies in the Northeast) along with WMTW in Portland, Maine
. During this time, it was carried on cable systems in areas as far away as Schenectady
and for a time in Syracuse. In the mid-1980s, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) ruled on cross ownership of broadcast, cable and print media in the same communities. Harron Communications owned both WKTV and Harron Cable Television in Utica. It was required that Harron divest itself of one property or the other. In 1992, as a result, an agreement was reached between Harron and Smith Broadcasting. One year later, after Harron purchased the cable system in Utica (later sold to Adelphia and now part of Time Warner), Smith Broadcasting acquired WKTV. Today, the station is owned by Smith Media, LLC which is a successor to Smith Broadcasting as well as a subsidiary of Boston Ventures.
In September 1998, the creation of The WB 100+
led WKTV to partner with the group to launch a cable-only WB affiliate. This new service replaced network flagship WPIX
from New York City
on Time Warner Cable systems in the Mowhawk Valley and it used the "WBU" (standing for The WB Utica) call sign in a fictional manner. On January 24, 2006
, The WB and UPN
announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be known as The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS (the parent company of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros.
unit of Time Warner. On September 18, WKTV launched a new second digital subchannel
to simulcast WBU and offer off-air access to CW programming. That station then began using the WKTV-DT2 calls in an official manner. Meanwhile, low-powered UPN affiliate WPNY-LP
joined News Corporation
-owned MyNetworkTV
on September 5. Originally, WKTV's subchannel was known on-air as "Central New York CW" but was eventually re-branded to "Central New York CW 11" (and more recently "The CW 11") to reflect its location on Time Warner Cable systems.
WKTV has been broadcasting its digital signal on UHF channel 29 since May 2006 and in high definition starting with the 2008 Summer Olympics
. On February 18, 2009, the station turned-off its analog transmitter and began broadcasting exclusively in digital. This left some viewers without a reachable signal and others looking for an outdoor UHF antenna. To continue serving those areas, WKTV began simulcasting its weekday newscasts at noon and 5 on WADR
-AM 1480/WUTQ-AM 1550/W238CA-FM 95.5. In May 2011, the radio station began simulcasting the second hour of this outlet's weekday morning show. Due to an ongoing retransmission dispute, Time Warner Cable replaced WKTV with fellow NBC affiliate WBRE-TV
from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
on December 16, 2010. WKTV-DT2 was also dropped and eventually replaced by HBO Family.
On the same date, rival WUTR began to be seen in the Burlington, Vermont
/Plattsburgh, New York market on Time Warner Cable after sister station WVNY
was dropped for the same reason. The Nexstar Broadcasting Group
, owner of WBRE and WUTR, opposed the use of their stations as replacement programming and requested the Time Warner Cable franchise
for the affected regions be revoked. Incidentally, Nexstar's sister company Atlantic Broadband
, is the only other company with operations in Upstate New York. WKTV and Time Warner reached an agreement, the terms of which both sides refused to reveal, on January 8, 2011 allowing WKTV and the CW subchannel to return to the cable system the next day.
every March during the same weekend as America
's Greatest Heart Run and Walk. The telethon is aired live from Utica College
and usually begins the Friday evening before the run/walk. It continues on Saturday during the event with live coverage from various points along the course. Ironically, the telethon usually out-raises the WIBX
-AM 950 Heart Radiothon by more than tenfold even though the radiothon was the original event from the entire Heart Weekend.
, a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) road race that begins near Utica Boilers and ends at the F.X. Matt Brewery
. Coverage is anchored primarily from the finish line and supplemented by live trucks positioned at key points along the course, portable transmitters on the race's media truck, motorcycles (driven by volunteers), and formerly a helicopter. The coverage is unique in that it begins by covering the race itself following the leaders throughout the race with interviews after they reach the finish line. Then, the focus shifts to the local angles of the race, with stories of life on the volunteers who make the race happen, local notables running the race (usually including current WKTV on-air staff), and former on-air staff who come back home to run. There is also coverage of post-race events.
cards where station personnel gather with their families. Each person (or group/family) gets about 7–10 seconds of face time and various shots are spliced together to create a sixty second spot. In order to include every employee, several versions are created and are rotated throughout the holiday season. The song "Christmas is Paintin' The Town
" by The Oak Ridge Boys
is played in the background every year. WUTR does a similar feature every year with "Winter Wonderland
" playing in the background.
stronghold in the Mowhawk Valley for its entire history. WKTV did not face any local competition until the sign-on of WUTR and the launch of the area's second news department. Even after that outlet established a second choice for local newscasts in Utica, WKTV remained the most watched since it is on the more powerful and attainable VHF dial. However, WUTR was most competitive with WKTV in the mid-1990s staying at a distant but steady second place. Despite the Granite Broadcasting Corporation
acquiring WTVH in June 1993, that station did not take full advantage of its status as the area's default CBS affiliate.
The company did not increase efforts to capture a potentially significant opportunity for local advertising and news coverage. Syracuse's WSTM-TV
does carry substantial news stories from Herkimer County
and that outlet took over WTVH's news operation in 2009 but there was no noticeable increase in Mohawk Valley coverage. Your News Now
, Time Warner's cable
-only station in Upstate New York, also covers the area from a Syracuse-based newsroom but with more regional content. In instances of severe weather
, Syracuse-based stations do offer coverage of Utica and Rome.
After Clear Channel Communications
began cutting back operations at WUTR in 2002, that outlet became more reliant on content originating from its sister stations in Upstate New York (particularly flagship WIXT
in Syracuse). Due to continual difficulty in maintaining consistent viewership and ratings against WKTV, WUTR dropped its weekday morning show and weekend newscasts in June 2002. Weeknight broadcasts and the remaining news department was shut down entirely on August 1, 2003. For the rest of Clear Channel's ownership, that station simulcasted some newscasts from WIXT which provided limited coverage of the Mowhawk Valley.
In September 2001, WKTV entered into a news share agreement with Fox affiliate WFXV
(then owned by Quorum Broadcasting). This arrangement resulted in a prime time newscast at 10 to debut on the latter station. Known as NewsChannel 2 on Fox, the show aired every night for a half-hour and mirrored programs seen on WKTV. The broadcast was supposed to originate live from WKTV's studios but there were technical problems beaming the show to WFXV's facility on Greenfield Road in Rome through microwave relay. Sometimes, WKTV personnel had to record the newscast in advance and physically deliver the videotape to WFXV which was a thirty minute drive. When the outsourcing contract ended on August 31, 2004, the Fox outlet decided not to renew it. As a result, the prime time broadcast moved to cable-exclusive "WBU" the next day and reduced to weeknights. In January 2006, WKTV added a weekend morning show to its schedule.
After WUTR's sale to Mission Broadcasting
in 2004, speculation began circulating that the Nexstar Broadcasting Group (owner of WFXV and WPNY) would establish a combined news department for the three outlets 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. The actual launch occurred on September 12 and there is a weeknight newscast at 6 on WUTR which is repeated at 7 on WPNY. Although not airing live, the latter program is the only offering of local news in the time slot since there is no broadcast seen on WKTV. WFXV introduced the market's second prime time newscast at 10 that can be seen on weeknights for 35 minutes and competing with a show on WKTV-DT2 (known as NewsChannel 2 at 10 on The CW 11). There is also a live 35 minute broadcast at 11 on WUTR. The shows on that station and WFXV can be seen in full high definition meaning Nexstar operates the first news department in Utica offering the updated format.
Newscasts on WKTV remain in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition and there are currently no plans to upgrade to 16:9
enhanced definition widescreen
or even full HD level. Ironically, its sister outlets in Burlington/Plattsburgh (WFFF and WVNY) have been offering full high definition newscasts since December 3, 2007. WUTR has made no indications of carrying a weekday morning show or midday newscast during the week. There are also no newscasts in the 5 o'clock hour on weeknights and/or weekend broadcasts. In an unusual move for a big three station operating a news department, WUTR does not have a dedicated sports department and personalities. Like all CW Plus affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone
, WKTV-DT2 airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
on weekdays from 6 until 9. During weather forecast
segments, WKTV features live NOAA
's National Weather Service
Doppler weather radar
data from several regional sites. On-air, this is known as "StormTracker 2 Live Doppler".
Meteorologists
Sports (both seen on Sports Express)
Reporters
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Central
Central New York
Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
Upstate
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
New York's Mohawk Valley
Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....
licensed to Utica
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 29 (or virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
2.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in the Eatonville section of Fairfield
Fairfield, New York
Fairfield is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,607 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Fairfield, Connecticut.The Town of Fairfield is north of the Village of Herkimer and east of Utica...
and Herkimer
Herkimer (town), New York
Herkimer is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States, southeast of Utica. It is named after Nicholas Herkimer. The population was 9,962 at the 2000 census.The town contains a village also called Herkimer...
. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 863. Owned by Smith Media
Smith Media, LLC
Smith Media, LLC, successor to Smith Television, is a broadcasting group co-based in Los Angeles, California and St. Petersburg, Florida, that owns and operates seven television stations across the United States....
, it has studios on Smith Hill
Smith Hill
Smith Hill is the name of many places, among them:*Smith Hill , a notable house in Elphin, Ireland*Smith Hill, Providence, Rhode Island, a neighborhood*The site of a particularly long-range broadcast tower in Herkimer County, New York...
Road in Deerfield
Deerfield, New York
Deerfield is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 3,906 at the 2000 census.The Town of Deerfield is on the eastern border of the county and northeast of the City of Utica.- History :...
(station address says Utica). Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WKTV includes Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
and Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
among others.
Digital programming
It operates the area's CW affiliate on a second digital subchannelDigital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
. Known on-air as The CW 11, this can also be seen on Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
Cable channel 11 (hence the branding). WKTV-DT2 gets all of its programming from The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
. Its logo is similar to fellow CW affiliate (and CW Plus outlet) WBNG-DT2 in Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
.
| Channels (virtual/physical) | Name | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1/29.1 | WKTV-HD | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
main WKTV programming/NBC (HD) |
| 2.2/29.2 | WKTV-DT2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | "The CW 11" (SD) |
History
The station launched on December 1, 19491949 in television
The year 1949 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1949.-Events:*January 3 – Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC....
as the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
's first television outlet and aired an analog
Analog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
signal on VHF channel 13. It was the 93rd television station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to sign-on. This made Utica one of the smallest cities in the nation with its own television property. Initially affiliated with NBC and maintaining secondary relations with DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
, WKTV eventually picked up secondary affiliations with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. This distinction resulted in the interesting situation of being a local network affiliate for all major television networks
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
for a period of time. The DuMont affiliation ended in the mid-1950s with that network's closure and, due to a dispute with CBS, that affiliation ended soon after. WHEN-TV (now WTVH
WTVH
WTVH is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 47 from a transmitter in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Time Warner and Verizon FiOS channel 5. There is a high definition feed...
) in Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
would become the default affiliate for the Utica area and remains so to this day.
On New Year's Day 1959
1959 in television
The year 1959 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1959:For the American TV schedule, see: 1959-60 American network television schedule.-Events:...
, WKTV moved to VHF channel 2 in a dial realignment. The change involved a station located on channel 13 in Hamilton, Ontario
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
switching channel positions to add a channel 13 allotment in Rochester
WHAM-TV
WHAM-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 13 and in high definition...
. This, in turn, allowed a relocation of a channel 13 in Albany. With the switch, WKTV upgraded its signal and began to cover a fairly wide area stretching from as far south as the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
, as far east as The Berkshires
The Berkshires
The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
in Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...
and into Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In the mid-1950s, a young local radio announcer named Dick Clark joined the staff at WKTV. He was a talented and good-looking announcer that quickly gathered a loyal following. Clark's father was the manager of Utica radio station WRUN-FM (now WAMC
WAMC
WAMC is a public radio network headquartered in Albany, New York. As of April, 2011, the network comprised 11 transmitters and 11 translators. The organization's legal name is "WAMC" and it is also known as "WAMC Public Radio" or "WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network."In addition, the station...
-FM in Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
) and his son wanted to avoid the name recognition factor. To avoid confusion, the younger Clark became known on-air as "Dick Clay". Eventually, Clark would anchor the weeknight newscasts on WKTV (replacing Robert Earle
Robert Earle
Robert Earle was a host of G.E. College Bowl, an American game show that was broadcast first by CBS, later by NBC...
) who would later host the GE College Bowl
College Bowl
College Bowl was a format of college-level quizbowl run and operated by College Bowl Company, Incorporated. It had a format similar to the current NAQT format. College Bowl first aired on US radio stations in 1953, and aired on US television from 1959 to 1970...
. WKTV enjoyed a monopoly in the Utica/Rome
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
television market until February 28, 1970 when WUTR
WUTR
WUTR is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Upstate New York's Mohawk Valley. Licensed to Utica, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 30 from a transmitter at its studios on Smith Hill Road in Deerfield...
signed-on as an ABC affiliate. WKTV then became an exclusive NBC station resulting in the outlet being one of the oldest affiliates of the network today.
In 1980, its original owner Kallet Television (hence the call sign) sold WKTV to Harron Communications (owner of a chain of cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
companies in the Northeast) along with WMTW in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. During this time, it was carried on cable systems in areas as far away as Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
and for a time in Syracuse. In the mid-1980s, the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) ruled on cross ownership of broadcast, cable and print media in the same communities. Harron Communications owned both WKTV and Harron Cable Television in Utica. It was required that Harron divest itself of one property or the other. In 1992, as a result, an agreement was reached between Harron and Smith Broadcasting. One year later, after Harron purchased the cable system in Utica (later sold to Adelphia and now part of Time Warner), Smith Broadcasting acquired WKTV. Today, the station is owned by Smith Media, LLC which is a successor to Smith Broadcasting as well as a subsidiary of Boston Ventures.
In September 1998, the creation of The WB 100+
The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group was a group of primarily non-broadcast local cable television outlets for The WB Television Network, for markets below the top 100 television media markets in the United States. Dayparts with no WB programming were programmed by the network...
led WKTV to partner with the group to launch a cable-only WB affiliate. This new service replaced network flagship WPIX
WPIX
WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on Time Warner Cable systems in the Mowhawk Valley and it used the "WBU" (standing for The WB Utica) call sign in a fictional manner. On January 24, 2006
2006 in television
2006 in television may refer to:*2006 in American television*2006 in Australian television*2006 in British television*2006 in Canadian television*2006 in Japanese television...
, The WB and UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be known as The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS (the parent company of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
unit of Time Warner. On September 18, WKTV launched a new second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
to simulcast WBU and offer off-air access to CW programming. That station then began using the WKTV-DT2 calls in an official manner. Meanwhile, low-powered UPN affiliate WPNY-LP
WPNY-LP
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 . The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable...
joined News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
-owned MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
on September 5. Originally, WKTV's subchannel was known on-air as "Central New York CW" but was eventually re-branded to "Central New York CW 11" (and more recently "The CW 11") to reflect its location on Time Warner Cable systems.
WKTV has been broadcasting its digital signal on UHF channel 29 since May 2006 and in high definition starting with the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. On February 18, 2009, the station turned-off its analog transmitter and began broadcasting exclusively in digital. This left some viewers without a reachable signal and others looking for an outdoor UHF antenna. To continue serving those areas, WKTV began simulcasting its weekday newscasts at noon and 5 on WADR
WADR
WADR and WUTQ are AM radio stations operating at 1480 kHz and 1550 kHz and located in Remsen, New York and Utica, New York respectively. They are former Clear Channel Communications stations, but with the breakup of Clear Channel's Utica cluster, were sold to Ken Roser. In July 2010,...
-AM 1480/WUTQ-AM 1550/W238CA-FM 95.5. In May 2011, the radio station began simulcasting the second hour of this outlet's weekday morning show. Due to an ongoing retransmission dispute, Time Warner Cable replaced WKTV with fellow NBC affiliate WBRE-TV
WBRE-TV
WBRE-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northeastern Pennsylvania that is licensed to Wilkes-Barre. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter at the Penobscot Knob antenna farm near Mountain Top. It can also be seen on Comcast and Service...
from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
on December 16, 2010. WKTV-DT2 was also dropped and eventually replaced by HBO Family.
On the same date, rival WUTR began to be seen in the Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
/Plattsburgh, New York market on Time Warner Cable after sister station WVNY
WVNY
WVNY is the ABC-affiliated television station for Vermont's Champlain Valley and Upstate New York's North Country. Licensed to Burlington, Vermont, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Vermont's highest peak Mount Mansfield. The station can also be...
was dropped for the same reason. The Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., is an entity of broadcast television stations headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company consists of 50 television stations across the U.S., ranging from market sizes 9 to 201 . 43 of the stations are broadcasting at full power, with the other 4 broadcasting at...
, owner of WBRE and WUTR, opposed the use of their stations as replacement programming and requested the Time Warner Cable franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
for the affected regions be revoked. Incidentally, Nexstar's sister company Atlantic Broadband
Atlantic Broadband
Atlantic Broadband is a privately held cable company with headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts. The company has over 700 employees and 285,000 customers in four operating regions: Florida, Maryland/Delaware, South Carolina and Central Pennsylvania...
, is the only other company with operations in Upstate New York. WKTV and Time Warner reached an agreement, the terms of which both sides refused to reveal, on January 8, 2011 allowing WKTV and the CW subchannel to return to the cable system the next day.
America's Greatest Heart Run and Walk
WKTV hosts a telethon for the American Heart AssociationAmerican Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
every March during the same weekend as America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's Greatest Heart Run and Walk. The telethon is aired live from Utica College
Utica College
Utica College is a private university located in Utica, New York. The history of the college dates back to the 1930s when Syracuse University began offering extension courses in the Utica area. Syracuse University established Utica College as a four-year institution in 1946, and in 1995, UC ...
and usually begins the Friday evening before the run/walk. It continues on Saturday during the event with live coverage from various points along the course. Ironically, the telethon usually out-raises the WIBX
WIBX
WIBX is a talk radio station based in Utica, New York. The station is owned by Townsquare Media.-History:WIBX went on the air December 5, 1925...
-AM 950 Heart Radiothon by more than tenfold even though the radiothon was the original event from the entire Heart Weekend.
Boilermaker Road Race
For many years, WKTV has provided live coverage of the Boilermaker Road RaceBoilermaker Road Race
The Boilermaker Road Race is a USATF-certified race in Utica, New York, United States. The race attracts elite runners from all over the world as well as runners from across the country....
, a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) road race that begins near Utica Boilers and ends at the F.X. Matt Brewery
Matt Brewing Company
F.X. Matt Brewing Company is an American family-owned brewery at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in Utica, New York. It is the second oldest family-owned brewery in the United States, as it has been brewing beer since 1853...
. Coverage is anchored primarily from the finish line and supplemented by live trucks positioned at key points along the course, portable transmitters on the race's media truck, motorcycles (driven by volunteers), and formerly a helicopter. The coverage is unique in that it begins by covering the race itself following the leaders throughout the race with interviews after they reach the finish line. Then, the focus shifts to the local angles of the race, with stories of life on the volunteers who make the race happen, local notables running the race (usually including current WKTV on-air staff), and former on-air staff who come back home to run. There is also coverage of post-race events.
Christmas cards
WKTV is popular in its coverage area for its ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
cards where station personnel gather with their families. Each person (or group/family) gets about 7–10 seconds of face time and various shots are spliced together to create a sixty second spot. In order to include every employee, several versions are created and are rotated throughout the holiday season. The song "Christmas is Paintin' The Town
Christmas (Oak Ridge Boys album)
Christmas was the eighth album by the Oak Ridge Boys.It is a holiday / Christmas album.-Track listing:#"Jesus Is Born Today "#"Christmas Is Paintin' The Town"#"Christmas Carol"#"Silver Bells"#"Santa's Song"#"White Christmas"...
" by The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet.The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in southern gospel during the 1950s...
is played in the background every year. WUTR does a similar feature every year with "Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland
"Winter Wonderland" is a winter song, popularly treated as a Christmastime pop standard, written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith . Through the decades it has been recorded by over 150 different artists.-History:...
" playing in the background.
News operation
The station has been a ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
stronghold in the Mowhawk Valley for its entire history. WKTV did not face any local competition until the sign-on of WUTR and the launch of the area's second news department. Even after that outlet established a second choice for local newscasts in Utica, WKTV remained the most watched since it is on the more powerful and attainable VHF dial. However, WUTR was most competitive with WKTV in the mid-1990s staying at a distant but steady second place. Despite the Granite Broadcasting Corporation
Granite Broadcasting Corporation
Granite Broadcasting Corporation, founded by W. Don Cornwell and Stuart Beck in 1988 , is a broadcasting holding company which owns or operates 14 television stations in the United States, largely centered in the midwest with a cluster in New York state...
acquiring WTVH in June 1993, that station did not take full advantage of its status as the area's default CBS affiliate.
The company did not increase efforts to capture a potentially significant opportunity for local advertising and news coverage. Syracuse's WSTM-TV
WSTM-TV
WSTM-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter on Sentinel Heights Road in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Verizon FiOS channel 3 and Time Warner channel 4...
does carry substantial news stories from Herkimer County
Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
and that outlet took over WTVH's news operation in 2009 but there was no noticeable increase in Mohawk Valley coverage. Your News Now
Your News Now
YNN ' is the brand for Time Warner Cable's 24-hour cable news television channels.The channels operate on the half-hour wheel format popularized by CNN Headline News. Weather reports are aired every 10 minutes and a Top Stories or Your News in a Minute is aired at the top and bottom of every hour,...
, Time Warner's cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
-only station in Upstate New York, also covers the area from a Syracuse-based newsroom but with more regional content. In instances of severe weather
Severe weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
, Syracuse-based stations do offer coverage of Utica and Rome.
After Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
began cutting back operations at WUTR in 2002, that outlet became more reliant on content originating from its sister stations in Upstate New York (particularly flagship WIXT
WSYR-TV
WSYR-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central New York State that is licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter on Sevier Road in Pompey. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 9 and in high definition on...
in Syracuse). Due to continual difficulty in maintaining consistent viewership and ratings against WKTV, WUTR dropped its weekday morning show and weekend newscasts in June 2002. Weeknight broadcasts and the remaining news department was shut down entirely on August 1, 2003. For the rest of Clear Channel's ownership, that station simulcasted some newscasts from WIXT which provided limited coverage of the Mowhawk Valley.
In September 2001, WKTV entered into a news share agreement with Fox affiliate WFXV
WFXV
WFXV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Central Upstate New York's Mohawk Valley. Licensed to Utica, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter at its studios on Smith Hill Road in Deerfield...
(then owned by Quorum Broadcasting). This arrangement resulted in a prime time newscast at 10 to debut on the latter station. Known as NewsChannel 2 on Fox, the show aired every night for a half-hour and mirrored programs seen on WKTV. The broadcast was supposed to originate live from WKTV's studios but there were technical problems beaming the show to WFXV's facility on Greenfield Road in Rome through microwave relay. Sometimes, WKTV personnel had to record the newscast in advance and physically deliver the videotape to WFXV which was a thirty minute drive. When the outsourcing contract ended on August 31, 2004, the Fox outlet decided not to renew it. As a result, the prime time broadcast moved to cable-exclusive "WBU" the next day and reduced to weeknights. In January 2006, WKTV added a weekend morning show to its schedule.
After WUTR's sale to Mission Broadcasting
Mission Broadcasting
Mission Broadcasting, Inc. is a television station group that owns 15 television stations operated by Nexstar Broadcasting. The group's president is David S. Smith, who founded the company in 1998. In most areas where Mission owns a station, its arrangements allow Nexstar to control two of the top...
in 2004, speculation began circulating that the Nexstar Broadcasting Group (owner of WFXV and WPNY) would establish a combined news department for the three outlets 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. The actual launch occurred on September 12 and there is a weeknight newscast at 6 on WUTR which is repeated at 7 on WPNY. Although not airing live, the latter program is the only offering of local news in the time slot since there is no broadcast seen on WKTV. WFXV introduced the market's second prime time newscast at 10 that can be seen on weeknights for 35 minutes and competing with a show on WKTV-DT2 (known as NewsChannel 2 at 10 on The CW 11). There is also a live 35 minute broadcast at 11 on WUTR. The shows on that station and WFXV can be seen in full high definition meaning Nexstar operates the first news department in Utica offering the updated format.
Newscasts on WKTV remain in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition and there are currently no plans to upgrade to 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
enhanced definition widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
or even full HD level. Ironically, its sister outlets in Burlington/Plattsburgh (WFFF and WVNY) have been offering full high definition newscasts since December 3, 2007. WUTR has made no indications of carrying a weekday morning show or midday newscast during the week. There are also no newscasts in the 5 o'clock hour on weeknights and/or weekend broadcasts. In an unusual move for a big three station operating a news department, WUTR does not have a dedicated sports department and personalities. Like all CW Plus affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
, WKTV-DT2 airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
on weekdays from 6 until 9. During weather forecast
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
segments, WKTV features live NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
's National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
Doppler weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
data from several regional sites. On-air, this is known as "StormTracker 2 Live Doppler".
Newscast titles
- World News (1949-1964)
- WKTV News (1964-1970)
- NewsCenter 2 (1970-1974)
- TV 2 News (1974-1988)
- WKTV 2 News (1988-1992)
- NewsChannel 2 (1992-present)
Station slogans
- "Central New York's 24 Hour News Channel" (1989-1992)
- "Central New York's #1 Rated Newscast" (1992-1997)
- "Where the News Comes First" (1997-present)
News team
Anchors- Megan Koskovich - weekday mornings
- Don Shipman - weekday mornings and noon
- Steve McMurray - News DirectorNews DirectorA news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
seen weeknights at 5 and 5:30 - Kristen Copeland - weeknights at 5, 5:30 and 6 (also producer weeknights at 5 and 5:30)
- Bill Worden - weeknights at 6, 10 and 11
- Gary Liberatore - weekend mornings and reporter
- TBD - weekend evenings
Meteorologists
- Adam Musyt (NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seal of Approval) - weeknights - Bill Kardas (NWA Seal of Approval) - weekday mornings and noon
- Jill Reale - weekends
Sports (both seen on Sports Express)
- Jason Powles - DirectorSports DirectorA sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
seen weeknights at 6, 10 and 11 - Mike Levin - weekend evenings and sports reporter
Reporters
- David Dellecese - Assistant News Director and Assignment Editor (also fill-in news anchor)
- Art Ginsburg - "Mr. FoodMr. FoodArt Ginsburg, commonly known as Mr. Food, is a television chef and best selling author of cookbooks who emphasizes simple recipes. He is the originator of "quick & easy cooking" who, for the past 30+ years, has paved the way for TV food personalities who have followed. With his enthusiastic style,...
" segment producer - Lexie O'Connor
- Joleen Ferris
- Hilary Lane