WTEN
Encyclopedia
WTEN is the ABC
-affiliated television station
for the Capital District
of New York State and Western New England
that is licensed to Albany
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter southwest of the Voorheesville
section of New Scotland
. Owned by Young Broadcasting
and operated by Gray Television
, the station has studios on Northern Boulevard in Albany. Syndicated
programming on WTEN includes: Wheel of Fortune
, Jeopardy!
, Inside Edition
, and The Doctors
. It can also be seen on W04AE channel 4 in Herkimer from a transmitter between that town and Little Falls
.
WCDC-TV in Adams, Massachusetts
operates as a full-time satellite. This broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on the highest peak in Massachusetts
, Mount Greylock
. There is no on-air reference to the station but it is mentioned in WTEN's legal ID, EEO public file reports, and on WTEN-DT2 "News 10 Storm Tracker Weather Channel".
WCDC's signal reliably covers the western half of Massachusetts, Southern Vermont
, Northern Connecticut
, and Southwestern New Hampshire
. It can be considered a rim-shot signal into the Springfield
/Holyoke, Massachusetts
television market
. Despite WCDC being located in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
, Time Warner Cable
carries WTEN instead of WCDC.
(RTV). WCDC's digital signal does not offer those two channels. Instead, Time Warner digital systems in Berkshire County offers those services in the same channel slots.
Broadcasting Company along with WROW
-AM 590. From the day it went on the air, the two stations shared space inside an old retirement home for Nun
s (formerly owned by The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet) on a farm dirt road in the town of East Greenbush.
By November 1954, WROW-TV was losing money prompting the company's original owners to sell its 88% controlling stake to a New York City
-based syndicate group led by legendary radio broadcaster/author Lowell Thomas
and his manager/business partner Frank Smith (who later became president of Hudson Valley Broadcasting). Following the takeover, Smith recruited 29 year-old Thomas S. Murphy
, a product manager for Lever Brothers
in New York City, to run the WROW stations as its first station manager. Though he never had any broadcast experience, Murphy's leadership and his conservative financial restraint help bring WROW-TV to profitability three years later. It switched to CBS
in 1955. In the spring of 1956, the channel's call letters were changed to WCDA and a satellite station, WCDB channel 29, in nearby Hagaman
was launched to reach areas where the main signal could not.
The calls were changed again to the current WTEN in 1957 when the station moved to VHF channel 10. It initially operated from a transmitter in the Vail Mills section of Mayfield
approximately 35 miles west of the Capital District. This was due to its relatively close proximity to WJAR
in Providence, Rhode Island
. The Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) had concerns that WTEN's signal might interfere with WJAR and held this station to a 170-mile separation requirement to protect WJAR. While the Vail Mills location met the separation requirement, it proved inadequate for serving the Capital District. The FCC eventually allowed a waiver in 1963 which let WTEN move its transmitter closer to Albany in Voorheesville where its signal could be more easily received.
In December 1957, Hudson Valley merged with Durham Television Enterprises, the owners of WTVD
in Durham, North Carolina
to form Capital Cities Television Corporation (predecessor of Capital Cities Communications
) with WTEN as its flagship station. In 1963, the studios of WTEN and WROW-AM were moved to new facilities on the north side of Albany on Northern Boulevard. WTEN remains at this location to this day although the radio station moved out of the facility in 1993. In 1967, the old studios in East Greenbush was burned down by a fire caused by arson.
In 1971, Capital Cities sold WTEN to Poole Broadcasting after it purchased WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV
) in Philadelphia and WNHC-TV (now WTNH
) in New Haven, Connecticut
. This was because the purchases gave Capital Cities more VHF television stations than the FCC permitted at the time. In 1978, Poole sold WTEN, WJRT-TV
in Flint, Michigan
, and WPRI-TV
in Providence, Rhode Island
to Knight-Ridder. The new owner signed an affiliation deal with ABC which resulted in WTEN swapping affiliations with WAST (now WNYT). Upon Knight-Ridder's exit from broadcasting in 1989, WTEN and sister station WKRN-TV
in Nashville, Tennessee
were sold to Young Broadcasting. Because the Young purchases of the two stations plus WTEN satellite WCDC were made through two separate deals, they were consummated more than three months apart.
WTEN signed-on its digital signal on UHF channel 26 in 2004 and began offering high definition service right from the start. This can also be seen on Time Warner digital channel 1810. On October 1, 2007, Young Broadcasting launched the Retro Television Network on a new third digital subchannel of WTEN. This was part of a test of the network with sister stations WBAY-TV
in Green Bay, Wisconsin
and KRON-TV
in San Francisco. In an effort to cut costs, the company eliminated ten positions from WTEN on January 31, 2008 fueling speculations that the company might sell the station in order to pay down its financial debt. In January 2009, after failing to meet the minimum standards for being listed on NASDAQ
, Young Broadcasting was dropped from the exchange. One month later, on February 13, they declared Chapter 11
bankruptcy
. The company planned to auction off its stations in a New York City
bankruptcy court on July 14, 2009 but canceled the auction last minute. However, Gray Television
(who now operates the station) is currently in talks to purchase WTEN and six other stations from Young Broadcasting. WTEN switched-off analog transmissions on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States
. It remained on its pre-transition channel 26. Tune to channel 10 using PSIP.
was launched to reach areas where the main signal could not. This signed-off in 1957 after the WCDA move rendered WCDB superfluous even though it did provide some primary CBS coverage to Utica
. The WCDB
call sign would return to the air in 1978 for the student-run radio station at University at Albany
.
network. The tower location on Mount Greylock helped WMGT serve first as the market's secondary affiliate of DuMont and later as a major boost to WCDA. In December 1954, WMGT moved to UHF channel 19 extending the station's range to the Capital Region
of New York State. In February 1956, it was forced off the air when a storm damaged its transmitter tower. When it returned to the air in 1957, the call letters were changed to the current WCDC and the station became second relay of WCDA in Albany. The WMGT
call sign has been used on the NBC
affiliate in Macon, Georgia
since 1983. WCDC's digital signal on UHF channel 36 signed on nearly eighteen months before WTEN's did. However, it did not upgrade to high definition until WTEN-DT signed-on.
For many years, WRGB was the dominant news station in the Capital District. In 1993, that station was quickly eclipsed by WNYT and for several years in the mid-1990s fell to third place. For the most part, WTEN has stabilized at a steady second place, although for a period in the early-2000s, it fell back to third. WNYT overtook WTEN for the runner-up spot by the late-1980s, and in 1992, scored its first late news victory. At times during the 1990s and 2000s, this station has occasionally finished ahead of WRGB or, more recently, WNYT. In November 2009, WNYT's weeknights newscasts slipped back to third place largely due to that channel's decision to terminate many of its popular personalities.
In 2005, WTEN launched a 24-hour local weather channel, known as the "News 10 Storm Tracker Weather Channel", on a new second digital subchannel. Its regional weather radar
is known as "News 10 Storm Tracker HD Doppler". On September 21, 2009, the station began airing the area's only weeknight 4 o'clock newscast. This show features news of the day and weather in addition to features associated with daily issues facing women, children, and families in the Capital Region. As a full-time satellite, WCDC simulcasts all newscasts from WTEN. While there are no separate segments during local broadcasts, there is coverage of Western Massachusetts and Southwestern Vermont. On October 26, 2011, WTEN became the second station in Albany to upgrade newscasts to high definition level.
Storm Tracker 10
Sports team
Reporters
Contributors
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...
-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 the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
of New York State and Western New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
that is licensed to 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...
. 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 26 from a transmitter southwest of the Voorheesville
Voorheesville, New York
Voorheesville is a village within the town of New Scotland in Albany County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany and part of the city's historic metropolitan area. The population was 2,789 at the 2010 census. The village is named after a railroad attorney, Alonzo B...
section of New Scotland
New Scotland, New York
New Scotland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 8,648 at the 2010 census.The town is southwest of Albany, New York, the state capital. New Scotland is centrally located in the county.-History:...
. Owned by Young Broadcasting
Young Broadcasting
New Young Broadcasting Holding Co, Inc. is an owner of 14 television stations in 11 United States media markets. The company was formerly known as Young Broadcasting Inc. and was the outgrowth of the ad representation/invest firm Adam Young, Inc. which was founded in 1944 by Adam Young and is...
and operated by Gray Television
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
, the station has studios on Northern Boulevard in Albany. 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 WTEN includes: 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...
, 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...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, and The Doctors
The Doctors (2008 TV series)
The Doctors is an American syndicated talk show airing daily in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden and Finland. It debuted on September 8, 2008. The hour-long daytime program is produced by Phil McGraw and his son Jay McGraw and is distributed domestically and globally by CBS Television...
. It can also be seen on W04AE channel 4 in Herkimer from a transmitter between that town and Little Falls
Little Falls (town), New York
Little Falls is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,544 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a waterfall located nearby.The Town of Little Falls has on its eastern end a small city called Little Falls...
.
WCDC-TV in Adams, Massachusetts
Adams, Massachusetts
Adams is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,485 at the 2010 census.-History:...
operates as a full-time satellite. This broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on the highest peak in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock is the highest natural point in Massachusetts at . Its peak is located in the northwest corner of the state in the western part of the town of Adams in Berkshire County. Although geologically part of the Taconic Mountains, Mount Greylock is commonly associated with the abutting...
. There is no on-air reference to the station but it is mentioned in WTEN's legal ID, EEO public file reports, and on WTEN-DT2 "News 10 Storm Tracker Weather Channel".
WCDC's signal reliably covers the western half of Massachusetts, Southern Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Northern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, and Southwestern New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. It can be considered a rim-shot signal into the Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
/Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
television 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...
. Despite WCDC being located in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
, 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...
carries WTEN instead of WCDC.
Digital programming
On WTEN-DT2, Time Warner digital channel 554, and live streaming video on its website is the "News 10 Storm Tracker Weather Channel". On WTEN-DT3 and Time Warner digital channel 1897 is the Retro Television NetworkRetro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
(RTV). WCDC's digital signal does not offer those two channels. Instead, Time Warner digital systems in Berkshire County offers those services in the same channel slots.
| Virtual channel |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.1 | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
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 ... |
ABC |
| 10.2 | 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 | Local Weather |
| 10.3 | 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 | Retro Television Network |
History
WTEN began broadcasting on October 14, 1953 as ABC affiliate WROW-TV. It aired an analog UHF channel 41 from a temporary 100 foot (30 m) transmitter in Herkimer. This limited its signal to the immediate area. It went to full power and a permanent antenna tower a few months later. WROW-TV was owned by Hudson ValleyHudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
Broadcasting Company along with WROW
WROW
WROW is a radio station broadcasting to Albany, New York, with its towers in Glenmont, New York. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and runs a Adult Standards/Oldies format under the branding Magic 590...
-AM 590. From the day it went on the air, the two stations shared space inside an old retirement home for Nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s (formerly owned by The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet) on a farm dirt road in the town of East Greenbush.
By November 1954, WROW-TV was losing money prompting the company's original owners to sell its 88% controlling stake to a 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...
-based syndicate group led by legendary radio broadcaster/author Lowell Thomas
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...
and his manager/business partner Frank Smith (who later became president of Hudson Valley Broadcasting). Following the takeover, Smith recruited 29 year-old Thomas S. Murphy
Thomas Murphy (broadcasting)
Thomas S. Murphy is an American broadcast executive, and was chair and chief executive officer of Capital Cities / ABC, Inc. until 1996. Together with fellow Capital Cities executive Daniel Burke, Murphy engineered the 1986 acquisition of the American Broadcasting Company in 1986 for $3.5 billion...
, a product manager for Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
in New York City, to run the WROW stations as its first station manager. Though he never had any broadcast experience, Murphy's leadership and his conservative financial restraint help bring WROW-TV to profitability three years later. It switched to 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...
in 1955. In the spring of 1956, the channel's call letters were changed to WCDA and a satellite station, WCDB channel 29, in nearby Hagaman
Hagaman, New York
Hagaman is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2000 census. It is named after Joseph Hagaman, the founding father....
was launched to reach areas where the main signal could not.
The calls were changed again to the current WTEN in 1957 when the station moved to VHF channel 10. It initially operated from a transmitter in the Vail Mills section of Mayfield
Mayfield (town), New York
Mayfield is a town in Fulton County, New York, United States. The population of the town is 6,432 according to the 2000 US Census. The Town of Mayfield contains a village also called Mayfield...
approximately 35 miles west of the Capital District. This was due to its relatively close proximity to WJAR
WJAR
WJAR is the NBC-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. 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) had concerns that WTEN's signal might interfere with WJAR and held this station to a 170-mile separation requirement to protect WJAR. While the Vail Mills location met the separation requirement, it proved inadequate for serving the Capital District. The FCC eventually allowed a waiver in 1963 which let WTEN move its transmitter closer to Albany in Voorheesville where its signal could be more easily received.
In December 1957, Hudson Valley merged with Durham Television Enterprises, the owners of WTVD
WTVD
WTVD, channel 11, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Durham, North Carolina. The station serves the areas of Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Fayetteville, known as the Triangle...
in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
to form Capital Cities Television Corporation (predecessor of Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities redirects here. For the article about the seat of a government, see Capital .Capital Cities Communications was an American media company best known for its surprise purchase of the much larger American Broadcasting Company in 1985...
) with WTEN as its flagship station. In 1963, the studios of WTEN and WROW-AM were moved to new facilities on the north side of Albany on Northern Boulevard. WTEN remains at this location to this day although the radio station moved out of the facility in 1993. In 1967, the old studios in East Greenbush was burned down by a fire caused by arson.
In 1971, Capital Cities sold WTEN to Poole Broadcasting after it purchased WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
) in Philadelphia and WNHC-TV (now WTNH
WTNH
WTNH is the ABC-affiliated television station for the state of Connecticut that is licensed to New Haven. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Hamden. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate WCTX and the two...
) in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. This was because the purchases gave Capital Cities more VHF television stations than the FCC permitted at the time. In 1978, Poole sold WTEN, WJRT-TV
WJRT-TV
WJRT-TV, channel 12, is the ABC-affiliated station for the Flint/Tri-Cities television market, owned by SJL Broadcasting. Its studios are located in Flint, Michigan, with offices and a second newsroom for the Tri-Cities located in Saginaw...
in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, and WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts that is licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Homestead Avenue in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
to Knight-Ridder. The new owner signed an affiliation deal with ABC which resulted in WTEN swapping affiliations with WAST (now WNYT). Upon Knight-Ridder's exit from broadcasting in 1989, WTEN and sister station WKRN-TV
WKRN-TV
WKRN-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC-affiliated television station in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Young Broadcasting under the operation of Gray Television. Its transmitter is located in Brentwood, Tennessee....
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
were sold to Young Broadcasting. Because the Young purchases of the two stations plus WTEN satellite WCDC were made through two separate deals, they were consummated more than three months apart.
WTEN signed-on its digital signal on UHF channel 26 in 2004 and began offering high definition service right from the start. This can also be seen on Time Warner digital channel 1810. On October 1, 2007, Young Broadcasting launched the Retro Television Network on a new third digital subchannel of WTEN. This was part of a test of the network with sister stations WBAY-TV
WBAY-TV
WBAY-TV is the ABC television affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin, broadcasting on UHF digital channel 23 from a transmitter located in the town of Ledgeview, Wisconsin, and master control based in its building in downtown Green Bay...
in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
and KRON-TV
KRON-TV
KRON-TV, virtual channel 4 , is a television station in San Francisco, California, serving as the Bay Area affiliate of the MyNetworkTV programming service; the station is owned by Young Broadcasting...
in San Francisco. In an effort to cut costs, the company eliminated ten positions from WTEN on January 31, 2008 fueling speculations that the company might sell the station in order to pay down its financial debt. In January 2009, after failing to meet the minimum standards for being listed on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
, Young Broadcasting was dropped from the exchange. One month later, on February 13, they declared Chapter 11
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. The company planned to auction off its stations in a 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...
bankruptcy court on July 14, 2009 but canceled the auction last minute. However, Gray Television
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
(who now operates the station) is currently in talks to purchase WTEN and six other stations from Young Broadcasting. WTEN switched-off analog transmissions on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
. It remained on its pre-transition channel 26. Tune to channel 10 using PSIP.
WCDB
In the spring of 1956, satellite station WCDB on UHF channel 29 in HagamanHagaman, New York
Hagaman is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2000 census. It is named after Joseph Hagaman, the founding father....
was launched to reach areas where the main signal could not. This signed-off in 1957 after the WCDA move rendered WCDB superfluous even though it did provide some primary CBS coverage 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....
. The WCDB
WCDB
WCDB is a college radio station run by students attending The University at Albany in Albany, New York. Located at 90.9 FM WCDB's programming includes a wide range of music, news, sports and public affairs programs...
call sign would return to the air in 1978 for the student-run radio station at University at Albany
University at Albany, The State University of New York
The State University of New York at Albany, also known as University at Albany, State University of New York, SUNY Albany or simply UAlbany, is a public university located in Albany, Guilderland, and East Greenbush, New York, United States; is the senior campus of the State University of New York ...
.
WCDC
WCDC began broadcasting on February 5, 1954 as WMGT (Mount Greylock Television) on UHF channel 74. This was a separate station affiliated with the DuMontDuMont 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...
network. The tower location on Mount Greylock helped WMGT serve first as the market's secondary affiliate of DuMont and later as a major boost to WCDA. In December 1954, WMGT moved to UHF channel 19 extending the station's range to the Capital Region
Capital region
A capital region, also called a national capital region, capital district or capital territory is a common term for the region or district surrounding the capital city of a country or any other administrative division...
of New York State. In February 1956, it was forced off the air when a storm damaged its transmitter tower. When it returned to the air in 1957, the call letters were changed to the current WCDC and the station became second relay of WCDA in Albany. The WMGT
WMGT-TV
WMGT-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central Georgia that is licensed to Macon. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on GA 87/U.S. 23/U.S. 129 Alternate along the Bibb and Twiggs County line. The station is the flagship of owner Morris...
call sign has been used on the NBC
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...
affiliate in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
since 1983. WCDC's digital signal on UHF channel 36 signed on nearly eighteen months before WTEN's did. However, it did not upgrade to high definition until WTEN-DT signed-on.
News operation
In 2005, WTEN launched a 24-hour local weather channel, known as the "News 10 Storm Tracker Weather Channel", on a new second digital subchannel. Its regional 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...
is known as "News 10 Storm Tracker HD Doppler". On September 21, 2009, the station began airing the area's only weeknight 4 o'clock newscast. This show features news of the day and weather in addition to features associated with daily issues facing women, children, and families in the Capital Region. As a full-time satellite, WCDC simulcasts all newscasts from WTEN. While there are no separate segments during local broadcasts, there is coverage of Western Massachusetts and Southwestern Vermont. On October 26, 2011, WTEN became the second station in Albany to upgrade newscasts to high definition level.
Newscast titles
- Your Esso Reporter (1953–1956)
- News of the Night/Stratton Views the News (1956–1961)
- The Bob Hudson Report (1961–1967)
- The Big News (1967–1972)
- Action NewsAction NewsAction News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
(1972–1977) - NewsTeam 10 (1977–1980)
- TV-10 Action NewsAction NewsAction News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
(1980–1985) - 10 Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1985–1995) - News 10 (1995–present)
Station slogans
- "The News Team That's Leading the Way in Local News Coverage" (1995–2007)
- "The News Station" (2007–present)
News team
Anchors- Steve Ammerman - weekday mornings News 10 in the Morning
- Christina Arangio - weekday mornings News 10 in the Morning and noon
- Mark Baker - weekend evenings
- Lydia Kulbida - weekdays at 4, and weeknights at 5, 5:30 and 6 p.m.
- Elisa Streeter - weekdays at 4, and weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
Storm Tracker 10
- Steve Caporizzo (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and 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...
Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m., also "Ask Steve" and "Pet Connection" segment producer; heard on WTSA-AMWTSA (AM)WTSA is a radio station licensed to serve Brattleboro, Vermont. It first signed on in 1950. The station is an affiliate of ESPN Radio....
1450, WTSA-FMWTSA-FMWTSA-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Brattleboro, Vermont. It first signed on in 1975. The station airs a Hot adult contemporary music format....
96.7, WTMM-FM 104.5, WGNA-FMWGNA-FMWGNA-FM is a country music-formatted radio station licensed to Albany, New York and serving New York's Capital District. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, and broadcasts at 12.5 kilowatts from the Helderberg Mountains tower farm in New Scotland...
107.7, WQSH-FM 105.7 - Bryan Bachman - weather anchor; weekend evenings, also weekday fill-in
- Andy Gregorio (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings News 10 in the Morning and noon
- Mike Bennett - meteorologist; fill-in
Sports team
- Drew Brill - sports 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...
; weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m., also 1st and Ten host
Reporters
- Amy Cutler - general assignment reporter
- Taryn Fitsik - general assignment reporter
- Nicol Lally - general assignment reporter
- Christine O'Donnell - general assignment reporter
- Steve Pacer - general assignment reporter
- Anya Tucker - general assignment reporter
- Robert Boyd- general assignment reporter
Contributors
- Dr. Abha Amin - medical contributor
- Jay Bobbin - entertainment contributor
- Kristi Gustafson Barlette - lifestyle contributor
- Abigail Doolittle - financial contributor
- Dr. Frank Doberman - medical contributor
- Dr. Robert Donohue - medical contributor
- Caryn Kennedy - financial contributor
- Jeffrey Vahanian - financial contributor
External links
- WTEN/WCDC-TV "News 10" (can be entered into wireless devices for mobile access)
- ABC