WNYB

WNYB

Jamestown/Buffalo, New York
Channels	Digital: 26 (UHF)
Subchannels	26.1 TCT SD 26.2 TCT HD 26.3 TCT Family 26.4 La Fuente
Translators	WBNF-CA 15 Buffalo W42CO-D Rochester
Affiliations	Tri-State Christian Television
Owner	Faith Broadcasting Network, Inc. (Faith Broadcasting Network, Inc.)
First air date	1966
Call letters' meaning	New York Buffalo (carried over calls from Channel 49)
Former callsigns	WNYP-TV (1966-1969) WTJA-TV (1988-1991)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 26 (1966-1969, 1988-1991, 1997-2009)
Transmitter power	234 kW
Height	463 m
Facility ID	30303
Transmitter coordinates	42°23′36″N 79°13′44″W
Website	tct-net.org

WNYB is an inspirational broadcast television station licensed to Jamestown, New York, servicing the Buffalo New York market. WNYB is owned by Faith Broadcasting Network, Inc. and is a programming affiliate of the TCT Network. WNYB broadcasts on digital virtual channel 26.1, 26.2, 26.3 and 26.4 from its main transmitter facility in Arkwright and studios at 5775 Big Tree Road in Orchard Park. WNYB also operates a translator station, WBNF-CD, that services the Buffalo metropolitan area as well as southeastern Ontario.

The Channel 26 license has been in existence since the 1960s, when it was utilized by an independent station called WNYP-TV circa 1966-1969. The station's majority shareholder was Lowell W. "Bud" Paxson, who later co-founded the Home Shopping Network. Shortly after becoming the first American station to ever affiliate with a Canadian TV network (CTV, via relay of the CFTO-TV Toronto off-air signal), affiliates of the "Big 3" U.S. networks threatened legal action, and the station went dark, a week after curtailing local news broadcasts and abruptly laying off staff.

The station had become notorious and almost legendary among Western New York's broadcast community of the day, for gaffes and programming mishaps. Strange things took place that some at the time thought was due to incompetence, or even employee sabotage. For instance, the station showed the same episode of The Aquanauts several times, every day at the same time, over a two week period. Also, the equipment used to pick up the CFTO off-air signal for the CTV network feed on occasion would relay the video from distant TV stations in Cadillac, Michigan and Syracuse, New York, instead of Toronto. Often, when CFTO video actually was being rebroadcast, the station switcher failed to drop the CFTO identification to display the WNYP call letters, which was considered a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) violation. Inexplicably, the audio line from a Jamestown radio station could sometimes be heard in the background of the CTV programming.

Shortly before it went dark the station started to identify as "WJTV", when it quickly had to revert back to "WNYP" because the FCC denied permission for them to use those call letters. (Paxson later started the PAX TV network, now known as Ion Television, and owns WPXJ-TV in the market.)

After going dark, the channel was used for much if the 1970's and '80's by a low power experimental Appalachian Television Service "translator" relay station (W26AA) of WNED-TV from Buffalo, operated by the regional Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which was able to originate local programming from studios in Fredonia.

The license was re-issued to a new group years later, and Channel 26 signed on again on September 24, 1988 under the new calls WTJA. Part of the station's programming lineup duplicated those on the Buffalo stations. Much of the programming consisted of public domain material, and the station was virtually ignored by local advertisers. Buffalo area cable systems were unable to receive an adequate signal from the transmitter, and declined carriage on that basis. The "Grade B" signal coverage barely reached the southern Buffalo suburbs, and the station once again went dark in 1991, due to financial problems.

Grant Broadcasting purchased the license in 1995. Rather than immediately putting the station back on the air, Grant negotiated with Tri-State Christian Television, owner of WNYB Channel 49 (now WNYO), for the Channel 49 position, in exchange for the Channel 26 position, cash and a new broadcasting facility. With a new 5 MegaWatt transmitter and tall tower in one of the highest hills of western New York State, channel 26 would change from having a very poor signal to one of the largest coverage areas in the U.S. Northeast, viewable from Erie, Pennsylvania to the southwest suburbs of Toronto, Ontario.

Tri-State accepted, and on January 10, 1997, it took over the Channel 26 position, moving its religious programming and the WNYB call letters to the new channel. (Grant in turn took over Channel 49, which became WB and now myNetworkTV affiliate WNYO-TV).

WNYB completed its transition to full-time digital broadcasting in early May 2009. Its digital signal, which had been seen on channel 27, was moved back to channel 26 when the analog signal was turned off. As such, the station does not use a virtual channel.

Digital television

Channel	Programming
26.1	WNYB/TCT programming in 480i SD
26.2	TCT HD, a 1080i channel featuring an all-HD programming schedule different from TCT's main grid
26.3	TCT Family, a 480i channel mainly featuring public domain sitcoms and films and Christian children's programming
26.4	La Fuente (Spanish religious programming)

External links

• TCT
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WNYB
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WBNF-CA
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W42CO-D
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WNYB-TV