WNWT-LD
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2020) |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | Local Now New York |
| Programming | |
| Subchannels | See § Digital channels |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| TV: WJLP, WZME Radio: WBBO, WBHX, WHTG, WKMK / WTHJ, WWZY | |
| History | |
| Founded | December 8, 1989[3] |
First air date | May 1, 1998 |
Former call signs | W38CL (until 2004) W03BM (2004) WBQM-LP (2004–2012) WBQM-LD (2012–2019) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 38 (UHF, 1998–2004) 3 (VHF, 2004–2011) Digital: 50 (UHF, 2011–2019) Virtual: 3 (PSIP, 2009–2011, 2013) 51 (PSIP, 2013–July 2019) 6 (VHF, late July 2019) 18 (PSIP, late July–August 1, 2019) |
| The Box (1998–2001) MTV2 (2001–2006) Cornerstone Television (2006–2012) Spanish Independent (2012–2013, 2014–2019) CNN en Español (2013–2014) Local weather (2019; now on DT2) NewsNet (2019-2021) | |
Call sign meaning | News, Weather, Talk |
| Technical information[4] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 22797 |
| Class | LD |
| ERP | 6.96 kW 9 kW (CP)[5] |
| HAAT | 340.2 m (1,116 ft) 476 m (1,562 ft) (CP)[5] |
| Transmitter coordinates | 40°45′22.4″N 73°59′10.5″W / 40.756222°N 73.986250°W 40°42′46.8″N 74°0′47.3″W / 40.713000°N 74.013139°W (CP)[5] |
| Links | |
Public license information | LMS |
| Website | www |
WNWT-LD, virtual channel 37 (VHF digital channel 3), is a Local Now-affiliated television station licensed to New York, New York, United States. Owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting, it is a sister station to Weigel's duopoly of Middletown Township, New Jersey-licensed MeTV owned-and-operated station WJLP (channel 33) and Bridgeport, Connecticut-licensed MeTV Plus owned-and-operated station WZME (channel 43). WNWT-LD and WJLP share studios in Freehold Township, New Jersey, and transmitter facilities at 4 Times Square in midtown Manhattan. Despite WNWT-LD legally holding a low-power license, it transmits using WJLP's full-power spectrum. This ensures complete reception across the New York City television market.
The station has used various virtual channels since its conversion to digital television in 2012, due to the lack of allocations in the New York and Philadelphia markets, starting on channel 3 (conflicting with KYW-TV), then 51 (averting a conflict with NJTV station WNJN on channel 50) from late 2013 until mid-2019, then 6 and 18 (conflicting with WPVI-TV, then WUVN in Hartford, Connecticut), before finally settling on channel 37 on August 1, 2019.
History
As W38CL, W03BM, and WBQM-LP
Founded in 1989 as the second over the air television station in Brooklyn, the station didn't go on the air until 1998. Originally on channel 38 as W38CL, licensed to (The) Bronx with its transmitter at Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle, it was later moved to channel 3 due to a reassignment of channel 38 to WWOR-TV as its new digital companion channel and WPXU-LP in Amityville, New York. Throughout the 1990s the station ran The Box, and later MTV2 through transfer of ownership from Viacom. At that point in early 2006, it switched to Cornerstone Television. On August 17, 2007, Renard Communications Corp. (which owned almost all of New York State's The Box affiliates) announced that he would sell WBQM-LP, along with, at that time, sister station WMBQ-CA to Equity Media Holdings for $8 million.[6] However, the transaction had a closing deadline set for June 1, 2008, and either party could cancel the sale if it were not completed by then. The sale was not consummated.[7] As of December 8, 2008, Equity Media Holdings was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
As WBQM-LD
In February 2012, Renard reached another deal to sell WBQM-LD, this time to Buenavision TV Network NY, LLC (WMBQ was sold separately several months earlier).[8]
As of February 2013, WBQM-LD affiliated with CNN en Español and transmitted CNN en Español's signal on virtual channel 3.1 and 3.4, while the local Buenavision signal was on 3.2. As of November 2013 its virtual channel changed from channel 3 to channel 51, although its real channel frequency on channel 50 didn't change. CNN en Español was removed in 2014 to join WRNN-TV thus returning to a Spanish independent station.
As WNWT-LD
On December 9, 2018, BuenaVision agreed to sell WBQM-LD to PMCM TV for over $300,000. The deal, which was completed on February 19, 2019, made WBQM-LD a sister station to WJLP. On April 18, the station changed its callsign to WNWT-LD, and then on May 1, it became a primary NewsNet affiliate. In late July 2019, WNWT moved from channel 51 to channel 6 and later to channel 18 which is currently airing weather reports simulcasting WJLP 33.10 before switching back to NewsNet a week later. At the same time WNWT-WX has moved to its second sub channel.
On August 1, the station switched to virtual channel 37, a rare assignment in broadcasting in North America, likely to prevent adjacent-market confusion with Hartford, Connecticut Univision affiliate WUVN, which has long held channel 18 (the channel 6 assignment was likewise also temporary due to a probable objection from ABC O&O WPVI-TV in Philadelphia). The physical channel 37 is reserved by most broadcasting authorities for the purposes of radio astronomy and medical telemetry, though a PSIP assignment of WNWT-LD's VHF physical channel otherwise causes no interference for those purposes.
Sale to Weigel Broadcasting
On October 11, 2021, PMCM TV announced a pending sale of WNWT-LD and WJLP to Weigel Broadcasting of Chicago for $62.5 million.[2] The sale was completed on January 7, 2022.[9]
Technical information
Subchannels
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.1 | 480i | 16:9 | LCLNow | Main WNWT-LD programming / Local Now |
| 37.2 | WNWT-WX | Local weather | ||
| 37.3 | NJ News | Simulcast of WJLP-DT9 / NewsNet, New Jersey News Network |
References
- ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for WJLP". RabbitEars.Info. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "Assignments". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- ^ "Call Sign History". fcc.gov. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WNWT-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b c "Amendment to a Modification of a Licensed Facility for DTV Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. May 25, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-05-26. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Equity Media Announces Acquisition of Three New York City Television Stations Archived 2009-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Equity ends newscasts; N.Y. station buy teeters Archived 2009-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Notification of Consummation". Licensing & Management System. Federal Communications Commission. January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.