TW3 (Albany, New York)

Last updated
TW3
Country United States
Broadcast area Capital District of NY State, Saratoga County, South Adirondack region, Mohawk Valley, and most of Berkshire County, MA
Headquarters Albany, New York
Programming
Picture format 4:3 standard definition
Ownership
Owner Time Warner Cable
Sister channels Capital News 9, News 8 Austin, NY1, News 10 Now
History
LaunchedOctober 2002
Closed2008
Links
Website

TW3 was a cable television network owned by Time Warner Cable. It was carried on Time Warner Cable systems in the Capital District of New York and that area's suburbs including Saratoga County, the southern Adirondack region, the Mohawk Valley, and most of Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

Contents

TW3 was formed in October 2002 as the improved successor to Time Warner 9, a similar station that was succeeded on the Time Warner lineup by sister station Capital News 9 and taking over the channel 3 position which had been pay-per-view previews. On most of Time Warner's Albany-area systems, TW3 occupied the channel 3 position though there were several exceptions, namely former Adelphia systems or systems where an "actual" channel 3 (WCAX in Burlington, Vermont or WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut) has that channel position. Those systems are:

It was never an over the air station, just a program source carried by Time Warner.

Programming

Much of TW3's programming was locally originated. The more notable series produced for the station were as follows:

TW3 also served as the Albany-area affiliate of the SUNY-owned New York Network, the Educational-access television programming of which aired mostly during daytime hours though their Regents review specials often end up in primetime.

Sports coverage

TW3 produces and airs a sizeable slate of local sports coverage including high school athletics (football, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse), UAlbany and Siena athletics, Albany Devils hockey, Union College men's hockey and RPI Men's Hockey. Regionally and beyond, TW3 was the Albany affiliate for ESPN Plus coverage of Big East football and basketball as well as America East Conference network coverage alongside their UAlbany rights. New Jersey Nets games which are seen on WWOR in New York City air on TW3 as well. It also airs New York Yankees games that do not air on ESPN or are not picked up by WXXA from New York City based channel WWOR-TV.

Outside of the Albany area, some TW3 sports programming is simulcast or rebroadcast on Time Warner Cable Sports.

Preemptions

The station picks up several preempted programs from local broadcast stations that are unable to air them:

Time Warner 9

The predecessor to TW3, Time Warner 9, was on the air from 1997 (when Time Warner purchased the CVI and Cablevision systems in the market) until 2002. Originally, the channel was primarily a barker channel for the then-new services of digital cable and Road Runner plus a clearinghouse for overflow sports programming, most notably WWOR-produced New York Mets games. After Time Warner purchased the former TCI systems in Schenectady and Amsterdam in 1999, it evolved into a showcase for Time Warner's own programming as well as a home for local sports programming. Time Warner 9 was also the home for New York Yankees games in 1999 and from 2000 until 2002 aired a replay of WRGB's 6:00 p.m. newscast at 6:30 p.m., the success of which was a catalyst for the establishment of its replacement, Capital News 9.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYT (TV)</span> NBC affiliate in Albany, New York

WNYT is a television station licensed to Albany, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an affiliate of NBC. It is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting alongside Pittsfield, Massachusetts–licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYA. Both stations share studios on North Pearl Street in Menands, while WNYT's transmitter is located on the Helderberg Escarpment west of New Salem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBQC-LD</span> Television station in Ohio, United States

WBQC-LD, branded on-air as WKRP Channel 25, is a low-power television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Owned by Block Broadcasting, it is affiliated with several digital multicast networks, including Cozi TV on its main channel. WBQC's transmitter is located along Symmes Street, just south of East McMillan Street in Cincinnati. Block also previously operated sister Class A station WOTH-CD ; that station went dark on January 23, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRGB</span> CBS affiliate in Schenectady, New York

WRGB is a television station licensed to Schenectady, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside CW affiliate WCWN. Both stations share studios on Balltown Road in Niskayuna, New York, while WRGB's transmitter is located on the Helderberg Escarpment west of New Salem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTEN</span> ABC affiliate in Albany, New York

WTEN is a television station licensed to Albany, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, it is a sister station to Fox affiliate WXXA-TV, which is operated under joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. Both stations share studios on Northern Boulevard in Albany's Bishop's Gate section, while WTEN's transmitter is located on the Helderberg Escarpment west of New Salem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectrum News 1 Capital Region</span> Television channel

Spectrum News 1 Capital Region is an American cable news television channel owned by Charter Communications as an affiliate of its Spectrum News slate of regional news channels. The channel provides 24-hour rolling news coverage focused primarily on the Capital District of eastern New York. The channel is headquartered in Albany, New York, and maintains a sub feed serving the Hudson Valley region. Spectrum News 1 Capital Region is carried on channel 9 throughout most of the region, although its channel slot varies in the towns of Queensbury and Canajoharie, and in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMHT (TV)</span> PBS member station in Schenectady, New York

WMHT is a television station licensed to Schenectady, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as a member of PBS. It is owned by WMHT Educational Telecommunications alongside NPR member WMHT-FM (89.1). The two stations share studios in the Rensselaer Technology Park in North Greenbush ; the TV station's transmitter is located in the Helderberg Escarpment in New Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXXA-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Albany, New York

WXXA-TV is a television station licensed to Albany, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting and operated under joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) by Nexstar Media Group, owner of ABC affiliate WTEN. Both stations share studios on Northern Boulevard in Albany's Bishop's Gate section, while WXXA-TV's transmitter is located on the Helderberg Escarpment west of New Salem.

WCWN is a television station licensed to Schenectady, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside CBS affiliate WRGB. Both stations share studios on Balltown Road in Niskayuna, New York, while WCWN's transmitter is located on the Helderberg Escarpment west of New Salem. WCWN brands as CW 15 after the cable channel position on Charter Spectrum and Verizon Fios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYA</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Pittsfield, Massachusetts

WNYA is a television station licensed to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States, serving New York's Capital District as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting alongside Albany-licensed NBC affiliate WNYT. Both stations share studios on North Pearl Street in Menands, while WNYA's transmitter is located on the Helderberg Escarpment west of New Salem.

WRNN-TV is a television station licensed to New Rochelle, New York, United States, serving the New York City area as an affiliate of ShopHQ. It serves as the flagship station of Rye Brook–based WRNN-TV Associates; its headquarters and WRNN-TV's studios are co-located on Westchester Avenue in Rye Brook. Through a channel sharing agreement with WWOR-TV, the station transmits using WWOR-TV's spectrum from a tower atop One World Trade Center.

WEDG-TV was a cable-only UPN affiliate in New York's Capital District which was a joint venture between Time Warner Cable and Fox affiliate WXXA-TV.

WMHT-FM is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station licensed to Schenectady, and serving the Capital District of New York. It has a classical music radio format, with most programming originating in-house, but with some shows and news from National Public Radio, American Public Media and the Public Radio Exchange. It is the sister station to WMHT Channel 17, the PBS member station for the Albany/Schenectady/Troy media market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire Sports Network</span> Former American regional sports network

Empire Sports Network was an American regional sports network that was owned by the Adelphia Communications Corporation. The network was available on cable providers in much of upstate New York, as well as parts of northern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. The network ceased operations on March 7, 2005, in the midst of Adelphia's financial collapse and bankruptcy.

Syndication exclusivity is a federal law implemented by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States that is designed to protect a local television station's rights to syndicated television programs by granting exclusive broadcast rights to the station for that program in their local market, usually defined by a station's Nielsen Designated Market Area.

WVBG-LD, virtual channel 25, is a low-power Buzzr-affiliated television station licensed to Greenwich, New York, United States. The station is owned by Wireless Access, LLC, a group of rural telephone companies in Upstate New York and Vermont, and operates as a translator of Cobleskill-licensed WYBN-LD. WVBG-LD's transmitter is located in Clarksville, New York.

The media in New York's Capital District is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy media market, which is the 59th largest in the United States, includes all of the 11 counties of the Capital District, along with Hamilton County, New York, as well as Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and Bennington County, Vermont. In total, there are 16 AM/MW stations, 30 full-power FM stations, 14 low-power FM translators, 8 full power analog TV stations, 5 low-power TV translators, and 8 full power digital TV (DTV) stations licensed to communities within 30 miles (48 km) of downtown Albany. In terms of broadcast media, Albany is part of Arbitron market #63 (radio), and Nielsen DMA #57 (television), and is a broadcast market with historical relevance. The pioneering influence of General Electric in Schenectady directly contributed to the area emerging as the birthplace of station-based television (WRGB) and one of the earliest FM broadcast stations, in addition to the first federally licensed radio station in upstate New York, WGY.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectrum Sports (New York)</span> Network of regional sports cable television stations

Spectrum Sports was a network of regional sports cable television stations serving much of the upstate New York area. The stations, which were owned and operated by Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016, were available in Rochester, Binghamton, Syracuse and Buffalo. The network broadcast a variety of local college and minor league sports games and was the de facto successor to the Buffalo-based Empire Sports Network. Unlike most regional sports networks, Spectrum Sports was never available on satellite television, nor was it available in areas of upstate that are served by companies other than Charter Spectrum/Time Warner Cable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectrum News</span> Group of cable news channels owned by Charter Communications

Spectrum News is the brand for a slate of cable news television channels that are owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016. Each of the 15 regional channels primarily focus on local news, weather and sports coverage in their given areas, in addition to national and international news stories. With the exception of NY1, none of the six channels are available on other pay television providers in their respective markets, including Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse, DirecTV or Dish Network. In July 2022, Charter added all Spectrum News networks, including NY1, Bay News 9 and News 13, to their Spectrum TV mobile and smart TV apps within the 2200s tier of channels, allowing nationwide access to their full suite of networks for Spectrum subscribers.

Spectrum Community was a regional cable television network owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016, with coverage throughout Time Warner Cable systems throughout Maine and Northern New Hampshire. The channel broadcasts local programming and local high school and minor league sports. The channel was previously named Time Warner Cable Community and Time Warner Cable Television before that.

WEPT-CD, virtual channel 15, is a low-power, Class A Jewelry Television-affiliated television station licensed to Newburgh, New York, United States. The station is owned by Venture Technologies Group.