| |
---|---|
City | Nashua, New Hampshire |
Channels | |
Branding | NBC10 Boston |
Programming | |
Affiliations | |
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
History | |
First air date | January 29, 1988 |
Former call signs |
|
Former channel number(s) |
|
| |
Technical information [1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 9766 |
Class | CD |
ERP | 922 kW |
HAAT | 388.3 m (1,274 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°18′37″N71°14′12″W / 42.31028°N 71.23667°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
WBTS-CD (channel 15), branded as NBC10 Boston , is a Class A television station licensed to Nashua, New Hampshire, United States, serving as the NBC outlet for the Boston area. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Merrimack, New Hampshire–licensed Telemundo station WNEU (channel 60); it is also sister to regional cable news channel New England Cable News (NECN) and regional sports network NBC Sports Boston. The four outlets share studios at the NBCU Boston Media Center on B Street in Needham, Massachusetts. WBTS-CD is broadcast by full-power WGBX-TV (channel 44) from its transmitter site on Cedar Street, also in Needham, giving it full coverage of the Boston television market. It is branded as channel 10 owing to its primary cable channel position. [2] [3]
The license started in Nashua on January 29, 1988, as W13BG "TV13 Nashua", a low-power community television station which later changed its call sign to WYCN-LP in 1996. Its programming consisted of local-service programming for the Nashua area and content already aired by local cable systems as well as, later on, FamilyNet. WYCN-LP and associated translators were sold to New Hampshire 1 Network, a company controlled by William H. Binnie, in 2010. Three years later, Binnie sold WYCN-LP to OTA Broadcasting, which removed remaining local content and converted the station to digital broadcasting.
OTA Broadcasting sold the spectrum underlying WYCN-CD in the FCC's 2017 incentive auction. Without a transmitter, the station arranged to share the transmitter of WGBX-TV, giving it full-power coverage in the Boston market. OTA Broadcasting then sold WYCN-CD to NBC, whose NBC Boston service had launched at the start of 2017 on several transmitters but lacked a single primary signal. The station changed call signs to WBTS-CD in 2019 in anticipation of the relocation of the former WBTS-LD license, now WYCN-LD, to serve the Providence, Rhode Island, area.
The station came to the air at 8 p.m. on January 29, 1988, as W13BG on VHF channel 13 in Nashua; [4] its license was granted on July 29. [5] Founded by Robert Rines [6] and owned by Center Broadcasting Corporation of New Hampshire, a non-profit partnership between the Concord–based Franklin Pierce Law Center and the Boston–based Academy of Law Sciences, the station aired local community programming for the Nashua area, along with programming that was already being sold to cable stations though the Yankee Communications Network. [4] Channel 13 changed its callsign to WYCN-LP on April 8, 1996. [7] Its tower in the analog era of television was on the campus of Rivier University, between two above-ground reservoirs and Brassard Hall, with studios in Memorial Hall on the same campus. [8]
WYCN-LP was nearly dropped by Harron Cable on its Nashua-area systems in October 1999 to accommodate a must-carry request by WMFP (channel 62), [9] a move that could have led to the closure of channel 13 [10] even though its carriage on MediaOne in Nashua itself was not affected. [9] Its carriage was ultimately continued by Adelphia Communications following its purchase of Harron, [11] though the station was dropped for a time in 2000 after an additional must-carry request, from WYDN (channel 48), while Adelphia rebuilt the systems. [12] By August 11, 2000, WYCN-LP had been authorized to carry programming from FamilyNet. [13]
WYCN-LP, along with three co-owned translators in Nashua, Manchester, and Concord, was sold by Center Broadcasting Corporation of New Hampshire to New Hampshire 1 Network, a company controlled by William H. Binnie, in 2010; [14] by this point, control of the stations had passed to longtime WYCN staffers Gordon Jackson and Carolyn Choate [6] following the death of Robert Rines. [15] The deal was completed January 3, 2012; [16] in the meantime, Binnie would also acquire WBIN-TV (channel 50, now WWJE-DT) in Derry. As a result of the sale, much of WYCN's community programming, including aldermatic debates, was discontinued. [17] In December 2012, the station's studios moved from Rivier University to a location shared with sister station WFNQ (106.3 FM). [18]
New Hampshire 1 Network filed to sell WYCN-LP to OTA Broadcasting, a company controlled by Michael Dell's MSD Capital, on January 14, 2013; the three translators were not included in the deal, [19] and began to simulcast WBIN-TV. Operation of WYCN continued to be handled by New Hampshire 1. [20] At the time of the sale, WYCN was affiliated with My Family TV. [21] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the sale on March 22, [22] and it was completed on May 20. [23]
WYCN-LP resumed producing local programming soon after the sale to OTA Broadcasting, rehiring Gordon Jackson and Carolyn Choate as station managers; [6] however, in June 2013, Comcast (successor to both Harron/Adelphia and MediaOne) informed the station that it would be dropped from its lineup as of August 15 due to the earlier cessation of local programming, as well as its limited broadcast reach and continued analog broadcasting, even though WYCN had a construction permit to convert to digital operations and increase its broadcast range. [24] [25] [26] [27] Comcast subsequently pushed back the date of the removal to September 3, despite protests from viewers, politicians, and Nashua's public access station. [28]
Due to its low power, WYCN's analog signal reached only portions of Nashua, its city of license. In contrast, its digital signal was expected to reach Manchester and Boston. The digital facility was planned to sign on by December 2013; [29] construction was held up by the need to use a helicopter to remove a former antenna for WNDS (now WWJE-DT) from the tower on Merrill Hill in Hudson that WYCN planned to use, an operation that was delayed to May 2014 by winter weather. [30] The conversion to digital was licensed by the FCC on October 23, 2014; concurrent with the launch of the digital signal, the analog channel 13 signal was shut down.
Until January 2018, WYCN-CD's original digital transmitter was 625 feet (0.191 km) off Trigate Road in rural Hudson, southeast of Nashua. The station's pre-auction digital signal broadcast on UHF channel 36, using virtual channel 13.
WYCN-CD sold its frequency rights as part of the FCC's spectrum auction for $80.4 million. OTA Broadcasting entered into a channel sharing agreement with WGBX-TV (channel 44) for the station; NBC agreed to purchase the channel share agreement [31] and the WYCN-CD license in October 2017. [32] In December 2017, the station announced on its website that it would "cease broadcasting on its current frequency on January 16, 2018 and begin broadcasting NBC Boston on a new frequency." [33] As WYCN's signal overlaps with WGME-TV in Portland, Maine, which also uses virtual channel 13, WYCN began using virtual channel 15 following the commencement of channel sharing, as WGME's post-auction physical channel is 15 (WGME's pre-auction channel, 38, was not available to WYCN as virtual channel 38 is assigned to WSBK-TV). [34]
The sale to NBC was completed on January 18, 2018; [35] the station began channel sharing with WGBX the same day. Before this transition, WYCN-CD was affiliated with Heroes & Icons (H&I), [32] which also maintained a full-market affiliation on the second subchannel of WSBK-TV.
On August 8, 2019, WBTS-LD (channel 8) and WYCN-CD swapped call signs, with channel 8 becoming WYCN-LD and channel 15 changing to WBTS-CD. [36] [37] On August 31, 2019, WYCN-LD left the air in advance of its October 2019 transmitter move to Norton, Massachusetts, and city of license change to Providence, Rhode Island; [38] WYCN-LD now serves as a Telemundo station for Providence, leaving WBTS-CD as the sole NBC station for the Boston area.
As a programming strategy, that just mystifies me. If you have four McDonald's on the block, why would you want to build another one?
Alan Schroeder,professor of journalism, Northeastern University, on the format of NBC10 Boston's news [39]
Concurrent with the launch, NBC Boston debuted a full suite of local newscasts. Early reviews found the news effort competitive with Boston's established local TV newsrooms but noted that the style—more in line with traditional major-market network affiliates than the flashy approach characteristic of WHDH—was not innovative and similar to other stations. The staff consisted of a blend of new hires, younger than anchors at other stations, and existing NECN talent, as well as Pete Bouchard [40] and Phil Lipof, previously of WCVB. To the existing resources of NECN and WNEU, NBC added approximately 80 employees, new vehicles for weather coverage, and a leased helicopter. [41] [42] A second former WCVB anchor, J. C. Monahan, left that station to join NBC Boston in July 2017. [43]
A year after the switch and launch, NBC10 Boston and WHDH had opposite ratings performances. WHDH had largely maintained its news audience, including first- and second-place finishes in the morning and at 5 and 6 p.m. Meanwhile, NBC10 frequently ranked fifth out of five stations, though marquee fall network programming provided an improvement in the second half of 2017. [39] One reason for the poor performance was loyalty to existing stations in the Boston market. [44]
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
15.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WBTS-CD | NBC |
15.2 | 480i | Cozi | Cozi TV | |
WGBX-TV, branded GBH 44, is the secondary PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation, alongside WGBH-TV, WFXZ-CD, and multiple public radio stations in Boston and on Cape Cod. WGBX-TV, WGBH-TV and the WGBH and WCRB radio stations share studios on Guest Street in northwest Boston's Brighton neighborhood; WGBX-TV's transmitter is located on Cedar Street in Needham, Massachusetts.
WMUR-TV is a television station licensed to Manchester, New Hampshire, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate to most of New Hampshire. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on South Commercial Street in downtown Manchester, and its transmitter is located on the south peak of Mount Uncanoonuc in Goffstown.
In the broadcasting industry, an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television or radio station owned by the network with which it is associated. This distinguishes such a station from an affiliate, which is independently owned and carries network programming by contract.
WMFP is a television station licensed to Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States, serving the Boston area and primarily airing paid programming from OnTV4U. It is owned by WRNN-TV Associates alongside Norwell-licensed WWDP. Through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WWDP's spectrum from a tower off Pleasant Street in West Bridgewater. WMFP's studios are located on Lakeland Park Drive in Peabody.
WNEU is a television station licensed to Merrimack, New Hampshire, United States, serving as the Boston-area outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group alongside Nashua, New Hampshire–licensed Class A NBC station WBTS-CD, which shares spectrum with Boston-based PBS member station WGBX-TV to provide full-market coverage.
WYCN-LD is a low-power television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language network Telemundo. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group, the station has studios on Kenney Drive in Cranston, Rhode Island, and its transmitter is located on East Main Street in Norton, Massachusetts.
WWJE-DT is a television station licensed to Derry, New Hampshire, United States, serving the Boston area as an affiliate of True Crime Network. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision alongside Marlborough, Massachusetts–licensed Univision-owned station WUNI. The two stations share main studios and transmitter facilities on Parmenter Road in Hudson, Massachusetts. WWJE is operated separately from WUNI's joint sales agreement (JSA) with Entravision Communications–owned UniMás affiliate WUTF-TV in Worcester.
New England Cable News (NECN) is a regional 24-hour cable news television network owned and operated by NBCUniversal serving the New England region of the United States. It focuses on regional news, though in some low priority timeslots, paid programming and programming from WNBC such as Talk Stoop and Open House are seen.
WVAW-LD is a low-power television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group alongside dual CBS/Fox affiliate WCAV. The two stations share studios on Rio East Court in Charlottesville; WVAW-LD's transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city.
WVTX-CD was a low-power, Class A television station licensed to Bridgeport, Ohio, United States, serving the Wheeling, West Virginia–Steubenville, Ohio market. WVTX-CD, along with its transmission facilities, were owned by OTA Broadcasting, LLC, a company owned by Michael Dell's MSD Capital, which also owned 11 other Class A television stations. WTRF's owner, Nexstar Media Group, programmed WVTX under a time brokerage agreement.
WRDM-CD is a Class A television station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut, United States, serving as the Hartford–New Haven market's outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group alongside NBC outlet WVIT. The two stations share studios on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford and transmitter facilities on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, Connecticut. Despite WRDM-CD legally holding a low-power Class A license, it transmits using WVIT's full-power spectrum. This ensures complete reception across the Hartford–New Haven market.
WYCI is a television station licensed to Saranac Lake, New York, United States, serving the Burlington, Vermont–Plattsburgh, New York area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Burlington-licensed CBS affiliate WCAX-TV. The two stations share studios on Joy Drive in South Burlington, Vermont; WYCI's transmitter is located on Mount Pisgah north of Saranac Lake, along the Essex–Franklin county line.
KPSE-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Palm Springs, California, United States, serving the Coachella Valley as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Entravision Communications, and is sister to NBC affiliate KMIR-TV, Indio-licensed Univision affiliate KVER-CD and UniMás affiliate KEVC-CD. KPSE and KMIR share studios on Parkview Drive in Palm Desert; KEVC and KVER maintain separate facilities on Corporate Way, also in Palm Desert. KPSE's transmitter is located atop Edom Hill in Cathedral City.
WHNH-CD is a low-power, Class A independent television station serving Hartford, Connecticut, United States, but nominally licensed to Manchester, Vermont. Owned by Vision Communications, the station maintains a transmitter on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, Connecticut. It currently brands as YCN, an initialism for "Yankee Communications Network".
WSVF-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States, affiliated with Fox and CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside ABC affiliate WHSV-TV and low-powered dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WSVW-LD. The three stations share studios on North Main Street/US 11 in downtown Harrisonburg, and operate a newsroom in Fishersville, serving Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. WSVF-CD's transmitter is located atop Massanutten Mountain. There is no separate website for WSVF-CD; instead, it is integrated with that of sister station WHSV-TV.
NBC Owned Television Stations is the division of NBCUniversal Owned TV Stations (NBCUniversal), a subsidiary of Comcast that oversees the NBC owned-and-operated television stations, Cozi TV network, LXTV and Skycastle Entertainment, its in-house marketing and promotion company. NBCUniversal's Telemundo owned-and-operated stations are held in the separate Telemundo Station Group.
OTA Broadcasting, LLC was a broadcasting company founded in 2011 by Michael Dell. The company was based in Fairfax, Virginia.
Telemundo Station Group is the division of NBCUniversal Owned TV Stations (NBCUniversal), a subsidiary of Comcast that oversees their Telemundo owned-and-operated television stations and the TeleXitos network. The NBC owned-and-operated stations are held in the separate NBC Owned Television Stations division.
NBC10 Boston is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, owned and operated by the NBC television network. It broadcasts from studios in Needham—shared with NBC Sports Boston, New England Cable News, and Telemundo station WNEU—and the transmitter of WGBX-TV in the same city.