WVBG-LD

Last updated

WVBG-LD
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
Former call signs
  • W04AS (1968–October 1997)
  • W25CF (October–December 1997)
  • WVBG-LP (1998–2021)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 4 (VHF, 1968–1998), 25 (UHF, 1998–2008), 41 (UHF, 2008–2009)
  • Digital: 41 (UHF, 2009–2021)
  • NET (as translator, 1968–1970)
  • PBS (as translator, 1970–1997)
  • Dark (1997−August 1998 and 2003−2011)
  • Independent (August–October 1998, 2000−2001, and 2011–2021)
  • UPN (October 1998–2000)
  • RSN (2001–2003)
  • Buzzr (2021–2024)
Call sign meaning
Vision 3 Broadcasting Group (former owner) [1]
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 74018
Class LD
ERP 15 kW
HAAT 159.4 m (523 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 42°32′26.9″N73°58′23.3″W / 42.540806°N 73.973139°W / 42.540806; -73.973139 (WVBG-LD)
Links
Public license information
LMS

WVBG-LD (channel 25) is a low-power television station in Greenwich, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an owned-and-operated outlet of the 24/7 news network NewsNet. Owned by Bridge Media Networks, the station maintains a transmitter in Clarksville, New York.

Contents

History

What is now WVBG-LD has its origins in a translator station on channel 4 serving Gilboa, Prattsville, and Roxbury, operated by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services of the Third Supervisory District of Delaware, Greene, and Schoharie counties and carrying programming from WMHT in Schenectady, WCNY-TV in Syracuse, and WNDT in New York City. [3] The station, which was granted its construction permit in 1966, [3] went on the air two years later as W04AS. [4] On February 8, 1991, the Otsego-Northern Catskills BOCES transferred the station to the WSKG Public Telecommunications Council; [5] by this point, W04AS was a translator for WSKG-TV in Binghamton.

On May 17, 1996, WSKG filed an application to move W04AS to channel 25 in Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, New York, with a transmitter located on the Helderberg Escarpment. [6] That July, Vision 3 Broadcasting announced that it would purchase W04AS and operate the station as the flagship of a group of three low-power television stations in the Capital District, along with W83AL (channel 83) in Andes (which would have also been acquired from WSKG and be converted into W21BU channel 21 in Hudson, Catskill, and Chatham) and W02CJ (channel 2) in Manchester, Vermont (which was acquired from Ronald and Jan Morlino, two of Vision 3's principals, and converted to W39CE channel 39 in Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs, Easton, and Hudson Falls). [7] The channel 21 signal was dropped from the network by 1997 after it was determined that its coverage area could be served with the channel 25 signal; by then, the group (which, despite each station operating on different channels, was branded simply "TV 25") also included W49BU (channel 49) in Manchester, Vermont. [8] The move to channel 25 was granted a construction permit on October 2, 1997, [6] and issued the call sign W25CF; [9] on November 5, Vision 3's parent company Sharp Vision completed its purchase of the station from WSKG. [10] The call letters were changed to WVBG-LP on December 12, 1997. [11]

Because of the delay in receiving the construction permit, channel 25 was the last of the three stations to go on the air; W39CE (later renamed WVBX-LP; now WEPT-CD channel 15 in Newburgh) signed on in December 1997, [1] and W49BU (later renamed WVBK-LP; now WHNH-CD channel 2) went on in March 1998, [12] with WVBG itself debuting on August 27, 1998. [13] Initially an independent station, [14] WVBG and its satellites became a UPN affiliate on October 5, 1998; [15] it already carried the UPN Kids block, [14] but the network's primetime programming had previously been seen in the Capital District through secondary affiliations with Fox affiliate WXXA-TV (channel 23) [14] and Pax station WYPX (channel 55), [16] as well as cable carriage of WSBK-TV from Boston. [15] [16] However, from its inception, the station could not get carriage on Time Warner Cable, [14] which chose to continue its carriage of WSBK; [15] this was despite acquiring several sports packages, including Big East football and basketball, the Boston Red Sox (the telecasts of which were dropped following a territorial complaint by the New York Yankees), [17] and the Boston Celtics. [18]

WVBG-LP changed its city of license to Greenwich, New York, on April 22, 1999 (Greenwich had earlier been added as a fourth city of license after Albany, Schenectady, and Troy); this helped Vision 3 win must-carry rights in Washington County on December 3, 1999. [19] [20] However, the UPN affiliation ended at the start of 2000 when cable-only "WEDG-TV" (known later as "UPN 4") signed on as a joint operation between Time Warner Cable and WXXA. [21] WVBG would then revert to being an independent station, heavily emphasizing its status as a primarily over-the-air station; [22] that June, Vision 3 put WVBG and WVBX up for sale, [23] and by 2001 much of the station's schedule was taken up by Resort Sports Network programming. [24]

On June 28, 2001, [25] WVBG-LP was sold to Wireless Access, a group of telephone companies in the region, as part of plans to introduce wireless Internet service. [26] However, the plan was never implemented, [26] and by early 2003 channel 25 had gone off the air; [27] it returned a year later airing color bars. [26] On September 2, 2005, WVBG was granted a construction permit to move to channel 41. [26] The station lost its transmitter site lease on November 30, 2006, forcing the station off-the-air [28] until getting special temporary authority to operate from a new location in Clarksville (the proposed site for the channel 41 operation) a year later. [29] Broadcasting on channel 25 ended on August 10, 2008; [30] on September 3, the station filed for a license to cover construction of the channel 41 facility. [31] On September 15, 2009, WVBG was granted a construction permit to flash cut to digital operation; this facility will change the station's city of license back to Albany and return the transmitter to the Helderberg Escarpment. [32] [33] WVBG lost access to its tower in Clarksville on April 8, 2010, due to an ownership dispute involving the tower, forcing the station to suspend broadcasting; [34] it returned to the air on April 6, 2011, from another nearby tower under special temporary authority. [35] [36]

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WVBG-LD [37]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
25.1 720p 16:9 WVBG-LD NewsNet
25.2SNHtvSports News Highlights
25.3ShopHQ ShopHQ
25.4 480i WBPI WBPI-CD (Religious)
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Related Research Articles

<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.

WYPX-TV is a television station licensed to Amsterdam, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as an affiliate of Ion Television. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, the station has offices on Charles Boulevard in Guilderland, and its transmitter is located in the Helderberg Escarpment in New Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KWYF-LD</span> MeTV/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Casper, Wyoming, United States

KWYF-LD is a low-power television station in Casper, Wyoming, United States. It is a translator of dual Fox and MeTV/MyNetworkTV affiliate KFNB, which is owned by Coastal Television. KWYF-LD's transmitter is located atop Casper Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYCN-LD</span> Telemundo TV station in Providence, Rhode Island

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.

KVUI is a television station licensed to Pocatello, Idaho, United States, serving the Idaho Falls–Pocatello market as an affiliate of Ion Television. It is owned by Ventura Broadcasting alongside Grit affiliate KPIF. The two stations share studios on West Alameda Road in Pocatello; KVUI's transmitter is located on Howard Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMOH-TV</span> MeTV station in Kingman, Arizona

KMOH-TV is a television station in Kingman, Arizona, United States, airing programming from MeTV. Owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting, the station has studios on Kingman Avenue in Kingman, and its transmitter is located atop Oatman Mountain, near Oatman, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJFB</span> MeTV affiliate in Lebanon, Tennessee

WJFB is a television station licensed to Lebanon, Tennessee, United States, broadcasting the classic television network MeTV to the Nashville area. Owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting, the station maintains transmitter facilities in Whites Creek, Tennessee, just off I-24 and Old Hickory Boulevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSPR-LD</span> ABC affiliate in Springfield, Missouri

KSPR-LD is a low-power television station in Springfield, Missouri, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate KYTV and Branson-licensed CW affiliate KYCW-LD ; it is also sister to Branson-licensed tourist information–formatted station K17DL-D, channel 17. KSPR-LD, KYTV and KYCW-LD share studios on West Sunshine Street in Springfield, while KSPR-LD's transmitter is located on Highway FF north of Fordland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KWWT</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Odessa, Texas

KWWT is a television station licensed to Odessa, Texas, United States, serving the Permian Basin area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate KOSA-TV, Big Spring–licensed CW+ affiliate KCWO-TV, Telemundo affiliate KTLE-LD and The365 affiliate KMDF-LD. The five stations share studios inside the Music City Mall on East 42nd Street in Odessa, with a secondary studio and news bureau in downtown Midland; KWWT's transmitter is located on SH 158 near Gardendale, Texas.

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.

WWTO-TV is a religious television station licensed to Naperville, Illinois, United States, serving as the Chicago area outlet for the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). It is sister to Plano-licensed TBN Inspire station WLPD-CD. Through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WLPD-CD's spectrum from an antenna atop the John Hancock Center.

WTSJ-LD is a low-power television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, owned by Innovate Corp. The station's transmitter is located at the Milwaukee PBS tower on North Humboldt Boulevard in Milwaukee's Estabrook Park neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KXPI-LD</span> KIDK translator in Pocatello, Idaho

KXPI-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Pocatello, Idaho, United States. Owned by News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG), it is a translator of Idaho Falls–licensed Dabl/Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate KIDK, channel 3 ; it is also a sister station to ABC affiliate KIFI-TV, channel 8, which NPG owns outright. KXPI-LD's transmitter is located on Howard Mountain in unincorporated Bannock County west of downtown Pocatello; its parent station shares studios with KIFI-TV on North Yellowstone Highway/US 26 in Idaho Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHNH-CD</span> Class A TV station in Manchester, Vermont

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".

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

KYLX-LD is a low-power television station in Laredo, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside dual NBC/ABC affiliate KGNS-TV and Telemundo affiliate KXNU-LD. The three stations share studios on Del Mar Boulevard in northern Laredo; KYLX-LD's transmitter is located on Shea Street north of downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KXLJ-LD</span> TV station in Juneau, Alaska (2001–2021)

KXLJ-LD, virtual and UHF digital channel 24, was a low-power CBS-affiliated television station that was licensed to Juneau, Alaska, United States. It was a full-time satellite of Sitka-licensed KTNL-TV which was owned by Denali Media Holdings. KXLJ-LD was a sister station to low-power NBC affiliate KATH-LD, licensed to both Juneau and Douglas. KXLJ-LD shared transmitter facilities with KATH-LD in downtown Juneau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K17DL-D</span> Television station in Missouri, United States

K17DL-D is a low-power tourist information–formatted television station in Branson, Missouri, United States. It is owned by Branson Visitors TV, LLC, a joint venture between Gray Television (50.1%) and Market Branson, LLC (49.9%); Gray's interest makes K17DL-D a sister station to Springfield-based NBC affiliate KYTV, ABC affiliate KSPR-LD, and CW affiliate KYCW-LD. K17DL-D's transmitter is located on US 160 in western Taney County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNDB</span> TV station in Bismarck, North Dakota, U.S.

KNDB is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States. Owned by BEK Sports Network, Inc., a subsidiary of BEK Communications Cooperative, it is affiliated with multiple networks on various digital subchannels, with Heroes & Icons and BEK Prime on its main channel. KNDB's studios are located on East Interstate Avenue in Bismarck, and its transmitter is located near St. Anthony, North Dakota.

WEPT-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Peekskill, New York, United States, affiliated with Jewelry Television. The station is owned by Venture Technologies Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLNM-LD</span> WILX-TV translator in Lansing, Michigan

WLNM-LD is a low-power television station in Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is a translator of Onondaga-licensed NBC affiliate WILX-TV which is owned by Gray Television. WLNM-LD's transmitter is located on River Street along the Red Cedar River southeast of Lansing; its parent station maintains studios on American Road in the city.

References

  1. 1 2 Owen, Rob (December 9, 1997). "'Daily' takes shot at the whole year". Albany Times-Union . p. D6. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WVBG-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. 1 2 "New York counties get 12 translators" (PDF). Broadcasting . September 12, 1966. p. 47. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting . August 26, 1968. p. 73. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Application Search Details (WVBG-LD, 1)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Application Search Details (WVBG-LD, 2)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ Pinckney, Barbara (July 22, 1996). "Trio of towers to beam new regional TV station". The Business Review . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  8. ↑ Carr Smyth, Julie (June 25, 1997). "Fifth TV signal eyes large-scale debut in region". Albany Times Union . p. E1. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Application Search Details (WVBG-LD, 3)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Mass Media Bureau Call Sign Actions" (TXT). Federal Communications Commission. December 19, 1997.
  12. ↑ Owen, Rob (March 27, 1998). "WVBG channels make slow debut". Albany Times-Union . p. D4. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  13. ↑ Pinckney, Barbara (August 31, 1998). "Most powerful of low-power trio of TV stations goes on air". The Business Review . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Owen, Rob (August 14, 1997). "Cable systems may not carry new TV station". Albany Times-Union . p. D4. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  15. 1 2 3 McGuire, Mark (September 30, 1998). "Channel 25 is now affiliated with UPN". Albany Times-Union . p. D6. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  16. 1 2 McGuire, Mark (September 4, 1998). "Pax TV, UPN form contradictory alliance". Albany Times-Union . p. D1. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  17. ↑ Dougherty, Pete (September 18, 1998). "WVBG forced to stop showing Red Sox games". Albany Times-Union . p. C2. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  18. ↑ Dougherty, Pete (February 19, 1999). "WVBG shoots airballs on two Celtics' telecasts". Albany Times-Union . p. C8. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  19. ↑ Johnson, William H. (December 3, 1999). "In the Matter of: Complaint of Vision 3 Broadcasting, Inc. Against Time Warner Cable Request for Carriage" (TXT). Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  20. ↑ McGuire, Mark (December 4, 1999). "FCC ruling helps WVBG". Albany Times-Union . p. D7. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  21. ↑ McGuire, Mark (November 17, 1999). "WVBG hurt by UPN deal". Albany Times-Union . p. D5. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  22. ↑ Pinckney, Barbara (February 14, 2000). "WVBG/TV 25 proving there is life after UPN". The Business Review . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  23. ↑ Pinckney, Barbara (June 12, 2000). "Vt. owner puts independent WVBG/TV 25 on the block". The Business Review . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  24. ↑ McGuire, Mark (February 14, 2001). "Westminster purebreeds pure ratings for USA". Albany Times-Union . p. D1. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Application Search Details (WVBG-LD, 4)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Pinckney, Barbara (September 6, 2005). "Low-power TV station gets construction permit for new transmitter". The Business Review . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  27. ↑ "CapitalGold Dial Guide SoundBoard". May 23, 2003. Archived from the original on May 18, 2004. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. December 4, 2006. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Engineering STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. November 19, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 20, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  31. ↑ "APPLICATION FOR A LOW POWER TV, TV TRANSLATOR OR TV BOOSTER STATION LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 3, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  32. ↑ "APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO CONSTRUCT OR MAKE CHANGES IN A LOW POWER TV, TV TRANSLATOR OR TV BOOSTER STATION". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. July 15, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  33. ↑ "DIGITAL LOW POWER TELEVISION/TELEVISION TRANSLATOR BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 15, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. April 9, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Engineering STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 3, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Resumption of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. April 7, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  37. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WVBG
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.