WNYO-TV
Encyclopedia
WNYO-TV is the MyNetworkTV
-affiliated television station
in Buffalo, New York
, serving the western
region of New York
state. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 49 from a transmitter at Ironwood Golf Course in Bennington
's Cowlesville section. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
and Verizon FiOS
channel 8. There is a high definition feed offered on Verizon FiOS digital channel 508 and Time Warner
Cable digital channel 708. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group
, WNYO is a sister station to WUTV
, the Fox
affiliate in the Buffalo market
, and the two share studios in Buffalo at 699 Hertel Avenue near Military Road.
WNYO can also be seen on cable television
in Canada
; it is the MyNetworkTV affiliate on digital cable systems in Canadian markets that utilize Buffalo stations, such as Toronto
, and is also available in Kingston
, Brockville
, Cornwall
, and Ottawa
via a fiber optic line. However, neither this station nor any other MyNetworkTV affiliate is available on cable in portions of Cattaraugus County, New York
. where Atlantic Broadband
is the cable provider. This is due to financial demands as the must carry rule would normally apply in that area. In situations such as this, Atlantic usually picks up the station out of Erie, Pennsylvania
, but that market has no MyNetworkTV affiliate of its own.
in September 1987. Prior to signing-on, it was sold to the Seymour Knox-Swados group, original owners of the Buffalo Sabres
NHL franchise, who had intended it to serve as an outlet (owned by Aud Television, LLC) to telecast the hockey games to the Buffalo, Rochester
, and Niagara Peninsula
region of Southern Ontario
. This was in the era before the rise of the regional sports cable networks such as MSG and Empire Sports. Financing of the transmitter was facilitated by the prospect of potentially using the five million watt
signal for late-night encrypted adult content subscription service which was available in many Northeastern
television markets in the 1980s. However, the station never pursued this option due to the rapid growth of cable.
It had intended to sign-on in Summer 1987, but because many of the programs it was to carry would not become available to them until the fall, a September debut was made. WNYB had secured the rights to Star Trek: The Next Generation
, a major first run syndicated program. Due to the uncertainty that the station was going to be on the air by the fall of 1987, Paramount
, the syndicator of the program (and the later buyer of the TVX chain) opted out of the deal with this channel and instead the program premiered on WUTV
. The station's slogan was "Buffalo's Superstation". Fox was not happy with the ratings it was receiving on WUTV and switched affiliation with WNYB in the fall of 1989.
In that year, the station was sold to Act III Broadcasting
which almost immediately turned around and offered to buy WUTV from Citadel Broadcasting
. Citadel accepted the offer in 1989 and the sale was finalized in June 1990. Act III moved WNYB's stronger programming, including its Fox affiliation, to WUTV. WNYB was then sold to Tri-State Christian Television
and began to carry religious programming full-time including programming from the Trinity Broadcasting Network
. Grant Broadcasting acquired analog channel 26 in Jamestown
in 1995 and negotiated with Tri-State Christian
Television for WNYB in exchange for channel 26 and cash as well as a new broadcasting facility.
The station changed hands in the spring of 1996 and became a WB affiliate at night with Kids WB programming airing late in the afternoons. TBN and other Christian programming continued to air for the rest of the day until September 1996. At that point, Trinity Broadcasting continued to air from 9 in the morning until noon, from midnight to 7 a.m. on weekdays, and until 3 p.m. on Sundays. It also adopted the current call sign WNYO-TV. Because channel 26 was still not operable, the Christian WNYB intellectual unit was unable to move there in 1996. Finally in January 1997, the Christian programming moved to channel 26 along with the WNYB
call letters. The Sinclair Broadcast Group purchased WUTV in 1997 and WNYO in 2001 making the two sisters.
On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN
announced that the networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents: CBS
(the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros.
unit of Time Warner
.
On February 22, News Corporation
announced that it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming Independent
. It was also created to compete against The CW. MyNetworkTV was launched on September 5; WNYO became an affiliate of the network.
WNYO turned-off its analog signal on June 12, 2009 as part of the DTV transition in the United States
. On the same day, the station moved its digital operations from channel 34 to its previous analog position on channel 49. Its pre-transition digital transmitter was located on the northeastern side of Grand Island
and aired on UHF channel 34.
-produced broadcast on WNLO. Known as WB 49 News at 10, it was part of Sinclair's controversial centralized News Central
operation based at company headquarters on Beaver Dam Road in Hunt Valley, Maryland
. Although national news, weather forecasts, and some sports originated from News Central, local news and sports operations were based at WNYO's studios. It also aired "The Point", a one-minute conservative political commentary, that was also controversial and a requirement of all Sinclair-owned stations with newscasts.
The company ultimately chose to add a news operation to this station as opposed to sister station WUTV despite the fact that Fox requested its affiliates to air local news in the early-1990s to strengthen programming on the young fourth network. This was due to the fact that the ratings of the syndicated WUTV rerun sitcoms at 10 p.m. were especially high in southern Ontario. Ironically, WUTV was far more popular in Canada than it was its own home market, at times even beating independent CHCH-TV from Hamilton, Ontario. Despite record growth in ratings by WNYO's broadcast (much higher than the 8 to 10 p.m. WB block could achieve) and a five year verbal commitment to its staff from Sinclair, the station's news department was eventually shutdown. That was due to poor financial planning by Sinclair. It occurred as part of the systematic shutdown of the company's news operations around the country that began roughly twelve months after the inaugural newscast on WNYO. News Central officially folded at the end of March 2006.
On April 13 of that year, Sinclair announced NBC
affiliate WGRZ-TV
(owned by Gannett) would begin producing a new weeknight prime time show at 10 for WNYO through a news share agreement. This would be a second attempt by WGRZ to air a newscast at 10 after producing one on Pax (now Ion) affiliate WPXJ-TV
from 2001 until 2003. Originally to be called 2 On NYO 10 at 10, the WNYO show began airing on April 20 known as 2 News on 49, 10 at 10. The production is currently known as Channel 2 News at 10 and originates from WGRZ's studios on Delaware Avenue/SR 384
in Downtown Buffalo. The newscast originally aired ten minutes of news and weather with a sports show, called The Sports Zone, completing the half hour. However due to low ratings, The Sports Zone was cut to only 6–8 minutes of sports news. It has consistently lagged behind the WIVB-produced show on WNLO in the ratings because it is not a seven day operation.
As of February 17, 2010, WGRZ became the first Buffalo station to offer its newscasts in enhanced definition widescreen
. However, all of the video is still produced entirely in 4:3 standard definition which is then cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio and upconverted to 1080i
in the control room for broadcast. The WGRZ show on WNYO was not included in the upgrade due to this station's lack of an HD master control facility. As a result, it is still seen in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition. WGRZ upgraded to full HD on October 29, 2011; however, the WNYO show remains in pillarboxed 4:3 SD for the time being.
Channel 2 News at 10
(weeknights 10 to 10:30)
WNYO features additional personnel from WGRZ. See that article for a complete listing.
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, serving the western
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
region of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 49 from a transmitter at Ironwood Golf Course in Bennington
Bennington, New York
Bennington is a town in Wyoming County, New York in the USA. The population was 3,349 during the 2000 census. The town was named after Bennington, Vermont....
's Cowlesville section. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
and Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
channel 8. There is a high definition feed offered on Verizon FiOS digital channel 508 and Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
Cable digital channel 708. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
, WNYO is a sister station to WUTV
WUTV
WUTV, virtual channel 29, is the Fox-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 14. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, in a duopoly with the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYO-TV...
, the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate in the Buffalo market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
, and the two share studios in Buffalo at 699 Hertel Avenue near Military Road.
WNYO can also be seen on cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; it is the MyNetworkTV affiliate on digital cable systems in Canadian markets that utilize Buffalo stations, such as Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and is also available in Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Brockville
Brockville, Ontario
Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Though it serves as the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Brockville is politically independent and is grouped with Leeds and Grenville for census purposes only.Known as the "City of the 1000...
, Cornwall
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
, and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
via a fiber optic line. However, neither this station nor any other MyNetworkTV affiliate is available on cable in portions of Cattaraugus County, New York
Cattaraugus County, New York
Cattaraugus County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 80,317. The county seat is Little Valley.-History:...
. where Atlantic Broadband
Atlantic Broadband
Atlantic Broadband is a privately held cable company with headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts. The company has over 700 employees and 285,000 customers in four operating regions: Florida, Maryland/Delaware, South Carolina and Central Pennsylvania...
is the cable provider. This is due to financial demands as the must carry rule would normally apply in that area. In situations such as this, Atlantic usually picks up the station out of Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, but that market has no MyNetworkTV affiliate of its own.
Digital programming
| Channel | Name | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49.1 | WNYO-HD | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
main WNYO programming/MyNetworkTV (HD) |
| 49.2 | WNYO-DT2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | TheCoolTV (SD) |
History
WNYB was founded by the TVX Broadcast GroupTVX Broadcast Group
The TVX Broadcast Group was an American media company that owned a group of UHF television stations during the 1980s. Originally known as the Television Corporation, the company was headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, and was founded by a group of Norfolk-area businessmen led by Timothy McDonald...
in September 1987. Prior to signing-on, it was sold to the Seymour Knox-Swados group, original owners of the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
NHL franchise, who had intended it to serve as an outlet (owned by Aud Television, LLC) to telecast the hockey games to the Buffalo, Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, and Niagara Peninsula
Niagara Peninsula
The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Southern Ontario, Canada lying between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the north shore of Lake Erie. It stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario in the west. The population of the peninsula is roughly 1,000,000 people...
region of Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
. This was in the era before the rise of the regional sports cable networks such as MSG and Empire Sports. Financing of the transmitter was facilitated by the prospect of potentially using the five million watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
signal for late-night encrypted adult content subscription service which was available in many Northeastern
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
television markets in the 1980s. However, the station never pursued this option due to the rapid growth of cable.
It had intended to sign-on in Summer 1987, but because many of the programs it was to carry would not become available to them until the fall, a September debut was made. WNYB had secured the rights to Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, a major first run syndicated program. Due to the uncertainty that the station was going to be on the air by the fall of 1987, Paramount
Paramount Television
Paramount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...
, the syndicator of the program (and the later buyer of the TVX chain) opted out of the deal with this channel and instead the program premiered on WUTV
WUTV
WUTV, virtual channel 29, is the Fox-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 14. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, in a duopoly with the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYO-TV...
. The station's slogan was "Buffalo's Superstation". Fox was not happy with the ratings it was receiving on WUTV and switched affiliation with WNYB in the fall of 1989.
In that year, the station was sold to Act III Broadcasting
Act III Broadcasting
Act III Broadcasting was a company that owned several television stations that started as independents, and later became Fox affiliates. The stations were located in medium-sized markets, and the company existed from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, eventually to be sold to Abry in 1994...
which almost immediately turned around and offered to buy WUTV from Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
. Citadel accepted the offer in 1989 and the sale was finalized in June 1990. Act III moved WNYB's stronger programming, including its Fox affiliation, to WUTV. WNYB was then sold to Tri-State Christian Television
Tri-State Christian Television
Tri-State Christian Television is a network of eight religious television stations and their repeaters, mainly in the Midwest. TCT Network provides Christian programming such as teaching, preaching, family-based movies, music, documentaries, youth and children, live broadcasts and original content...
and began to carry religious programming full-time including programming from the Trinity Broadcasting Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
. Grant Broadcasting acquired analog channel 26 in Jamestown
Jamestown, New York
Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
in 1995 and negotiated with Tri-State Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Television for WNYB in exchange for channel 26 and cash as well as a new broadcasting facility.
The station changed hands in the spring of 1996 and became a WB affiliate at night with Kids WB programming airing late in the afternoons. TBN and other Christian programming continued to air for the rest of the day until September 1996. At that point, Trinity Broadcasting continued to air from 9 in the morning until noon, from midnight to 7 a.m. on weekdays, and until 3 p.m. on Sundays. It also adopted the current call sign WNYO-TV. Because channel 26 was still not operable, the Christian WNYB intellectual unit was unable to move there in 1996. Finally in January 1997, the Christian programming moved to channel 26 along with the WNYB
WNYB
WNYB is a television station in the Buffalo, New York market that runs Christian-oriented religious programming. Owned by Tri-State Christian Television, WNYB broadcasts on digital channel 26 from a main transmitter at 9030 Center Road in Arkwright and studios at 5775 Big Tree Road in Orchard Park...
call letters. The Sinclair Broadcast Group purchased WUTV in 1997 and WNYO in 2001 making the two sisters.
On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
announced that the networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents: CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
(the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
unit of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
.
On February 22, News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
announced that it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming Independent
Independent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
. It was also created to compete against The CW. MyNetworkTV was launched on September 5; WNYO became an affiliate of the network.
WNYO turned-off its analog signal on June 12, 2009 as part of the DTV transition in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. On the same day, the station moved its digital operations from channel 34 to its previous analog position on channel 49. Its pre-transition digital transmitter was located on the northeastern side of Grand Island
Grand Island, New York
Grand Island is a town and an island in Erie County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town population is 20,374. This represents an increase of 9.41% from the 2000 census figure . The current town name derives from the French name La Grande Île, as Grand Island is the largest island in...
and aired on UHF channel 34.
Newscasts
On August 16, 2004, WNYO established a news department and began airing an hour-long weeknight prime time newscast at 10 in an attempt to compete with the nightly WIVBWIVB-TV
WIVB-TV, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Western New York that is licensed to Buffalo. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter on Center Street in Colden. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to CW...
-produced broadcast on WNLO. Known as WB 49 News at 10, it was part of Sinclair's controversial centralized News Central
News Central
News Central was a primetime newscast on Sinclair television stations in the United States, mixing locally produced news with nationally produced news and an opinion segment from Sinclair's Hunt Valley, Maryland studios...
operation based at company headquarters on Beaver Dam Road in Hunt Valley, Maryland
Hunt Valley, Maryland
Hunt Valley is an affluent unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It lies just north of the city of Baltimore, along Highway 145 off Interstate 83. Loch Raven Reservoir...
. Although national news, weather forecasts, and some sports originated from News Central, local news and sports operations were based at WNYO's studios. It also aired "The Point", a one-minute conservative political commentary, that was also controversial and a requirement of all Sinclair-owned stations with newscasts.
The company ultimately chose to add a news operation to this station as opposed to sister station WUTV despite the fact that Fox requested its affiliates to air local news in the early-1990s to strengthen programming on the young fourth network. This was due to the fact that the ratings of the syndicated WUTV rerun sitcoms at 10 p.m. were especially high in southern Ontario. Ironically, WUTV was far more popular in Canada than it was its own home market, at times even beating independent CHCH-TV from Hamilton, Ontario. Despite record growth in ratings by WNYO's broadcast (much higher than the 8 to 10 p.m. WB block could achieve) and a five year verbal commitment to its staff from Sinclair, the station's news department was eventually shutdown. That was due to poor financial planning by Sinclair. It occurred as part of the systematic shutdown of the company's news operations around the country that began roughly twelve months after the inaugural newscast on WNYO. News Central officially folded at the end of March 2006.
On April 13 of that year, Sinclair announced NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate WGRZ-TV
WGRZ-TV
WGRZ, virtual channel 2 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York. Its studio is located at 259 Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo. Its transmitter is located at 11530 Warner Hill Road in South Wales, New York...
(owned by Gannett) would begin producing a new weeknight prime time show at 10 for WNYO through a news share agreement. This would be a second attempt by WGRZ to air a newscast at 10 after producing one on Pax (now Ion) affiliate WPXJ-TV
WPXJ-TV
WPXJ-TV is the Ion Television affiliate in the Buffalo, New York market, but can also be seen in the Rochester market and is licensed to Batavia. The station is owned by Ion Media Networks , acting as an owned-and-operated station of the group's Ion Television network, and airs programming on...
from 2001 until 2003. Originally to be called 2 On NYO 10 at 10, the WNYO show began airing on April 20 known as 2 News on 49, 10 at 10. The production is currently known as Channel 2 News at 10 and originates from WGRZ's studios on Delaware Avenue/SR 384
New York State Route 384
New York State Route 384 is a state highway in Western New York in the United States. It is a north–south route extending from the city of Buffalo, Erie County to the city of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, and is one of several routes directly connecting the two cities. The southern terminus...
in Downtown Buffalo. The newscast originally aired ten minutes of news and weather with a sports show, called The Sports Zone, completing the half hour. However due to low ratings, The Sports Zone was cut to only 6–8 minutes of sports news. It has consistently lagged behind the WIVB-produced show on WNLO in the ratings because it is not a seven day operation.
As of February 17, 2010, WGRZ became the first Buffalo station to offer its newscasts in enhanced definition widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
. However, all of the video is still produced entirely in 4:3 standard definition which is then cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio and upconverted to 1080i
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
in the control room for broadcast. The WGRZ show on WNYO was not included in the upgrade due to this station's lack of an HD master control facility. As a result, it is still seen in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition. WGRZ upgraded to full HD on October 29, 2011; however, the WNYO show remains in pillarboxed 4:3 SD for the time being.
Channel 2 News at 10
(weeknights 10 to 10:30)
- Anchor:
- Marissa Bailey
- Weather:
- Kevin O'Connell
- Mary Beth Wrobel - fill-in
- Sports:
- Ed Kilgore - Monday through Thursday
- Adam Benigni - Friday
WNYO features additional personnel from WGRZ. See that article for a complete listing.