WSYT
Encyclopedia
WSYT is the Fox-affiliated television station
for Central
New York State that is licensed to Syracuse
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of LaFayette
. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group
, the station operates MyNetworkTV
affiliate WNYS-TV
(owned by RKM Media, Inc.) through a local marketing agreement
(LMA). The two share studios on James Street (NY 290
) in Syracuse northeast of downtown and the I-690
/I-81
interchange. Syndicated
programming on WSYT includes: Seinfeld
, Two and a Half Men
, The Office, and Judge Judy
. It can also be seen on W16AX channel 16 in Ithaca
from a transmitter along NY 96B
(Danby Road) in South Hill
.
In Syracuse, WSYT can be viewed on cable through Time Warner Cable
channel 8 in standard definition.
The Flatley Company owned one other station, WNHT
in Concord, New Hampshire
which was an Independent before joining CBS for the purpose of developing a second local news operation for the state of New Hampshire
. WNHT could not compete with WMUR-TV
as well as stations from Boston, Massachusetts (WNEV now WHDH-TV
) and Portland, Maine
(WGME-TV
) which were available in most of WNHT's viewing area. In 1989, Flatley decided to shut down WNHT while keeping the license for a few more years. Now known as WPXG, it serves as a satellite of Boston's Ion O&O
WBPX
.
Flatley owned WSYT until 1992 when the station was sold to Encore Communications later known as Max Media
Properties, LLC. In 1998, the Sinclair Broadcast Group bought the station. That company entered into a local marketing agreement with UPN
affiliate WNYS in 1995 and began operating that station out of WSYT's facilities. In 2006, Sinclair and Fox finalized a six-year affiliation contract extension for Sinclair's nineteen Fox affiliates including WSYT. The affiliation contract now expires in March 2012. It was carried on cable in the Kingston, Ontario
area until 2009. That market
is currently served by WNYF-CD in Watertown (for over-the-air ATSC
viewers) and on cable by sister stations WUTV
in Buffalo
and WUHF
in Rochester
.
Like other Sinclair-owned stations in the region, WSYT and WNYS have transmitting digitally-only signals since February 17, 2009. Until August 2008, WSYT had the highest analog channel allocation of any Fox affiliated television station before being eclipsed by KSWB-TV
in San Diego, California
when that station swapped The CW with XETV
. WSYT's analog power was limited to 1,000,000 watt
s due to its proximity to Canada
. Until June 12, 2009 the official day of the DTV transition, UHF analog stations in the United States
were licensed to transmit up to 5,000,000 watts. All of this changed on February 17, 2009, when WSYT went digital-only and moved to a less power-hungry transmitter on UHF channel 19.
WSYT owned the local broadcast rights to Syracuse University
basketball from 1987 through 2003 when rights were acquired by Time Warner Cable
and aired on their local sports channel. During the majority of those years, WSYT produced a live post-game show as well as a weekly basketball coach's show with Jim Boeheim. They also acquired the rights to Big East
football in the 1990s and would air a post-game show after a Syracuse Orangemen game was shown. The coverage was expanded to include a football coach's show with Paul Pasqualoni and a football preview show hosted by Steve Hyder and Joe Zone. In the late-1980s, WSYT aired New York Yankees
games that were produced and broadcast by WPIX
in New York City
.
On November 1, 2010, WSYT launched The Country Network on sub-channel 68.2, replacing a standard definition feed of the FOX signal.
affiliate WSTM-TV
through a news share agreement. The original news anchors were Chuck Plumpton and Betsy Sykes with meteorologist Wayne Mahar. Sports anchor Joe Brown was added later. He was later succeeded by Joe Zone (now at WFSB
) and Amy Kellogg replaced Betsy Sykes as co-anchor. Further shuffling of the staff moved Joe Zone to news anchor and Jon Herz was hired as Sports Director. In 2000, WSTM declined to renew the news share agreement with this channel. As a result, WSYT partnered with CBS
afifliate WTVH
to keep the shows on-air. Now known as Fox 68 Eyewitness News
at 10, this was eventually joined by an hour-long weekday morning newscast called Fox 68 Eyewitness News at 7.
WSTM started airing a weeknight broadcast at 10 on WSTQ-LP
in 2003 after Raycom acquired it from Venture Technologies, LLC. In April 2006, WTVH ceased producing news programming on WSYT in order to focus on its own third place ranked newscasts. However, the 10 P.M. broadcast was WTVH's most successful show soundly beating WSTQ. WSYT did not participate in the wider implementation of Sinclair's now-defunct, controversial News Central
format but did air "The Point", a one-minute conservative political commentary, that was also controversial and a requirement of all Sinclair-owned stations with newscasts until the series was discontinued in December 2006.
As of December 16, 2010, WSYT is one of two Fox affiliates in the state of New York owned by Sinclair and one of a handful of Big Four
network affiliated stations throughout the country that do not produce or air local newscasts.
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...
for Central
Central New York
Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
New York State that is licensed to Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. 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 19 from a transmitter west of LaFayette
LaFayette, New York
LaFayette is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 4,833 at the 2000 census. The town is named after LaFayette, a national hero of both France and the United States....
. 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...
, the station operates MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WNYS-TV
WNYS-TV
WNYS-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central New York that is licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 from a transmitter in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 7 and in high definition on digital...
(owned by RKM Media, Inc.) through a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LMA). The two share studios on James Street (NY 290
New York State Route 290
New York State Route 290 is a state highway located entirely within Onondaga County, New York, extending from downtown Syracuse to the east side of the county...
) in Syracuse northeast of downtown and the I-690
Interstate 690
Interstate 690 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that extends for through the vicinity of Syracuse, New York, in the United States. It is a spur of I-90 that travels southeast from Thruway exit 39 in Van Buren to I-481 in DeWitt...
/I-81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
interchange. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WSYT includes: Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, The Office, and Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
. It can also be seen on W16AX channel 16 in Ithaca
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
from a transmitter along NY 96B
New York State Route 96B
New York State Route 96B is a north–south state highway in the Southern Tier of New York, United States. It connects NY 96 in the village of Candor in Tioga County to NY 13, NY 34, and NY 96 in the city of Ithaca in Tompkins County...
(Danby Road) in South Hill
South Hill, New York
South Hill is a census-designated place in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 6,003 at the 2000 census.The South Hill CDP is located within the town of Ithaca. It is located near the south end of Cayuga Lake...
.
In Syracuse, WSYT can be viewed on cable through 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...
channel 8 in standard definition.
History
The station was originally assigned the call letters WKAF and was on UHF channel 62 rather than 68. After being reassigned to channel 68, the owners of WKAF (Channel 62 Inc.) got the station on-the-air February 15, 1986 and aired religious programming for three hours a day. The station was sold to The Flatley Company in late-1986 and construction of facilities on James Street in Syracuse began. WSYT began full-time operation on April 5, 1987 with a general entertainment format of cartoons, classic sitcoms, recent sitcoms, movies, drama shows, and sports. The premiere of WSYT coincided with the prime-time launch of Fox.The Flatley Company owned one other station, WNHT
WNHT (TV)
WNHT was a television station in southern New Hampshire, licensed to the city of Concord. The station broadcast programming on channel 21 and briefly served as the area's CBS affiliate.- History :...
in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
which was an Independent before joining CBS for the purpose of developing a second local news operation for the state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. WNHT could not compete with WMUR-TV
WMUR-TV
WMUR-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the state of New Hampshire that is licensed to Manchester. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter on the south peak of Mount Uncanoonuc in Goffstown. Owned by Hearst Television, the station has studios...
as well as stations from Boston, Massachusetts (WNEV now WHDH-TV
WHDH-TV
WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...
) and Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
(WGME-TV
WGME-TV
WGME-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire that is licensed to Portland. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 38 from a transmitter on Brown Hill west of Raymond...
) which were available in most of WNHT's viewing area. In 1989, Flatley decided to shut down WNHT while keeping the license for a few more years. Now known as WPXG, it serves as a satellite of Boston's Ion O&O
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
WBPX
WBPX
WBPX-TV, digital channel 32, is the Ion Television station owned by ION Media Networks , serving the Boston market. The station primarily broadcasts infomercials before 6 p.m. daily, along with a daily Catholic Mass and other religious programming, with Ion network programming beginning at 6 p.m....
.
Flatley owned WSYT until 1992 when the station was sold to Encore Communications later known as Max Media
Max Media
Max Media is a company that owns radio and television stations throughout the United States. It is based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.-History:Max Media was founded in 2001...
Properties, LLC. In 1998, the Sinclair Broadcast Group bought the station. That company entered into a local marketing agreement with 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...
affiliate WNYS in 1995 and began operating that station out of WSYT's facilities. In 2006, Sinclair and Fox finalized a six-year affiliation contract extension for Sinclair's nineteen Fox affiliates including WSYT. The affiliation contract now expires in March 2012. It was carried on cable in the Kingston, Ontario
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...
area until 2009. That 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...
is currently served by WNYF-CD in Watertown (for over-the-air ATSC
ATSC
ATSC standards are a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable, and satellite networks....
viewers) and on cable by sister stations 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...
in Buffalo
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...
and WUHF
WUHF
WUHF is the Fox-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 7 and in high definition on...
in 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...
.
Like other Sinclair-owned stations in the region, WSYT and WNYS have transmitting digitally-only signals since February 17, 2009. Until August 2008, WSYT had the highest analog channel allocation of any Fox affiliated television station before being eclipsed by KSWB-TV
KSWB-TV
KSWB-TV, virtual channel 69, is a Fox-affiliated television station in San Diego, California. It broadcasts a 720p high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter southeast of Spring Valley...
in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
when that station swapped The CW with XETV
XETV
XETV is a television station licensed to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, serving as the CW Television Network affiliate for the San Diego, California area across the international border in the United States...
. WSYT's analog power was limited to 1,000,000 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:...
s due to its proximity to 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...
. Until June 12, 2009 the official day of the DTV transition, UHF analog stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were licensed to transmit up to 5,000,000 watts. All of this changed on February 17, 2009, when WSYT went digital-only and moved to a less power-hungry transmitter on UHF channel 19.
WSYT owned the local broadcast rights to Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
basketball from 1987 through 2003 when rights were acquired by 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 aired on their local sports channel. During the majority of those years, WSYT produced a live post-game show as well as a weekly basketball coach's show with Jim Boeheim. They also acquired the rights to Big East
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
football in the 1990s and would air a post-game show after a Syracuse Orangemen game was shown. The coverage was expanded to include a football coach's show with Paul Pasqualoni and a football preview show hosted by Steve Hyder and Joe Zone. In the late-1980s, WSYT aired New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
games that were produced and broadcast by WPIX
WPIX
WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
On November 1, 2010, WSYT launched The Country Network on sub-channel 68.2, replacing a standard definition feed of the FOX signal.
Newscasts
In 1996, WSYT began airing a weeknight prime time newscast called Fox 68 News at 10 which was produced by NBCNBC
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 WSTM-TV
WSTM-TV
WSTM-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter on Sentinel Heights Road in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Verizon FiOS channel 3 and Time Warner channel 4...
through a news share agreement. The original news anchors were Chuck Plumpton and Betsy Sykes with meteorologist Wayne Mahar. Sports anchor Joe Brown was added later. He was later succeeded by Joe Zone (now at WFSB
WFSB
'WFSB, channel 3, is a CBS-affiliated television station located in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, owned by the Meredith Corporation. WFSB's studios and offices are located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and its broadcast transmitter is based on Talcott Mountain in Avon, Connecticut. Syndicated...
) and Amy Kellogg replaced Betsy Sykes as co-anchor. Further shuffling of the staff moved Joe Zone to news anchor and Jon Herz was hired as Sports Director. In 2000, WSTM declined to renew the news share agreement with this channel. As a result, WSYT partnered with 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...
afifliate WTVH
WTVH
WTVH is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 47 from a transmitter in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Time Warner and Verizon FiOS channel 5. There is a high definition feed...
to keep the shows on-air. Now known as Fox 68 Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
at 10, this was eventually joined by an hour-long weekday morning newscast called Fox 68 Eyewitness News at 7.
WSTM started airing a weeknight broadcast at 10 on WSTQ-LP
WSTQ-LP
WSTQ-LP is the low-powered CW-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 14 from a transmitter on West Kirkpatrick Street alongside WOLF-FM's tower in the city's Lakefront section. Due to the low-powered status, the...
in 2003 after Raycom acquired it from Venture Technologies, LLC. In April 2006, WTVH ceased producing news programming on WSYT in order to focus on its own third place ranked newscasts. However, the 10 P.M. broadcast was WTVH's most successful show soundly beating WSTQ. WSYT did not participate in the wider implementation of Sinclair's now-defunct, controversial 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...
format but did air "The Point", a one-minute conservative political commentary, that was also controversial and a requirement of all Sinclair-owned stations with newscasts until the series was discontinued in December 2006.
As of December 16, 2010, WSYT is one of two Fox affiliates in the state of New York owned by Sinclair and one of a handful of Big Four
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
network affiliated stations throughout the country that do not produce or air local newscasts.