WKTV

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WKTV
Utica, New York
Branding	NewsChannel 2
Slogan	Where the News Comes First
Channels	2 (VHF) analog, 29 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	NBC The CW (on digital)
Owner	Smith Media, LLC
Founded	December 1, 1949 (on Channel 13, moved to channel 2 in 1957)
Call letters meaning	W Kallet TeleVision (former owners)
Former affiliations	DuMont (1949-1956) [1]
Website	www.wktv.com Central New York CW

WKTV is the NBC television affiliate for Utica, New York and surrounding areas including Rome, New York (in the Syracuse TV market via a Nielsen quirk) and parts of the Albany, Binghamton and Watertown markets. It is licensed to Utica and its transmitter is located just east of Utica to provide adaquate spacing to co-channel WGRZ Buffalo. The station is currently owned by Smith Media and has been the dominant #1 station in the market since its sign on and, since 2003, is the only station in the market to air local news.

WKTV also controls WBU, the CW affiliate for the Utica market, available on cable and digital WKTV-DT 2.2 / 29.2. Prior to September 2006, WBU was a WB affiliate available only on cable.

Contents 1 History 2 Newscasts 2.1 Weekdays 2.2 Weekends 3 On Air Reporters 3.1 News Team 3.2 Sports Team 3.3 Weather Team 4 Late-Night 5 Notable Alumni 6 Logos 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History

WKTV signed on the air in 1949 on channel 13 with NBC and DuMont affiliations [2]. Soon after, WKTV also picked up affiliations with CBS and ABC, giving it the interesting situation of being a local network affiliate for all major TV networks for a period of time. The DuMont affiliation ended in the mid-1950s with the closure of that network, and due to a dispute with CBS that affiliation ended soon after. WKTV became an exclusive NBC affiliate in February 1970 (see below), which continues to this day. In 1958, WKTV moved from channel 13 to channel 2 in a dial realignment which had WKTV and the channel 13 in Hamilton, Ontario switching channel positions to add a channel 13 in Rochester and to relocate a UHF there in Albany. With the move, WKTV upgraded its signal and covers a fairly wide area stretching from the Catskills to the Berkshires even into Canada.

WKTV enjoyed a monopoly in the Utica TV market until 1970 when WUTR signed on as an ABC affiliate. Later in the decade, original owner Kallet Television would sell WKTV to Harron Communications, owner of a chain of cable companies in the Northeast and also then-owner of WMTW in Portland, Maine. During this time, WKTV was carried on cable systems in areas as far-flung as Schenectady and Kingston, Ontario and for a time was carried on cable in Syracuse.

Smith Broadcasting (predecessor to Smith Media) acquired WKTV from Harron in 1993 after Harron purchased the cable system in Utica (later sold to Adelphia, now part of Time Warner Cable). In 1998, the creation of The WB 100+ led to WKTV partnering with the group to launch WBU which replaced WPIX from New York City on area cable systems. In 2002, WKTV would begin to produce the first 10:00 p.m. newscast in the Utica market for FOX affiliate WFXV, an arrangement that would last until 2004 when WFXV entered a relationship with WUTR. The 10:00 p.m. newscast was then moved to WBU where it remains to this day.

Since the cancellation of newscasts on WUTR in 2003, WKTV is the only station in the Utica market with newscasts. Even prior to that point, WKTV has been known for airing a sizeable amount of news for a market of Utica's size and during the time of having a rival station was the #1 station by a very wide margin.

[edit] Newscasts

[edit] Weekdays

• NewsChannel 2 at Daybreak (5:00-6:00 a.m.)
• NewsChannel 2 at Sunrise (6:00-7:00 a.m.)
• NewsChannel 2 at Noon (12:00-1:00 p.m.)
• Live at 5 NewsHour (5:00-6:00 p.m.)
• NewsChannel 2 at 6:00 (6:00-6:30 p.m.)
  • The WB News at 10 (WB News at 10:00) airs on WBU
• NewsChannel 2 at 11:00 (11:00-11:35 p.m.)
  • Sports Express Friday Nights During Season (11:35-12:35)

[edit] Weekends

• NewsChannel 2 Weekend Today (9:00-10:00 a.m.)
• NewsChannel 2 Weekend (6:00-6:30 and 11:00-11:30 p.m.)

[edit] On Air Reporters

[edit] News Team

• Vic Vetters
• Bill Worden
• Andy Jenks
• Kristin Lowman
• Don Shipman
• Joleen Ferris
• Pat Bailey
• Nate Crossett
• Kristen Copeland

[edit] Sports Team

• Jason Powles
• Brian Sandler

[edit] Weather Team

• Amanda Gabeler
• Adam Musyt
• Matt Lanza
• Bill Kardas

[edit] Late-Night

WKTV pre-empts Last Call with Carson Daly from NBC in favor of Seinfeld reruns at night. At 2:05AM, it leaves the air, resuming its broadcast day at 5AM. Because of this, WKTV is one of very few television stations in the US today to close down nightly, as opposed to weekends, once a week, or not at all. For Time Warner cable viewers, WKTV provides a straight NBC network feed, with a pre-taped introduction and without local commercials or identification. This feed is joined in progress following WKTV's sign-off.

From late 2005 on, WKTV has aired the Bill Keeler Show, a local comedy series, and current topics venue, on Saturday and late Sunday nights, in addition to producing a daytime version of the show on each weekday on WKTV.

[edit] Notable Alumni

Notable former personalities at WKTV included Dick Clark (who started his TV career at this station) and Robert Earle, who would later host the GE College Bowl (Dick Clark replaced Earle as newscaster).^[1]

[edit] Logos

Pre 1997 WKTV Logo (Unknown-1997)

1997 WKTV Logo (Still In Use On Newscasts) (1997-2005)

Current WKTV Logo (2005-Current)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• http://www.wktv.com/
• Central New York CW
• http://www.smithtelevision.com/
• http://www.fybush.com/site-010530.html (Some history on Smith Hill, where WKTV's original transmitter was located)
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WKTV