WFTY-DT

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This article is about the television station in Smithtown, New York. For the Washington, D.C., television station formerly called WFTY, see WDCW.
WFTY-DT
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
November 18, 1973
(51 years ago) (1973-11-18)
Former call signs
  • WSNL-TV (1973–1987)
  • WHSI (1987–1998)
  • WHSI-TV (1998–2002)
  • WFTY (2002–2003)
  • WFTY–TV (2004–2009)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 67 (UHF, 1973–2009)
Call sign meaning
Telefutura New York (former name for UniMás)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID60553
ERP655 kW
HAAT219 m (719 ft)
Transmitter coordinates40°53′23″N 72°57′11″W / 40.88972°N 72.95306°W / 40.88972; -72.95306
Links
Public license information

WFTY-DT (channel 67) is a television station licensed to Smithtown, New York, United States, serving Long Island and owned by TelevisaUnivision. Its main channel broadcasts the True Crime Network; it also rebroadcasts the main channels of its New York City–area Univision and UniMás stations, WXTV-DT (channel 41) and WFUT-DT (channel 68), from its transmitter in Middle Island, New York. Channel 67 was originally assigned to Patchogue, New York, where television producer Theodore Granik obtained the construction permit for a new TV station in September 1968. Granik envisioned a group of ultra high frequency (UHF) stations carrying public affairs programming, but he died in 1970 with channel 67 unbuilt. The permit was acquired by the Suburban Broadcasting Corporation, which believed it could fill a void in providing news, sports, and entertainment programming from and for Long Island. On this basis, WSNL-TV began broadcasting on November 18, 1973. As much as 70 percent of its lineup consisted of live, local programming—a level far ahead of most stations—ranging from local news and sports to children's and cooking shows and a Long Island–set soap opera. The station struggled to build a viewer and advertiser base owing to reception difficulties—lampooned so frequently by Newsday writer Marvin Kitman that he was sued—and economic troubles. It left the air on June 20, 1975, and filed for bankruptcy the next year. In 1978, Canwest Capital Corporation, a Canadian company whose U.S. subsidiary Universal Subscription Television was in the subscription television (STV) business, paid off all of Suburban's debts in exchange for the rights to broadcast STV programming on channel 67. Canwest then entered into a joint venture with Wometco Enterprises, majority owner of channel 68 and operator of the Wometco Home Theater (WHT) STV service that served the New York City area and northern New Jersey. Beginning in June 1980, WSNL-TV began providing WHT on Long Island. Wometco terminated the joint venture in 1981 and became the sole owner of channel 67. At its peak, WHT served more than 111,000 subscribers and was the fourth-largest STV system in the nation. The death of Wometco majority owner Mitchell Wolfson in 1983 triggered a leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). As subscriptions declined due to rising cable penetration, Wometco sold off the WHT business but kept channels 68 and 67, which began broadcasting a music video service known as U68 on June 1, 1985. U68 was a locally programmed competitor to MTV with a more eclectic mix of music. The stations were put on the market in December 1985 because KKR executed a second leveraged buyout, this time of Storer Communications, and chose to retain Storer's cable systems in northern New Jersey and Connecticut over WWHT and WSNL-TV. The two stations were sold to the Home Shopping Network (HSN) as part of its foray into broadcasting; renamed WHSE and WHSI, they broadcast home shopping programming for the next 15 years. While an attempt by company owner Barry Diller to convert the stations to general-entertainment independents was slated as late as 2000, Diller ultimately sold WHSE and WHSI and other USA Broadcasting stations to Univision in 2001. Many of these stations formed the backbone of Telefutura (now UniMás), which launched in January 2002.

WSNL-TV

Prehistory

On August 22, 1964, Theodore Granik applied for a construction permit for channel 75 in Patchogue, New York, with the channel assignment soon changed to 67 after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) overhauled television allocations nationally.[2] Granik, who had produced the long-running The American Forum of the Air on radio and television, envisioned the Patchogue channel as one of seven stations nationwide specializing in public affairs programming.[3] Long Island Video also filed for channel 67;[4] Medallion Pictures acquired the company and became the applicant,[5] but it agreed to withdraw in exchange for the costs it had incurred in seeking channel 67, granting Granik the permit in September 1968.[6][2] Granik never built channel 67. He died on September 21, 1970.[7] His death scuttled plans for channel 67 and channel 50 in Washington, D.C.; the estate left no money to start the Washington station, which declared bankruptcy.[8][9] On March 19, 1971, Granik Broadcasting Corporation filed to sell the permit to the Suburban Broadcasting Corporation. Suburban was a consortium of New York–area investors, including some from Long Island as well as Percy Sutton, the president of Manhattan Borough.[10] After closing on the purchase of the permit from Granik's estate, Suburban unveiled its plans for channel 67, which was given the call sign WSNL-TV (for Suffolk County and Nassau County counties on Long Island). Suburban's principals believed Long Island was underserved by television, being part of the New York television market. In 1969, an educational station, WLIW, began broadcasting from Garden City, but there was no commercial outlet. Company president David H. Polinger noted the presence of two daily newspapers and 20 radio stations on Long Island but no locally focused TV station.[11] Polinger brought Long Island broadcast experience, having built radio stations in Lake Success and Babylon.[12] Channel 67 planned a schedule heavy on live programs, with as much as 70 percent of the schedule being live, ranging from news and high school sports to a live soap opera.[13][14] Films and syndicated programming rounded out the lineup.[15] Construction of studios near the corner of the Long Island Expressway and Veterans Highway in Central Islip, near Hauppauge, began in April 1973.[14][16] The 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) building featured two studios to handle the station's large local program output.[17]

Live and local for Long Island

WSNL-TV began broadcasting to Long Island on November 18, 1973.[18] It represented a $4 million investment by Suburban Broadcasting.[19] Programming included The Fairchilds, a soap opera featuring a family that moved from California to Oyster Bay; the amateur variety show Toast of Long Island; a late-night variety show, Long Island Tonight; Chef Nicola, a live cooking show; Black Metamorphosis, a public affairs program; exercise program Trim and Slim; children's programs Captain Ahab and Ahab and Friends; and as sports coverage and two daily editions of 67 Action News.[20][11][21] Syndicated programs included The Phil Donahue Show.[22] The principal operating challenge for WSNL-TV was that it was an ultra high frequency (UHF) station. The quality of the station's local programming and many viewers' trouble tuning it in became regular fodder for Marvin Kitman, the television critic and satirist for Long Island's daily Newsday. Over the course of 1974, Kitman published several columns making light of channel 67's poor signal—hobbled by installation difficulties—and production values. In April, Kitman wrote,[23]

The morning of March 6, a large crane went to the site of a leading cultural landmark on Long Island, the Ch. 67 transmitter and antenna off the expressway in Central Islip. The riggers turned the tower in a new direction. Since then, there have been bitter complaints from the Russian trawler fleet. ... By twisting the antenna very early that morning in March, Ch. 67 may have damaged the détente.

Kitman ran a survey asking for readers' comments on WSNL-TV's reception and programming in February 1974.[24] Based on the survey, Kitman published "ratings" for the station's various local programs.[25] He also published reader comments as to the station's receivability. A man from Far Rockaway told Kitman, "Yes, I saw Channel 67. In TV Guide."[26] In response, Suburban Broadcasting filed a $15 million lawsuit in New York Supreme Court against Kitman and Newsday in November 1974, claiming a "willful and malicious effort to mortally injure" WSNL-TV's chances as a "viable advertising medium".[27] Suburban's lawsuit against Kitman coincided with a retrenchment. Channel 67 had been in talks for a loan from Franklin National Bank, but the bank became insolvent and was closed in October 1974.[28][29] The station's first election night coverage was almost affected by strike action among twelve unionized news employees.[30] In October, WSNL laid off Oren Palenik, host of a women's program, and other hosts and increased its reliance on syndicated shows and films.[31] The news programming was reduced to hourly news updates in January 1975, part of a reduction in local programming from forty hours a week to just eight or nine hours and accompanying a layoff of one-fifth of the station's staff.[32] In addition to filing suit against Kitman, Suburban sued equipment manufacturer RCA and tower fabricator Stainless Inc. for improper initial installation of the antenna. The company also sought new investors.[33] In one last miscue, the station gave up its rights to telecast New York Cosmos soccer just two weeks before Pelé signed with the team.[28] The reduction in local programming and personnel failed to turn the station's finances around. The station left the air on June 20, 1975, while signing a deal with a company to use the Central Islip studios for commercial and film production.[34] The suspension was described as temporary, lasting just three months.[35] One broadcaster operating other UHF stations told The New York Times that Suburban failed to take its "VHF thinking" and translate it to the different economics of running a UHF television station.[28] The station lost an average of $255,931 for each of the 20 months it was in business.[36]: 361  Suburban Broadcasting Corporation filed for bankruptcy in February 1976, listing assets of $3.9 million and liabilities of $4.8 million. Creditors were told that the station was about to become profitable when two of its three largest advertisers went out of business.[37]

Subscription TV broadcasting

On August 24, 1978, Suburban Broadcasting found a Canadian white knight to pay its $5 million in debts. Canwest Capital Corporation provided the financing in a deal that saw Canwest's U.S. subscription television (STV) subsidiary, Universal Subscription Television, enter into a franchise agreement to provide pay broadcasting over WSNL-TV. Canwest, as a Canadian company, could not own stations outright, but it could provide them with subscription programming.[38] As part of the deal, channel 67 changed its city of license from Patchogue to Smithtown, where enough commercial, free TV stations were received to permit FCC licensing of an STV station.[39] The station began plans for reactivation in late 1979; in addition to subscription programming from Universal Subscription Television, WSNL-TV would air some local programming as a condition of its license.[40] WSNL-TV returned to Long Island screens on December 15, 1979, after nearly 4+1⁄2 years of silence, with a limited schedule of prime time programming during the week and daytime programs on weekends.[41][42] A month later, Suburban filed to sell the station to a new joint venture led by Wometco Enterprises. This sale meant that, instead of programming from Universal Subscription Television, WSNL would provide STV programming from Wometco Home Theater (WHT).[43] WHT had been operating in the New York market on channel 68 from Newark, New Jersey, at this point known as WWHT, since March 1, 1977;[44] Canwest approached WHT because it was worried about the viability of a standalone STV service from WSNL.[36]: 361  From January 30 to June 2, 1980, channel 67 was out of service because of an electrical fire at its Central Islip studios;[36]: 362  the fire gutted the control room and burned so hot that a brick wall cracked.[45] The station began airing Wometco Home Theater after returning to the air.[46] It also offered old movies and a nightly newscast.[45][47] The FCC approved of Wometco acquiring WSNL-TV in November 1980. Because channels 67 and 68 had overlapping signals, Wometco would operate WSNL-TV as a simulcast of WWHT with up to four and a half hours a week of its own programming.[36] Wometco closed on the purchase in January 1981,[48] and in June, it bought out Canwest's interest in the joint venture and became the sole owner of WSNL while sharing ownership of WWHT with Blonder-Tongue Laboratories.[49] {{#section:WFUT-DT|shared}} In 2017, Univision reached a deal with the Justice Network, a diginet focusing on true crime and law enforcement programming, and provided it carriage in 11 markets, including New York City.[50] Justice Network rebranded as True Crime Network in 2020.[51]

Technical information

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Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WFTY-DT[52]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
67.1 480i 16:9 CRIME True Crime Network
67.2 720p WFUT-DT UniMás (WFUT-DT)
67.3 WXTV-DT Univision (WXTV-DT)
67.4 480i GRIT Grit
67.5 MYSTERY Ion Mystery
67.6 ShopLC Shop LC MPEG-4 video
67.7 NVSN Nuestra Visión
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station
  Subchannel broadcast with MPEG-4 video

Analog-to-digital conversion

WFTY ended regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 67, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 23, using virtual channel 67.[53]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WFTY-DT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 "History Cards for WFTY-DT". Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ Gross, Ben (September 4, 1964). "Granik Plans 7 UHF-TV Public Service Stations". Daily News. New York, New York. p. 64. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "LI's First TV Station Is Given an OK". Newsday. August 11, 1967. p. 5. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Frymer, Murray (June 27, 1966). "FCC Sets LI Hearing Date". Newsday. p. 5A. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "FCC Approves Television Permit". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. August 22, 1968. p. 5. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Theodore Granik, Moderated Debates on Radio, Television". The Washington Post. September 23, 1970. p. C5. ProQuest 147922507.
  8. ↑ "Channel 50 In Bankruptcy". The Washington Post. May 27, 1971. p. C13. ProQuest 148049498.
  9. ↑ "New D.C. permittee has financial troubles" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 31, 1971. p. 39. ProQuest 1014526632. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  10. ↑ Royce, Knut (July 2, 1971). "Group Seeks to Build TV Station on LI". Newsday. p. 23. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Jump up to: 11.0 11.1 Chekenian, Jane (November 11, 1973). "Channel 67 to Go on Air Next Sunday". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  12. ↑ Seligsohn, Leo (November 18, 1973). "They're Turned On For LI To Tune In". Newsday. p. II:3. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Collins, Thomas (December 17, 1971). "Commercial TV for LI: A step closer". Newsday. p. 11A. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Jump up to: 14.0 14.1 Schneider, Howard (January 17, 1973). "LI's own soaps, talk shows: Ch. 67". Newsday. p. 11A. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "New Television Station Begins LI-Oriented Telecasts In Color" (PDF). The Long Island Advance. Patchogue, New York. December 13, 1973. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  16. ↑ "New LI TV Station Dedicated". Newsday. April 8, 1973. p. 35. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Tolnay, Tom (July 19, 1974). "Station Production Trend Continues As WSNL Takes Plunge". Back Stage. pp. 3, 22. ProQuest 963054977.
  18. ↑ Seligsohn, Leo (November 19, 1973). "Ch. 67: LI's First Commercial TV Station Is Born". Newsday. pp. 4A, 5A. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Meyer, Frank (April 10, 1974). "Long Island's New WSNL-TV Gears Up In Toughest Market". Variety. p. 47. ProQuest 1505777275.
  20. ↑ Seligsohn, Leo (September 21, 1973). "There's A Trend For Everyone". Newsday. pp. 3A, 36A. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Kitman, Marvin (December 19, 1973). "M-m-m-m..." Newsday. p. 180. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "WSNL-TV Channel 67 UHF is Long Island's own...and it's really something to watch!". Newsday (Advertising pullout). November 18, 1973. pp. 1, 2/3 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Kitman, Marvin (April 17, 1974). "The Marvin Kitman Show: New directions". Newsday. p. 67A. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ Kitman, Marvin (February 17, 1974). "Testing Ch. 67's visible impact". Newsday. p. II:7. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Kitman, Marvin (May 9, 1974). "News is tops with Ch. 67 viewers". Newsday. pp. 108A, 107A. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Kitman, Marvin (July 7, 1974). "Getting Ch. 67's audience in focus". Newsday. p. II:7. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ "Kitman 'Canards' Are Suit-Able, Long Island UHFer Decides". Variety. November 20, 1974. p. 38. ProQuest 1401275291.
  28. ↑ Jump up to: 28.0 28.1 28.2 Abrams, John (June 22, 1975). "Channel 67 Suspends Televising Indefinitely". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  29. ↑ Hunt, Avery (October 9, 1974). "Franklin National Is Bankrupt, International Group Takes Over". Newsday. pp. 3, 4. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "Pact Reached at Ch. 67". Newsday. November 6, 1974. p. 30. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ Lowe, Ed (December 17, 1974). "For One Woman, the Show Is Over". Newsday. p. 5. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "Channel 67 Laying Off 20% of Staff". Newsday. January 11, 1975. p. 6. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "From LI's Ch. 67, Reorganization And a Major Change in Focus". Newsday. January 24, 1975. pp. 3A, 6A. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ "Channel 67 Going Off Air June 20". Newsday. June 7, 1975. p. 7. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ Murray, Barbara (June 19, 1975). "WSLN-TV [sic] Set To Leave Air For 3 Months". Newsday. p. 25. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ Jump up to: 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 "Memorandum Opinion and Order (83 FCC 2d 359)". Federal Communications Commission. November 18, 1980. p. 359.
  37. ↑ Freedman, Mitchell (February 22, 1976). "Creditors Weigh Fate of Channel 67". Newsday. p. 19. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ↑ "Canwest joins U.S. firm in bid for N.Y. market". The Globe and Mail. January 31, 1980. p. B2. ProQuest 386984288.
  39. ↑ Freedman, Mitchell (August 5, 1978). "LI Channel 67 To Reopen, Offer Pay TV". Newsday. p. 6. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ↑ Moss, Brian (October 16, 1979). "LI TV Station Plans Comeback". Newsday. New York, New York. p. 41. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ↑ "Ch. 67 rides again". Newsday. December 15, 1979. p. II:28. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ↑ "WSNL-TV Returns to Air On L.I. After 4 1/2 Years". The New York Times. New York New York. December 30, 1979. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  43. ↑ Moss, Brian (January 16, 1980). "2 Firms Seek to Buy Channel 67 Operator". Newsday. p. 47. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ↑ Feldberg, Robert (April 26, 1977). "Pay TV goes wireless". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. A-18. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ↑ Jump up to: 45.0 45.1 Freedman, Mitchell (January 31, 1980). "Fire Damage Puts Ch. 67 Off the Air". Newsday. p. 31. Retrieved December 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ↑ "FCC Grants Wometco Control of WSNL-TV". The Film Journal. January 15, 1981. p. 72. ProQuest 1017412119.
  47. ↑ Grossman, Karl (June 19, 1986). "L.I. no longer ignored by New York City news" (PDF). Suffolk County News. Sayville, New York. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Wometco finalizes TV station buy". The Hollywood Reporter. January 9, 1981. p. 8. ProQuest 2598207355.
  49. ↑ "Wometco, Uni venture terminated". The Hollywood Reporter. June 18, 1981. p. 6. ProQuest 2598184491.
  50. ↑ Marszalek, Diana (September 6, 2017). "Univision Rolling Out Justice Network in 11 Markets". Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  51. ↑ Lafayette, Jon (August 26, 2020). "Tegna Relaunching Justice as True Crime Net with Streaming". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Digital TV Market Listing for WFTY". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  53. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.

External links

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