WETM-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WETM-TV
Elmira, New York
Branding	WETM 18
Slogan	Coverage You Can Count On
Channels	18 (UHF) analog, 2 (VHF digital
Affiliations	NBC
Owner	Clear Channel Communications (sale pending)
Founded
Call letters meaning	W Elmira Times Mirror (former owner)
Former callsigns	WSYE (to 1980)
Website	www.wetmtv.com

WETM-TV (Channel 18) is the NBC affiliate for Elmira, New York. The station broadcasts on UHF channel 18 analog while its digital signal, WETM-DT, signed on in 2005 broadcasting on VHF channel 2.

[edit] History

WETM signed on in September of 1956 as WSYE, a satellite station to the original WSYR-TV in Syracuse (today's WSTM, not to be confused with the former WNYS/WIXT). Though with limited local content, WSYE became the second station on the air in the Elmira market. WSYE/WETM have been primary NBC affiliates since the station first took to the airwaves. A previous station went dark after a hurricane blew through the Elmira area in 1954 and took out the station's tower. While carrying much of WSYR-TV's programming, WSYE-TV originated its own local news programming at 6 and 11PM. The local news team consisted of anchors Bruce Flaherty and Carl Proper, anchor/weather reporter Rod Denson and others. Morning news cut-ins during "The Today Show" were originated from the Hawley Hill studio and a ladies informational show, "The Dana Near Show" was also broadcast from the station. Channel 18 began originating its own color programming in 1969 by adding color film capabilities with an RCA TK-27 and shortly thereafter from the studio with RCA TK-42's. Videotape rounded out the color upgrades and became a part of the station in 1972.

WETM has continually outrated WENY-TV, the market's ABC affiliate that signed on in 1969.

In 1980, WSYR-TV and WSYE owner Newhouse Communications sold the stations to the Times-Mirror Company which changed the call letters to WSTM and WETM respectively. Over the next several years, Times-Mirror would cut the last ties between it and WSTM and would later sell the station to Smith Broadcasting in the late 1980's. Under Smith's ownership, a reversal of the station's origins would take place with the launch of partial-satellite WBGH in Binghamton in 1996. Set up in the wake of established NBC affiliate WICZ defecting to FOX, WBGH (originally called NBC 5 and seen only on Time Warner Cable in the Binghamton TV market) would soon split off on its own outside of simulcasting WETM's newscasts.

In 2000, Smith Broadcasting sold WETM, WBGH, and WWTI in Watertown to The Ackerley Group, which maintained a cluster of stations throughout New York state. With this purcase, the last ties between WETM and WBGH were cut given Ackerley's ownership of ABC affiliae WIVT in the Binghamton market. Ackerley itself would be bought out by Clear Channel Communications in late 2001.

On November 16, 2006, Clear Channel announced its intention to sell off all of its television stations, including WETM and WTTX, after the company was bought out by a private equity firm.

In 2007, WETM became one of four stations in upstate New York to stream its noon newscast live on an Internet video stream (the other three being WKBW-TV in Buffalo and sister stations WHAM-TV in Rochester and WSYR-TV in Syracuse).

[edit] WTTX-LP/"WETM2"

From September 2004 to present, WETM operates low-power UPN affiliate WTTX-LP (UPN 30). The station broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 30 (the former W30AA, a WSKG-TV translator) and a simulcast on a subchannel of WETM-DT. The station's launch gave the Elmira market its first 10:00 p.m. newscast.

With the merger of UPN and The WB into The CW, WTTX had been expected to compete for the affiliation as well as for the Fox-owned MyNetworkTV. However, the inability to get either affiliation (CW is currently affiliated with WENY-TV's owner Lilly Broadcasting LLC and operates as a CW+ station-much the same way the WB affiliation was cleared with the WB's 100+ Station Group; MyNetworkTV programming is cleared on WYDC-TV) led Clear Channel to make WTTX-LP an independent station and re-brand the station as WETM 2. The station airs local sports, movies, and continues with the only local 10:00 p.m. newscast in the Elmira market and won a New York State Broadcasters Association Award for its coverage of high school sports in 2006.

[edit] External link

• www.wetmtv.com
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WETM
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WTTX

v • d • e Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
Corporate officers: Lowry Mays | Mark Mays | Randall Mays | Tom Hicks Board of directors: Alan Feld | Perry Lewis | Lowry Mays | B.J. McCombs | Phyllis Riggins | Theodore Strauss | J.C. Watts | John H. Williams
Radio / Television stations: Further information: List of broadcast stations owned by Clear Channel Other major assets: Clear Channel Outdoor | Clear Channel UK | Premiere Radio Networks | FOX Sports Radio Network