| Poughkeepsie, New York | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 27 (UHF) Virtual: 54 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | (see article) |
| Affiliations | TBN |
| Owner | Trinity Broadcasting Network (Trinity Broadcasting of New York, Inc.) |
| First air date | April 19, 1981 |
| Call letters' meaning | Trinity Broadcasting (the station's owner) New York |
| Former callsigns | WFTI-TV (1981-1983) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 54 (1981-2008) |
| Transmitter power | 800 kW |
| Height | 357.7 m (1,174 ft) |
| Class | DT (Digital Television) |
| Facility ID | 67993 |
| Website | www.tbn.org |
WTBY-TV is the TBN owned and operated station in Poughkeepsie, New York. It broadcasts on UHF channel 27, with a digital signal. However, through PSIP, digital sets display WTBY's channel as its old analog number, UHF channel 54.
While Poughkeepsie is part of the New York City television market, it is only viewable in the northern fringes of the area. It is not available on DirecTV or Dish Network's New York City local feeds; only the national version is available. Most of the station's viewership is in the Albany market; until 2010, WTBY operated two translators in that market (W52DF channel 52 to reach Albany and the Capital District, and W47CM on channel 47 to reach Glens Falls and the Adirondacks); both stations ceased broadcasting due to declining support, which has been attributed to the digital transition, with W52DF shutting down March 13[1] and W47CM shutting down one month later.[2] W52DF's license, along with 43 other silent TBN repeaters, was canceled on December 1, 2011 for remaining silent over a year.[3]
The station signed on April 6, 1980 as WFTI-TV. At the time Channel 54 was the most powerful 5 million watt UHF TV station in the New York City DMA. The station was initially licensed and owned by Family Television, Inc. (Family TV), a New York corporation founded by Keith Houser in 1979. The Family/Christian station was headquartered in the Poughkeepsie Plaza Mall on Route 9. Family TV was innovative in creating TV programming suitable for the whole family such as re-run of The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid. Family TV originated coverage of West Point Academy sports (except the Army-Navy college football game). Family TV also produced "Valley Magazine" a nightly 30 minute program with interviews of local celebrities such as James Cagney, Mrs. Smith, of Merrill, Lynch, Fenner & Smith. Family TV sold the station to Trinity Broadcasting in July, 1983. Trinity moved its studios to Fishkill, New York and adopted its current programming and callsign.
This station elected to keep RF channel 27 permanently for digital operation during the first round of digital channel elections in February 2005. Its analog signal was shut off on October 1, 2008, approximately a month and a half earlier than its scheduled cut off date. This caused it to be dropped from at least one cable TV system (Service Electric Cable TV of New Jersey) due to difficulty in receiving the signal at the cable headend. Service Electric replaced it with the national TBN service.
This station's digital signal, like most other full-service TBN owned-and-operated stations, carries five different TBN-run networks.
| Channel | Video | Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54.1 | 480i | TBN | Main network programming |
| 54.2 | 480i | The Church Channel | Televised church services |
| 54.3 | 480i | JCTV | Christian music videos and other programs for ages 12-34 |
| 54.4 | 480i | Enlace USA | Spanish-language religious programming |
| 54.5 | 480i | Smile of a Child TV | E/I children's programming |
TBN-owned full-power stations permanently ceased analog transmissions on April 16, 2009.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||