Media in New York's Capital District

The media in New York's Capital District is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy media market, which is the 56th largest in the United States,[1] includes all of the 11 counties of the Capital District, along with Hamilton County, New York, as well as Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and Bennington County, Vermont. In total, there are 16 AM/MW stations, 30 full-power FM stations, 14 low-power FM translators, 8 full power analog TV stations, 5 low-power TV translators, and 8 full power digital TV (DTV) stations licensed to communities within 30 miles (48 km) of downtown Albany. In terms of broadcast media, Albany is part of Arbitron market #63 (radio), and Nielsen DMA #57 (television), and is a broadcast market with historical relevance. The pioneering influence of General Electric in Schenectady directly contributed to the area emerging as the birthplace of station-based television (WRGB) and one of the earliest FM broadcast stations (today's WRVE), in addition to the first federally licensed radio station in upstate New York, WGY.

Print

Newspaper

The Albany Times Union is area's primary daily newspaper; its headquarters moved to suburban Colonie from Albany in the 1970s, after a dispute with then-Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd over land needed for expansion. More localized are the Amsterdam Recorder for Montgomery and Fulton County; The Daily Gazette, which focuses primarily on Schenectady; The Daily Mail in Greene County; the Gloversville Leader-Herald for Fulton County; The Post-Star, which focuses on Washington, Warren, and northern Saratoga counties; the Troy Record, which focuses on Troy; the Register-Star for Columbia County; and The Saratogian, which focuses on Saratoga County.

Weekly

The Business Review is a business weekly published each Friday.

Other

Campus publications
Online publications

Radio

Radio

In 1947, this region was also home to the first independently owned and operated stand-alone FM radio station in the United States, W47A. In the early 2000s, the greater Albany market had the distinction of having the highest concentration of FM broadcast stations east of the Mississippi River. The Capital District has three local News/Talk radio stations, WGY, WROW, and WGDJ on the AM (MW) band. All feature a mixture of locally oriented and nationally syndicated programming. There are two Sports formatted stations: WOFX, local affiliate for Fox Sports Radio; and WTMM, local affiliate for ESPN Radio. Both stations provide local sports and sports-talk programming as well as national content. The FM dial is primarily made up of commercial music-formatted stations similar to those in other cities around North America, the largest of which include Pop music station WFLY 'FLY-92', Adult Contemporary WYJB 'B-95.5', Hot AC WRVE '99.5 The River', Rock station WQBK-FM 'Q-103', Classic Rock WPYX 'PYX-106', and Country music WGNA-FM 'Country 107.7'. Public radio broadcasting is available from two organisations: Northeast Public Radio serves the Capital Region via their flagship station WAMC-FM, and is the primary local affiliate for NPR network programming, and WMHT-FM is another local outlet that clears select NPR and PRI programming. WAMC focuses on News & Talk programming during the day, various music programs and BBC World Service programming in the evening, while WMHT-FM mainly provides Classical Music programming for most of their broadcast schedule. There are no radio stations in the Albany area that provide programming in languages other than English on a full-time basis. A few individual programs in languages including Spanish, Italian and Arabic are scheduled, primarily on college owned and operated stations.

AM stations

Frequency Callsign Format City Owner Notes
590 kHz WROW Oldies Albany, NY Pamal Broadcasting CBS News affiliate
810 kHz WGY-AM News/Talk Schenectady, NY Clear Channel Communications Fox News Channel; Rush Limbaugh
Syracuse University sports, HD Radio.
900 kHz WABY News Watervliet, NY Empire Broadcasting Corporation simulcast of YNN Capital Region
980 kHz WOFX Sports Troy, NY Clear Channel Communications FOX Sports affiliate, UAlbany football & basketball
Boston Red Sox baseball, NY Jets football. HD Radio.
1160 kHz WAIX Adult Standards Mechanicville, NY Empire Broadcasting Corporation  
1240 kHz WPTR Sports Schenectady, NY Empire Broadcasting Corporation CBS Sports Radio affiliate 
1300 kHz WGDJ Talk radio Rensselaer, NY Capital Broadcasting, Inc. ABC News, Siena College men's basketball
1330 kHz WHAZ Christian Troy, NY Capital Media Group  
1400 kHz WAMC NPR Albany, NY Northeast Public Radio Simulcast of WAMC-FM
1460 kHz WOPG Catholic Albany, NY Pax et Bonum, Inc. EWTN Radio affiliate
1540 kHz WDCD Christian Albany, NY Crawford Broadcasting  

FM stations

Frequency Callsign Format City Owner Notes
88.3 MHz WVCR-FM College/Variety hits Loudonville, NY Siena College  
89.1 MHz WMHT-FM NPR/Classical Schenectady, NY WMHT Educational Telecommunications  
89.7 MHz WRUC College Schenectady, NY Union College  
90.3 MHz WAMC-FM NPR Albany, NY Northeast Public Radio 2 services in HD Radio
90.9 MHz WCDB College Albany, NY University at Albany, SUNY  
91.5 MHz WRPI College Troy, NY Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  
92.3 MHz WFLY Contemporary Hit Radio Troy, NY Pamal Broadcasting  
93.7 MHz WYAI Christian CHR Scotia, NY Educational Media Foundation Air 1 affiliate
94.5 MHz WYKV Christian Contemporary Ravena, NY Educational Media Foundation K-LOVE affiliate
95.5 MHz WYJB Adult Contemporary Albany, NY Pamal Broadcasting  
96.3 MHz WAJZ Rhythmic Contemporary Voorheesville, NY Pamal Broadcasting  
96.7 MHz WDCD-FM Christian Clifton Park, NY Crawford Broadcasting  
98.3 MHz WTRY-FM Oldies Rotterdam, NY Clear Channel Communications 2 services via HD Radio
99.5 MHz WRVE Hot Adult Contemporary Schenectady, NY Clear Channel Communications 2 services via HD Radio
100.9 MHz WKLI-FM Country Albany, NY Pamal Broadcasting  
102.3 MHz WKKF Contemporary Hit Radio Ballston Spa, NY Clear Channel Communications 2 services via HD Radio
103.1 MHz WGY-FM News/Talk Schenectady, NY Clear Channel Communications Fox News Channel; Rush Limbaugh
Syracuse University sports
103.9 MHz WQBK-FM Active Rock Rensselaer, NY Townsquare Media Buffalo Bills football
104.5 MHz WTMM-FM ESPN Sports Mechanicville, NY Townsquare Media Albany Devils hockey
NY Yankees baseball
104.9 MHz WINU Sports Radio Altamont, NY Pamal Broadcasting CBS Sports affiliate
105.7 MHz WQSH Classic Hits (80s/90s) Malta, NY Townsquare Media HD Radio
106.5 MHz WPYX Classic rock Albany, NY Clear Channel Communications NY Giants football
2 services via HD Radio
107.7 MHz WGNA-FM Country Albany, NY Townsquare Media HD Radio

Fringe FM signals which can be received in the Albany market include:

Frequency Callsign Format City Owner Notes
90.7 MHz WPGL Christian Pattersonville, NY Sound of Life Radio Simulcast on 94.9 Albany
91.1 MHz WHVP Christian Hudson, NY Sound of Life Radio  
91.1 MHz WSPN College Saratoga Springs, NY Skidmore College  
92.9 MHz WBPM Classic Hits Saugerties, NY Pamal Broadcasting  
93.5 MHz WZCR Oldies Hudson, NY Clear Channel Communications  
94.7 MHz WBAR-FM Christian Lake Luzerne, NY Capital Media Group Simulcast of WHAZ-AM
95.9 MHz WCQL Hot Adult Contemporary Queensbury, NY Regional Radio Group  
97.3 MHz WMYY Christian Schoharie, NY Capital Media Group Simulcast of WHAZ-AM
97.5 MHz WHAZ-FM Christian Hoosick Falls, NY Capital Media Group Simulcast of WHAZ-AM
97.7 MHz WEXT Adult Album Alternative Amsterdam, NY WMHT Educational Telecommunications  
97.9 MHz WRIP Adult Contemporary Windham, NY Rip Radio, LLC  
98.5 MHz WCTW Hot Adult Contemporary Catskill, NY Clear Channel Communications  
98.5 MHz WCKM-FM Classic Hits Lake George, NY Regional Radio Group  
100.3 MHz WKBE Country Warrensburg, NY Pamal Broadcasting  
101.3 MHz WJKE Adult Contemporary Stillwater, NY Empire Broadcasting Corporation  
101.7 MHz WNYQ Classic Hits Hudson Falls, NY Pamal Broadcasting  
101.9 MHz WJIV Christian Cherry Valley, NY Christian Broadcasting System  
102.7 MHz WEQX Modern Rock Manchester, VT Northshire Broadcasting  
103.5 MHz WQBJ Active Rock Cobleskill, NY Townsquare Media Simulcast of WQBK-FM
107.1 MHz WFFG-FM Adult Album Alternative Corinth, NY Pamal Broadcasting  

Television

WRGB has the distinction of being the very first affiliated station of the NBC Television Network. The Albany TV DMA is served by the following stations, providing programming from many of the English-language American broadcast television networks: WRGB-CBS, WTEN-ABC, WNYT-NBC, WXXA-Fox, WMHT-PBS, WCWN-CW, WNYA-MyNetworkTV, and WYPX-ION. There are currently no local affiliates for any of the Spanish-language domestic broadcast television networks, however the national service of Univision is provided via cable TV. Local cable TV operator Time Warner Cable provides a 24-hour cable news television channel, Time Warner Cable News Capital Region (formerly Capital News 9 and YNN Capital Region; now covering Albany and Glens Falls). Christian television networks TBN and 3ABN are available via low-power translator service to the immediate metro area. Unlike many television markets around the country, TV stations from neighboring markets cannot normally be received in the greater Albany area due to distance and terrain.

PSIP Channel (Cable) Callsign Affiliation City of license Owner Notes
6 (6) WRGB CBS Schenectady, NY Sinclair Broadcast Group DTV Ch. 6 (1806)
10 (10) WTEN ABC Albany, NY Media General DTV Ch. 26 (1810); See also WCDC
13 (13) WNYT NBC Albany, NY Hubbard Broadcasting DTV Ch. 12 (1813)
15 (None) WEPT-CD AMGTV Kinderhook, NY Venture Technologies Group Analog low-power station
17 (11) WMHT PBS Schenectady, NY WMHT Educational Telecommunications DTV Ch. 34 (1811)
14 (14) WYBN Independent Windham, NY Cable Ad Net New York, Inc. DTV Ch. 14.1 thru 14.6
23 (8) WXXA-TV FOX Albany, NY Shield Media (operated by WTEN/Media General) DTV Ch. 7 (1808)
45 (15) WCWN CW Schenectady, NY Sinclair Broadcast Group DTV Ch. 43 (1815)
51 (4) WNYA MyTV Pittsfield, MA Hubbard Broadcasting DTV Ch. 13 (1804)
58 (None) W58CX 3ABN Saratoga Springs, NY 3ABN Inc. Satellite fed low-power translator
Transmitter located in New Scotland NY
55 (20) WYPX ION Amsterdam, NY ION Media Networks DTV Ch. 50 (1820)

Time Warner Cable also provides a local 24-hour rolling news service to its subscribers, Time Warner Cable News Capital Region (formerly Capital News 9) on cable channel 9.

References

  1. "DMA Name: Albany-Schenectady-Troy". Backchannelmedia, Inc. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  2. "About Us: Capital is a publication for and about the people and institutions that shape New York, delivering fast, original, essential analysis and reporting on city and state politics and the media industry.". CAPITAL (Albany, New York).

External links