103-564: WNYF-CD (channel 28) is a low-power , Class A television station in Watertown, New York , United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Carthage -licensed CBS affiliate WWNY-TV (channel 7). The two stations share studios on Arcade Street in downtown Watertown; WNYF-CD and WWNY-TV's transmitters are located on the same tower along NY 126 /State Street on Champion Hill . Since WNYF-CD's transmitter
206-810: A broadcast license (free-of-charge) at a maximum of 1 watt EIRP in the FM guardbands from 87.6 to 88.3 and from 106.7 to 107.7 MHz under a General User Radio License (GURL), which is issued by Radio Spectrum Management , managed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment . Prior to June 2010, the lower band was located between 88.1 and 88.8 and a maximum of 500 mW EIRP allowed. Broadcasters on these frequencies are required to cease operations if they interfere with other, licensed broadcasters and have no protection from interference from other licensed or unlicensed broadcasters. Contact details must also be broadcast every hour. Further restrictions are in place for
309-486: A cat-and-mouse game of changing programming schedules every few weeks leaving viewers confused. The changes usually occurred with little to no advance warning, sometimes making local schedules in TV Guide (both U.S. and Canadian versions) outdated by the time they were published. WFFF-TV eventually solved the problem by adding a second daily airing of That '70s Show , giving it access to a second strip of programming from
412-626: A construction permit, the station was unable to secure approval from the Mount Mansfield Collocation Association. As a result, after three years of attempts, it was forced to transmit from WPTZ's tower on Terry Mountain in Peru, New York under special temporary authority , resulting in less over-the-air coverage of the eastern portion of the market than anticipated. WFFF-TV, along with the other Burlington–Plattsburgh stations, were able to sign their digital signals on
515-476: A few instances, which according to certain criteria, may be exempt from certificate/license requirements. A television station is considered very low power if its power does not exceed 2 watts for a VHF station, or 10 watts for a UHF station. Low-power analog & digital television stations are authorized to operate with up to 50 watts in VHF, or 500 watts for a UHF station. In New Zealand residents are allowed
618-651: A few miles of their transmitters. Other LPAM operations are known as Travelers' Information Stations (TIS), sometimes also called highway advisory radio (HAR). Authorized under FCC Part 90.242, these are stations licensed to local transportation departments or other governmental or quasi-governmental agencies to provide bulletins to motorists regarding traffic conditions. These are often near highways and airports, and occasionally other tourism attractions such as national parks . Some are used by chemical and nuclear facilities for emergency evacuation information systems, others by public safety entities for mobile operations. Music
721-512: A lack of support from the other FCC commissioners. Though many low-power television stations are either unaffiliated, or broadcast programming from small networks meant for their use, some LPTV stations are affiliated with minor broadcast networks like The CW or MyNetworkTV . Examples include in Boston, Massachusetts with NBC on WBTS-CD ; Youngstown, Ohio , where a pair of LPTV stations based at WYFX-LD broadcast Fox programming, along with
824-535: A large audience in southern Quebec , Canada. This includes Montreal , a city that is 10 times more populous than the station's entire U.S. viewing area, as well as the Montérégie region. Most Vidéotron systems in southern Quebec carry WFFF-TV as their Fox affiliate. WFFF-TV signed on August 31, 1997. Prior to the station's launch, the Champlain Valley was the last top-100 television market without
927-481: A low transmitter power output to a smaller service area than "full power" stations within the same region. It is often distinguished from "micropower broadcasting" (more commonly " microbroadcasting ") and broadcast translators . LPAM , LPFM and LPTV are in various levels of use across the world, varying widely based on the laws and their enforcement . Radio communications in Canada are regulated by
1030-439: A million dollars, and could only afforded by businesses and the very wealthy. An antenna and transmitter can cost between $ 2,000 and $ 5,000. Unlike the former FM class D license, an LPFM station has no priority over broadcast translators in the allocation of available spectrum. This is problematic insofar as the regulations for broadcast translators exempts non-commercial stations from the requirement that translators be within
1133-424: A naming format consisting of a four-digit number preceded by the letters CH for a television station or VF for a radio station. The regulation of spectrum space is strict in Canada, as well having restrictions on second and third adjacent channels, along with other protections for AM and FM commercial radio. In addition, because there have been a few cases that found that FM frequencies have caused interference to
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#17328023850081236-428: A one-time filing opportunity for existing LPTV stations to become Class A stations. The designation was only available to LPTV stations that were producing two hours per week of local programming. Class A stations had to maintain a production studio within their Grade B contour, and comply with many of the requirements placed on full-service television stations. This allowed them to obtain protected channel status. One of
1339-715: A primary Fox affiliate; CBS affiliate WCAX-TV aired Fox Sports and Fox Kids programming, while the network's full schedule was available on cable systems in most of Vermont via Foxnet ; the extreme southern portion of the Champlain Valley (corresponding to the Glens Falls metropolitan area ) was well served by Albany Fox affiliate WXXA-TV , which was not receivable at all in northern New York or southern Quebec. Cable systems in northeastern New York had imported network flagship WNYW from New York City, while Canadian cable systems carried WUTV from Buffalo or WUHF from Rochester . Between 1995 and 2001, Fox programming
1442-632: A programming service owned by Fox. On September 27, 2007, WFFF-TV moved The CW to its second digital subchannel. For Comcast viewers in Vermont, WFFF-DT2 immediately replaced WPIX. The subchannel was initially going to carry the branding "The CW 20" after its channel location on Comcast in Burlington. At its launch, the station branded itself as "The CW Burlington". It was not until December 31, 2008, when Charter systems in New York State added
1545-418: A secondary affiliation with The WB in 1999, after WBVT-LP (now WGMU-LP ) dropped that network in favor of UPN . For a time, the two hours of prime time programming from The WB aired in separate two hour-long blocks weeknights at 5 and 10. In 2002, WFFF-TV moved the entire two hours of programming to a delayed basis at 10 p.m. after Fox prime time in continuous block named "The WB Time". WFFF-TV also cleared
1648-447: A single station (retransmitted by many others) ending up on several hundred different translators. One station cannot apply for hundreds or thousands of translators nationwide, using automated means to generate license applications for all available channels, unless all of their applications are exclusively on the non-commercial part of the broadcast band (88–91.9 MHz). ( 47 CFR 74.1231(b) ) As with any new service that shares
1751-434: A standard definition feed of its parent station a few days later. It resumed operations on August 23, 2016, as an affiliate of Escape (which is now known as Court TV Mystery). On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced the two networks would cease broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initials of corporate parents CBS (the parent company of UPN) and
1854-1148: Is a non-commercial educational broadcast radio service created by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States in 2000. LPFM licenses, which are limited to a maximum effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts, may be issued to non-commercial educational entities, as well as public safety and transportation organizations. Individuals and holders of other types of broadcast licenses are not eligible. In addition, LPFM stations are not protected from interference from other classes of FM stations. In addition, Class D educational licenses exist for stations of 10 watts transmitter power output (TPO) or less, regardless of ERP. These stations are all grandfathered operations, as no new licenses of this type have been issued since 1978, except in Alaska. They are not considered to be LPFM stations, although they operate noncommercially and have similar coverage areas to Class L2 stations. In January 2000,
1957-404: Is a potential that the sidebands of two LPFM stations would overlap causing interference. As of 2008 , imposing a second adjacent channel restriction would impact less than 10 LPFM stations. WFFF-TV WFFF-TV (channel 44) is a television station licensed to Burlington, Vermont , United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Burlington, Vermont– Plattsburgh, New York market. It
2060-593: Is competition for spectrum in some locations between the LPFM service and the FM translator service. In May 2018, several groups supporting community-based low-power FM stations filed objections with the FCC, citing the Local Community Radio Act , accusing it of favoring existing station coverage expansion with translator licenses - "a spectrum grab" - over new LPFM spectrum licenses. The acronym 'LPAM'
2163-438: Is conducted more so by CRTC. LPAM stations are authorized to operate with less than 100 watts of power. LPFM is broken up into two classes in Canada, Low (50 watts) and Very Low (10 watts). The transmitters therefore range from 1 to 50 watts, as opposed to 1 to 100 watts in the U.S. As of 2000 , 500 licenses (very low and low-power FM) have been issued. These transmitters are generally only allowed in remote areas. Stations in
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#17328023850082266-401: Is considered a secondary service by the FCC, which means the licensee is not guaranteed protection from interference or displacement. An LPTV station must accept harmful interference from full-service television stations and may not cause harmful interference to any full-service television station (the FCC defines interference levels deemed to be "harmful"). The problem with potential displacement
2369-410: Is minimal and would not have a significant effect on other stations. According to Sen. Leahy, "This bill will open up the airwaves to truly local broadcasting while protecting full-power broadcasters from unreasonable interference and preserving important services such as reading services for the blind." Sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen Mike Doyle and Lee Terry and in
2472-471: Is no weekday morning or noon meteorologist, news anchor Beth Hall presents the weather forecast. During the weeknight weather segment, the station features a live National Weather Service weather radar based in the Parkers section of Montague . The station's digital signal is multiplexed : Low power broadcasting#Television Low-power broadcasting is broadcasting by a broadcast station at
2575-467: Is not a legal term in the United States and is only used as an acronym. Unlike LPFM stations, which have legal and regulatory status, FCC rules do not define "LPAM" nor issue licenses for low-power AM transmission. LPAM is only an acronym applied to licensed low-power AM operations and to Part 15 transmissions as well. Any use of the term "low power AM" in FCC licensing for United States stations
2678-698: Is not allowed on TIS/HAR stations, and they are restricted to only 3 kHz wide, " low-fidelity audio ", compared to the 10 kHz audio for standard AM broadcasters and 15 kHz audio permitted on FM stations. (Modern AM stations in the US actually restrict their audio from 5 kHz down to 2.5 kHz - roughly the same as to TIS stations. TIS transmissions are normally authorized for 10 watts or less, although some higher authorizations exist, primarily in locations where emergency evacuation may become necessary. The 60–watt TIS stations on 1640 and 1680 kHz at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport have
2781-416: Is not nearly strong enough to cover the entire market, the station can also be seen in 720p high definition on WWNY-TV's second digital subchannel . Before becoming a separate entity, WNYF-CD was a repeater for ABC affiliate WWTI (channel 50) with the call signs W25AB and W28BC. During that time, WWTI and WWNY had secondary affiliations with Fox. WWNY's secondary affiliation was for NFL games during
2884-559: Is owned by Nexstar Media Group , which provides certain services to ABC affiliate WVNY (channel 22, also licensed to Burlington) under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Mission Broadcasting . The two stations share studios on Mountain View Drive in Colchester, Vermont ; WFFF-TV's transmitter is located on Vermont's highest peak, Mount Mansfield . Like other network stations serving Burlington and Plattsburgh, WFFF-TV has
2987-466: Is presented on-screen in a system known as "Sky Tracker HD Triple Doppler". Weather forecasts from WFFF-TV can be heard on WSNO (1450 AM), WMOO (92.1 FM), WDOT (95.7 FM), WWFY (100.9 FM), WCPV (101.3 FM), WMUD (101.5 FM), WTHK (100.7 FM), WRFK (107.1 FM), WCFR (1480 AM / 106.5 FM), WEZF (92.9 FM), and WVTK (92.1 FM). The station's signal is multiplexed : WFFF-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 44, on February 17, 2009,
3090-473: Is the requirement for higher-power licensed AM stations to reduce their transmit power at nighttime – post-sunset / pre-sunrise – as a condition of their high-power broadcast authorization. There is a category class D for AM broadcast licenses, which limited stations to daytime-only transmission before regulations changed in the 1980s. Many, but not all, class D stations have been granted authority to broadcast at night with enough power to be heard within
3193-515: The Americas , where most stations originate their own programming. Stations that do not originate their own programming are designated as translators (-TX). The Community Broadcasters Act of 1998 directed the FCC to create a classification of LPTV licenses called Class A (-CA) and Class A Digital (-CD). Digital low-power and Class-A television stations have an ERP limit of 3,000 watts (3 kW) for VHF, and 15 kilowatts for UHF. The LPTV service
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3296-586: The Burlington, Vermont – Plattsburgh, New York market after the provider dropped that area's affiliate WFFF-TV because of an ongoing retransmission dispute. The dispute was eventually resolved and the local station was added back to the system. On May 15, 2013, WNYF-CD and WNYF-LD swapped call signs, as the Massena station is licensed as a class A facility while the Watertown digital station, at that time,
3399-463: The Federal Communications Commission established Low Power FM (LPFM) as a new designated class of radio station. These stations were allowed to operate at 1–10 or 50–100 watts of power, compared to the minimum requirement for commercial stations at 100 watts. ( 47 CFR 73.211 ). Originally, it was supported by activists and groups associated with American progressivism ; music artists (such as Bonnie Raitt ); religious leaders/churches (such as
3502-596: The Kids' WB blocks (as well as the Daytime WB block that replaced the weekday block in early 2006), in addition to Fox's own children's programming. Despite the secondary affiliation, area cable systems continued to carry WPIX , New York City's WB affiliate. The death of Bob Smith (head of family-owned Smith Broadcasting) in 2003 led to the family's decision in 2004 to sell its group of stations to an investment group called Smith Media, LLC. After researching markets where
3605-597: The United Church of Christ ); and educators (for example, American Library Association , the Communication Workers of America labor union , the National League of Cities ). The original purpose of LPFM was to serve as an alternative to " radio homogenization ", described in 2001 in the J & MC Quarterly , as "... Necessary to offset the growing consolidation of station ownership in
3708-752: The United States Senate by Senators Maria Cantwell and John McCain, the Local Community Radio Act of 2007 never came to a vote. The House bill, H.R. 2802, was referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet on June 21, 2007. Since the bill was not passed in FY 2007, the bill was removed from the docket as Never Passed . This bill was an update of the Local Community Radio Act of 2007. It would have required
3811-607: The Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner . Until The CW's launch on September 18, it was unknown if there would be an affiliate in Burlington and Plattsburgh. Just before the launch date, it was announced The CW would air on WFFF-TV on a delayed basis at 10 p.m. as did programming from The WB. Before it was officially confirmed it would be a secondary CW affiliate, there was a possibility new television station WCWF (now WYCI ) in Saranac Lake, New York would become affiliated with
3914-517: The digital subchannel of the co-owned CBS affiliate, WKBN-TV ; or in the Lima, Ohio area, whose low-power stations are affiliates of major networks, such as CBS and ABC . On July 15, 2011, the FCC issued an order to low-power broadcasters that effectively required all remaining television transmitters to vacate channels 52 to 69 by December 31, 2011. Originally, all low power analog TV stations were required to shut off by September 1, 2015, however,
4017-808: The Burlington–Plattsburgh market, leaving WFFF-TV's subchannel with only syndicated programming until October 1, 2013, when it shut down and was replaced over the air with a standard definition feed of the main channel. The station became digital-only effective February 17, 2009. As a result, some parts of the viewing area were left without a full-powered Fox affiliate including Enosburg in Franklin County, Vermont as well as parts of Franklin and Essex Counties in New York State. Due to an ongoing retransmission dispute, Time Warner Cable replaced WFFF-TV with WNYF-CD from Watertown and Massena, New York , on December 16, 2010. Its CW subchannel
4120-406: The FCC keep the rules that offer interference protection to third-adjacent channels that offer a radio reading service (the reading of newspapers, books or magazines for those who are blind or hearing impaired). This protection will ensure that such channels are not subject to possible interference by LPFM stations. The final part of the bill required that when giving out licenses to FM stations,
4223-611: The FCC must make sure that these licenses are also available to LPFM stations and that licensing decisions are made with regard to local community needs. The bill had unanimous bipartisan support from FCC leadership. It was passed by the House and referred to the Senate. The Local Community Radio Act of 2010 (based upon the legislation originally introduced in 2005) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011, as Pub. L. 111–371 (text) (PDF) , after passage in
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4326-426: The FCC to alter current rules by removing the minimum frequency separation between low-power FM stations and third-adjacent channel stations. Previously, there was a minimum frequency separation; however the FCC found that LPFM stations did not cause any interference on third-adjacent channel stations, thus eliminating the need for such a requirement. The Local Community Radio Act of 2009 also would have required that
4429-443: The FCC was to modify its rules to eliminate third-adjacent minimum frequency separation requirements between low-power FM stations; and full-service FM stations, FM translator stations, and FM booster stations. A New York Times article focusing on a LPFM station, KOCZ-LP , highlights a number of key arguments favoring low-powered broadcasting: Former President Bill Clinton has also become an advocate of LPFM for "giving voice to
4532-411: The FM spectrum, when translators are added to an area, they can reduce or eliminate the availability of channels both for new LPFM applicants and for relocation of any existing LPFM stations displaced by full-service broadcasters. Unlike an LPFM station, a translator is not required to (and legally not authorized to) originate any local content except as permitted by 47 CFR 74.1231 . Thus there
4635-415: The House on December 17, 2010, and the U.S. Senate on December 18, 2010. In a statement after the bill became law, Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski said, "Low power FM stations are small, but they make a giant contribution to local community programming. This important law eliminates the unnecessary restrictions that kept these local stations off the air in cities and towns across
4738-488: The Notice, the FCC inquires as how to balance incentives for broadcasters to switch to digital systems with incumbents of new entrance opportunities, stating that they “seek analyses of the minimum power levels that would preserve service within protected service areas in an all-digital environment, and alternatively, the levels that would not result in significant disruptions to current listening patterns.” The DAB system that
4841-572: The Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000 into a general spending bill then moving through Congress. President Bill Clinton signed the bill in December 2000. The bill passed by Congress ( H.R.567 ) was meant to tighten standards for LPFM stations, making it harder for them to be approved, to protect full-power FM stations through certain provisions: This act shifted policy making from the FCC to Congress, which
4944-589: The Radio Communications and Broadcasting Regulatory Branch, a branch of Industry Canada , in conjunction with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Interested parties must apply for both a certificate from Industry Canada and a license from CRTC in order to operate a radio station. Industry Canada manages the technicalities of spectrum space and technological requirements whereas content regulation
5047-473: The Saturday morning Vortexx block was replaced with Litton's Weekend Adventure . (WFFF-DT2 was the only non- ABC affiliate to carry Litton's Weekend Adventure ; the block was shared with sister station and ABC affiliate WVNY.) The station dropped the brand name "The CW Burlington" and began referring to itself on-air as "44.2 EFFF". The station temporarily ceased programming as of October 1, 2013, and
5150-401: The acquisition would make them sister stations to fellow CBS affiliate WCAX-TV in adjacent Burlington, Vermont. The sale was completed on May 1. On April 11, 2001, WWNY began airing a 35-minute weeknight prime time broadcast at 10 on WNYF called 7 News Tonight on Fox . However, it was only seen by the few viewers able to receive that station's two low-power over-the-air signals because WNYF
5253-523: The aeronautical navigation and communications (NAV/COM) spectrum (though evidence is not very concrete presently), pirate radio regulation has remained very strict as well. However, the two regulating bodies do have certain exemptions. For example, low-power announcement transmitters that meet the requirement of Broadcasting Equipment Technical Standards 1, Limited Duration Special Events Distribution Undertakings, Temporary Resource Development Distribution Undertakings, and Public Emergency Radio Undertakings are
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#17328023850085356-643: The air from Mount Mansfield in 2006, but its analog signal remained on Terry Mountain until 2009. Shortly before WFFF-TV began broadcasting, Heritage Media announced the sale of its broadcasting properties, including WPTZ and the LMA with WFFF-TV, to Sinclair Broadcast Group ; soon after taking over in early 1998, Sinclair sold WPTZ and the WFFF-TV LMA to Sunrise Television. Sunrise promptly swapped WPTZ to Hearst-Argyle Television but transferred WFFF-TV's non-license assets to Smith Broadcasting (which, like Sunrise,
5459-499: The area's other stations have somewhat lessened their dependence on advertising. In 2003 and 2004, WFFF-TV was involved in a "commercial war" with Montreal's CJNT-TV . For some time, its commercials on non-network programs such as That '70s Show were blocked by simultaneous substitution , also known as "simsubbing" or "signal substitution", on Montreal cable systems. Under Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations, simultaneous substitution demanded
5562-469: The broadcasts, since WFFF-TV is legally the senior partner in the duopoly. All newscasts seen on that station were formerly known as ABC 22 News , but are now known as Local 22 News , as has been the theme on many Nexstar stations as of late. Due to the relatively new status of the news department, there is a Vermont focus in coverage. During weather forecast segments, WFFF-TV uses live NOAA National Weather Service radar data from three regional sites. It
5665-527: The cable companies in Canada replace WFFF-TV's signal with CJNT-TV's signal when the same program and episode was running at the same time. This is the same practice as the FCC's syndication exclusivity rule in the United States. In response, WFFF-TV frequently shifted its schedule to keep its commercials from being blocked in Montreal. In response to this station's schedule shuffling, CJNT moved its schedule accordingly to retain simsub rights. This resulted in
5768-505: The channel. It was not available on cable in Canada or some providers' basic tiers within its home market such as Saranac Lake where Time Warner Cable offered WPIX instead. Smith Media agreed to sell WFFF-TV (and thus WFFF-DT2) to the Nexstar Broadcasting Group on November 5, 2012. The sale was finalized on March 1, 2013. Despite having a similar logo to CW Plus affiliates and being on a digital subchannel, WFFF-DT2
5871-584: The company now had ownership in, it was discovered WVNY was up for sale. Finding a way to satisfy FCC ownership rules, Smith Media partnered with Lambert Broadcasting and became the senior partner in a local marketing agreement with WVNY. Smith Media shut down that station's longtime facilities in South Burlington (which housed a news department between August 1999 and September 2003), reduced redundant staff, and relocated its operations into WFFF-TV's Colchester facilities. This arrangement placed WFFF-TV in
5974-599: The company was planning to establish a news department for the two stations. However, after the 2006 creation of The CW and WFFF-TV initially airing the network's programming in prime time at 10, there was some doubt as to the status of the local news operation launch. In May 2007, News Director Kathleen Harrington was hired to begin the creation of the news department. Construction of the newsroom and studio were underway by late summer and rehearsals began in August. On November 26, advertisements began appearing on WFFF-TV and WVNY for
6077-598: The country. These are currently used for many establishments, including military bases , universities and hospitals with fixed boundaries. On the 18th of June 2021, Ofcom (Office of Communications) began a trial of expanding the number of LPFM stations in the United Kingdom by issuing licenses to broadcast to many more hospitals and military bases. This was done in order to see if such broadcasts could be feasibly achieved in events where they would be needed without interfering with other broadcasts. Low Power FM (LPFM)
6180-613: The country." The Act states that the Federal Communications Commission, when licensing new FM translator stations, FM booster stations, and low-power FM stations, should ensure that licenses are available to FM translator stations, FM booster stations, and low-power FM stations; such decisions are made based on the needs of the local community; and FM translator stations, FM booster stations, and low-power FM stations remain equal in status and secondary to existing and modified full-service FM stations. In general,
6283-462: The coverage area of the original station that they rebroadcast. However, this provision only affects translators in the non-commercial portion of the band. Stations in the commercial part of the spectrum must be fed over the air unless they are within the actual service area of the primary station. Since the translator window of 2003 was only open for commercial channels, the use of directly-fed via satellite FM translators, commonly called "Satellators",
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#17328023850086386-629: The deadline for low-power television stations and translators was postponed due to a spectrum auction that took place. While Class-A television stations were required to sign off on September 1, 2015, the last remaining low-powered analog television stations had signed off by July 13, 2021. Unlike AM and FM, unlicensed use of television bands is prohibited for broadcasting. The amateur television channels do allow for some very limited non-entertainment transmissions however, with some repeaters airing NASA TV during Space Shuttle missions when they are not in local use. The low-power television industry
6489-507: The digital transition." In February 2006, the FCC released its Notices of Proposed Rules for Digital Radio. The Commission reaffirms its commitment to provide broadcasters with the opportunity to take advantage of digital audio broadcasting (DAB) technology, proposed criteria for evaluating models and systems, such as the In-band on-channel (IBOC) system, and inquired on the needs for a mandatory DAB transmission standard. In section 39 of
6592-486: The distributor which was available only to stations carrying a full hour of the program. It would then flip the two airings so the exclusive strip was shown in the shared time slot, meaning CJNT could no longer simsub the program since WFFF-TV was not airing the same episode. WFFF-DT2 is the Ion Mystery –affiliated second digital subchannel of WFFF-TV, broadcasting in standard definition on channel 44.2. The subchannel
6695-566: The entire state of Vermont since 2022, when Windham County was moved into the Burlington–Plattsburgh market from the Boston television market. On June 15, 2016, Nexstar announced that it has entered into an affiliation agreement with Katz Broadcasting for the Escape, Laff , Grit , and Bounce TV networks (the last one of which is owned by Bounce Media LLC, whose COO Jonathan Katz is president/CEO of Katz Broadcasting), bringing one or more of
6798-705: The first time WNYF was available over-the-air in high definition. On June 30, 2009, United Communications applied to the FCC for a digital version of WNYF-LP on UHF channel 18. This allocation was formerly used for WNPI-DT 's analog signal. It was approved for construction on June 8, 2010. Taking on the WNYF-LD call sign, it features Fox as well as a simulcast of WWNY on a second digital subchannel. This helps St. Lawrence County viewers who had experienced difficulty receiving WWNY's digital signal after that station transitioned to digital-only broadcasts. On December 16, 2010, WNYF began to be seen on Time Warner Cable systems in
6901-500: The first two transmitters. There are efforts on self-regulation of the broadcasters themselves. The NZRSM Radio Inspectors do, however, regularly monitor and make random unannounced visits to broadcasters, and will impose fines for violations of the regulations. New broadcasters are also subject to an initial compulsory inspection. Temporary low-power stations are allowed at times via a Restricted Service Licence . Since 2001, long-term LPFM licenses have been available in remote areas of
7004-473: The four networks to 81 stations owned and/or operated by Nexstar, including WFFF-TV and WVNY. WFFF-TV has significant viewership in the much larger Montreal market because it is available over the air alongside other Vermont stations and used as the Fox station on Vidéotron's cable systems. As the youngest full-power station covering the entire market, it still relies heavily on Montreal for advertising revenue while
7107-415: The highest licensed power among full-time TIS stations. There are more than 2,450 licensed low-power television (LPTV) stations in the U.S., which are located in markets of all sizes, from New York City (five stations, though more exist in the market from other cities of license ) down to Junction City, Kansas (two stations). LPTV (-LP) and LPTV Digital (-LD) are common in the U.S., Canada and most of
7210-449: The hour, in which at those times the two stations simulcast each other. Eventually, an additional hour of the broadcast starting at 6 was added to WVNY and is known as ABC 22 This Morning . That station has since expanded it to a traditional two-hour newscast. At some point in time, WVNY added nightly broadcasts at 6 and 11 becoming more of a big three affiliate offering local news competing with WCAX-TV and WPTZ even though WFFF-TV produces
7313-491: The key distinctions between full-service television stations and low-power stations is cable television and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) carriage. Full-service stations are guaranteed carriage in their local television market through " must-carry " whereas LPTV stations are not. In 2008, there was an effort put forward by FCC chairman Kevin Martin to grant must-carry rights to Class A LPTV stations. The effort failed due to
7416-571: The late summer. The deal, which took effect on September 1, did not affect WWNY-CD, which continues to simulcast WWNY on its CD2 subchannel. On-air, WNYF-CD2 is known as "MeTV North Country". On February 8, 2019, Gray Television announced it was purchasing the United stations, including WWNY-TV, WNYF-CD and WWNY-CD. In advance of the purchase, Gray assumed control of the stations via a local marketing agreement (LMA) on March 1. WWNY-TV, WNYF-CD and WWNY-CD would be Gray's first stations in New York State;
7519-578: The latter took complete ownership and made it a full sister to WWNY. Until September 18, 2006, when UPN shut down and merged with The WB to form The CW , WNYF also ran some programming from the network as a secondary affiliate. On August 25, 2008, WNYF-CA received FCC approval to begin its own high definition digital broadcasts as WNYF-CD on UHF channel 35 after WWNY-DT returned to its former analog position on VHF channel 7 (which happened February 17, 2009). On September 14, WNYF-CD signed-on using WWNY-DT's existing UHF antenna structure. The change represented
7622-422: The launch of the 10 p.m. newscast which occurred December 3. The broadcast, known as Fox 44 News at 10 , originally ran every night for a half-hour but the weeknight show eventually expanded to 45 minutes on September 7, 2009. This is followed by a fifteen-minute sports highlight show known as Sports Wrap . The first ten minutes of the news portion of the program airs in a format called "10 Minute Advantage" where
7725-446: The low-power class are subject to the same CRTC licensing requirements, and will generally follow the same call sign format, as full-power stations. Stations in the very low-power class formerly had to have CRTC licenses as well, although a series of CRTC regulation changes in the early 2000s exempted most such stations from licensing; a station in this class will usually not have a conventional call sign, but will instead be identified in
7828-537: The network. As was the case with the previous network, The CW would also be available on cable in the area through affiliate WPIX from New York City. It was unlikely Class A UPN affiliate WGMU-CA would have been affiliated with The CW, since network officials were on record as preferring the "stronger" WB and UPN affiliates and, despite secondary status, WFFF-TV was by far the stronger station with its full-powered signal. WGMU-CA would subsequently join MyNetworkTV ,
7931-407: The only "ABC 22" identification seen during the show was in the intro package and the "bug" in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. On August 18, 2008, WFFF-TV began airing a two-hour weekday morning show called Fox 44 Local News This Morning . Included in the launch were local news and weather cut-ins on WVNY during its airing of Good Morning America . This occurs at 25 and 55 minutes past
8034-427: The protection of aeronautical services. Use of the following frequencies is not permitted within certain boundaries approaching Auckland and Wellington airports: 107.5 to 107.7, and 107.0 to 107.3 MHz, respectively. There exists a 25 km broadcast translator rule: one licensee may operate two transmitters anywhere (close together), but a third transmitter must be at least 25 km away from at least one of
8137-1096: The sale of WFFF-TV. The transaction was completed on March 1, leaving Utica NBC affiliate WKTV as Smith Media's only remaining television station property. On January 27, 2016, it was announced that Nexstar would buy Media General for $ 4.6 billion. WFFF and WVNY became part of "Nexstar Media Group", joining a cluster of television stations Nexstar owns in New England, including ABC affiliate WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut , CBS affiliate WPRI-TV in Providence, Rhode Island , and NBC affiliate WWLP in Springfield, Massachusetts . In addition, WFFF and WVNY also became sisters with fellow Fox and ABC affiliates WXXA-TV and WTEN , respectively, in Albany, New York . These stations also serve Bennington County, Vermont , making Nexstar responsible for Fox and ABC programming throughout
8240-463: The same block that formerly housed WB programming. CW programming moved to a new digital subchannel of WFFF-TV on September 27, 2007; the subchannel immediately replaced WPIX on Comcast 's Vermont systems, with Charter Communications in New York State following suit on New Year's Eve. The subchannel continued to carry CW programming until March 4, 2013, when WPTZ's subchannel assumed the CW affiliation for
8343-432: The same reason. WFFF-TV was restored on January 8, 2011, after a new deal (the terms of which both sides refused to reveal) was reached with Time Warner. Smith Media agreed to sell WFFF-TV to Nexstar Broadcasting Group on November 5, 2012. Concurrently, Lambert Broadcasting sold WVNY to Mission Broadcasting, whose stations are all operated by Nexstar through shared services agreements. On February 5, 2013, The FCC approved
8446-497: The show was due in part to tough competition of newscasts at 6 seen on WCAX-TV and WPTZ. As is the case on WFFF-TV, the WVNY broadcasts are aired in high definition. The Saturday edition eventually moved to 6:30 which has been the case on Sundays from the start in order to accommodate ABC programming. The WVNY broadcasts mark the return of local news on that station since it shut down its own news department on September 12, 2003. Initially,
8549-473: The station on channel 2. Normally, cable systems are not obligated to carry low-power stations. However, the FCC's must-carry rules also give full-power stations the option of " retransmission consent ," or requesting compensation from cable systems to carry their station. In this case, WNYF is carried on North Country cable systems as part of the compensation for carrying WWNY. After a year of joint operation of WNYF by Smith Broadcasting and United Communications,
8652-401: The top stories of the day and a complete weather forecast are shown before a commercial break. WFFF-TV is the area's first local news operation presented in high definition. On March 3, 2008, WFFF-TV added a weeknight and Saturday broadcast at 7 on WVNY known as Fox 44 Local News on ABC . As a result, that station became first in the area to offer local news in the time slot. The move to launch
8755-594: The translators in that station's sale to Ackerley Group in 2000. W25AB then changed its call letters to WNYF-LP and eventually moved from channel 25 to channel 28; after the Watertown station upgraded to Class A status in October 2002 (becoming WNYF-CA), W28BC inherited the WNYF-LP call sign. WNYF-LP's low-powered analog signal on UHF channel 28 aired from a transmitter on NY 420 in Massena. An agreement with Time Warner Cable (now Charter Spectrum ) in fall 2001 placed
8858-499: The unusual position of being the senior partner as a Fox-affiliated station in a virtual duopoly with an ABC affiliate (most virtual or legal duopolies involving a Fox affiliate and a Big Three-affiliated station result in the Fox affiliate serving as the junior partner). When The WB and UPN were shut down to create The CW in September 2006, WFFF-TV became a secondary affiliate of the new network, airing its prime time programming in
8961-519: The voiceless", including schools, community-based organizations, churches, and ethnic groups. Brown Paper Tickets CEO Steve Butcher supports LPFM, stating in a letter to the FCC, "We hear from event producers frequently who can't afford radio ad buys on commercial stations. These local entrepreneurs can afford underwriting on smaller stations that can help build awareness about their events." LPFM stations are considered to be affordable compared to an average FM station, whose operating costs can run up to
9064-680: The wake of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which removed caps on radio ownership, as well as the decline of locally produced radio programming." The main opposition to LPFMs came from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which opposed the act on grounds to "maintain spectrum integrity" for commercial broadcasting, according to NAB President Edward O. Fritts. Pressure from the National Association of Broadcasters urged Congress to slip
9167-484: The years CBS did not have broadcasting rights of the league. When that network acquired the rights to the AFC , WWTI then aired NFC games from Fox , in addition to ABC 's Monday Night Football (now on fellow Disney network ESPN ). In 2001, United Communications and WWNY entered into an agreement with Smith Broadcasting to make W25AB and W28BC full-time Fox affiliates; Smith formerly owned WWTI, but did not include
9270-506: Was also dropped, though the network remained available through WPIX. Sister station WVNY was simultaneously replaced with future sister station WUTR from Utica, New York . On the same date, sister station WKTV , the NBC affiliate in Utica, was replaced by another of WFFF-TV's future sister stations, WBRE-TV from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania , and its CW-affiliated subchannel with HBO Family for
9373-491: Was available over-the-air in northern New Hampshire via WMUR-LP , a repeater of ABC affiliate WMUR-TV . WFFF-TV was originally owned by Champlain Valley Telecasting, but was operated by Heritage Media , owner of NBC affiliate WPTZ , through an LMA. WFFF-TV originally planned to broadcast its analog channel 44 signal from Mount Mansfield; however, while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted
9476-555: Was considered an insult against the FCC. The Local Community Radio Act of 2005 was introduced by Senators John McCain , Maria Cantwell and Patrick Leahy . After the FCC complied with the provisions of the Radio Broadcasting Act of 2000 by commissioning the MITRE Report to test if there was significant interference from LPFM stations on the full-power stations, the study showed that the interference of LPFM
9579-471: Was controlled by Robert Smith); soon afterward, the station began to operate independently of WPTZ. Smith bought WFFF-TV outright a year later. In February 1999, WFFF-TV began airing thirty-second daily vignettes called Vermont's Most Wanted along with sister program Citizen's Patrol . The efforts were produced in cooperation with local law enforcement and the Champlain Valley branch of the national Crimestoppers non-profit organization. The station added
9682-404: Was formerly a CW-affiliated and later independent station . During its time as a CW affiliate, WFFF-DT2 carried the branding "The CW Burlington", it changed it to "44.2 EFFF" when it became independent. There was no website for the station besides a link to program listings on its parent station's website. It temporarily ceased programming after September 30, 2013, and was replaced over the air by
9785-464: Was identified as the best fit for LPFM was IBOC. This hybrid system uses existing frequencies and can operate carrying digital information along with analog broadcast signal on the sidebands. However, the digital carriers require the bandwidth to be widened, which would cause interference to stations on the first adjacent channel. If LPFM adopts IBOC, then LPFM would also need to accept a second adjacent channel restriction between two LPFM stations, as there
9888-467: Was made evident during the transition of broadcasting in the United States from analog to digital . All television stations operating on UHF channels 38 and above were required to move to channel 36 or below. Full-service stations were guaranteed a place to land in the new compressed band while LPTV stations operating on channels 38 and above were required to either enter a channel-sharing agreement with another station or lose their license. The FCC provided
9991-543: Was never a factor in the 2003 window. The FCC licensing window for new translator applications in 2003 resulted in over 13,000 applications being filed, most of them coming from a few religious broadcasters. However even though all translators on commercial frequencies must be fed by a direct, over-the-air source, regardless of who owns the translator per FCC rule 74.1231(b), the actual over-the-air source (the primary station) can be satellite fed, just as commercial stations can be fed by satellite. This leads to programming from
10094-516: Was not part of that service during its tenure with the network. On March 4, 2013, WPTZ-DT 5.2 assumed the CW affiliation for the Plattsburgh–Burlington market from WFFF-DT2. As a result, WFFF-DT2 replaced CW prime time programming with Extra , omg! Insider , Access Hollywood , and TMZ . The Bill Cunningham Show , which was aired weekday afternoons via The CW, was replaced with a second episode of The Wendy Williams Show , and
10197-442: Was not yet being offered on cable. An agreement with Time Warner Cable in fall 2001 placed the station on the system and the prime time news debuted for the rest of the area on October 4. WNYF simulcasts the 6 a.m. hour of WWNY's weekday morning news and then offers a second hour at 7 seen exclusively on WNYF while WWNY airs CBS Mornings . The simulcast and separate show is known on WNYF as 7 News This Morning on Fox . Although there
10300-497: Was not. On February 6, 2014, WNYF-CD changed its call letters to WWNY-CD; on March 13, 2014, the class A status for the Watertown station was transferred from the analog channel 28 license to the digital channel 35 license, retaking the WNYF-CD call sign. WWNY-TV and WNYF-CD both go off-the-air , for a couple hours, during overnights. On February 9, 2016, WWNY announced on its website that it would begin carrying MeTV on WNYF-CD2 in
10403-542: Was replaced over the air with a standard definition feed of its parent station a few days later. Some of its programs were moved to WFFF-TV or WVNY. Due to the Nexstar affiliation agreement with Katz Broadcasting on June 15, 2016, for the Escape, Laff, Grit, and Bounce TV networks, WFFF-DT2 resumed operations two months after that carrying programs from Escape (which is now known as Ion Mystery). After WVNY moved into WFFF-TV's studios in 2005, Smith Media made an announcement
10506-700: Was represented by the Community Broadcasters Association (CBA), which held its annual convention each year in October and an annual meeting each year in April at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas . The meeting was open to anyone interested in the low-power television industry. On August 13, 2009, the CBA announced in a statement that it would shut down after 20 years of representing LPTV stations. One reason given
10609-491: Was the "restrictive regulations that kept the Class A and LPTV industry from realizing its potential". Another was the inability to reach most viewers, partly due to multichannel video programming distributors refusing to carry these channels. In addition, Amy Brown, former CBA executive director, said, "some 40% of Class A and LPTV station operators believe they will have to shut down in the next year if they are not helped through
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