WSYT-DT3, virtual channel 43 (UHF digital channel 44), is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Syracuse, New York, United States. The station is owned by Northwest Broadcasting, as part of a duopoly with Fox affiliate WSYT (channel 68). The two stations share studios on James Street/NY 290 in Syracuse's Near Northeast section and transmitter facilities near Maple Grove, a hamlet of Otisco.
Before the LD2 subchannel of NBC affiliate WVNC-LD picked up the programming service, WNYS-TV was considered the Watertown market's de facto MyNetworkTV affiliate; however, the northern broadcasting radius of its over-the-air signal reaches south of Watertown proper. Consequently, Charter Spectrum cable systems in that area do not offer WNYS-TV.
History[]
The station began broadcasting in October 1989 as an independent with the call sign WSNR-TV. Its call letters were changed in 1994 to the current WNYS-TV. This had been previously used on what is now ABC affiliate WSYR-TV (channel 9) from 1962 until 1978. On January 16, 1995, the station became a charter affiliate of UPN. In that same year, Max Media Properties (then owner of WSYT) entered into an LMA with WNYS-TV and began operating the station out of that outlet's facility. It switched to The WB in 2001 after which UPN was picked up ten months later on October 20 by low-powered WAWA-LP (now WSTQ-LP).
On September 5, 2006, WNYS-TV affiliated with its third network in the last twelve years becoming a MyNetworkTV affiliate. Along with other Sinclair stations in New York State, WNYS-TV and WSYT have been transmitting digital-only signals since February 17, 2009. Sinclair announced the sale of WSYT, the LMA for WNYS-TV, and WYZZ-TV in Peoria–Bloomington, Illinois to Cunningham Broadcasting on February 28, 2013 following its acquisition of Barrington Broadcasting. The sale was necessary due to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s ownership rules as Sinclair chose to keep Barrington's WSTM-TV (channel 3) in Syracuse.
However, in an updated filing with the FCC, it was revealed that WSYT would instead be sold to Bristlecone Broadcasting, a company owned by Brian Brady (owner of Northwest Broadcasting) whose only other assets in New York State are WICZ-TV and WBPN-LP in Binghamton. Those transactions were completed on November 25.
Following the consummation of the sale, Sinclair continued to operate WSYT and WNYS-TV through a transitional service agreement for six months until May 2014. Sinclair will continue to own the station's studios on James Street and its transmitter site in Otisco for at least ten years. WNYS-TV previously maintained its own website but as a result of the sale to Bristlecone, this was abandoned in favor of a shared website with WSYT. In late-January 2015, its second digital subchannel began carrying GetTV, a Sony Pictures Entertainment-owned digital off-air broadcast channel providing mostly classic films from the Sony library.
Bristlecone Broadcasting was incorporated into the Northwest Broadcasting corporate structure in a May 2015 restructuring of Brian Brady's broadcast holdings. On November 20, 2015, the WNYS-TV license was sold by RKM Media to Syracuse Broadcasting. The sale originated in 2005 as an attempt by Sinclair to buy WNYS outright for $3.1 million; the rights to acquire the station were transferred to Bristlecone as part of its purchase of WSYT, and were in turn sold to Syracuse Broadcasting for $250,000 on August 10, 2015. On October 1, 2018, Northwest acquired WNYS outright for $100,000. The sale was completed on December 6.
Gallery[]
| TV stations in New York |
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| WWOR, Secaucus/New York City WVNC-LD2, Watertown/Norwood |
| TV stations in Central New York, including Syracuse |
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| WSTM 3 (NBC) WTVH 5 (CBS) WSYR 9 (ABC) WONO-CA 11 (COR) WSTQ-LP 14 (CW) WTVU-CD 22 (COR) WCNY 24 (PBS) WWLF-LP 35 (AMGTV) W42EB-D 42 (Ind.) WNYS 43 (MNTV) WBLZ-LD 49 (Ind.) WHSU-CD 51 (HSN) WNYI 52 (Daystar) WSPX 56 (Ion) WSYT 68 (Fox) |