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WNET (Rhode Island)
WNET (channel 16) was a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, which broadcast from April 5, 1954, to July 10, 1955. It was owned by Channel 16 of Rhode Island, Inc., and aired programs from the CBS, ABC, and DuMont television networks. The station's facilities were located in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.
On the air, the station was generally economically unsuccessful, with losses averaging $11,000 a month (equivalent to $102,000 in 2024) because of technical and economic issues inherent in early UHF television broadcasting. Off the air, its history was dominated by a lengthy fight with rival broadcaster Cherry & Webb, which held a permit to bring Rhode Island a second very high frequency (VHF) station that could reach all homes and whose proposed station Channel 16 of Rhode Island believed would cause it economic injury. WNET lost the battle, and WPRO-TV began broadcasting over VHF channel 12 on March 27, 1955; channel 16 discontinued all of its local programs before folding in July.
On paper, WNET continued to exist long after it left the air. It lost a battle to move channel 3 from Hartford, Connecticut, to Westerly for its use, and it settled the dispute with Cherry & Webb in 1957. In 1969, the Federal Communications Commission deleted its construction permit for failure to return to the air. Channel 16 of Rhode Island successfully appealed the dismissal, but by that point, the WNET call sign had been assigned to the New York City–area public TV station. Additionally, the FCC moved the station to channel 64 because it had already reserved channel 16 for land mobile radio system use regionally. The permit was sold in 1980 to a group intending to use it for subscription television programming, which returned the station to air in December 1981—more than 26 years after WNET signed off—as WSTG, today's WNAC-TV.
When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ended its multi-year freeze on new television station grants in April 1952, it made several changes to television station allocations. New channels were opened in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band, of which Providence was allotted two: channel 16 for commercial use and channel 22 for an educational broadcaster. On the very high frequency (VHF) band, Providence's pre-freeze station, WJAR-TV, was ordered to move from channel 11 to channel 10, and channel 12 was left open for a second VHF station. Prior to the freeze, Cherry & Webb—owner of Providence radio station WPRO—had applied for a television station. Two applicants made bids for channel 16. First to apply was the New England Television Company, a group of businessmen in various industries. This firm was soon opposed by Television Associates of Rhode Island, which counted more than 600 stockholders. Much like in the case of channel 12—which had a competing applicant—this made a hearing necessary to determine who should be granted the permit. That hearing was not likely to be held in the immediate future. In navigating the post-freeze wave of TV station applications, the FCC prioritized communities without existing stations. As a result, Providence was in 1,219th position out of 1,225 cities on the FCC priority list.
On February 28, 1953, Television Associates of Rhode Island and New England Television Company merged their applications, obviating the need for a hearing. The combined firm received the permit on April 8, 1953, and stated its intention to go on the air in November 1953. Little action occurred to build the station. Later that year, Channel 16 of Rhode Island lodged a protest to a similar merger of applicants that had permitted Cherry & Webb to receive the channel 12 permit. At the time, WPRO-TV was projected to sign on in mid-October. Channel 16 of Rhode Island believed that if WPRO-TV got on the air quickly, it would leave no programming or advertisers for its station. It also argued that the merger agreement for channel 12 violated FCC rules by combining ownership interests in other radio stations beyond WPRO and that Cherry & Webb had engaged in unauthorized construction of a TV facility prior to receiving the grant. The protest was successful. On October 16, the FCC ordered a halt to construction activities and prevented Cherry & Webb from putting WPRO-TV on the air so it could hold a hearing on the matter. In a move that underlined the economic stakes for channel 16, its principals pulled out of a separate plan to build a UHF station in Fall River, Massachusetts; William H. Keogh, radio and TV editor of The Providence Journal, pointed out that UHF stations were hamstrung by the inability of many sets to tune them without converters and low uptake of converters in markets with UHF stations.
The legal battle between Channel 16 of Rhode Island and Cherry & Webb continued after the hearing order. The latter sought information on the ownership interests of the former, and when the FCC granted more time for Channel 16 of Rhode Island to build WNET, Cherry & Webb responded by asking the FCC to block further construction activity on the UHF station. The commission refused to take up this plea. In a separate matter, Channel 16 of Rhode Island sued Cherry & Webb for defamation in connection with newspaper advertisements it ran: the case was initially dismissed by a judge as "legally insufficient".
Meanwhile, Channel 16 of Rhode Island ordered equipment to build WNET in November 1953 and began construction the next month. Much of the work on the station's facility in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, was completed by mid-March. The station anticipated broadcasting to some 25,000 UHF-equipped homes in its coverage area, though in Rhode Island alone there were over 217,000 families with TV sets. A test pattern first went out on March 25, and test broadcasts began on April 5, featuring locally broadcast films as well as network film broadcasts; the station had agreements to air CBS, ABC, and DuMont Television Network programs not already seen in Providence. While these tests continued, Cherry & Webb petitioned the FCC for reconsideration of its bid to halt channel 16's operations. WNET formally began broadcasting on May 2, 1954, with the broadcast of a dedication and its first live studio and outside programs from its studio at Pine and Walker streets in Rehoboth.
Looming over the early months of WNET's broadcasting was the FCC's impending decision in the WPRO-TV case, which became highly anticipated. In an October 1954 article, John C. Quinn of The Journal called it "a championship bout in broadcasting circles" that had moved much slower than the expedited handling required of protest investigations. The commission issued its 5–1 decision on January 6, 1955, and gave Cherry & Webb approval to build WPRO-TV. The commission found that it would be in the public interest to authorize construction to proceed. Channel 12 would not be able to sign on immediately, as the planned tower had been knocked down by Hurricane Carol the year before. Channel 16 of Rhode Island immediately took the case to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, claiming the FCC had not given it a "full and fair hearing". The company's legal counsel stated that the construction of WPRO-TV would "in all likelihood" force WNET off the air, while Cherry & Webb stated that the existence of WNET would diminish its ability to attract network affiliation and revenue to its station. Channel 16 of Rhode Island also used Cherry & Webb's need for a temporary tower to get WPRO-TV on the air as another venue to oppose its construction.
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WNET (Rhode Island)
WNET (channel 16) was a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, which broadcast from April 5, 1954, to July 10, 1955. It was owned by Channel 16 of Rhode Island, Inc., and aired programs from the CBS, ABC, and DuMont television networks. The station's facilities were located in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.
On the air, the station was generally economically unsuccessful, with losses averaging $11,000 a month (equivalent to $102,000 in 2024) because of technical and economic issues inherent in early UHF television broadcasting. Off the air, its history was dominated by a lengthy fight with rival broadcaster Cherry & Webb, which held a permit to bring Rhode Island a second very high frequency (VHF) station that could reach all homes and whose proposed station Channel 16 of Rhode Island believed would cause it economic injury. WNET lost the battle, and WPRO-TV began broadcasting over VHF channel 12 on March 27, 1955; channel 16 discontinued all of its local programs before folding in July.
On paper, WNET continued to exist long after it left the air. It lost a battle to move channel 3 from Hartford, Connecticut, to Westerly for its use, and it settled the dispute with Cherry & Webb in 1957. In 1969, the Federal Communications Commission deleted its construction permit for failure to return to the air. Channel 16 of Rhode Island successfully appealed the dismissal, but by that point, the WNET call sign had been assigned to the New York City–area public TV station. Additionally, the FCC moved the station to channel 64 because it had already reserved channel 16 for land mobile radio system use regionally. The permit was sold in 1980 to a group intending to use it for subscription television programming, which returned the station to air in December 1981—more than 26 years after WNET signed off—as WSTG, today's WNAC-TV.
When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ended its multi-year freeze on new television station grants in April 1952, it made several changes to television station allocations. New channels were opened in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band, of which Providence was allotted two: channel 16 for commercial use and channel 22 for an educational broadcaster. On the very high frequency (VHF) band, Providence's pre-freeze station, WJAR-TV, was ordered to move from channel 11 to channel 10, and channel 12 was left open for a second VHF station. Prior to the freeze, Cherry & Webb—owner of Providence radio station WPRO—had applied for a television station. Two applicants made bids for channel 16. First to apply was the New England Television Company, a group of businessmen in various industries. This firm was soon opposed by Television Associates of Rhode Island, which counted more than 600 stockholders. Much like in the case of channel 12—which had a competing applicant—this made a hearing necessary to determine who should be granted the permit. That hearing was not likely to be held in the immediate future. In navigating the post-freeze wave of TV station applications, the FCC prioritized communities without existing stations. As a result, Providence was in 1,219th position out of 1,225 cities on the FCC priority list.
On February 28, 1953, Television Associates of Rhode Island and New England Television Company merged their applications, obviating the need for a hearing. The combined firm received the permit on April 8, 1953, and stated its intention to go on the air in November 1953. Little action occurred to build the station. Later that year, Channel 16 of Rhode Island lodged a protest to a similar merger of applicants that had permitted Cherry & Webb to receive the channel 12 permit. At the time, WPRO-TV was projected to sign on in mid-October. Channel 16 of Rhode Island believed that if WPRO-TV got on the air quickly, it would leave no programming or advertisers for its station. It also argued that the merger agreement for channel 12 violated FCC rules by combining ownership interests in other radio stations beyond WPRO and that Cherry & Webb had engaged in unauthorized construction of a TV facility prior to receiving the grant. The protest was successful. On October 16, the FCC ordered a halt to construction activities and prevented Cherry & Webb from putting WPRO-TV on the air so it could hold a hearing on the matter. In a move that underlined the economic stakes for channel 16, its principals pulled out of a separate plan to build a UHF station in Fall River, Massachusetts; William H. Keogh, radio and TV editor of The Providence Journal, pointed out that UHF stations were hamstrung by the inability of many sets to tune them without converters and low uptake of converters in markets with UHF stations.
The legal battle between Channel 16 of Rhode Island and Cherry & Webb continued after the hearing order. The latter sought information on the ownership interests of the former, and when the FCC granted more time for Channel 16 of Rhode Island to build WNET, Cherry & Webb responded by asking the FCC to block further construction activity on the UHF station. The commission refused to take up this plea. In a separate matter, Channel 16 of Rhode Island sued Cherry & Webb for defamation in connection with newspaper advertisements it ran: the case was initially dismissed by a judge as "legally insufficient".
Meanwhile, Channel 16 of Rhode Island ordered equipment to build WNET in November 1953 and began construction the next month. Much of the work on the station's facility in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, was completed by mid-March. The station anticipated broadcasting to some 25,000 UHF-equipped homes in its coverage area, though in Rhode Island alone there were over 217,000 families with TV sets. A test pattern first went out on March 25, and test broadcasts began on April 5, featuring locally broadcast films as well as network film broadcasts; the station had agreements to air CBS, ABC, and DuMont Television Network programs not already seen in Providence. While these tests continued, Cherry & Webb petitioned the FCC for reconsideration of its bid to halt channel 16's operations. WNET formally began broadcasting on May 2, 1954, with the broadcast of a dedication and its first live studio and outside programs from its studio at Pine and Walker streets in Rehoboth.
Looming over the early months of WNET's broadcasting was the FCC's impending decision in the WPRO-TV case, which became highly anticipated. In an October 1954 article, John C. Quinn of The Journal called it "a championship bout in broadcasting circles" that had moved much slower than the expedited handling required of protest investigations. The commission issued its 5–1 decision on January 6, 1955, and gave Cherry & Webb approval to build WPRO-TV. The commission found that it would be in the public interest to authorize construction to proceed. Channel 12 would not be able to sign on immediately, as the planned tower had been knocked down by Hurricane Carol the year before. Channel 16 of Rhode Island immediately took the case to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, claiming the FCC had not given it a "full and fair hearing". The company's legal counsel stated that the construction of WPRO-TV would "in all likelihood" force WNET off the air, while Cherry & Webb stated that the existence of WNET would diminish its ability to attract network affiliation and revenue to its station. Channel 16 of Rhode Island also used Cherry & Webb's need for a temporary tower to get WPRO-TV on the air as another venue to oppose its construction.