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WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City. It is the flagship station of the Fox television network, owned and operated through its Fox Television Stations division. Under common ownership with Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship WWOR-TV (channel 9), the two stations share studios at the Fox Television Center on East 67th Street in Manhattan's Lenox Hill neighborhood; WNYW's transmitter is located at One World Trade Center.

Key Information

History

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DuMont origins (1944–1956)

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The station traces its history to 1938, when television set and equipment manufacturer Allen B. DuMont founded experimental station W2XVT in Passaic, New Jersey.[2] That station's call sign was changed to W2XWV when it moved to Manhattan in 1940. On May 2, 1944, the station received its commercial license, the third in New York City and fifth overall in the United States.[3] It began broadcasting on VHF channel 4 as WABD with its call sign made up of DuMont's initials.[4] It was one of the few television stations that continued to broadcast during World War II, making it the fifth-oldest continuously broadcasting commercial station in the United States (after WNBT/WRCA/WNBC, WCBW/WCBS-TV, WPTZ/WRCV/KYW, and WRGB).[5] The station originally had its studios in the DuMont Building at 515 Madison Avenue, with its transmitter tower atop the same building. (The original tower, long abandoned by the station, still remains.) On December 17, 1945, WABD moved to channel 5.[6] WNBT (now WNBC) took over channel 4 the following spring, moving from channel 1, which the FCC was de-allocating from the VHF TV broadcast band. The series Here's How first aired on WABD in 1946.[7]

WNYW's studio, the Fox Television Center on East 67th Street in Manhattan, opened in 1954 as the DuMont Tele-Centre.

Soon after channel 5 received its commercial license, DuMont Laboratories began a series of experimental coaxial cable hookups between WABD and W3XWT (now WTTG), a DuMont-owned experimental station in Washington, D.C. These hookups were the beginning of the DuMont Television Network, the world's first licensed commercial television network. (However, NBC was feeding a few programs and special events from its New York station WNBT to outlets in Philadelphia and Schenectady as early as 1940.) DuMont began regular network service in 1946 with WABD as the flagship station.[8] On June 14, 1954, WABD and DuMont moved into the $5 million DuMont Tele-Centre at 205 East 67th Street in Manhattan's Lenox Hill neighborhood, inside the shell of the space formerly occupied by Jacob Ruppert's Central Opera House. Channel 5 is still headquartered in the same building, which was later renamed the Metromedia TeleCenter, and is now known as the Fox Television Center.

By February 1955, DuMont realized it could not continue in network television. In most cities around the U.S., NBC and CBS had secured affiliations with the top TV stations, making it difficult for DuMont shows to develop an audience and attract advertising dollars. DuMont decided to shut down the network's operations and run WABD and Washington station WTTG as independent stations. DuMont had previously sold WDTV in Pittsburgh to the locally based Westinghouse Electric Corporation, arguably hastening DuMont's demise.[9] WABD thus became the New York market's fourth independent station, alongside WOR-TV (channel 9), WPIX (channel 11) and Newark-licensed WATV (channel 13).

After DuMont wound down network operations in August 1955, DuMont Laboratories spun off WABD and WTTG into a new firm, the DuMont Broadcasting Corporation.[10][11] Channel 5 gained a sister station in 1957, when DuMont purchased WNEW (1130 AM, now WBBR) in April of that year.[12][13] The deal also included a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) construction permit for an FM radio station, which went on the air as 102.7 WNEW-FM when it began operations in August 1958.[14][15]

The Metromedia era (1957–1986)

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In May 1958, DuMont Broadcasting changed its name to the Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation to distinguish itself from its former corporate parent.[16][17] Four months later, on September 7, 1958, WABD's call letters were changed to WNEW-TV to match its radio sisters.[18][19] The final major corporate transaction involving the station during 1958 occurred in December. Washington-based investor John Kluge acquired Paramount Pictures' controlling interest in Metropolitan Broadcasting and appointed himself as the company's chairman.[20] Metropolitan Broadcasting began expanding its holdings across the United States, and changed its corporate name to Metromedia in 1961.[21] However, the Metropolitan Broadcasting name was retained for Metromedia's TV and radio station properties until 1967.[22]

Final logo as WNEW-TV, used from 1984 to 1986.

In the early 1960s, WNEW-TV was a leader in producing local children's shows. They included Romper Room (until 1966, when it moved to WOR-TV), The Sandy Becker Show and The Sonny Fox Show, which was later known as Wonderama. Bob McAllister took over hosting Wonderama in 1967 and by 1970 it was syndicated to the other Metromedia stations. WNEW-TV also originated The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon in 1966, and broadcast the program annually until 1986 when it moved to future sister station WWOR-TV, where it aired through 2012. In the early 1960s, the educational series Columbia Lectures in International Studies was shown on early weekday mornings, before Sandy Becker, and was distributed to other Metromedia stations.[23] The station also aired cultural programs such as Festival of the Performing Arts.[24] However, the station's prime time schedule during those years was dominated by reruns of recently concluded crime dramas such as Peter Gunn, Outlaws, and the 1950s edition of Dragnet, bringing the station some criticism for overly violent programming.[24] In the 1970s, and early 1980s, local programming also included a weekly public affairs show hosted by Gabe Pressman, the New York edition of PM Magazine, and Midday Live, a daily talk/information show hosted by Lee Leonard, and later by Bill Boggs. The station also carried movies, cartoons, off-network sitcoms, drama series and a prime time nightly newscast at 10 p.m.

By the 1970s, channel 5 was one of the strongest independent stations in the country. Despite WOR-TV's and WPIX's eventual status as national superstations, WNEW-TV was the highest-rated independent in New York. From the early 1970s to the late 1980s, channel 5 was available as a regional superstation in large portions of the Northeastern United States, including most of Upstate New York, and sections of eastern Pennsylvania and southern New England.

The Fox era (1986–present)

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WNYW's secondary on-air logo since 2012

On May 4, 1985, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which had recently bought a controlling interest in the 20th Century Fox film studio, announced its purchase of Metromedia's six independent television stations, including WNEW-TV.[25][26][27] In the interim between the announcement and the buyout, Metromedia references were largely phased out of channel 5's branding. Upon taking control nearly one year later, on March 7, 1986, channel 5's call sign was changed slightly to the present WNYW. The change was made due to an FCC rule in place (no longer in effect) that prohibited TV and radio stations with different ownership from sharing the same call sign.[28] Along with the other former Metromedia independent stations, WNYW formed the cornerstone of the Fox Broadcasting Company when it launched on October 9, 1986.

WNYW's schedule initially changed very little, as Fox aired programming only on late nights and weekends on two nights of the week in the network's first few years. It was not until 1993 that Fox began broadcasting a full seven nights' worth of programming. Although it began taking on the look of a network-owned station in the fall of 1986, channel 5 continued to carry decades-old syndicated cartoons, sitcoms and films into the late 1980s. As a result, channel 5 was still considered by many to be an independent station.

Murdoch had one local obstacle to overcome before his purchase of channel 5 could become final. News Corporation had owned the New York Post since 1976 and the FCC's media ownership rules barred common ownership of newspapers and broadcast licenses in the same media market. The FCC granted Murdoch a temporary waiver to keep the Post and WNYW to allow News Corporation to complete its purchase of the Metromedia television stations. News Corporation sold the New York Post in 1988, but bought the paper back five years later with a permanent waiver of the cross-ownership rules.

In late summer 1986, WNYW debuted the nightly newsmagazine A Current Affair, one of the first shows to be labeled as a "tabloid television" program. Originally a local program, it was first anchored by Maury Povich, formerly of Washington sister station WTTG. (He also briefly anchored WNYW's evening newscasts.) Within a year of its launch, A Current Affair was syndicated to the other Fox-owned stations.[29] In 1988, the series entered into national syndication, where it remained until the original incarnation of the program was cancelled in 1996. On August 1, 1988, the station dropped its weekday morning cartoons in favor of a local news and information program titled Good Day New York, which continues to this day.

Following the launch of the Fox network, WNYW lost much of its out-of-market superstation reach, as most markets in the Northeast had their own Fox affiliates. WNYW continued to be seen on cable in the Binghamton metropolitan area and the New York side of the Plattsburgh–Burlington market until the late 1990s, when WICZ-TV and WFFF-TV joined the network.

In 2001, Fox bought BHC Communications, a television station group owned by Chris-Craft Industries, which effectively created a duopoly between WNYW and its former rival, WWOR-TV. In autumn 2001, WNYW dropped Fox Kids' weekday block and moved it to WWOR-TV, where it ran for a few more months before Fox discontinued the network's weekday children's lineup at the end of that year. In 2004, Fox Television Stations announced that it would move WWOR's operations from Secaucus to WNYW's facility at the Fox Television Center in Manhattan. While some office functions were merged, plans for a full move to Manhattan were abandoned later that year due to pressure from New Jersey Congressman Steve Rothman (whose congressional district includes Secaucus) and Senator Frank Lautenberg on the grounds that any move to Manhattan would violate the conditions of WWOR's broadcast license.[30][31] The company also considered moving WNYW's operations to Secaucus, but ultimately decided to remain in the Fox Television Center.

On September 11, 2001, the transmitter facilities of WNYW, eight other New York City television stations, and several radio stations, were destroyed when two hijacked airplanes crashed into and destroyed the north and south towers of the World Trade Center. The station relocated to an antenna located atop the Empire State Building, where its transmitter facilities had been located until they were moved to the World Trade Center in the 1970s. By the late 2010s, the transmitter returned to the newly built One World Trade Center.[32][33][34]

WNYW logo used for the network and news operations during 2006 and 2020

In April 2006, WNYW became the first Fox-owned to launch a website on Fox Interactive Media's "MyFox" platform, which featured expanded content, more videos and new community features such as blogs and photo galleries. The MyFox sites were later outsourced to WorldNow, and later Lakana beginning in 2015, after which the "MyFox" brand was discontinued.[35][36]

On October 15, 2010, News Corporation pulled the signals of WNYW, WWOR, along with co-owned cable channels Fox Business Network, Fox Deportes, and National Geographic Wild from Cablevision systems in the New York television market area, due to a dispute between Fox and Cablevision. Cablevision claimed News Corporation had demanded $150 million a year to renew its carriage of 12 Fox-owned channels, including those removed due to the dispute.[37] Cablevision offered to submit to binding arbitration on October 14, 2010. News Corporation rejected Cablevision's proposal, stating that it would "reward Cablevision for refusing to negotiate fairly". WWOR, WNYW and the three cable channels were restored on October 30, 2010, when Cablevision and News Corporation struck a new carriage deal.

After News Corporation split into two companies on June 28, 2013, spinning off its publishing assets (including the New York Post) into a new News Corp, WNYW became part of 21st Century Fox.[38] On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company, owner of ABC owned-and-operated station WABC-TV (channel 7), announced its intent to buy the assets of 21st Century Fox for $66.1 billion, pending regulatory approval.[39][40] The sale did not include the Fox network, MyNetworkTV, WNYW, WWOR, the Fox Television Stations unit or any other broadcast assets, since that would be illegal under FCC rules prohibiting a merger between any of the four major networks. Ownership was transferred to a new company called Fox Corporation, a split officially completed on March 18, 2019.[41]

In the fall of 2018, after WWOR's license was renewed, and several months after the repeal of the FCC's main studio rule (which required WWOR to operate from New Jersey as a license condition),[42] Fox Television Stations sold its former Secaucus studios to Hartz Mountain Industries for $4.05 million, and consolidated WWOR's operations with WNYW at the Fox Television Center.[43]

Programming

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Locally-produced programming

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In 1966, WNEW produced the first edition of The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, initially as a charity event seen exclusively on WNEW. In 1968, the telethon expanded to a network of six stations in the Northeastern United States, which was dubbed the Love Network, with WNEW serving as flagship. The station produced local segments for the program, which were broadcast on the Sunday night before through the evening of Labor Day, from 1966 until 1986.[44] The telethon moved to future sister station WWOR-TV in 1987 where it aired until 2012 when it became a reduced-length special known as the MDA Show of Strength. The telethon moved to ABC as a national broadcast in 2013 until its final telecast in 2014.

In 1980, the station began producing one minute vignettes entitled Big Apple Minute featuring the station's on-air team touring New York City-area attractions. These lasted until 1987, following the station's acquisition by Fox and the call letter change in 1986. The station also produced the New York City version of PM Magazine from 1980 until 1988 when it was transferred to WWOR where it was called PM. It was renamed Evening Magazine (a name generally reserved for Group W-owned stations) and aired until its cancellation in 1989.

The station also broadcast the Puerto Rican Day Parade from 2006 until 2015.

Currently, the station produces several local programs. Chasing New Jersey is a daily program featuring segments and stories focusing on headlines and issues affecting the New Jersey area. The show is produced by Fairfax Productions and airs in the overnight slot after it airs on sister station WWOR-TV. Good Day Street Talk is a weekly community affairs program hosted by Antwan Lewis.

Sports programming

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Through its network's sporting division, WNYW has televised major sporting championships featuring New York teams in the past years. As part of the network's coverage of the National Hockey League in 1995, the station televised games one and four of the Stanley Cup Finals when the New Jersey Devils won their first Stanley Cup.[citation needed]

From 1999 to 2001, WNYW held the broadcast rights to New York Yankees game telecasts, displacing longtime broadcaster WPIX. Under the initial deal, WNYW and actual rights holder the Madison Square Garden Network carried Yankees games until 2001. Broadcasts of the team's games were moved to the new YES Network through a joint arrangement with WCBS-TV. This lasted until the 2004 season; WWOR-TV took over the broadcasts beginning in 2005. WNYW continues to show Yankees games through Fox's national broadcast contract with Major League Baseball; through this package, the station aired the Yankees' World Series victories in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2009 and their other appearances in 2001, 2003, and 2024. As of 2022, WNYW is the only broadcast station to carry Yankees games, as rights for games formerly shown by WPIX were sold to Amazon. It also airs any Mets games that are featured on Fox's MLB coverage, in that capacity broadcasting the aforementioned 2000 World Series in which they lost to the cross-town Yankees, and 2015 World Series in which they lost out to the Kansas City Royals.

Since the network established its sports division in 1994, most sporting events carried on channel 5 have been provided through Fox Sports. At that time, the network acquired partial television rights to the NFL and primary rights to the NFC. As a result of this, the station became the unofficial "home" station of the New York Giants airing select telecasts. Among the notable Giants games aired on the station is the team's victory in Super Bowl XLII, when the Giants ended their 17-year title drought by defeating the New England Patriots, who were 18–0 at the time and were one win away from the second perfect season in NFL history. In addition, beginning with the 2018 season, the station aired the team's Thursday night games as part of its newly acquired Thursday Night Football package that it shares with NFL Network (along with Thursday night Jets games) until the 2021 season. Currently, Giants games are rotated between WCBS-TV (through the NFL on CBS), WABC-TV (Monday Night Football), WPIX (Monday Night Football (if WABC-TV is not airing them)), and WNBC (through NBC Sunday Night Football). The station also airs at least two games involving the Jets each year—usually whenever they play an NFC opponent at home. Since 2014, more Jets' games can be shown on WNYW as part of the NFL's new "cross-flex" broadcast rules. WNYW also provided local coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII which was played at MetLife Stadium.

On March 12, 2024, it was announced that WNYW and WWOR would become the new broadcast partner for the New York Liberty.[45]

News operation

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Fox 5 News at 10:00 p.m. news open, used from November 2012 until July 7, 2019.

WNYW broadcasts 53 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 10 hours each weekday, two hours on Saturdays and one hour on Sundays). As is standard with Fox stations that carry early evening weekend newscasts, WNYW's Saturday and Sunday 6 p.m. newscasts are subject to delay or preemption due to network sports coverage.[46] WNYW and sister station WWOR-TV share resources with Philadelphia sister station WTXF-TV in areas of New Jersey in which the New York and Philadelphia markets overlap; the stations share reporters for stories occurring in New Jersey counties served by both markets.

In 1944, the first newscast for Channel 5 was Late Night News. In 1945, the news department of Channel 5 rebranded its newscast as TV5 Late Report, and rebranded it again as TV5 24 Hours from 1962 to March 10, 1967.

The station is home to one of America's longest-running primetime local newscasts: WNYW (as WNEW-TV) first premiered its 10 p.m. newscast—the first primetime newscast in the New York market—on March 13, 1967. Each night, the newscast (originally known as The 10 O'Clock News until 2001 and currently in use since 2021) is preceded by the simple, but now well-known announcement: "It's 10 p.m., Do you know where your children are?", which was originally spoken by Mel Epstein, WNEW-TV's director of on-air promotions, and later by staff announcer Tom Gregory (this announcement continues to be shown before the newscast); other television stations in the country began using the tagline for their own 10 p.m. (or 11 pm) news (which may depend on the start of the local youth curfew in each market).[47] Celebrities were often used to read the slogan in the 1980s, and for a time in the late 1970s, the station added a warmer announcement earlier in the day: "It's 6 p.m., have you hugged your child today?" From 1975 to 1985, the 10 p.m. newscast notably featured nightly op-ed debates which pitted conservative Martin Abend against liberal Professor Sidney Offit.

In the early 1970s, the news department launched its 30-minute program Sports Extra, airing at 10:30 p.m. on Sundays; where it continues to air. The first time WNEW programmed news outside its established 10 p.m. slot was in 1985, when it premiered the short-lived First Edition News, a half-hour midday newscast anchored by Jim Ryan (formerly of WNBC) and Judy Licht, serving as a lead-in to Midday Live with Bill Boggs; not long after the program moved to noon with Midday at 12:30 pm.[48][49]

After the buyout from Murdoch went through, the station began to intensify their news efforts. It first premiered a half-hour 7 p.m. newscast, simply known as Fox News at Seven, in 1988; the program was canceled in 1993. On August 1, 1988, WNYW became the first Fox station to run a weekday morning newscast with the debut of the two-hour Good Day New York; within five years of its launch, the program became the top-rated morning show in the New York City market. In 1991, a new and eventually very popular music package was composed for the show by Edd Kalehoff, a New York-based composer best known for composing the themes and music cues for game shows such as The Price Is Right. Since the Fox takeover, WNYW's newscasts have become more tabloid in style and have been fodder for jokes, even to the point of being parodied on Saturday Night Live. The consumer reporting segment The Problem Solvers has received the same treatment on The Daily Show.

WNYW was the first television station to cover the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center that occurred on September 11, 2001. The station interrupted a commercial break at 8:48 am. ET to deliver the first public report of the attacks on air by anchor Jim Ryan and reporter Dick Oliver. WNYW donated a digitized copy of this coverage to the Internet Archive in July 2012. In 2002, WNYW brought early evening newscasts back to the station with the launch of a 90-minute weekday news block from 5 p.m. to 6:30 pm. Longtime anchor John Roland, a 35-year veteran of channel 5, retired from the station on June 4, 2004; former NBC News correspondent Len Cannon, who joined WNYW as a reporter and anchor some time earlier, was initially named as Roland's replacement. Several months later, veteran New York City anchorman Ernie Anastos (who at the time was anchoring at WCBS-TV) signed a multi-year contract with WNYW, displacing Cannon as lead anchor; Cannon asked for, and was granted, a release from his contract with the station shortly after Anastos's contract deal was announced. Anastos joined WNYW in July 2005, and Cannon joined KHOU-TV in Houston as its lead anchor in the spring of 2006. On April 3, 2006, WNYW debuted a new set, theme music and graphics package, and introduced a new logo based on the on-air look first adopted by Tampa sister station WTVT that became standard for all of Fox's owned-and-operated stations.

On November 9, 2008, WNYW became the fifth New York City television station to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition. On July 13, 2009, Good Day New York expanded with the addition of a fifth hour of the program from 9 a.m. to 10 am; the noon newscast was dropped in turn. In the fall of 2009, WNYW entered into a Local News Service agreement with NBC owned-and-operated station WNBC to share helicopter footage with that station; WNYW's helicopter SkyFox HD was renamed "Chopper 5" on-air, though the SkyFox name was reinstated in 2010, while the name "Chopper 4" continued to be used by WNBC. The LNS agreement ended in 2012 when WNBC began operating its own helicopter; WNYW has since entered into a helicopter-sharing agreement with CBS-owned WCBS-TV.

Fox 5 reporter Lisa Evers reporting on a January 2012 fire in Union City, New Jersey.

During the 10 p.m. newscast on September 16, 2009, anchor Ernie Anastos cursed live on-air while engaging in banter with chief meteorologist Nick Gregory,[50] saying "I guess it takes a tough man to make a tender forecast", adding "keep fucking that chicken"; the incident gained some notoriety when it and other videos of the on-air gaffe appeared on YouTube,[51] making Anastos and WNYW the subject of a joke on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! Anastos apologized for the incident on the following night's 10 p.m. newscast.[52]

On June 5, 2014, WNYW relaunched its 6 p.m. newscast as a more topical, interactive program; on June 6, the station launched the entertainment, lifestyle and music program Friday Night Live (airing during the timeslot normally occupied by the second half-hour of the 10 p.m. newscast). This was followed by the June 7 debut of hourly news updates that air weekend mornings between 9 a.m. and noon (WNYW is the only news-producing English language network O&O in the New York City market that does not carry a full-fledged local newscast on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings, and is one of two Fox owned-and-operated stations without a weekend morning newscast, alongside KTTV in Los Angeles).[53]

As of January 2021, WNYW is the only news-producing station in the New York City market that continues to present field video in widescreen standard definition; all of the other stations broadcast all or most of their field video in high definition.

Notable current on-air staff

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Notable former on-air staff

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WNYW was portrayed in an episode of the Fox animated comedy Futurama, titled "When Aliens Attack", in which the station was accidentally knocked off the air by Philip J. Fry in 1999. That resulted in angry Omicronians invading Earth in the year 3000 (having received the broadcast signal 1,000 years later, being 1,000 light-years away) and demanding to see the end of an Ally McBeal-esque program called Single Female Lawyer.[58][59]

Technical information

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Subchannels

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The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WNYW[60]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
5.1 720p 16:9 WNYW Fox
5.2 480i Movies! Movies![61]
5.3 Weather Fox Weather
5.4 ROAR Roar[62]
5.5 Catchy Catchy Comedy

Analog-to-digital conversion

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WNYW discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 5, at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television; the shutdown occurred during the closing credits of a syndicated rerun of The Simpsons.[63][64] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 44,[65] using virtual channel 5. It carried WWOR's programming on digital subchannel 5.2 until 2009, when it changed the PSIP data to identify the virtual channel carrying WWOR's programming to 9.2. As of 2019, a channel of WWOR's programming is no longer multiplexed with WNYW.

See also

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References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

WNYW

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
WNYW, branded as Fox 5 New York, is a commercial television station licensed to New York, New York, United States, operating as the flagship owned-and-operated station of the Fox Broadcasting Company. The station is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of Fox Corporation, and transmits on virtual channel 5. It delivers a mix of Fox network programming, syndicated content, and extensive local news coverage to the New York metropolitan area, including weather, traffic, and sports updates. WNYW gained prominence after affiliating with Fox in 1986, following its acquisition by News Corporation from Metromedia, marking a pivotal shift in its independent station roots to network affiliation. The station's news operation, featuring programs like the morning show Good Day New York and the market-leading Fox 5 News at 10, has established it as a key player in local broadcasting, with its staff earning numerous New York Emmy Awards for reporting and production excellence. Evaluations of its news content indicate high factual reporting standards, though as part of the Fox ecosystem, it operates within a broader media landscape scrutinized for potential ideological influences.

History

Origins as WABD and DuMont affiliation (1944–1956)

WABD, the predecessor to WNYW, was established by electronics engineer and inventor Allen B. DuMont through his DuMont Laboratories as one of the earliest commercial television stations in New York City. The station began experimental operations as W2XWV in 1940 from studios in Manhattan, receiving a construction permit that April. It transitioned to commercial broadcasting on May 2, 1944, adopting the call letters WABD—derived from DuMont's initials—and initially operating on channel 1 with a focus on live programming to promote television set sales from DuMont's manufacturing arm. In December 1945, WABD relocated to channel 5, a frequency it has occupied since, amid the Federal Communications Commission's reallocation of VHF channels to accommodate post-World War II television expansion. The station served as the cornerstone for the , which DuMont formally launched on April 15, 1946, with an inaugural broadcast from a new studio at department store in . This telecast was networked to DuMont's companion station in , marking one of the first coast-to-coast links in early U.S. television, though limited by constraints to the East Coast. WABD functioned as the network's flagship, airing original content such as matches from St. Nicholas Arena, variety shows, and early situation comedies to differentiate from rivals and , which dominated with radio-originated programming. Throughout the late and early , DuMont expanded its owned-and-operated stations and affiliates, but struggled with limited funding compared to established networks, relying heavily on WABD for production of shows like Cavalcade of Stars and . Financial pressures intensified as advertisers favored and , leading to cost-cutting measures including shared facilities with ABC at times. On June 14, 1954, WABD and network operations relocated to the purpose-built DuMont Tele-Centre in , a $5 million facility designed to centralize production amid declining viability. The network's final broadcast occurred on August 6, 1956—a match from St. Nicholas Arena—after which DuMont dissolved its national service due to unsustainable losses exceeding $20 million annually by the mid-1950s, leaving WABD to operate independently while DuMont Laboratories shifted focus to manufacturing.

Independent operation under Metromedia (1957–1986)

Following the cessation of the DuMont Television Network's operations in 1956, channel 5 continued as an independent station under the spun-off DuMont Broadcasting Corporation, which aired a mix of syndicated reruns, films, and limited original local programming to fill its schedule. In May 1958, the entity was renamed Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation to distance itself from the defunct network. That same year, investor John W. Kluge acquired a controlling stake from Paramount Pictures for $4 million and integrated his existing holdings, including New York radio stations WNEW (AM) and WNEW-FM, into the company. Kluge assumed the role of president, steering the firm toward expansion in independent television markets. On September 7, 1958, the station's call letters shifted from WABD to WNEW-TV, aligning with its new radio siblings and emphasizing local New York identity. The company adopted the name in 1961, reflecting Kluge's vision for metropolitan-focused media assets. As one of 's flagship independents—alongside stations in (KTTV) and Washington, D.C. (WTTG)—WNEW-TV prioritized high-profile syndicated fare, including off-network sitcoms, cartoons, and feature films, while producing local children's programming like Wonderama, which debuted in under host and transitioned to in 1967, eventually syndicating to other outlets by 1970. The station also originated the Telethon in 1966, airing it annually through 1986 and raising funds for research. WNEW-TV's news operation expanded in the , launching a 10 p.m. newscast that became a signature offering for late-evening viewers in a market dominated by network affiliates. By the early 1970s, it had emerged as New York's top-rated independent station, outpacing competitors like WOR-TV and through aggressive programming strategies, including extended blocks of classic movies and sports highlights. invested in production facilities at its headquarters (later dubbed the Metromedia TeleCenter), enabling in-house content creation and syndication distribution via its Metromedia Producers Corporation arm, established in the 1970s. This period solidified the station's role as the nation's leading independent by audience reach, with a 1982 profile noting its status as the largest such outlet by market size. In the 1980s, amid rising competition from cable and superstations, WNEW-TV maintained its independent format with emphasis on local news bureaus, including dedicated New Jersey coverage, and blockbuster movie packages. Metromedia's divestiture began in May 1985, when it sold its seven independent stations, including WNEW-TV, to for $2.05 billion, marking the end of direct control by March 1986. The transaction positioned the station for its impending affiliation with the launch of the , though it operated independently through the handover.

Fox affiliation and expansion (1986–2000)

In early 1986, News Corporation completed its $2 billion acquisition of Metromedia's six major-market independent television stations, including New York flagship WNEW-TV (channel 5), which had operated as a strong independent since 1957. The purchase positioned these outlets, including WNEW-TV, as the foundational owned-and-operated stations for the newly formed Fox Broadcasting Company, enabling Rupert Murdoch's entry into American network television amid regulatory hurdles like the FCC's foreign ownership limits and cross-ownership rules with Murdoch's New York Post. On March 7, 1986, shortly after assuming operational control, the station changed its call sign to WNYW to revive its original DuMont-era letters and distinguish it from Metromedia's WNEW radio holdings, while introducing a transitional "grey look" branding. Fox Broadcasting launched on October 9, 1986, initially offering limited programming—a hosted by and weekend slots—to WNYW and its sister stations, preserving much of channel 5's established independent schedule of syndicated fare, movies, and sports like New York Mets baseball. WNYW served as Fox's East Coast flagship, originating key syndicated content such as the tabloid-style A Current Affair, which debuted in 1986 and exemplified the network's early emphasis on edgy, entertainment-driven programming to differentiate from the established Big Three networks. As Fox expanded its prime-time lineup in the late 1980s—adding comedies like (1989) and dramas—the station integrated network content while maintaining robust local production from its East 67th Street studios, originally built in 1954. The 1990s marked significant operational growth for WNYW amid Fox's ascent to major network status. The station bolstered its news operation, building on its longstanding 10 p.m. newscast (dating to 1967) with enhanced resources, including the addition of reporters like in March 1986 and expansions in staff and coverage to compete with rivals and WCBS-TV. Fox's 1994 acquisition of NFC rights brought games to WNYW starting that fall, boosting viewership and sports programming; the station aired 10-12 regular-season games annually, plus playoffs, leveraging its transmitter for wide reach. By the decade's end, WNYW's primetime ratings strengthened with Fox hits like and , while local syndication and news blocks solidified its position as New York's leading non-Big Three outlet, with audience shares often exceeding 20% in key demos during network events.

Digital era and recent developments (2001–present)

In July 2001, acquired (channel 9) through its purchase of ' holdings, which the FCC approved on July 25, establishing a duopoly pairing WNYW with the affiliate in the New York market. This move consolidated Fox's local operations amid growing network synergies, though it faced scrutiny over cross-ownership with the . WNYW advanced its technical capabilities ahead of the national digital transition by launching high-definition broadcasts on November 10, 2008, becoming the second major to do so after in ; this upgrade encompassed news programming and select network content. The station fully converted to digital transmission on , 2009, relinquishing its analog VHF channel 5 signal and operating solely on UHF channel 44 ( 5.1), in line with the federally mandated switchover that affected over-the-air viewers nationwide. Post-transition, WNYW activated digital subchannels to additional programming, initially leveraging the for affiliated content before evolving to include networks such as Movies! on 5.2, on 5.3, on 5.4, and on 5.5 by the mid-2020s. Into the 2010s and 2020s, WNYW emphasized digital expansion amid cord-cutting trends, offering live news streams via its website (fox5ny.com), the FOX Local app, YouTube channel, and Tubi, enabling real-time access to local coverage including Good Day New York and breaking reports without traditional cable. In 2023, parent company Fox Television Stations restructured its advertising sales division to unify local, national, and digital revenue streams, reflecting broader industry shifts toward integrated multi-platform monetization. Ownership remained stable under Fox Corporation following the 2019 News Corp split, with WNYW continuing as the network's New York flagship focused on investigative local news and syndicated fare.

Ownership and affiliations

Corporate ownership transitions

WNYW originated as WABD, signing on May 2, 1944, under the ownership of Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, which established it as the flagship station of the . Following the network's financial collapse and cessation of operations in 1956, DuMont Laboratories spun off its broadcast holdings into DuMont Broadcasting Corporation; this entity sold WABD later that year to a group led by interests, forming Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation as the new owner. The acquiring company rebranded as in 1961 after investor gained control, retaining ownership of the station—renamed WNEW-TV in 1958—through its independent era. On May 4, 1985, Metromedia announced the sale of its seven major-market independent stations, including WNEW-TV, to Rupert Murdoch's for $2 billion, a transaction designed to provide the foundation for launching the . The approved the deal in March 1986, contingent on Murdoch becoming a U.S. citizen to comply with restrictions; upon closing, WNEW-TV adopted the WNYW to align with Fox's New York outlet. operated the station directly until a 2013 corporate restructuring split the company into two entities: a new focused on publishing and the entertainment-oriented Twenty-First Century Fox, which retained WNYW and other assets. In December 2017, Twenty-First Century Fox agreed to sell significant portions of its portfolio to for $71.3 billion, excluding the Fox network, local stations, and cable news/sports channels to address antitrust concerns. The deal closed on March 20, 2019, with the divested broadcast and cable properties reorganized into the independent , a publicly traded entity controlled by the ; WNYW has since operated under , a of . This structure maintains the station's alignment with the Fox network amid ongoing regulatory scrutiny of media consolidation.

Network and syndication affiliations

WNYW serves as the owned-and-operated flagship station for the in the designated market area, carrying the network's , sports, and other programming on its main 5.1. The station joined as a affiliate upon the network's launch on , 1986, transitioning from its prior status as an following the DuMont Television Network's dissolution in 1956. This affiliation has remained uninterrupted, with WNYW prioritizing Fox content over local or syndicated alternatives during network slots, consistent with its role in one of the largest U.S. media markets. In addition to Fox network programming, WNYW incorporates syndicated content to fill daytime, late fringe, and weekend slots not occupied by network or local productions. Current syndicated offerings include TMZ Live, a tabloid news program distributed by Television Distribution, airing in late-night positions, and Extra, a Hollywood entertainment newsmagazine, alongside blocks of paid programming such as infomercials. Historically, the station originated syndicated hits like A Current Affair in 1986, which expanded nationally within two years, leveraging WNYW's production facilities under ownership before 's acquisition. WNYW's digital subchannels extend affiliations beyond the main Fox feed. Subchannel 5.4 carries TBD, a Sinclair Broadcast Group-operated multicast network focused on lifestyle and entertainment content, which launched on the station on January 15, 2025, as part of a partnership expanding TBD's reach in major markets. Prior to this, subchannel 5.4 (then DT4) affiliated with Light TV from 2016 to 2021, airing family-oriented programming from the Warner Bros. library. These subchannel affiliations allow WNYW to monetize spectrum beyond primary network duties while complying with FCC multichannel requirements.

Programming

Network and syndicated content

WNYW serves as the flagship owned-and-operated of the , carrying the network's full national programming lineup without preemption. Primetime programming airs from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday and from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Sundays, encompassing a mix of live-action scripted dramas, reality competitions, and produced by . Weekend slots include animated blocks and specials, while sports content features regular-season games under Fox's broadcast rights, typically on Sundays following pregame analysis. In non-primetime hours, WNYW incorporates syndicated programming to fill daytime and early fringe slots, primarily consisting of court shows, game shows, and entertainment news formats distributed by Fox First Run and other syndicators. Examples include the game show , which aired live hour-long episodes on the station in June 2025. However, as of 2025, , including WNYW, has reduced reliance on syndicated fare amid expansions in and original content production, with several shows like , Person, Place or Thing, and canceled earlier in the year to accommodate extended newscasts in New York and other key markets. This shift prioritizes station-produced programming over third-party syndication, aligning with broader industry trends toward localized content to boost viewer retention and ad revenue.

Local non-news programming

In its early independent years as WNEW-TV under Metromedia ownership, WNYW produced notable local children's programming, including The Sandy Becker Show, a comedy-variety series hosted by puppeteer and comedian that aired from 1955 to 1967 and featured satirical sketches and characters like Hamburgers, and The Sonny Fox Show, which from 1959 to 1961 showcased puppets such as Rootie Kazootie alongside educational segments for young audiences. These programs contributed to the station's reputation for innovative local content aimed at families in the New York market during an era when independent stations filled daytime slots with original productions. Following the Fox affiliation in 1986, local non-news output shifted toward lighter formats integrated with news, but dedicated remained sparse compared to syndicated fare. In 2024, WNYW launched Good Night New York, a weekday program airing at 11:00 p.m. ET that provides commentary on , pop , and topics with a focus on New York-centric stories, hosted by Christal Young and reporter Ryan Kristafer. The half-hour show emphasizes interviews and urban trends, distinguishing it from the station's core news operations. Occasional specials and event coverage, such as recaps or cultural retrospectives, supplement the schedule but are not regular series. Overall, WNYW's emphasis on and network priorities has limited expansive local non-news development, with resources directed toward high-profile newscasts rather than standalone formats.

Sports broadcasting

WNYW, as the owned-and-operated station of the network, has aired select regular-season games since Fox acquired the broadcast rights beginning with the . Under the NFL's regional broadcast model, Fox selects and distributes NFC matchups, resulting in WNYW typically carrying 8 to 10 Giants games annually in the New York market, primarily away contests against NFC opponents and select home games based on the conference's scheduling formula. games, as an team, appear on WNYW only in rare instances such as cross-flexed broadcasts or national doubleheaders. In addition to regular-season NFL coverage, WNYW has broadcast New York Giants preseason games under specific rights agreements. For the 2024 preseason, the station aired the team's contests against the Detroit Lions on August 8 and an opponent on August 17 as part of a one-year deal. WNYW held local over-the-air broadcast rights to New York Yankees Major League Baseball games from 1999 to 2001, sharing telecasts with sister station WWOR-TV during that period and displacing longtime holder WPIX. The station does not currently hold rights to Yankees or New York Mets games, which are primarily distributed via regional sports networks like YES Network and SNY. Since 2024, WNYW serves as the official over-the-air television partner for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association, broadcasting a portion of the team's regular-season games in conjunction with WWOR-TV. This multi-year agreement, announced on March 12, 2024, and extended on March 6, 2025, includes increased rights fees following a 129% viewership surge for Liberty games in 2024. The partnership aims to expand accessibility to WNBA content amid the league's growing popularity in the New York market. Beyond team-specific rights, WNYW carries national Fox Sports programming, including and games, as well as occasional special events tied to the network's portfolio. The station's sports segments, such as Fox 5 Sports Extra, provide post-game analysis following broadcasts.

News operation

Evolution of news format

WNYW's news format originated with the debut of its pioneering 10 p.m. newscast on March 13, 1967, as WNEW-TV, marking the first prime-time local newscast in the New York ; initially 30 minutes long, it expanded to one hour within the first year to compete against network programming. Under ownership, the presentation maintained a professional tone with straightforward reporting, supported by traditional graphics and a focus on market-leading content. Following the station's acquisition by in 1986 and the call sign change to WNYW on March 7, the news operation shifted toward an edgier, hard-hitting style influenced by the network's programming ethos and the New York Post's tabloid sensibilities, incorporating more sensational elements, personality-driven anchoring, and aggressive coverage of local stories with national implications. This evolution included upgraded CGI graphics replacing older Metromedia-era designs, emphasizing flashier presentations and live reporting to differentiate from competitors. On August 1, 1988, WNYW launched , a two-hour weekday morning program that became the first such newscast for a Fox station, blending news, traffic, weather, and in a high-energy, tabloid-inflected format to replace morning cartoons. Further expansions occurred in 1987 with a short-lived 7 p.m. newscast (discontinued in 1993), followed by additions in 2002 of a one-hour 5 p.m. program and a 30-minute 6 p.m. slot, increasing overall local news output from 3.5 hours weekly in to approximately 35 hours by the . The format increasingly mirrored Channel's graphical and stylistic elements, with younger on-air talent, consumer-oriented segments, and a service-focused approach, contributing to the 10 p.m. newscast's rise to market dominance. This personality-centric, opinion-infused evolution, while criticized for tabloid tendencies, aligned with audience preferences for dynamic, breaking-news-driven content in a competitive market.

Key news programs and investigative reporting

Good Day New York serves as WNYW's flagship morning program, airing weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET, featuring a mix of , updates, traffic reports, lifestyle segments, and entertainment interviews hosted primarily by and . The program emphasizes live field reports and viewer engagement, often incorporating segments like Good Day Cafe for food reviews and for public opinion polls. WNYW's evening newscasts include FOX 5 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and the signature 10 p.m. edition, which provides comprehensive coverage of local, national, and international stories with a focus on breaking developments in the New York metropolitan area. The 10 p.m. broadcast, in particular, competes directly with network affiliates' late-night news and incorporates investigative segments, sports recaps, and weather forecasts tailored to the Tri-State region. These programs air approximately 53 hours of local news weekly across weekdays, weekends, and special extended coverage. The station's investigative reporting is spearheaded by the FOX 5 Problem Solvers team, a dedicated unit that probes consumer fraud, government waste, public safety lapses, and corporate malfeasance through undercover operations, document analysis, and tip-line submissions. Notable efforts include exposing scams involving fake lottery winnings and utility billing errors, often resulting in resolutions for affected viewers via direct intervention with authorities or businesses. The team maintains a hotline for public tips and promotes its work during newscasts, emphasizing accountability in areas like housing, healthcare, and transportation where empirical evidence of systemic issues is uncovered. In 2025, WNYW received recognition from the Radio Television Digital News Association for regional excellence in news production, underscoring the unit's role in substantive local journalism.

On-air personnel

The primary anchors for WNYW's flagship evening newscasts, FOX 5 News at 5 and FOX 5 News at 10, are Steve Lacy and Natasha Verma, with Verma joining the station in October 2022. The morning program Good Day New York, airing weekdays from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m., is co-hosted by Rosanna Scotto, who has been with WNYW since 1986, and Curt Menefee, who joined in 2024 after a long tenure at Fox NFL Sunday. Good Day Wake Up, the early morning extension from 4:30 to 7:00 a.m., features anchors Dan Bowens and Tashanea Whitlow, the latter an Emmy Award winner previously with Black News Channel. Weekend anchoring is handled by Arthur Chi'en, a three-time Emmy winner who joined in 2014. Meteorological coverage is led by chief meteorologist Nick Gregory, who has delivered forecasts for the 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. newscasts since joining in December 1986. Morning weather for Good Day programs is provided by Mike Woods, who arrived in June 2001 and assumed the morning role in October 2003. Additional weather personnel include , a and feature reporter, and Liv Johnson, a weather reporter. Sports reporting is anchored by , who serves as lead sports anchor and hosts the weekly Sports Xtra. Traffic updates on are delivered by Ines Rosales, with the station since April 2007. The reporting team comprises general assignment and specialized reporters, including for investigative and street-level stories, Morgan McKay for political coverage, since August 2011, and others such as Stephanie Bertini, Sharon Crowley, Hayley Fixler, Jodi Goldberg, Kendall Green, and Linda Schmidt.

Ratings performance and market influence

WNYW's news programming has maintained competitive ratings in the New York market, particularly excelling in key advertising demographics such as adults 25-54. Its morning show, , has repeatedly outperformed national morning broadcasts like NBC's Today and ABC's in these demos during specific periods. For example, in the week of an unspecified recent measurement, averaged 128,200 adults 25-54 viewers (1.522 rating), surpassing Today's 115,300 (1.369 rating) by 11%. In March 2013, it beat Today for the second consecutive month in local viewership metrics. During the May 2014 sweeps, the program led the morning news race among adults 18-49 with 103,000 viewers (1.2 rating), ahead of national counterparts. The station's 10 p.m. newscast has also contributed to its strong late-evening performance, historically ranking highly against competitors like and in household and demo shares, though specific recent figures remain limited in public Nielsen reports. Overall, while often dominates total household ratings in evening slots, WNYW's focus on younger demographics has secured advertiser-favored positions, as seen in its demo wins over rivals in morning and late news. In the nation's largest designated market area (DMA), encompassing over 7.49 million TV households as of the 2024-2025 season, WNYW exerts substantial market influence through its news output. As the owned-and-operated affiliate, it leverages network synergies for breaking coverage and investigative segments, driving viewership among demographics less served by traditional broadcasters and impacting local discourse in the tri-state region. This positioning enhances its role in allocation, where demo strength translates to premium ad rates amid fragmented .

Bias and editorial controversies

Media bias evaluators have assessed WNYW's local news output as generally low in partisan slant. rates it as Least Biased, highlighting balanced story selection in local reporting, minimal use of , and high factual accuracy, though overall coverage shows a slight right-center through emphasis on topics like crime and public safety that align with conservative concerns. Similarly, and Ground News classify its content as center-leaning with reliable sourcing. A 2015 analysis by the advocacy group , in partnership with Media Matters, examined NYC TV stations' coverage for inaccuracies such as over-representing suspects relative to and under-reporting white-perpetrated s, which the study linked to perpetuating racial stereotypes. WNYW earned a "B" grade—the highest among major outlets—for relatively accurate suspect descriptions and balanced perpetrator demographics, outperforming ABC affiliate WABC ("F") and CBS/NBC stations ("D"). Critics from the left-leaning organizations argued that even higher-performing stations like WNYW contributed to systemic distortion by prioritizing sensational stories, but the grading acknowledged factual adherence in its broadcasts. One notable editorial controversy arose in 1998 when WNYW promoted and aired hidden-camera footage depicting men soliciting sex in public restrooms, framed as a warning about "sexual deviants" preying on children. The station's promo urged viewers to "think twice" about allowing kids to use such facilities unsupervised, prompting backlash for exploiting privacy invasions to boost ratings and stoking unfounded fears. Media observers, including in The Washington Post, questioned the ethics of such "sting" operations across TV news, viewing them as prioritizing tabloid-style sensationalism over substantive journalism, though WNYW defended it as public-interest reporting on safety risks. No formal sanctions resulted, but the incident exemplified broader 1990s critiques of local Fox stations' aggressive promotional tactics. Specific accusations of ideological bias in WNYW's editorial decisions remain rare compared to national Fox News, with local operations maintaining greater separation from partisan commentary.

Employment and operational disputes

In 2018, segment producers for WNYW's program, represented by the (WGAE), contested a proposed pay cut of up to $7,000 annually as part of efforts to resolve a six-year dispute dating to the 2012 expiration of the prior agreement. The WGAE, covering approximately 50 writers, assistants, and s, sought modest wage increases and enhanced pension contributions, while senior staff had received no raises since 2012; Fox proposed guaranteed base pay hikes but tied settlement to the cuts, which would reduce segment producer fees from $3.25 per hour. Negotiations concluded with a new agreement effective 2018–2022, applicable to news assistants in WNYW's department, though specifics on broader producer terms remain undisclosed in . IATSE Local 794, representing technical and broadcast employees at WNYW and WWOR-TV, has pursued successor contract negotiations since September 2011, citing stalled progress amid demands for improved wages, benefits, and transparency following worker concessions during coverage and the 2020 election. In 2022, settled an NLRB charge (Case No. 02-CA-277299) filed by Local 794 over 's refusal to provide data on reclassifying a managerial employee to bargaining-unit work, requiring to furnish the and post compliance notices at WNYW facilities; the unions reported no further meetings as of early 2022 despite proposals for renewed talks. Operational integration following Fox's formation of a duopoly between WNYW and WWOR-TV in the early 2000s led to employment restructuring, exemplified by the 2001 termination of WWOR sales executive Brenda Woodman, who alleged age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, New York State Human Rights Law, and New York City Human Rights Law after her role was consolidated under WNYW's younger general sales manager. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted summary judgment to defendants in 2003, ruling Woodman failed to demonstrate executives' knowledge of her age as a discriminatory factor. Similar contract disputes arose post-acquisition, such as sales executive John Powers' claim against Fox for alleged breaches in employment terms after WNYW's purchase.

Technical specifications

Signal and broadcast history

WNYW traces its origins to experimental station W2XVT, licensed in 1938 to Allen B. DuMont Laboratories in Passaic, New Jersey, which relocated to Manhattan as W2XWV in 1940 with a transmitter at 515 Madison Avenue. The station received a commercial license as WABD on May 2, 1944, initially operating on VHF channel 4 from the DuMont Building transmitter atop Madison Avenue. On December 17, 1945, WABD shifted to VHF channel 5 to facilitate channel reallocations, including allowing WNBT (now WNBC) to occupy channel 4; this channel 5 assignment has remained its primary analog signal identifier since. Early broadcasts originated from the Empire State Building after the initial Madison Avenue site, providing VHF coverage across the New York metropolitan area with a signal strength suited to urban and suburban reception via rooftop antennas. In the late 1970s, WNYW (then WNEW-TV) relocated its transmitter to the World Trade Center's North Tower, enhancing signal propagation over the denser urban skyline and extending reliable coverage to , northern , and parts of and . The September 11, 2001, attacks destroyed the WTC transmitter facilities, disrupting WNYW's over-the-air signal along with those of other New York stations; promptly relocated the analog channel 5 transmitter to the as a temporary measure, restoring service within days using existing space for its digital operations. Permanent relocation occurred to upon its completion in 2013, where the station's VHF analog and UHF digital signals are now broadcast from a shared antenna system at approximately 1,792 feet above street level, optimizing coverage for the 20-million-plus population in the designated market area. WNYW ceased analog transmissions on VHF channel 5 at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 12, 2009, in compliance with the nationwide DTV transition mandated by , transitioning full-power broadcasting to digital format on UHF channel 44 ( 5.1). Post-transition, the station's operated at up to 17.4 kW effective radiated power from the temporary site before moving to One WTC, with subsequent spectrum repacking in 2020 reassigning its physical channel to 27 while retaining 5 for continuity. This evolution from analog VHF to ATSC digital has improved signal , enabling high-definition programming and subchannels without compromising primary coverage, though VHF-low band characteristics continue to support robust reception in fringe areas compared to higher UHF frequencies.

Subchannels and digital transition

WNYW launched its on UHF channel 44 in 2001, ahead of the national transition to . The station ceased analog broadcasts on VHF channel 5 at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 12, 2009, aligning with the federally mandated full-power analog shutdown across the . Post-transition, the remained on physical channel 44 while mapping to 5.1 for compatibility with ATSC tuners displaying the station's traditional channel 5 branding. In the aftermath of the 2017 spectrum incentive auction and , WNYW relocated its over-the-air signal to UHF channel 27, with the changeover occurring on June 21, 2021, to optimize usage and reduce interference. This preserved the station's structure and capabilities, allowing continued delivery of primary network programming alongside subchannels. Initially operating with a single high-definition feed on 5.1, WNYW expanded its digital multiplex over subsequent years to include syndicated and niche networks, leveraging ATSC 1.0 standards for multiple simultaneous streams. As of 2025, WNYW broadcasts the following subchannels on physical channel 27:
VirtualResolutionAspect RatioAudioNetwork/Programming
5.116:95.1 ("Fox 5 New York")
5.216:92.0Movies! (classic films and series)
5.316:92.0 (24/7 weather coverage)
5.416:92.0ROAR (entertainment and lifestyle)
5.516:92.0 (sitcom reruns)
These subchannels provide supplementary content to the main affiliation, with lower-resolution streams enabling efficient bandwidth allocation on the shared 6 MHz channel. The configuration reflects ' strategy for O&O outlets, prioritizing national networks over local programming on secondary feeds to maximize reach without diluting primary and entertainment slots.

Current technical operations

WNYW maintains its primary studio facilities at the Fox Television Center, located at 205 East 67th Street in Manhattan's Yorkville neighborhood, a site shared with sister station . These studios house production for local news programming, including , and support high-definition broadcast operations using ATSC 1.0 standards. The station's over-the-air transmission originates from in , where its antenna was relocated in early 2018 from the to improve signal coverage and reliability across the . WNYW transmits on 5.1 (RF channel 27, UHF) with a horizontal of 503 kW and an antenna of approximately 945 feet above mean . As of September 2025, WNYW's digital multiplex includes subchannels 5.2 (Movies!), 5.3 (), 5.4 (ROAR), and 5.5 (), all broadcast in standard definition to accommodate programming. The main channel 5.1 airs network content and local programming in high definition. Subchannel affiliations are subject to periodic changes by the station's owner, , to align with network strategies.

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  44. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/tmz-live/
  45. https://www.ontvtonight.com/guide/listings/channel/5447310802/fox-5-wnyw.html
  46. https://sbgi.net/sinclair-expands-broadcast-network-footprint-of-tbd-tv-through-partnership-with-fox-in-top-10-dmas/
  47. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241217846928/en/Sinclair-Expands-Broadcast-Network-Footprint-of-TBD-TV-Through-Partnership-With-FOX-in-Top-10-DMAs
  48. https://www.foxflash.com/releases/view/fox-announces-fall-2025-premiere-dates-and-new-season-filled-with-irreverent-fun-and-unforgettable-original-entertainment-fox-fall-schedule-includes-s
  49. https://www.fox.com/sports
  50. https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2025/06/25-words-or-less-fox-5-fox-29-television-stations
  51. https://www.tdogmedia.com/2025/01/fox-dumps-syndicated-shows-and-possibly-jennifer-hudson-too.html
  52. https://www.tdogmedia.com/2025/09/local-tv-expansion-pushes-out-syndicated-fare.html
  53. https://tvnewscheck.com/programming/article/fox-stations-renew-three-syndicated-shows/
  54. https://tvstations.fandom.com/wiki/WNYW
  55. https://www.fox5ny.com/shows/good-night-new-york
  56. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mosesmassena_check-out-this-new-show-im-producing-on-activity-7234182800894033921-Cej3
  57. https://www.fox5ny.com/tag/good-night
  58. https://www.fox5ny.com/video/1217751
  59. https://www.syracuse.com/tv/ny-giants-schedule/
  60. https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/schedule
  61. https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/07/23/speed-reads-closing-bell-0723/
  62. https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/new-york-liberty/new-york-liberty-wnba-new-tv-deal-fox-affiliate-wnyw-wwor
  63. https://liberty.wnba.com/news/wnyw-fox5-new-york-named-official-tv-partner-of-the-new-york-liberty
  64. https://liberty.wnba.com/news/wnyw-fox5-and-2024-wnba-champion-new-york-liberty-announce-multi-year-partnership-extension
  65. https://x.com/SBJ/status/1897679546142339249
  66. https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/03/06/liberty-extend-local-broadcast-deal-with-wnyw/
  67. https://www.fox5ny.com/sports
  68. https://www.tvpassport.com/tv-listings/stations/fox-wnyw-new-york-ny-hd/4557
  69. https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/fox-5-marks-40-years-of-the-10-oclock-news-today
  70. https://www.library.fordham.edu/digital/item/collection/ORALHIS/id/7
  71. https://observer.com/2002/02/news-corp-gets-jiggy-with-its-local-tv-news-empire/
  72. https://www.fox5ny.com/whats-on-fox-5
  73. https://tvradioschedules.fandom.com/wiki/WNYW-TV_%28New_York%2C_NY%29_Program_Schedule
  74. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATDkWYt6x_8
  75. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xw62FK2uc0
  76. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5BR69l0y4w
  77. https://www.rtdna.org/2025-regional-edward-r-murrow-award-winners
  78. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/l/steve-lacy
  79. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/v/natasha-verma
  80. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/s/rosanna-scotto
  81. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/m/curt-menefee
  82. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/b/dan-bowens
  83. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/w/tashanea-whitlow
  84. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/c/arthur-chien
  85. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/g/nick-gregory
  86. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/w/mike-woods
  87. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/p/audrey-puente
  88. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/j/liv-johnson
  89. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/c/tina-cervasio
  90. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/r/ines-rosales
  91. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/e/lisa-evers
  92. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/m/morgan-mckay
  93. https://www.fox5ny.com/person/m/robert-moses
  94. https://www.fox5ny.com/team
  95. https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/wnyws-good-day-new-york-tops-today-in-25-54s/
  96. https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/good-day-new-york-beats-today-in-ratings-for-second-straight-month-w84445
  97. https://variety.com/2014/tv/ratings/fox-5s-good-day-new-york-tops-may-sweep-morning-news-race-in-key-demos-1201189337/
  98. https://www.nexttv.com/features/local-news-start-spreading-the-news-and-theres-lots-of-it
  99. https://ustvdb.com/seasons/2024-25/markets/
  100. https://ground.news/interest/wnyw
  101. https://colorofchange.org/blog/internal_press/news-accuracy-ratings/
  102. https://colorofchange.org/resources/newsaccuracyratings/
  103. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/05/18/is-tv-news-opening-doors-better-left-closed/78cd601d-9000-48e9-a79f-0bd4f00d6020/
  104. https://www.nydailynews.com/2018/02/03/good-day-new-york-segment-producers-fight-7000-pay-cut-to-settle-fox-5-contract-dispute/
  105. https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wnyw-staffers-continue-to-fight-contract-negotiations/
  106. https://www.wgaeast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/10/2018-2022-WNYW-WGAE-Agreement.pdf
  107. https://iatse.net/fox-television-stations-settles-nlrb-charge-ny-and-dc-broadcast-workers-still-demand-better-contract/
  108. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/293/381/2294999/
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  110. https://www.fybush.com/sites/2009/site-090130.html
  111. https://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/WTC/WTC.htm
  112. http://www.stny.info/sbe1/history/9-11_files/wtc-recovery.htm
  113. https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=22206
  114. https://www.cnet.com/culture/dtv-transition-update-new-york-city-tv-goes-post-analog/
  115. https://www.stationindex.com/tv/callsign/wnyw
  116. https://www.mapquest.com/us/new-york/wnyw-fox-5-news-1185583
  117. https://www.einpresswire.com/world-media-directory/detail/82835
  118. https://provost-studio.com/work/fox5-new-york-wnyw/
  119. https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/wnyw-wwor-to-broadcast-from-one-wtc/
  120. https://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2017/fox-stations-to-begin-broadcasting-from-world-trade-center-next-year/
  121. https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/sinclair-expands-broadcast-network-footprint-tbd-tv-through-partnership-fox-top-10
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