History of WKTV in Timeline

WKTV is a television station located in Utica, New York. It operates as an affiliate of both NBC and CBS. The station is owned by Heartland Media and maintains studios in Deerfield, New York. The transmitter for WKTV is situated in Eatonville, within the town of Fairfield. It primarily provides television programming to the Utica area.

December 1, 1949: WKTV Launches as Utica's First TV Station

On December 1, 1949, WKTV was launched as Utica's first television station, operating on VHF channel 13. It became the 93rd television station in the United States and was affiliated with NBC, DuMont, ABC, and CBS.

1951: Dick Clark Joins WKTV

In 1951, Dick Clark, a young local radio announcer, joined WKTV under the name "Dick Clay" to avoid confusion with his father. He quickly gained a loyal following.

1952: Dick Clark Departs WKTV

In 1952, Dick Clark departed WKTV for WFIL AM-FM-TV in Philadelphia.

1952: FCC Devises VHF License Allocation Plan

In 1952, after the FCC's Sixth Report and Order ended the license freeze, a plan for allocating VHF licenses was devised. It aimed to provide most of the country with two commercial VHF channels, one noncommercial channel, and in some areas, a third VHF channel.

1956: WKTV Loses DuMont Affiliation

In 1956, WKTV lost its affiliation with the DuMont Television Network following the network's closure.

1958: WKTV Sold to Harron and Gray Group

In 1958, Myron Kallet sold WKTV and WKAL to a group led by Paul Harron and Gordon Gray.

January 1, 1959: WKTV Moves to Channel 2

On January 1, 1959, WKTV moved to VHF channel 2 as part of a dial realignment, which allowed other stations to move channels as well. WKTV upgraded its signal and expanded its coverage area.

1961: WKAL Sold by Mid-New York Broadcasting

In 1961, the Harron/Gray group, Mid-New York Broadcasting, sold WKAL, but retained WKTV.

1962: WOKR Signs On

In 1962, WOKR signed on in Rochester after the channel 13 allocation became available following WKTV's move to channel 2.

1963: Harron Builds Cable System in Utica

In 1963, Harron operated a chain of cable systems, including a system in Utica, known as Central New York Cable TV (later Harron Cable TV).

February 28, 1970: WUTR Signs On

On February 28, 1970, WUTR signed on as an ABC affiliate, ending WKTV's monopoly in the Utica television market. WKTV then became solely affiliated with NBC.

1970: WUTR Signs On, Ending WKTV's Market Dominance

In 1970, WUTR signed on, providing WKTV with local competition for the first time in its history.

1983: FCC Reduces UHF Channels

In 1983, the FCC reduced the number of UHF channels from 69 to 55.

1992: Harron Sells Controlling Interest in WKTV

In 1992, Harron sold controlling interest in WKTV to Smith Broadcasting after the FCC revoked Harron's grandfather status due to cross-ownership issues.

September 1998: WKTV-DT2 Signs On

In September 1998, WKTV-DT2 signed on alongside the creation of The WB 100+ and partnered to launch a cable-only WB affiliate using the fictional call sign "WBU".

September 2001: WKTV Enters News Share Agreement with WFXV

In September 2001, WKTV entered into a news share agreement with Fox affiliate WFXV, leading to a 10 p.m. newscast on that station called NewsChannel 2 on Fox.

August 2003: WUTR Ceases Local Newscasts

In August 2003, WUTR ceased airing local newscasts, leaving WKTV as the lone news operation in the market.

2003: Death of Bob Smith

In 2003, Bob Smith died, leading to Boston Ventures acquiring Smith Broadcasting stations in 2004.

2004: Boston Ventures Acquires Smith Broadcasting Stations

In 2004, Boston Ventures acquired the Smith Broadcasting stations, forming Smith Media, LLC, after Bob Smith's death in 2003.

January 2006: The WB and UPN Announce Merger to Form The CW

In January 2006, The WB and UPN announced that they would merge and form The CW Television Network.

May 2006: WKTV Begins Broadcasting Digital Signal

In May 2006, WKTV began broadcasting its digital signal on UHF channel 29.

2008: WKTV Broadcasts in High Definition

WKTV started broadcasting in high definition beginning with the 2008 Summer Olympics.

February 18, 2009: WKTV Ceases Analog Broadcasts

On February 18, 2009, WKTV signed off its analog signal and began broadcasting exclusively in digital.

December 16, 2010: Time Warner Cable Replaces WKTV with WBRE

On December 16, 2010, Time Warner Cable replaced WKTV with WBRE-TV due to a retransmission dispute.

January 8, 2011: WKTV and Time Warner Reach Agreement

On January 8, 2011, WKTV and Time Warner reached an agreement, allowing WKTV and the CW subchannel to return to the cable system the next day.

May 2011: Radio Stations Simulcast WKTV Morning Show

In May 2011, WUTQ and WADR radio stations began simulcasting the second hour of WKTV's weekday morning show.

September 2011: WUTR Resumes Local Newscasts

In September 2011, WUTR resumed airing local newscasts, re-entering the local news market.

March 16, 2012: WUTQ-FM Simulcasts WKTV Newscasts

On March 16, 2012, WUTQ-FM began simulcasting WKTV's newscasts.

October 1, 2013: Smith Media Reaches Deal to Sell WKTV to Heartland Media

On October 1, 2013, Smith Media reached a deal to sell WKTV to Heartland Media.

2013: WRUN Shuts Down

In 2013, WRUN (1150 AM), the radio station where Dick Clark's father worked, shut down. It was later known as WUTI.

March 20, 2014: Sale of WKTV to Heartland Media Completed

On March 20, 2014, the sale of WKTV to Heartland Media was completed.

November 10, 2014: WKTV-DT3 Signs On as MeTV Affiliate

On November 10, 2014, WKTV-DT3 signed on as an affiliate of MeTV, clearing the entire MeTV schedule.

January 29, 2015: WKTV Upgrades to HD

On January 29, 2015, WKTV officially upgraded its newscasts to true high definition, becoming the third station in the Utica area to do so.

October 26, 2015: WKTV Announces Affiliation Change for WKTV-DT2

On October 26, 2015, WKTV announced that WKTV-DT2 would change its affiliation from The CW to CBS on November 22, rebranding the subchannel as "CBS Utica", giving the Utica market its first CBS affiliate since the mid-1950s.

November 22, 2015: Newscast moves to WKTV-DT3

On November 22, 2015, the newscast that had been airing on WKTV-DT2 moved to WKTV-DT3 following WKTV-DT2's switch in affiliation to CBS.

November 23, 2015: WKTV-DT3 Begins Airing 10 p.m. Newscast

On November 23, 2015, WKTV-DT3 started airing the 10 p.m. newscast, which had previously been broadcast on WKTV-DT2.

2015: WHEN-TV/WTVH becomes default CBS affiliate for Utica

In 2015, WHEN-TV/WTVH in Syracuse served as the default CBS affiliate for the Utica area, after WKTV lost CBS affiliation in the 1950s.

2015: WKTV-DT3 Added to Time Warner Cable Line-up

In the summer of 2015, WKTV-DT3 was added to Time Warner Cable's Utica line-up on channel 1245.

January 25, 2016: WKTV-DT3 Adds 7 a.m. Newscast

On January 25, 2016, WKTV-DT3 added a 7 a.m. newscast, becoming the first station in the Utica market to carry local news at that time.

May 2016: WKTV-DT2 Upgrades to 720p High Definition

In May 2016, WKTV-DT2 upgraded their over-the-air digital signal into 720p high definition; thus offering a locally operated in-market over-the-air HD feed for CBS for the first time in the Utica–Rome market.

July 1, 2016: WKTV-DT2 Re-launched in Utica DMA

On July 1, 2016, WKTV-DT2 was re-launched in the rest of the Utica DMA when the station replaced WTVH in Herkimer County and WBNG in Otsego County.

September 28, 2016: WKTV Experiences Broadcast Signal Intrusions

On September 28, 2016, WKTV experienced two broadcast signal intrusions at 6:17 p.m. and 10:38 p.m. The intrusions were related to FEMA testing and resulted in a false warning being broadcast.