History of WKTV in Timeline

WKTV is a television station serving Utica, New York. It is affiliated with both NBC and CBS and is owned by Heartland Media. The station's studios are located on Smith Hill Road in Deerfield, New York, while its transmitter is situated in the Eatonville area of Fairfield, New York. As a dual-affiliated station, WKTV broadcasts programming from two major television networks.

December 1, 1949: WKTV Launches

On December 1, 1949, WKTV launched as Utica's first television station on VHF channel 13, making Utica one of the smallest cities in the U.S. with a TV station. It was owned by Copper City Broadcasting and affiliated with NBC, DuMont, ABC, and CBS.

1951: Dick Clark Joins WKTV

In 1951, Dick Clark joined WKTV's staff. To avoid confusion with his father, he used the on-air name "Dick Clay".

1952: Dick Clark Departs WKTV

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

1952: FCC Allocation Plan

In 1952, after the FCC's Sixth Report and Order, a plan for allocating VHF licenses was devised, allowing most of the country to receive two commercial VHF channels plus one noncommercial channel.

1956: WKTV Loses DuMont Affiliation

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

1958: WKTV Sold to Harron and Gray Group

In 1958, WKTV and WKAL were sold 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, upgrading its signal to cover a wider area.

1961: WKAL Sold

In 1961, Mid-New York Broadcasting sold WKAL, while retaining WKTV.

1962: WOKR Signs On

In 1962, WOKR signed on in Rochester as channel 13.

1963: Central New York Cable TV Built

In 1963, Central New York Cable TV (later Harron Cable TV) was built in Utica.

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.

1970: WUTR Sign On

In 1970, WUTR signed on, providing competition to WKTV.

1983: UHF Channels Reduced

In 1983, the number of UHF channels was reduced to 55.

1992: Harron Sells Controlling Interest in WKTV

In 1992, Harron sold controlling interest in WKTV to Smith Broadcasting.

September 1998: WKTV-DT2 Signed On

In September 1998, WKTV-DT2 signed on alongside the creation of The WB 100+. WKTV partnered with the group to launch a cable-only WB affiliate.

September 2001: 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 Aired no Local Newscasts

From August 2003 WUTR aired no local newscasts, leaving WKTV as the lone news operation in the market.

2003: Bob Smith Died

In 2003, Bob Smith, the founder of Smith Broadcasting died.

2004: Smith Media, LLC Formed

In 2004, Boston Ventures acquired the Smith Broadcasting stations and formed Smith Media, LLC.

January 2006: The WB and UPN Announce Merger

In January 2006, The WB and UPN announced they would merge to form The CW Television Network. WKTV launched a second digital subchannel to simulcast "WBU" and offer off-air access to CW programming, which begun along with the CW on September 18.

May 2006: WKTV Starts Broadcasting Digital Signal

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

2008: WKTV Starts Broadcasting in High Definition

In 2008, WKTV began broadcasting in high definition starting with the Summer Olympics.

February 18, 2009: WKTV Ceases Analog Broadcasting

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

December 16, 2010: Time Warner Cable Replaces WKTV

On December 16, 2010, Time Warner Cable replaced WKTV with WBRE-TV due to a retransmission dispute. WKTV-DT2 was also dropped and replaced by HBO Family.

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January 8, 2011: WKTV and Time Warner Reach Agreement

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

May 2011: Radio Stations Begin Simulcasting WKTV's Morning Show

In May 2011, WUTQ (1550 AM, now WUSP) and WADR (1480 AM, now WRCK) began simulcasting the second hour of WKTV's weekday morning show.

September 2011: WUTR Aired Local Newscasts

In September 2011, WUTR began airing local newscasts.

March 16, 2012: WUTQ-FM Begins Simulcasting Newscasts

On March 16, 2012, WUTQ-FM (100.7 FM) began simulcasting WKTV's newscasts.

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

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

2013: WRUN Shut Down

In 2013, WRUN, a radio station managed by Dick Clark's father, shut down.

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.

January 29, 2015: WKTV Upgrades Newscasts 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 DT2 Affiliation Change

On October 26, 2015, WKTV announced that it would change WKTV-DT2's affiliation from The CW to CBS on November 22, rebranding the subchannel as "CBS Utica".

November 22, 2015: Newscast moved to WKTV-DT3

On November 22, 2015, the 10 p.m. newscast, previously aired on WKTV-DT2, moved to WKTV-DT3 after WKTV-DT2 switched affiliations 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 that had previously been broadcast on WKTV-DT2.

2015: WHEN-TV/WTVH in Syracuse Served as Default CBS Affiliate

In 2015, WHEN-TV/WTVH in Syracuse served as the default CBS affiliate for the Utica area.

2015: WKTV-DT3 Added to Time Warner Cable

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 introduced a 7 a.m. newscast, becoming the first station in the Utica market to offer local news at that time.

May 2016: WKTV-DT2 Upgrades to High Definition

In May 2016, WKTV-DT2 upgraded its over-the-air digital signal into 720p high definition, 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 Relaunched

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 Subjected to Broadcast Signal Intrusions

On September 28, 2016, WKTV experienced two broadcast signal intrusions at 6:17 p.m. and 10:38 p.m. due to a FEMA Emergency Alert System test displaying a quote from "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss.

Green Eggs and Ham

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January 25, 2017: WBNG Restored to Time Warner Cable Systems

On January 25, 2017, as a result of viewer complaints in Otsego County, WBNG was restored to Time Warner Cable systems in that area alongside WKTV-DT2.

September 1, 2024: The CW Moves to WFXV-DT2

On September 1, 2024, The CW moved to WFXV-DT2 due to Nexstar Media Group's majority ownership of the network. WKTV-DT3 becomes a news-oriented independent station.