WENY-TV

WENY-TV is a television station licensed to Elmira, New York, and serving the Elmira–Corning and broader Twin Tiers area. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 36 and is associated primarily with ABC, while its second digital subchannel carries CBS programming. Its studios are located on Old Ithaca Road in Horseheads, and its principal transmitter is located near Corning on Higman Hill. The station is owned by Lilly Broadcasting, a privately held broadcaster with other television interests in the United States. WENY-TV began broadcasting on November 19, 1969, after Howard Green, who owned WENY radio and other broadcast properties, obtained authorization to use UHF channel 36. The station was built using equipment acquired from the former WNYP-TV. Early operations were modest: the station worked from space in Elmira's Mark Twain Hotel, used a side-mounted antenna on the tower of NBC affiliate WSYE-TV, and relied in part on microwave or off-air retransmissions of programming from stations in New York City and Syracuse. Its locally produced output included news, weather, sports, a local edition of Romper Room, and a late-night horror-movie presentation hosted by disc jockey Paul Leigh as the character the Undertaker. The station was severely disrupted by the flooding associated with Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Rising water forced the abandonment of its hotel facilities, although engineers salvaged enough equipment to maintain a restricted service from the Hawley Hill transmitter site, including emergency announcements. Following the flood, Green acquired a former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building in Horseheads. WENY moved into the property in 1973, and the site subsequently became the station's long-term home. WENY developed a reputation for local technical innovation. In 1975 it became the first television outlet in its market to replace 16-millimeter black-and-white reversal news film with color electronic news gathering using Sony U-Matic equipment. In 1977 it introduced an electronic character generator for newscasts. The station later became the first broadcaster in the Elmira–Corning market to deliver local newscasts in full high definition, completing that upgrade in 2012. A major programming expansion occurred when CBS agreed in 2008 to affiliate with a new WENY digital subchannel. WENY-DT2 launched in early 2009 and gave the Elmira area a locally based CBS service for the first time. Before that arrangement, different parts of the region relied on distant or out-of-market stations, including affiliates in Binghamton, Syracuse, Buffalo, Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, and Johnstown. The station completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting in 2009, moving its digital operation from pre-transition channel 55 to channel 36. In 2000, Howard Green sold WENY-TV to Lilly Broadcasting, separating the television station from its former radio sister stations, which were sold to another broadcaster. Lilly later expanded the station's reach beyond its core market. In 2016, WENY was offered to Caribbean cable providers as an ABC replacement after the former local ABC outlet in the U.S. Virgin Islands lost its affiliation. Lilly also operates related Caribbean services through other stations and feeds. WENY's news operation remains focused on local coverage, particularly news, weather, sports, and public-safety information for the Twin Tiers. ABC and CBS local-news services generally share newscasts, although network scheduling can produce occasional differences in timing or availability. The station also shares resources with Lilly sister stations WSEE-TV and WICU-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania, particularly for coverage of the western Twin Tiers. After a dispute over market boundaries and cable carriage in Ithaca, a customized NY Local Ithaca feed was created in 2018. That service carries WENY-produced news and weather material without the station's network or syndicated programming, and its newscasts have also been dist…

WENY-TV signed on November 19, 1969, as an Elmira, New York, UHF station on channel 36. Its authorization followed the surrender of a construction permit for the proposed WEHH-TV, and the station was established by Howard Green, who also owned WENY radio and other broadcast interests. Green obtained initial technical equipment from the defunct WNYP-TV. Larry Taylor, a former WNYP-TV assistant chief engineer, helped move and install the equipment. The original operation occupied part of the Mark Twain Hotel in downtown Elmira. WENY's analog antenna was mounted on the tower used by NBC affiliate WSYE-TV, now WETM-TV, at Hawley Hill. The station initially operated with a mixture of color and black-and-white equipment. Because it had limited network facilities, some ABC programming arrived by microwave from WABC-TV in New York City or through an off-air reception of the Syracuse station then carrying ABC. Local output included early evening news, late news, weather, sports, a local version of Romper Room, and a late-Saturday horror-film program hosted by disc jockey Paul Leigh as the Undertaker. The 1972 flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes was a decisive operational event. Rising water forced staff to abandon the hotel location. Engineers transported a limited amount of equipment to the Hawley Hill site, where WENY continued with a reduced schedule focused on news and emergency announcements. Afterward, Green acquired a former Army Corps of Engineers building on Old Ithaca Road in Horseheads. Taylor and engineer Gary Simon moved the station into the property's garage in 1973. The Horseheads facility became WENY's enduring studio and operational base. During the 1970s, WENY invested in electronic news production. In 1975 it became the first television outlet in the market to replace 16-millimeter black-and-white reversal film with color electronic news gathering based on Sony U-Matic equipment. Two years later, it became the first Elmira station to use an electronic character generator in its newscasts. The local news operation was comparatively small relative to longtime ratings leader WETM-TV, but WENY maintained a continuing presence in the region through local reporting, weather, sports, and emergency information. WENY's ownership changed in 2000, when Green sold the television station to Lilly Broadcasting. The sale separated WENY from its former radio sister stations, which were sold to Eolin Broadcasting. Lilly's ownership connected WENY with other television stations, including WSEE-TV and WICU-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania, and eventually supported resource sharing for news coverage in the western Twin Tiers. The station's digital development accelerated in the late 2000s. CBS reached an affiliation agreement with WENY in October 2008 for a new second digital subchannel. WENY-DT2 launched in 2009, providing the Elmira area with a locally based CBS service. Previously, viewers in different parts of the region relied on stations from Binghamton, Syracuse, Buffalo, Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, and Johnstown. WENY also used the federally authorized digital transition to move from its pre-transition channel 55 assignment to channel 36. The station completed its analog shutdown in February 2009, ahead of the later nationwide deadline extension, and relocated its digital transmitter operation to Corning. On April 23, 2012, WENY began presenting local newscasts in full high definition, including studio and field material. ABC and CBS local-news services generally simulcast the station's principal newscasts, with occasional differences caused by network programming. WENY also shares reporting resources with Lilly's Erie stations to cover the western part of the Twin Tiers. The station has periodically extended its reach beyond its primary New York market. In 2016, Lilly Broadcasting offered WENY as an ABC service to Caribbean cable operators after the U.S. Virgin Islands station WSVI lost its ABC affiliation. Lilly later purchased WCVI-TV in the Virgin Islands in 2019 and modified its related programming arrangements. WENY's Ithaca carriage also became contentious. After Nexstar sought removal of WENY from Charter Spectrum systems on market-boundary grounds, Charter and WENY created NY Local Ithaca in November 2018. The custom service carries WENY-produced local news and a weather loop while omitting network and syndicated programs; the feed has also been distributed through an internet streaming service. WENY remains an active Lilly Broadcasting station centered on local news, weather, network programming, and public-service coverage.

1. 2019Lilly expands its U.S. Virgin Islands ownership

   Lilly Broadcasting purchases WCVI-TV, supporting its broader Caribbean broadcast strategy.

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2. 2018NY Local Ithaca is introduced

   A customized cable feed is created to preserve WENY local news and weather availability in Ithaca.

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3. 2012Local news moves to full HD

   WENY becomes the first station in its market to broadcast studio and field news in full high definition.

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4. 2009CBS digital subchannel launches

   WENY-DT2 begins CBS service for the Elmira area.

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5. 2009Analog broadcasting ends

   The station shuts down analog channel 36 and continues digitally on channel 36.

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6. 2000Acquired by Lilly Broadcasting

   Lilly Broadcasting purchases WENY-TV from Howard Green.

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7. 1975Electronic news gathering introduced

   WENY becomes the first television outlet in its market to use color electronic news gathering in place of black-and-white film.

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8. 1973Permanent Horseheads facility established

   The station moves into a former Army Corps of Engineers property on Old Ithaca Road.

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9. 1972Hurricane Agnes disrupts operations

   Flooding forces WENY to evacuate its hotel studios and operate temporarily from the transmitter site.

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10. 1969WENY-TV signs on

    The Elmira UHF station begins broadcasting on channel 36 under the ownership of Howard Green.

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A locally focused network-affiliated television broadcaster serving the Elmira–Corning and Twin Tiers region, with a dual-network ABC/CBS footprint and an emphasis on local news, weather, and emergency information.

• WENY-TV ABC serviceBroadcast television1969

  The station's primary service carries ABC network programming alongside WENY-produced local news, weather, sports, public-affairs material, and emergency information for the Elmira–Corning and Twin Tiers area.

• WENY-DT2Digital broadcast subchannel2009

  WENY-DT2 is the station's CBS-affiliated second digital subchannel. It was created through a 2008 affiliation agreement and launched in 2009, giving viewers in and around Elmira a locally based CBS outlet.

• WENY local newsNews programming1969

  WENY produces local news, weather, sports, and severe-weather coverage. Its ABC and CBS services generally share the principal evening newscasts, with occasional scheduling variations caused by network programming. The operation also uses resources from Lilly's Erie stations for western Twin Tiers coverage.

• NY Local IthacaCustom cable and streaming feed2018

  NY Local Ithaca is a customized service created for Charter Spectrum carriage in Ithaca. It carries WENY local newscasts and a weather loop but excludes the station's network and syndicated programming, allowing local content to remain available despite market-boundary concerns.

• 2018Create NY Local IthacaStrategy

  Cable carriage of WENY in Ithaca was challenged because the city was considered part of the Syracuse television market.

  What changed. WENY and Charter Spectrum created a custom feed containing WENY news and weather without ABC, CBS, or syndicated programming.

  Aftermath. Local WENY-produced content remained available in Ithaca through cable and later through an internet streaming distribution service.

  • Nexstar Media Group — Nexstar sought removal of WENY from Charter Spectrum systems because of the station's presence in the Syracuse-designated market and its potential effect on the company's WSYR-TV service.
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• 2012Upgrade local news to high definitionGeneration change

  Television viewers were increasingly receiving local news in high-definition formats.

  What changed. WENY upgraded its studio production and field reports to full high definition.

  Aftermath. The station became the first broadcaster in the Elmira–Corning market to offer full-HD local newscasts.

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• 2009Complete the digital transitionGeneration change

  Federal digital-transition rules removed high-band UHF channels such as the station's pre-transition digital channel 55 from regular broadcast use.

  What changed. WENY shut down its analog channel 36 service and moved its digital operation to channel 36 through a flash-cut.

  Aftermath. The station continued digital broadcasting on its historic channel number while its transmitter operation was relocated to Corning.

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• 2008Add a CBS digital subchannelProduct launch

  The Elmira area lacked a CBS affiliate based in the city and relied on several distant stations serving different portions of the region.

  What changed. WENY agreed with CBS to launch a second digital subchannel, WENY-DT2, carrying the network.

  Aftermath. The subchannel launched in 2009 and became the first CBS affiliate based in Elmira.

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• 2018NY Local Ithaca created after cable carriage dispute

  Following objections concerning the Ithaca market and carriage of WENY, Charter Spectrum and WENY established a custom feed carrying WENY news and weather without network or syndicated programming.

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• 2016WENY expands ABC availability to Caribbean cable systems

  Lilly Broadcasting made WENY available to Caribbean cable providers after the previous U.S. Virgin Islands ABC affiliate lost its network affiliation.

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• 2014WENY criticized for interrupting the FIFA World Cup final

  The station drew criticism after leaving the closing minutes of the 2014 FIFA World Cup final to carry coverage of a tornado warning affecting its service area.

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• 2012WENY upgrades local news to high definition

  WENY upgraded both studio production and field reports to full high definition, becoming the first station in the Elmira–Corning market to do so.

  Product generation
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• 2009CBS affiliation added to WENY digital subchannel

  WENY-DT2 began carrying CBS programming, creating the first CBS affiliate based in Elmira and reducing the market's reliance on distant CBS stations.

  Product launchOther
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• 2009WENY completes its analog-to-digital transition

  The station shut down its analog channel 36 signal and moved its digital transmission from pre-transition channel 55 to channel 36.

  Regulation
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• 2000Lilly Broadcasting acquires WENY-TV

  Howard Green sold the television station to Lilly Broadcasting, separating it from the radio stations that had previously been part of the same ownership group.

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• 1972Hurricane Agnes flooding disrupts WENY operations

  Flooding forced the station to leave its Mark Twain Hotel facilities. Engineers maintained limited broadcasting from the transmitter site before the station relocated to Horseheads.

  Other
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• 1969WENY-TV begins broadcasting on channel 36

  The station signed on as an Elmira-area UHF broadcaster after Howard Green obtained authorization to operate on channel 36.

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1. WENY-TV
2. WENY-TV official website