View source for WNBC

{{Short description|Television station in New York City}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{about|the television station in New York City|the AM radio station that used the WNBC call sign|WFAN (AM)|the FM radio station that used the WNBC call sign|WQHT|other uses|WNBC (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = WNBC
| logo = WNBC 2023.svg
| logo_upright = .8
| location = [[New York, New York]]
| country = United States
| branding = NBC 4 New York; ''News 4 New York''
| digital = 35 ([[UHF]]), shared with [[WNJU]]
| virtual = 4
| translators = [[WKAQ-TV]] 2 [[San Juan, PR]]
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''4.1:''' [[NBC]]|''for others, see {{section link||Technical information and subchannels}}''}}
| owner = [[NBC Owned Television Stations]]
| licensee = NBC Telemundo License [[LLC]]
| founded = {{Start date|1928|7|1}} (as experimental station W2XBS)
| airdate = {{Start date|1941|7|1}}
| callsign_meaning = National Broadcasting Company
| sister_stations = WNJU
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WNBT (1941–1954)|WRCA-TV (1954–1960)|WNBC-TV (1960–1992)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' [[Channel 1 (NTSC-M)|1]] ([[VHF]], 1938–1946), 4 (VHF, 1946–2009)|'''Digital:''' 28 (UHF, 1998–2018), 36 (UHF, 2018–2019)|'''Translator:''' 57 W57AB}}
| erp = 575 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|496|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 47535
| coordinates = {{coord|40|42|46.8|N|74|0|47.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://nbcnewyork.com/}}
}}
'''WNBC''' (channel 4) is a [[television station]] in [[New York City]]. It is the [[flagship station]] of the [[NBC]] television network, [[owned and operated]] through its [[NBC Owned Television Stations]] division. Under common ownership with [[Linden, New Jersey]]–licensed [[Telemundo]] outlet [[WNJU]] (channel 47), the two stations share studios and offices at [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]], co-located with NBC's corporate headquarters, and broadcast from the same transmitter at [[One World Trade Center]]; WNJU's facilities in [[Fort Lee, New Jersey]], also serve as WNBC's New Jersey news bureau.

WNBC holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating [[commercial television]] station in the United States.

==History==
===Experimental operations===
What is now WNBC traces its history to experimental station W2XBS, founded by the [[Radio Corporation of America]] (RCA, a co-founder of the National Broadcasting Company), in 1928, just two years after NBC was founded as the first nationwide radio network. Originally a test bed for the experimental [[RCA Photophone]] theater television system, W2XBS used the low-definition [[mechanical television]] scanning system. Later it was used mostly for reception and interference tests. The call letters W2XBS meant W2XB-south, with W2XB being the call letters of the first experimental station, started a few months earlier at [[General Electric]]'s (GE) main factory in [[Schenectady, New York]], which evolved into today's [[WRGB]]. GE was the parent company of both RCA and NBC, and technical research was done at the Schenectady plant.

The station originally broadcast on the frequencies of 2.0 to 2.1 [[Hertz#SI multiples|MHz]]. In 1929, W2XBS upgraded its transmitter and broadcast facilities to handle transmissions of 60 vertical lines at 20 frames per second, on the frequencies of 2.75 to 2.85&nbsp;MHz. In 1928, [[Felix the Cat]] was one of the first images ever broadcast by television when RCA chose a [[papier-mâché]] (later [[Bakelite]]) Felix doll for an experimental broadcast on W2XBS. The doll was chosen for its tonal contrast and its ability to withstand the intense lights needed in early television. It was placed on a rotating [[phonograph|phonograph turntable]] and televised for about two hours each day. The doll remained on the turntable for nearly a decade as RCA fine-tuned the picture's definition, and converted to [[History of television|electronic television]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.earlytelevision.org/felix.html |title=Felix the Cat |website=earlytelevision.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014042653/http://earlytelevision.org/felix.html  |archive-date=October 14, 2008 |access-date=June 4, 2012}}</ref>

The station left the air sometime in 1933 as RCA turned its attention to all-electronic [[cathode-ray tube]] (CRT) television research at its Camden, New Jersey facility, under the leadership of Dr. [[Vladimir K. Zworykin]].

In 1935, the all-electronic CRT system was authorized as a "field test" project and NBC converted a radio studio in the [[RCA Building]] in New York City's [[Rockefeller Center]] for television use. In mid-1936, small-scale, irregularly scheduled programming began to air to an audience of some 75 receivers in the homes of high-level RCA staff, and a dozen or so sets in a closed circuit viewing room in 52nd-floor offices of the RCA Building. The viewing room often hosted visiting organizations or corporate guests, who saw a live program produced in the studios many floors below.

Viewership of early NBC broadcasts was tightly restricted to those authorized by the company, whose installed set base eventually reached about 200. Technical standards for television broadcasting were in flux as well. Between the time experimental, electronic transmissions began in 1935 and the beginning of commercial television service in 1941, picture definition increased from 343 to 441 lines, and finally (in 1941) to the 525-line standard used for analog television from the start of full commercial service until the end of analog broadcasts in mid-2009. The sound signal was also changed from AM to FM, and the spacing of sound and vision carriers was also changed several times. Shortly after NBC began a semi-regular television transmission schedule in 1938, [[DuMont Laboratories]] announced TV sets for sale to the public, a move that RCA was saving for the opening of the [[1939 New York World's Fair|World's Fair]] on April 30, 1939, the day that regularly scheduled television programming was to begin in New York on NBC with much fanfare. In response, NBC ceased all TV broadcasting for several weeks until RCA sets went on sale; regular NBC telecasts commenced the day the fair opened.
{{Gallery
| title        =
| height       = 170
| width        = 160
| align        = center
| footer       =
|
 |First logo used (1928–1941)
|File:First television broadcast NBC.JPG
 |The [[Felix the Cat]] doll used by NBC in early television experiments.
|File:First television play NBC 1936.jpg
 |[[Eddie Albert]] and Grace Brandt apply makeup for the first television broadcast of a play (November 1936).
}}
====Firsts for W2XBS====
As W2XBS broadcasting on "Channel 1" (44–50&nbsp;MHz), the station scored numerous "firsts". These included: the first televised [[Broadway theatre|Broadway drama]] (June 1938); the first live news event covered by a mobile unit (a fire in an abandoned building in November 1938); the first live telecast of a presidential speech ([[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] opening the 1939 New York World's Fair);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidsarnoff.org/gallery-tv-bw/FDR_TV-WF_39.html|title=FDR on TV monitor|website=dasvidsarnoff.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713210935/http://www.davidsarnoff.org/gallery-tv-bw/FDR_TV-WF_39.html|archive-date=July 13, 2007}}</ref> the first live telecasts of [[college baseball|college]] and [[Major League Baseball]] (both in 1939), the first telecast of a [[National Football League]] game (also in 1939); the first telecast of a [[National Hockey League]] game (early 1940); the first broadcast of religious services (Easter Sunday 1940);<ref>{{cite news |title=First Television Broadcast of Easter Services |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2972772/first-tv-broadcast-of-religious/  |access-date=February 14, 2022 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=March 24, 1940}}</ref> the first network (multi-city) telecast of a political convention (the [[1940 Republican National Convention]], held June 24–28 in the [[Philadelphia Civic Center]]) seen also on W3XE in [[Philadelphia]] (now [[KYW-TV]]) and W2XB in Schenectady (now WRGB); and the broadcast of the feature film ''[[The Crooked Circle (1932 film)|The Crooked Circle]]'' on June 18, 1940.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/40gop.html|title=1940 Republican Convention on television|website=broadcastpioneers.com| url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511191355/http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/40gop.html|archive-date=May 11, 2008}}</ref>

In August 1940, W2XBS transmissions were temporarily put on hold, as "Channel 1" was reassigned by the FCC to 50–56&nbsp;MHz; technical adjustments needed to be made for the conversion. The station returned to the air in October, just in time to broadcast Franklin D. Roosevelt's second and final appearance on live television, when his speech at Madison Square Garden on October 28, 1940, was telecast over W2XBS.<ref>''The Magic Window'' by James Von Schilling Haworth Press 2002 pages 28 and 29</ref>

===First commercial television station===
On June 24, 1941, W2XBS received a commercial license under the calls WNBT (for "NBC Television"), thus becoming one of the first two fully licensed commercial television stations in the United States, alongside [[CBS]]'s WCBW on channel 2 (now [[WCBS-TV]]), which had evolved from experimental W2XAB. NBC and CBS were instructed to sign on simultaneously on July 1 so that neither of the major broadcast companies could claim exclusively to be "first". However, WNBT signed on at 1:30&nbsp;pm, one full hour before WCBW. As a result, WNBC (and essentially, NBC) inadvertently holds the distinction as the oldest continuously operating commercial television station (and television network, respectively) in the United States, and also the only one ready to accept sponsors from its beginning.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/tv_programs_1941/|title=Television Programs in 1941|date=November 19, 2008|publisher=TV Obscurities|access-date=July 30, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807200849/http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/tv_programs_1941/|archive-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref> The first program broadcast at 1&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] by the [[sign-on]]/[[opening ceremony]] with the U.S. [[national anthem]] "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", followed by an announcement of that day's programs and the commencement of NBC television programming.

WNBT originally broadcast on [[Channel 1 (North American TV)|channel 1]].<ref name="WNBC.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.wnbc.com/station/1169359/detail.html|title= NBC History – About Us News Story – WNBC New York |website=wnbc.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106153313/http://www.wnbc.com/station/1169359/detail.html |archive-date=January 6, 2007 |access-date=June 4, 2012}}</ref> On its first day on the air, WNBT broadcast the world's first official television advertisement before a baseball game between the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] and [[Philadelphia Phillies]]. The announcement for [[Bulova]] watches, for which the company paid anywhere from $4.00 to $9.00 (reports vary), displayed a WNBT test pattern modified to look like a clock with the hands showing the time. The Bulova logo, with the phrase "Bulova Watch Time", was shown in the lower right-hand quadrant of the test pattern while the second hand swept around the dial for one minute.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stewart |first1=R.W. |title=Television Goes Into the Entertainment Field as a New Merchandising Medium |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/07/06/archives/television-goes-into-the-entertainment-field-as-a-new-merchandising.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 6, 1941 |location=Section D |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.earlytelevision.org/images/rca_bulova_ad-1.jpg |title=WNBT/Bulova Test Pattern|website=earlytelevision.org| access-date=October 3, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009135015/http://www.earlytelevision.org/images/rca_bulova_ad-1.jpg |archive-date=October 9, 2008}}</ref>

Although full commercial telecasting began on July 1, 1941, with the first paid advertisements on WNBT, there had been experimental, non-paid advertising on television as far back as 1930. NBC's earliest non-paid, television commercials may have been those seen during the first Major League Baseball game ever telecast, a game between the Dodgers and the [[Cincinnati Reds]], on August 26, 1939, over W2XBS. To secure the rights to show the game on television, NBC allowed each of the Dodgers' regular radio sponsors at the time to have one commercial during the telecast; these were done by Dodger announcer [[Red Barber]]. For [[Ivory Soap]], he held up a bar of the product, for [[Mobil]] gas he put on a filling station attendant's cap while giving his spiel, and for [[Wheaties]] he poured a bowl of the cereal, added milk and bananas, and took a big spoonful.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hoffarth |first1=Tom |url=http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/2009/08/26/70-years-ago-to/?doing_wp_cron=1362658507.2421700954437255859375 |title=70 years ago today, the Dodgers made TV history - Farther Off the Wall |access-date=December 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531112044/http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/2009/08/26/70-years-ago-to/?doing_wp_cron=1362658507.2421700954437255859375 |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |website=insidesocal.com}}</ref>

The pioneering special interest/documentary show ''The Voice of Firestone Televues'', a television offshoot of ''[[The Voice of Firestone]]'', a mainstay on NBC radio since 1928, became the first regularly scheduled TV program not featuring news or sports when it began on WNBT on November 29, 1943. (Though a one-time-only, trial episode of ''[[Truth or Consequences]]'' aired on WNBT's first week of programming two years earlier; it eventually returned to TV in the 1950s.)

During [[World War II]], RCA diverted key technical TV staff to the [[U.S. Navy]], which was interested in developing a television-guided bomb. WNBT's studio and program staff were placed at the disposal of the [[New York City Police Department]] and used for [[civil defense]] training telecasts, with only a limited number of weekly programs for general audiences airing during much of the war. Programming began to grow on a small scale during 1944. On April 10, 1944, WNBT began feeding ''The Voice of Firestone Televues'' each week to a small network of stations including General Electric's Schenectady station (now called WRGB) and [[Philco]]-owned WPTZ (now KYW-TV) in Philadelphia,<ref>''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows'' by Tim Brooks, Earle F. Marsh. [[Ballantine Books]], New York</ref> both of which are now affiliated with CBS (in KYW-TV's case, they are owned by CBS). This series is considered to be the NBC Television Network's first regularly scheduled program.

On May 8, 1945, WNBT broadcast hours of news coverage on the [[Victory in Europe Day|end of World War II in Europe]], and remotes from around New York City. This event was pre-promoted by NBC with a direct-mail card sent to television set owners in the New York City area.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tvhistory.tv/1945-Apr-20-VE-DAY-NBC-WNBT.JPG |title=1945 April 20, VE Day NBC/WNBT Postcard |website=tvhistory.tv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051109062100/http://www.tvhistory.tv/1945-Apr-20-VE-DAY-NBC-WNBT.JPG  |archive-date=November 9, 2005 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> At one point, a WNBT camera placed atop the marquee of the [[Astor Hotel]] in New York City panned the crowd below celebrating the end of the war in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eyesofageneration.com/may-8-1945-victory-in-europe-day-times-square-except-for-germany-and-japan/ |title=May 8, 1945...Victory in Europe Day, Times Square |access-date=May 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824174621/http://eyesofageneration.com/may-8-1945-victory-in-europe-day-times-square-except-for-germany-and-japan/ |archive-date=August 24, 2017 |website=eyesofageneration.com|date=May 8, 2016 }}</ref> The vivid coverage was a prelude to television's rapid growth after the war ended. In the spring of 1946, the station changed its frequency from [[VHF]] channel 1 to channel 4 after channel 1 was removed from use for television broadcasting. From 1946 to 2009, it occupied the 66–72&nbsp;MHz band of frequencies which had been designated as "channel 3" in the pre-1946 FCC allocation table. It was renumbered Channel 4 in the post-war system ([[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]-owned WABD, now [[WNYW]]—had been designated as "Channel 4", before that station moved to the current channel 5 but was only required to retune its video and audio carriers downward by 2&nbsp;MHz under the new system). In October 1948, WNBT's operations were integrated with those of [[sister station]]s [[WNBC (AM)|WNBC radio]] (660 AM) and [[WQHT|WNBC-FM]] (97.1).<ref name="bt-wnbcwnbtmanagement">{{cite magazine |title=McFadden Heading AM, FM, TV at WNBC |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-11-01-BC.pdf#page=30  |access-date=July 10, 2019 |magazine=[[Broadcasting-Telecasting]] |date=November 1, 1948 |page=30 }}</ref>

The station changed its call letters on October 18, 1954, to WRCA-TV (for NBC's then-parent company, Radio Corporation of America or RCA)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=RCA replaces NBC in O&O calls |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/54-OCR/1954-10-04-BC-OCR-Page-0078.pdf |magazine=Broadcasting – Telecasting |page=78 |date=October 4, 1954 |access-date=December 30, 2018 }}</ref> and on May 22, 1960, channel 4 became WNBC-TV.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=WRCA to be WNBC? |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1960/BC-1960-04-04.pdf#page=86 |magazine=Broadcasting – Telecasting |page=88 |date=April 4, 1960 |access-date=December 30, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=For the record–Station authorizations, applications–Existing TV stations–Call letters assigned |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/60-OCR/BC-1960-05-09-OCR-Page-0100.pdf |magazine=Broadcasting– Telecasting |page=100 |date=May 9, 1960 |access-date=December 30, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=WNBC-AM-FM-TV advertisement |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1960/BC-1960-05-23.pdf#page=68f |access-date=December 30, 2018 |magazine=Broadcasting - Telecasting |date=May 23, 1960 |pages=64, 65}}</ref> NBC had previously used the callsign on its television station in [[New Britain, Connecticut]], from 1957 until it was sold earlier in 1960 (that station is now [[WVIT]], and is once again an NBC-owned station). WNBC-TV also earned a place in broadcasting history as the birthplace of ''[[The Tonight Show]]''. It began on the station in 1953 as a local late night program, ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]'', and NBC executive [[Sylvester "Pat" Weaver]] brought it to the network in 1954. Studio 6B, the show's home under [[Jack Paar]], [[Johnny Carson]] and today [[Jimmy Fallon]], was the news studio for WNBC while ''Tonight'' was produced in Los Angeles.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

On June 1, 1992, channel 4 dropped the "-TV" suffix from its call letters (following the sale in 1988 of its sister radio station WNBC, which is now [[WFAN (AM)|WFAN]]) and became simply WNBC, with the new branding slogan along with a new station logo and name "4 New York". The accompanying station image campaign was titled "We're 4 New York" and featured a musical theme composed by [[Edd Kalehoff]]. WNBC was rebranded again as "NBC 4" on September 5, 1995, with its newscasts being renamed ''NewsChannel 4''. In July 2007, the "4 New York" branding was revived part time, but in March 2008, it was revived full time.

During the [[terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001]], the transmitter facilities of WNBC, as well as eight other New York City area television stations and several radio stations, were destroyed when two hijacked airplanes crashed into and destroyed the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]. WNBC broadcast engineer Bill Steckman<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Jeff |title=In Memoriam - Bill Steckman |url=http://www.wrkl.org/vol3issue7.pdf |access-date=September 11, 2021 |work=News @ Eleven |issue=7 |publisher=[[NABET]] Local 11 |date=October 2001|volume=3 }}</ref> died in the attack, along with Don DiFranco of WABC-TV; Gerard Copolla of WNET; Steve Jacobson of WPIX; and Bob Pattison and Isaias Rivera of WCBS-TV.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Merli |first1=John |title=A Decade Later, the Loss Still Deep |url=https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/a-decade-later-the-loss-still-deep |website=tvtechnology.com |access-date=September 11, 2021 |date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> In the immediate aftermath, the station temporarily fed its signal to three [[UHF]] stations that were still broadcasting ([[PBS]] member station [[WLIW (TV)|WLIW]] and [[independent station]]s [[WMBC-TV]] and [[W26CE]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2001/tv/news/tv-beams-back-into-n-y-1117852904/|title=TV beams back into N.Y.|first=John|last=Dempsey|date=September 20, 2001|access-date=December 31, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220131135/http://variety.com/2001/tv/news/tv-beams-back-into-n-y-1117852904/|archive-date=February 20, 2016}}</ref> After resuming over-the-air transmissions, the station broadcast from the former transmitter site of Channel 68 in [[West Orange, New Jersey]]. Since 2005, WNBC has broadcast its signal from the [[Empire State Building]] in midtown Manhattan, returning to the original transmitter site used from the 1930s to the 1970s. On May 9, 2017, it was announced that WNBC would return broadcasting from lower Manhattan at [[One World Trade Center]] by the end of the year.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2017/05/08/one-world-trade-center-adds-ion-media-as-newest-broadcaster-tenant/ |title=One World Trade Center adds ION Media as newest broadcaster tenant  |last=Cuozzo |first=Steve |date=May 8, 2017 |newspaper=New York Post |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref>

In 2004, WNBC served as the model station for [[NBC Weather Plus]], a 24-hour digital weather channel that aired on its second [[digital subchannel]] (4.2) and several local [[cable television|cable]] systems; other NBC-owned stations launched their own Weather Plus channels in 2005, although Weather Plus was discontinued at the end of 2008.

WNBC ended regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 4, at 12:30&nbsp;p.m. on June 12, 2009, as part of the [[Digital television transition in the United States|federally mandated transition from analog to digital television]]. The station's digital signal remained on its transition period UHF channel 28,<ref name="FCCForm387">[http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?content=25&appn=101232921&formid=387&fac_num=47535 CDBS Print] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201225603/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/wnbc-ch-4-trims-promo-featuring-nypd-commissioner-ray-kelly-super-bowl-airing-article-1.1018204 |date=February 1, 2014 }}. Fjallfoss.fcc.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2012.</ref> using [[virtual channel]] 4.

As part of the [[SAFER Act]],<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 4, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812225635/https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-291375A1.pdf|archive-date=August 12, 2014}}</ref> WNBC kept its analog signal on the air until June 26 to inform viewers of the digital television transition. During this time, the station would participate in the "Analog Nightlight" program for two weeks, with a looped video in English and Spanish explaining how to switch to digital reception.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf|title=List of Digital Full-Power Stations|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref>

In February 2015, WNBC and the other NBC-owned stations offered live, web-based streaming of programming to subscribers of participating cable and satellite television providers, as provided through the [[TV Everywhere]] [[mobile app]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/playout/2015/02/nbc-adds-live-tv-everywhere/|title=NBC Adds Live TV Everywhere|publisher=TV NewsCheck|access-date=March 27, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134339/http://www.tvnewscheck.com/playout/2015/02/nbc-adds-live-tv-everywhere/|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>

On March 15, 2016, NBCUniversal pulled the signals of WNBC and WNJU along with co-owned cable channels [[USA Network]], [[Bravo (American TV network)|Bravo]], [[Syfy]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNBC]] from [[Dish Network]]'s lineup in the [[New York metropolitan area]] as a result of a dispute between NBC and Dish; despite that, Dish claimed NBCUniversal had demanded that it [[retransmission consent|renew its carriage]] of ten NBC-owned stations and sixteen Telemundo-owned stations, including those removed due to the dispute.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-dish-sues-nbc-breach-of-contract-20160315-story.html |title=Satellite giant Dish sues NBC, alleging breach of contract |last=Villarreal |first=Yvonne |date=March 15, 2016 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316075214/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-dish-sues-nbc-breach-of-contract-20160315-story.html |archive-date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> Three days later, Dish announced it would continue to carry WNBC, WNJU and five other cable channels for another ten days while the FCC sought arbitration.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2016/03/dish-network-tells-fcc-wants-arbitration-settle-dispute-nbcuniversal-1201722943/  |title=Dish Network Tells FCC It Will Seek Arbitration To Resolve NBCU Dispute |last=Lieberman |first=David |date=March 18, 2016 |website=Deadline Hollywood |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320151422/http://deadline.com/2016/03/dish-network-tells-fcc-wants-arbitration-settle-dispute-nbcuniversal-1201722943/ |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref>

On April 13, 2017, it was revealed that WNBC's over-the-air spectrum had been sold in the FCC's [[spectrum reallocation]] auction, fetching $214&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|title=FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction, Auction 1001, Winning Bids|url=https://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0413/DA-17-314A2.pdf|work=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=July 11, 2018}}</ref> As a result, WNBC's signal was co-located with that of sister station WNJU, which re-located its transmitter to One World Trade Center in 2017. NBC had won similar spectrum bids using Telemundo stations in Chicago and Philadelphia (which entered into in similar arrangements with NBC O&Os [[WMAQ-TV]] and [[WCAU]]), but stated that in this case, the Telemundo station had a superior signal.<ref name="tvnc-nbcspectrum">{{cite web|title=NBC Makes Over $480 Million From Auction|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/103245/nbc-makes-over-480-million-from-auction|website=TVNewsCheck|date=April 13, 2017|access-date=April 13, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730080515/http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/103245/nbc-makes-over-480-million-from-auction|archive-date=July 30, 2017}}</ref> WNBC ceased broadcasting on UHF digital channel 28 from the Empire State Building on April 2, 2018, in favor of the shared broadcast with WNJU on channel 36 from One World Trade Center.  WNBC along with WNJU later moved channels again on August 1, 2019, at 1&nbsp;p.m. (EDT) to digital channel 35.<ref name="how-to-rescan">{{cite web|title=How to Rescan Your Television to Receive NBC New York's Signal|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/How-to-Rescan-Your-Television-to-Receive-NBC-New-York-Signal-460277243.html|website=nbcnewyork.com|date=November 27, 2017 |access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref>

==Programming==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2019}}
WNBC has long presented events such as the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, the [[National Puerto Rican Day Parade]] (until 2006, when coverage moved to WNYW and currently [[WABC-TV]]), the Columbus Day Parade (until 2010, when coverage moved to WABC-TV), the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]], and the [[Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree|Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting]]. The Tree Lighting aired exclusively in New York on WNBC until 1997, when NBC began airing it nationally. WNBC has sponsored an annual two-day Health & Fitness Expo Fair at [[MetLife Stadium]] every summer. The station has sponsored a Food Drive together with local retailer [[Stop & Shop]] named "Feeding Our Families" which has been held on the second Saturday in April since 2017. Beginning in 1995, they were the exclusive local English-language carrier of the annual [[New York City Marathon]] until 2013 when WABC-TV took over. From 2010 to 2014, the station was an official local broadcast partner of [[Discovery Times Square]]. From 2012 to 2014, the station along with the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' had partnerships with [[Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan)|Mount Sinai Health System]], Live Well New York and [[Popular Community Bank]] (''Popular Tips''). The station, along with [[Maury Povich]] and Fox owned-and-operated WNYW, co-funded the 1998 PBS documentary ''NY TV: By the People Who Made It'' produced by [[WNET]]. During the Christmas season, the station has an annual Holiday Sing-Along. The station also produces ''Visiones'', a weekly segment about Hispanic culture, that also airs in Spanish on sister Telemundo station WNJU, and ''Positively Black'', a weekly segment about African-American culture.

As of March 2025, WNBC is one of nine NBC-owned stations that distributes programming either nationally and/or regionally (along with [[KNTV]], [[KNBC]], [[KNSD]], WCAU, WVIT, [[WTVJ]], WMAQ-TV and [[KXAS-TV]]).{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

===Sports programming===
Through [[NFL on NBC|NBC's coverage of the National Football League]], WNBC has televised two [[Super Bowl]] championships won by New York teams: the [[1968 New York Jets season|Jets]]' upset victory over the [[1968 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]] in [[Super Bowl III]], and the [[2011 New York Giants season|Giants]]' win over the [[2011 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] in [[Super Bowl XLVI]]. WNBC served as the official flagship carrier of Giants preseason football games until 2023 when WNYW took over the following season.  WNBC is the New York area station for NBC's national broadcasts of ''[[NBC Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'' featuring either one of the two teams. The station also served as the default home station of the Jets from [[1965 New York Jets season|1965]] (when NBC became the broadcaster for the [[American Football League]] of which the Jets were then a part) until [[1997 New York Jets season|1997]], when WCBS-TV became the new broadcast rightsholder (through CBS) of what was by now the [[American Football Conference]]; it also aired occasional New York Giants games from [[1970 New York Giants season|1970]] (with the completion of the AFL/NFL merger) to [[1997 New York Giants season|1997]]; these were limited to home interconference contests.

Even as the station became the first to broadcast Major League Baseball games in [[1939 Major League Baseball season|1939]] with the pioneer broadcast being that of an August 26 doubleheader at Ebbets Field between the [[1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season|Brooklyn Dodgers]] and the [[1939 Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati Reds]], it does not have any broadcasts today. They are currently on WNYW and [[WPIX]] during the season. Baseball broadcasts were expected to return to the station in 2020 as part of the network-wide coverage of the [[Baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics|baseball events]] of the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] in Tokyo, with on-air news updates during the duration of the event; however, the games were [[2020 Summer Olympics#Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic|postponed to 2021]] due to the global effects of the [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 novel coronavirus]]. The station has aired numerous [[New York Mets]] (since [[1962 New York Mets season|1962]]) and [[New York Yankees]] games (and before [[1957 Major League Baseball season|1957]], games of the Dodgers and [[History of the New York Giants (baseball)|Giants]]) as part of [[Major League Baseball on NBC|MLB's broadcast contract with NBC]] from [[1947 New York Yankees season|1947]] to [[1989 New York Yankees season|1989]], [[The Baseball Network]] in [[1995 New York Yankees season|1995]], and playoff-only coverage from [[1996 New York Yankees season|1996]] to [[2000 New York Yankees season|2000]]. The station has aired 18 of the Yankees' [[World Series]] appearances (12 of which the team won), and three Mets World Series appearances (two of which the Mets won).

As the network's flagship station, per its ''[[NHL on NBC]]'' obligations (which ended in 2021), it broadcast several [[Stanley Cup playoff]] games all the way to the [[Stanley Cup Finals|Cup Finals]], in addition to the ''[[NHL Game of the Week]]'' (if the [[New York Rangers|Rangers]], [[New York Islanders|Islanders]] or [[New Jersey Devils]] were playing). It would be only in [[2012 Stanley Cup Finals|2012]] when it aired the Stanley Cup Finals as part of the network-wide coverage when the [[2011–12 New Jersey Devils season|Devils]] lost out to the [[2011–12 Los Angeles Kings season|Los Angeles Kings]]. Also, the station aired the [[2014 Stanley Cup Finals|2014 Cup Finals]], where the [[2013–14 New York Rangers season|Rangers]] also lost to the [[2013–14 Los Angeles Kings season|Kings]].

From [[1990–91 NBA season|1990]] to [[2001–02 NBA season|2002]], the station aired [[New York Knicks]] and [[New Jersey Nets]] games through the ''[[NBA on NBC]]''; this included the Knicks' appearances in the [[1994 NBA Finals|1994]] and [[1999 NBA Finals]], as well as the Nets' appearance in the [[2002 NBA Finals]].

===News operation===
From the late 1960s through the 1980s, WNBC was involved in a fierce three-way battle with WCBS-TV and WABC-TV for the top spot in the New York television ratings. This continued during a lean period for NBC as a whole. WNBC's hallmark over the years has been strong coverage of breaking stories, the combination of straight news items and those with light-hearted and/or entertainment elements (as could be seen in such programs as ''[[Live at Five (WNBC)|Live at Five]]'' and ''[[Today in New York]]''), and the generally low turnover of their on-air talent. Many of WNBC's personalities have been at the station for over 20 years. For instance, [[Chuck Scarborough]] has served as the station's lead anchor since the debut of ''NewsCenter 4'' on April 29, 1974.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=March 18, 1974 |title=New anchor at WNBC-TV |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/74-OCR/1974-03-18-BC-OCR-Page-0085.pdf |access-date=June 22, 2024 |work=Broadcasting |page=87}}</ref> Scarborough represents one half of the longest-serving anchor duo in New York television history,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaudino • |first=Linda |date=March 25, 2024 |title=Chuck Scarborough celebrates 50 years at NBC New York |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/chuck-scarborough/chuck-scarborough-50-anniversary-wnbc-new-york/5225171/ |access-date=June 22, 2024 |website=NBC New York |language=en-US}}</ref> the other half being [[Sue Simmons]], who anchored the 11 p.m. report with Scarborough from 1980 to 2012. [[Len Berman]] served as lead sports anchor for 27 years, from 1982 to 2009. Senior correspondent [[Gabe Pressman]] was at the station from 1956 until his death in 2017, save for a seven-year stint (from 1972 to 1979) at WNEW-TV (now WNYW).

WNBC-TV was the first station on the East Coast to air a two-hour nightly newscast,<ref name=":0" /> and the first major-market station in the country to find success in airing a 5 p.m. report, when ''NewsCenter 4'' (a format created for WNBC by pioneering news executive Lee Hanna)<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 25, 1980 |title=Lee Hanna: TV expert for the candidate debates |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/80-OCR/1980-08-25-BC-OCR-Page-0137.pdf |access-date=June 22, 2024 |work=Broadcasting |page=137}}</ref> was introduced in 1974, a time when channel 4 ran a distant third in the city's local news ratings.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=May 6, 1974 |title=More O&O TV's turn to two-hour newscasts |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/74-OCR/1974-05-06-BC-OCR-Page-0036.pdf |access-date=June 22, 2024 |work=Broadcasting |page=36}}</ref> The ''NewsCenter'' format debuted with a futuristic set described by Hanna as being "the most modern, electronically complicated and sophisticated" facility in the country at that time. A direct, unique style of presenting the news was also implemented, incorporating hard news reports with separate segments devoted to consumer reports, features, and a dedicated weather desk. Hanna declared at the outset, "there will be no [[happy talk]] [...] we're not in business to be comedians", a veiled reference to the style of WABC's highly-successful ''[[Eyewitness News]]'' format.<ref name=":1" /> The ''NewsCenter'' format became a major success in New York, and NBC subsequently brought it to their owned-and-operated stations in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

The ''NewsCenter4'' title was kept by WNBC until [[Labor Day|September 1, 1980]], when the newscasts were renamed ''News 4 New York''. Shortly before then the 5&nbsp;p.m. program was renamed ''Live at Five'', and the hour was reformatted from a straight news program to a mix of hard news and celebrity interviews, a style that would become known as [[infotainment]]. ''Live at Five'' eventually became the most-successful local program in New York City, a feat that resulted in landing the show's hosts on the cover of [[New York (magazine)|''New York'' magazine]]. For most of the time during the ''News 4 New York'' era of the 1980s and early 1990s, WNBC-TV used various music cues created by [[Scott Schreer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.networknewsmusic.com/wp/article/that-iconic-wnbc-news-theme-turns-out-it-is-composed-by-njj-music/|title=That iconic WNBC news theme? Turns out it is composed by NJJ Music|access-date=February 14, 2015|first=Victor|last=Vlan|work=Network News Music|date=September 18, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009052821/http://www.networknewsmusic.com/wp/article/that-iconic-wnbc-news-theme-turns-out-it-is-composed-by-njj-music/|archive-date=October 9, 2012}}</ref> His theme for ''News 4 New York'' was based on a synthesized version of the [[NBC chimes]], with a graphics package featuring a [[Thunderbolt|lightning bolt]] striking its logo from 1980 to 1990, a fancy die-cut "4".

In 1992, the station began calling itself ''4 New York'' and the campaign song, written by [[Edd Kalehoff]], was quickly adopted as the theme for the newscast. The theme was briefly brought back after the September 11 attacks in 2001. In 1995, after the station rebranded itself as "NBC 4" and its newscasts as ''NewsChannel 4'', Kalehoff wrote a new theme called "NBC Stations" featuring the aforementioned NBC chimes. It remained in use for eight years, along with a graphics package using a simple red line for the [[lower third]]s.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

The 2003 graphics package was created by [[Emmy Award]]-winner [[Randy Pyburn]] of [[Pyburn Films]]. Pyburn has produced several promotions for the station and the now-defunct ''Jane's New York'' specials hosted by former WNBC reporter [[Jane Hanson]]. The graphics package was also used on other NBC stations. The music was written by Rampage Music and featured a brassy version of the NBC chimes, and lower thirds featured a shimmering [[peacock]]. In March 2008, concurrent with the restoration of the ''4 New York'' branding, the newscasts began to be called ''News 4 New York'' once more.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2008/04/01/wnbc_does_the_t.php|title=WNBC Does the Time Warp Again|access-date=April 1, 2008|first=Toby|last=von Meistersinger|work=[[Gothamist]]|date=April 1, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405183748/http://gothamist.com/2008/04/01/wnbc_does_the_t.php|archive-date=April 5, 2008}}</ref>

Many WNBC personalities have appeared, and have also moved up to the NBC network, including: [[Marv Albert]], Len Berman, [[Contessa Brewer]], [[Chris Cimino]], [[Fran Charles]], [[Darlene Rodriguez]], [[Maurice DuBois]], [[Michael Gargiulo (journalist)|Michael Gargiulo]], [[Tony Guida]], [[Jim Hartz]], [[Janice Huff]], [[Matt Lauer]], [[Tom Llamas]], [[Dave Price]], [[Al Roker]], Scarborough, and [[Tom Snyder]]. In the past, Albert, Berman, Brewer, Charles, Cimino, DuBois, Guida, Hartz, Lauer, Llamas, Roker, Scarborough, and Snyder have worked at WNBC and NBC at the same time. Price, Rodriguez, Huff, and Gargiulo currently work for both. One monthly feature was Berman's ''Spanning the World'', a reel of odd and interesting sports highlights from the past month, including a recorded introduction and closing by NBC staff announcer [[Don Pardo]]. The segment aired monthly on ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]''.

When Simmons joined the station in early 1980, she was paired with Scarborough on both the 6&nbsp;p.m. and 11&nbsp;p.m. newscasts. However, for most of the time until 2005, WNBC's weeknight anchor rotation had Simmons and another male anchor (including [[Jack Cafferty]], Guida, Lauer, and briefly Scarborough) at 5&nbsp;pm; Scarborough and various anchors ([[John Hambrick]], [[Pat Harper]], and [[Michele Marsh (reporter)|Michele Marsh]] among them) at 6&nbsp;pm; and Scarborough and Simmons together at 11&nbsp;pm. That changed in 2005 as ''Live at Five'' anchor [[Jim Rosenfield]] jumped back to WCBS-TV, where he had once been the noon and 5&nbsp;p.m. anchor and took on the role as lead anchor for their 5&nbsp;p.m. and 11&nbsp;p.m. newscasts.

Former reporter [[Perri Peltz]] returned to WNBC to co-anchor ''Live at Five'' with Simmons, making New York City one of the few large markets with two female anchors on an evening newscast. The move harkened back to three decades earlier, when the station paired [[Pia Lindström]] with [[Melba Tolliver]] on its 5&nbsp;p.m. news hour, creating one of the first all-female anchor teams on a major-market American television station.<ref>{{cite book|last=Marlane|first=Judith|title=Women in Television News Revisited: Into the Twenty-first Century|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|year=1999|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenintelevisio00marl/page/n240 219]|isbn=0-292-75228-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/womenintelevisio00marl}}</ref> It was short-lived as Simmons and Peltz were both displaced from ''Live at Five'' because of changes in the station's early evening news lineup that went into effect on March 12, 2007: [[David Ushery]] and [[Lynda Baquero]] became co-anchors of a truncated, 30-minute-long ''Live at Five'' broadcast, followed by Peltz with a 30-minute, soft-news program, ''News 4 You''. Simmons was moved to co-anchor at 6&nbsp;p.m. with Scarborough. On September 13, 2006, WNBC became the first New York City television station to broadcast its newscasts in [[high-definition television|high definition]]. On May 5, 2007, WNBC brought back its popular campaign song "We're 4 New York", composed by Kalehoff, after nearly six years off air (after the September 11, 2001, attacks).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2007/05/08/the_return_of_w.php|title=The Return of We're 4 New York|access-date=May 8, 2007|first=Toby|last=von Meistersinger|work=[[Gothamist]]|date=May 8, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407203505/http://gothamist.com/2007/05/08/the_return_of_w.php|archive-date=April 7, 2008}}</ref>

In early autumn 2007, additional changes were brought to WNBC's early-evening lineup. On September 10, the station moved the newsmagazine series ''[[Extra (American TV program)|Extra]]'' to 5&nbsp;pm, and cancelled ''Live at Five''. ''News 4 You'' remained at 5:30&nbsp;pm, but was replaced on October 15, 2007, with a traditional newscast, anchored by Simmons and Michael Gargiulo. The 6&nbsp;p.m. newscast became anchored by Ushery and Baquero, and ''New York Nightly News'', a new half-hour newscast with Scarborough as sole anchor, debuted at 7&nbsp;p.m.

These changes did not lead to an increase in WNBC's ratings in the November 2007 sweeps period, partially because of the [[2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike]]. The most shocking of WNBC's ratings decreases was its 11&nbsp;p.m. newscast, which fell to third place, behind WCBS and WABC.<ref name="NYDailyNews">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/10/09/2007-10-09_news_4_you_no_longer_for_wnbc.html|title="News 4 You" no longer on WNBC|access-date=May 8, 2008|first=Richard|last=Huff|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|date=October 9, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113152525/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/10/09/2007-10-09_news_4_you_no_longer_for_wnbc.html|archive-date=January 13, 2008}}</ref> WNBC altered its 5–6&nbsp;p.m. hour on January 2, 2008, swapping the half-hour news at 5:30&nbsp;p.m. with ''Extra''. On March 9, 2009, with the launch of ''New York Nonstop'' on digital subchannel 4.2, ''New York Nightly News'' was moved to the subchannel and expanded to one hour, while ''Extra'' was moved back to 7&nbsp;p.m. and a full hour of news returned to the 5&nbsp;p.m. hour. Still, WNBC's ratings struggled: during the March 2009 sweeps period, its newscasts were a distant third in all-time slots, except during the weekday mornings, where it remained in second.
[[File:WNBC NY Nonstop Logo.png|thumb|125px|Past logo for WNBC's New York Nonstop from 2009 to 2011.]]
On May 7, 2008, NBC Universal announced plans for a major restructuring of WNBC's news department. The centerpiece of the restructuring was the creation of a 24-hour all-news channel on WNBC's second digital subchannel (4.2). Channel 4's news operations were revamped and melded into the all-news channel, which serves as a "content center" for the station's various local distribution platforms. The digital news channel was launched on March 9, 2009. In the fall of 2008, WNBC started beta-testing a new website which was apparently poised to be one of the major platforms for the content center. On November 17, 2008, WNBC moved its news studio from Studio 6B to 7E and rolled out a new set design, graphics package, and theme song written by veteran TV composer [[Frank Gari]]. This move came after months of planning the new content newsroom with its 24-hour news digital subchannel. It was also their debut of the updated 4 New York logo, using letters in Media Gothic Bold font and the "New York" wording was switched from its script font to [[All caps]] font, which is designed by Brit Redden of Modal Pictures.<ref>Alex Weprin. [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6579961.html TCA: Jimmy Fallon's Late Night to Launch Online] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201204650/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6579961.html |date=December 1, 2008 }}. Broadcastingcable.com (July 20, 2008). Retrieved June 4, 2012.</ref>

On June 16, 2009, WNBC announced that its 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast would be replaced in September by a one-hour daily lifestyle and entertainment show by [[LXTV]] entitled ''LX New York''. After this change, WNBC, with only three hours per day of local news, had the shortest airtime devoted to local news of any "big three" network-owned station. In the fall of 2009, WNBC began sharing its news helicopter with Fox owned-and-operated WNYW (channel 5) as part of a [[Local News Service]] agreement. The SkyFox HD helicopter operated by WNYW when used by WNBC was called "Chopper 4" on-air. This agreement ended in 2012, with WNBC returning to use its own helicopter when the contract expired.<ref name=nydn-wnbcjan2012newset>{{cite news|last=Huff|first=Richard|title=WNBC/Ch. 4 slowly rebuilding news presence after era of downsizing|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/wnbc-ch-4-slowly-rebuilding-news-presence-era-downsizing-article-1.988721|access-date=December 10, 2011|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|date=December 8, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201225603/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/wnbc-ch-4-trims-promo-featuring-nypd-commissioner-ray-kelly-super-bowl-airing-article-1.1018204|archive-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref> In the summer of 2010, ''The Debrief with David Ushery'' began to air on Sunday at noon on WNBC after launching on [[New York Nonstop]]; it now airs Sunday mornings at 5:30&nbsp;a.m.

''LX New York'' was renamed to ''New York Live'' on May 26, 2011. The program was set to move to 3&nbsp;p.m. on September 12, 2011; at that time, WNBC would resume airing a 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast.<ref name=nydn-5pmreturn>{{cite news|last=Huff|first=Richard|title=Local news Ch. 4 to reclaim 5&nbsp; p.m. slot, making moves to 'position NBC 4 as the market leader'|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2011/06/17/2011-06-17_this_just_back_in_local_news_ch_4_to_reclaim_5:00&nbsp;_pm_slot.html|access-date=June 18, 2011|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|date=June 17, 2011}}{{dead link|date=June 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> However, due to [[Hurricane Irene]], the 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast's start date was moved up to August 29, 2011, with ''New York Live'' moving to its new 3&nbsp;p.m. slot then.<ref>[https://twitter.com/Shiba4NY Shiba Russell] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727064208/https://twitter.com/Shiba4NY |date=July 27, 2013 }}. twitter.com</ref> On November 18, 2011, WNBC launched a noon newscast that replaced ''The Rundown'' with Russell and Llamas as the anchors.<ref>Barmash, Jerry. (November 18, 2011) [https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/wnbcchannel-4-brings-noon-newscast-back-to-viewers/ WNBC/Channel 4 Brings Noon Newscast Back to Viewers] . Mediabistro.com. Retrieved June 4, 2012.</ref>

In December 2011, WNBC struck a news partnership with non-profit news-reporting organization [[ProPublica]]. The organization, which won a [[Pulitzer Prize]] in 2010, already has partnerships with several media outlets including ''[[USA Today]]'', ''[[Reader's Digest]]'', ''[[HuffPost]]'' and ''[[Businessweek]]''. However, ProPublica's reports are incorporated across all NBC O&O stations, not just WNBC. This is part of larger efforts for NBCUniversal's television stations to partner with nonprofit news organizations following its acquisition by Comcast.<ref>{{cite web|title=NBCUniversal's Non-profit News Partnerships: January 2012 Report|url=http://media.nbcbayarea.com/documents/Jan+2012+Non-Profit+News+Partner+Status+Report_01-30-2012.pdf|publisher=[[Comcast]] [[NBCUniversal]]|access-date=May 13, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129031741/http://media.nbcbayarea.com/documents/Jan%202012%20Non-Profit%20News%20Partner%20Status%20Report_01-30-2012.pdf|archive-date=January 29, 2013}}</ref>

WNBC relocated from Studio 7E to Studio 3C (the studio previously used by ''NBC Nightly News'', which now originates from Studio 3B) on April 21, 2012. Channel 4 also updated its graphics and switched to the "L.A. Groove" theme that has been in use by sister station KNBC.<ref name=wnbc3c>{{cite news|title=NBC New York debuts new studio, graphics, music|url=http://www.newscaststudio.com/blog/2012/04/22/nbc-new-york-debuts-new-studio-graphics-music/|access-date=April 29, 2012|newspaper=NewscastStudio|date=April 22, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611063609/http://www.newscaststudio.com/blog/2012/04/22/nbc-new-york-debuts-new-studio-graphics-music/|archive-date=June 11, 2012}}</ref> On June 15, 2012, Sue Simmons left WNBC as her contract with the station was not renewed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Huff|first=Richard|title=New York TV news mainstay Sue Simmons to say farewell to WNBC audiences in June|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/york-tv-news-mainstay-sue-simmons-farewell-wnbc-audiences-june-article-1.1034703?localLinksEnabled=false|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=March 7, 2012|date=March 7, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309182830/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/york-tv-news-mainstay-sue-simmons-farewell-wnbc-audiences-june-article-1.1034703?localLinksEnabled=false|archive-date=March 9, 2012}}</ref> In January 2013, the station expanded its Sunday 11&nbsp;p.m. newscasts to one hour, possibly to compete with WABC which expanded its late news in January 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Knox|first=Merrill|title=WNBC Expands Sunday Evening Newscast|url=https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wnbc-expands-sunday-evening-newscast/|publisher=[[TVSpy]]|access-date=June 7, 2014|date=January 7, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714132752/http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/wnbc-expands-sunday-evening-newscast_b75816|archive-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref>

On June 6, 2016, WNBC revamped its website. On June 11, 2016, beginning with the 11&nbsp;p.m. newscast, its news graphics were also changed and it began using Look N graphics from NBC Artworks, becoming the first NBC-owned station to use the new graphics that were rolled out to other NBC-owned stations around this time. On June 13 of the same year, the station debuted its 4&nbsp;p.m. newscast, thus becoming the second New York television station to expand its newscasts to that time period after WABC-TV (which had their 4&nbsp;p.m. newscasts since May 2011).<ref>{{cite news|title=4 NBC Stations to Launch Afternoon Newscast|url=http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/4-nbc-stations-to-launch-afternoon-newscast/161020|website=Adweek| date=January 4, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505001629/http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/4-nbc-stations-to-launch-afternoon-newscast/161020|archive-date=May 5, 2016}}</ref>

On October 10, 2016, WNBC relocated from studio 3C to studio 3K (the studio also used by ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' and sister cable network MSNBC), which bears similarities to the previous set in 3C, albeit a lot larger in size and with several changes (i.e. a new weather center area, a touchscreen display similar to ''Today''{{'}}s Orange Room, an LED wall, and a work space and presentation pod).<ref>{{cite web|title=NBC New York debuts new home, gains more space at 30 Rock|url=http://www.newscaststudio.com/2016/10/10/nbc-new-york-debuts-new-home-gains-space-30-rock/|newspaper=NewscastStudio|date=October 10, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011141716/http://www.newscaststudio.com/2016/10/10/nbc-new-york-debuts-new-home-gains-space-30-rock/|archive-date=October 11, 2016}}</ref> In fall 2016, WNBC entered a content-sharing agreement with [[WOR (AM)|WOR]] to include news and weather content supplied by the station; WNBC's weather content is also heard on other [[iHeartMedia]] radio stations throughout the New York metropolitan area. On December 21, 2016, WNBC announced that it would be launching a new [[S band]] [[weather radar]] system, called Storm Tracker 4, which is planned to launch in winter 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newscaststudio.com/2016/12/21/storm-4-radar/|title=NYC station promoting new radar|newspaper=NewscastStudio|date=December 21, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223213757/http://www.newscaststudio.com/2016/12/21/storm-4-radar/|archive-date=December 23, 2016}}</ref> On December 27, 2016, the station announced it would move the midday newscast to 11&nbsp;a.m. (the first and only 11&nbsp;a.m. midday newscast in the New York media market), and its locally produced lifestyle/entertainment program ''New York Live'' to 11:30&nbsp;a.m. beginning January 16, 2017. As part of the changes of the daytime lineup at the station, it would move ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' from the network's default Eastern Time Zone slot of 1&nbsp;p.m. to the early time slot of 12&nbsp;pm, followed by ''[[Access Hollywood#Access Live|Access Hollywood Live]]'' at 1&nbsp;pm.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://changingnewscasts.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/wnbc-moving-noon-news-joining-other-nbc-oando-1100-am/#more-3934|title=WNBC is moving its noon newscast and joining the other NBC O&O's at 11:00 a.m.|work=Changing Newscasts Blog|date=December 27, 2016|access-date=December 31, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101163001/https://changingnewscasts.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/wnbc-moving-noon-news-joining-other-nbc-oando-1100-am/#more-3934|archive-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wnbc-moves-noon-show-to-11/184171|title=WNBC Moves Noon Show to 11|author=Kevin Eck|work=[[TVSpy]]|date=January 12, 2017|access-date=January 12, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114194701/http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wnbc-moves-noon-show-to-11/184171|archive-date=January 14, 2017}}</ref>

On June 30, 2017, it was announced that Chuck Scarborough would step down as the anchor of the 11&nbsp;p.m. newscast on July 14 but would continue to anchor the 6&nbsp;p.m. newscast. 4&nbsp;p.m. anchor [[Stefan Holt]], whose father [[Lester Holt|Lester]] presides over ''NBC Nightly News'' down the hall from Studio 3K, assumed duties for the late newscast beginning July 17.<ref>{{cite news|title=WNBC anchor Chuck Scarborough leaving late-night job after 42 years for earlier shift|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/wnbc-anchor-chuck-scarborough-drops-late-night-gig-article-1.3289710|author=Don Kaplan|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|date=June 30, 2017|access-date=July 1, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630182106/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/wnbc-anchor-chuck-scarborough-drops-late-night-gig-article-1.3289710|archive-date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>

On July 31, 2017, the station expanded its morning newscast ''Today in New York'' by a half an hour, beginning at 4&nbsp;a.m. for a total of three hours; this is the first 4&nbsp;a.m. newscast in the New York media market since WPIX had one from 2010 to 2014. Six days later on August 6, 2017, the Sunday edition of the morning newscast had an extra half-hour added after 9:30&nbsp;am; the 6–8&nbsp;a.m. portion remained unchanged. As part of the changes to the station's Sunday morning lineup, ''Sunday Today with Willie Geist'' was moved to the network's recommended time of 8&nbsp;a.m. followed by the LXTV-produced program ''Open House NYC'' at 9&nbsp;a.m. ''[[Meet the Press]]'' remained at 10:30&nbsp;am.<ref>{{cite web|title=A small minor newscast change... #140.|url=https://changingnewscasts.wordpress.com/2017/08/05/small-minor-newscast-change-140/|work=Changing Newscasts Blog|date=August 5, 2017|access-date=August 18, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816195255/https://changingnewscasts.wordpress.com/2017/08/05/small-minor-newscast-change-140/|archive-date=August 16, 2017}}</ref>

In November 2017, WNBC opened the [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] news bureau led by bilingual reporter Julio "Gaby" Acevedo; the bureau delivers daily English and Spanish-language news and updates for the station and its sister station WNJU as well as all NBC and Telemundo-owned stations across the country; the new bureau operated through February 2018.<ref>{{cite web|title=WNBC-WNJU Launch San Juan News Bureau|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/109033/wnbcwnju-launch-san-juan-news-bureau|website=TVNewsCheck|date=November 20, 2017|access-date=November 20, 2017}}</ref>

On August 19, 2020, it was announced that after four years with the station, Stefan Holt would be leaving to rejoin Chicago sister station WMAQ-TV to anchor its 4&nbsp;p.m. and 10&nbsp;p.m. newscasts, beginning in October. On August 31, 2020, the station announced that 11&nbsp;a.m. and 5&nbsp;p.m. news anchor David Ushery would succeed Holt on the 4&nbsp;p.m. and 11&nbsp;p.m. newscasts, beginning October 12, 2020; however, due to Holt's early departure on September 25, the official start date was moved up to September 28. Meanwhile, weekend anchor Adam Kuperstein succeeded Ushery in the 11&nbsp;a.m. and 5&nbsp;p.m. newscasts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/david-ushery-wnbc-late-news-anchor-tv-1234754635/|title=David Ushery Will Co-Anchor Two of WNBC's Most Important Newscasts|author=Brian Steinberg|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=Variety Media, LLC|date=August 31, 2020|access-date=September 7, 2020}}</ref>

On June 7, 2021, WNBC started airing a new half-hour weekday 7&nbsp;p.m. newscast.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Eck |first1=Kevin |title=WNBC, KNBC Add 7 PM Newscasts |url=https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/knbc-adds-evening-newscast/231771/ |website=adweek.com/tvspy |date=June 4, 2021 |access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref>

In January 2022, WNBC announced plans to launch a new [[FAST channel]] called "NBC New York News"; this announcement follows the simultaneous rollout of streaming news channels from its sister stations in Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia and Boston on January 20. The channel was launched on March 17, 2022.<ref>{{Cite press release|title=Peacock to Launch 24/7 Local News Channels from NBC Owned Television Stations|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2022/01/20/peacock-to-launch-24-7-local-news-channels-from-nbc-owned-television-stations-23312/20220120peacock01/|publisher=[[NBC Owned Television Stations]]/[[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]]|date=January 20, 2022|accessdate=January 20, 2022|via=The Futon Critic|quote=News channels from NBC 4 New York (WNBC) and NBC 4 Los Angeles (KNBC) will be available to stream for free in the months ahead.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/nbc-new-york-news-nbc-los-angeles-news-go-live-on-peacock|title=NBC New York News, NBC Los Angeles News Go Live On Peacock|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=March 17, 2022|access-date=March 17, 2022}}</ref> In 2024, WNBC launched an exclusive 7 a.m. newscast on the channel.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Malone|first=Michael|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/nbcu-fast-channels-see-real-revenue|title=NBCUniversal Local FAST Channels See Real Revenue|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=January 12, 2024|access-date=January 13, 2024}}</ref>

In the summer of 2022, WNBC indicated it would return to Studio 3B, which will be split with WNJU once that station relocates operations to Rockefeller Center.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Michael P. |title=NBC News confirms plans to split Studio 3B into two spaces |url=https://www.newscaststudio.com/2022/08/09/nbc-studio-3b-split/ |website=newscaststudio.com |publisher=HD Media Ventures LLC |access-date=August 18, 2022 |date=August 9, 2022}}</ref>

====Notable current on-air staff====
<!--Please add only people who have their own Wikipedia articles.-->
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2020}}
;Anchors
* [[Pat Battle]] (also reporter)
* [[Michael Gargiulo (journalist)|Michael Gargiulo]]
* [[Darlene Rodriguez]]
* [[David Ushery]]
;Weather
* [[Janice Huff]] (Member, [[American Meteorological Society|AMS]]) – chief meteorologist
* [[Maria LaRosa]] (Member, AMS) – meteorologist
* [[Raphael Miranda]] (AMS Seal of Approval) – meteorologist
* [[Dave Price]]

;Sports team
* [[Bruce Beck]] – sports director; also host of ''Sports Final with Bruce Beck''

;Reporters
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Lynda Baquero]] – consumer affairs and general assignment reporter
* [[Jonathan Dienst]] – chief investigative reporter
* [[Jacque Reid]] – co-host of ''New York Live''
* [[Melissa Russo]] – political reporter
* [[Lauren Scala]] – correspondent for ''New York Live'' (formerly served as traffic reporter)
* [[Ida Siegal]] – general assignment reporter
{{div col end}}

====Notable alumni====
<!--Please add only people who have their own Wikipedia articles.-->
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Asa Aarons]]
* [[Cindy Adams]]
* [[Marv Albert]]
* [[Tex Antoine]]
* [[Len Berman]]
* [[Lynn Berry (NBC news personality)|Lynn Berry]]
* [[Francesco Bilotto]]
* [[Contessa Brewer]]
* [[Bill Boggs]]
* [[Mel Brandt]]
* [[Dr. Joyce Brothers]]
* [[Jack Cafferty]]
* [[Ti-Hua Chang]]
* [[Fran Charles]]
* [[Linda Church]]
* [[Chris Cimino]]
* [[Katherine Creag]]
* [[Maurice DuBois]]
* [[Fred Facey]]
* [[Frank Field (meteorologist)|Frank Field]]
* [[Ira Joe Fisher]]
* [[Art Fleming]]
* [[Betty Furness]]
* [[Arthur Gary]]
* [[Andrew Glassman]]
* [[Marty Glickman]]
* [[Cat Greenleaf]]
* [[Erica Grow]]
* [[Max Gomez]]
* [[Carlos Granda]]
* [[Roger Grimsby]]
* [[Tony Guida]]
* [[Carolyn Gusoff]]
* [[John Hambrick]]
* [[Steve Handelsman]]
* [[Jane Hanson]]
* [[Pat Harper]]
* [[Reggie Harris]]
* [[Jim Hartz]]
* [[Stefan Holt]]
* [[Wayne Howell]]
* [[Don Imus]]
* [[John Johnson (reporter)|John Johnson]]
* [[Matt Lauer]]
* [[Tom Llamas]]
* [[Rick Leventhal]]
* [[Pia Lindström]]
* [[Otis Livingston]]
* [[Lynda Lopez]]
* [[Felipe Luciano]]
* [[Jeffrey Lyons]]
* [[Dave Marash]]
* [[Sal Marchiano]]
* [[Michele Marsh (reporter)|Michele Marsh]]
* [[Frank McGee (journalism)|Frank McGee]]
* [[John Miller (journalist)|John Miller]]
* [[Tim Minton]]
* [[DeMarco Morgan]]
* [[Rob Morrison (journalist)|Rob Morrison]]
* [[Bruce Morrow]]
* [[John Muller]]
* [[George Page (television presenter)|George Page]]
* [[Don Pardo]]
* [[Ralph Penza]]
* [[Perri Peltz]]
* [[Walter Perez (reporter)|Walter Perez]]
* [[Deb Placey]]
* [[Gabe Pressman]]
* [[Shimon Prokupecz]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Shimon Prokupecz Crime and Justice Correspondent |url=https://www.cnn.com/profiles/shimon-prokupecz-profile |publisher=CNN |access-date=June 1, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Audrey Puente]]
* [[Howard Reig]]
* [[Carol Anne Riddell]]
* [[Bobby Rivers]]
* [[Vic Roby]]
* [[Gloria Rojas]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Former Eyewitness News reporter Gloria Rojas, NYC's first Latina broadcast journalist, dies|url=https://abc7ny.com/eyewitness-news-reporter-gloria-rojas-death/11535699/|publisher=[[WABC-TV]]|location=New York|date=February 4, 2022}}</ref>
* [[Al Roker]]
* [[Jim Rosenfield]]
* [[Jeff Rossen]]
* [[Kyle Rote]]
* [[Bill Ryan (journalist)|Bill Ryan]]
* [[Jim Ryan (reporter)|Jim Ryan]]
* [[Tim Ryan (sportscaster)|Tim Ryan]]
* [[Chuck Scarborough]] (1974–2024)
* [[Dick Schaap]]
* [[Rob Schmitt]]
* [[Mike Schneider (news anchor)|Mike Schneider]]
* [[Adam Shapiro (television reporter)|Adam Shapiro]]
* [[Sue Simmons]] (1980–2012)
* [[Dr. Ian Smith]]
* [[Liz Smith (journalist)|Liz Smith]]
* [[Tom Snyder]]
* [[Scott Stanford]]
* [[Howard Stern]]
* [[Carl Stokes]]
* [[Mike Taibbi]]
* [[Felicia Taylor]]
* [[Bob Teague]]
* [[Melba Tolliver]]
* [[Katy Tur]]
* [[Sibila Vargas]]
* [[Jonathan Vigliotti]]
* [[Glen Walker]]
* [[Chris Wallace]]
* [[Jim Watkins (news anchor)|Jim Watkins]]
* [[Rolonda Watts]]
* [[Mary Alice Williams]]
* [[Joe Witte]]
* [[Bill Wolff (announcer)|Bill Wolff]]
* [[Lew Wood]]
{{Div col end}}

==Controversies and incidents==
===Chopper 4 helicopter crashes===
1998 saw the introduction of a brand-new Chopper 4, a [[Eurocopter EC135]] that the station heavily promoted. The new chopper ended up crashing into the [[Passaic River]] near [[Harrison, New Jersey|Harrison]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]] on December 3, 1998; reporter Kai Simonsen and pilot Terry Hawes survived.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McFadden |first1=Robert D. |title=News Helicopter Crashes in River Near Newark |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/04/nyregion/news-helicopter-crashes-in-river-near-newark.html |access-date=September 7, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 4, 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527074457/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/04/nyregion/news-helicopter-crashes-in-river-near-newark.html |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |location=Section B |page=5}}</ref>

Hence, the older model, a [[Eurocopter AS350]], was returned to service and remained until May 4, 2004, when it crashed while covering a shooting in Brooklyn. Reporter Andrew Torres, pilot Russ Cowry and pilot trainee Hassan Taan survived the crash and were taken to area hospitals. The crash occurred at about 6:30&nbsp;p.m. as the crew was preparing for a live report from the scene of a shooting in East Flatbush. Before the cut-in, Chopper 4 appeared to begin a steep nosedive. WABC's own helicopter captured the initial nosedive and the chopper's subsequent tailspin until crashing into a rooftop.<ref>
{{cite news
 | last1 = Tavernise
 | first1 = Sabrina
 | last2 = Newman
 | first2 = Andy
 | title = TV helicopter crashes on Brooklyn rooftop
 | newspaper = [[The New York Times]]
 | date = May 5, 2004
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/05/nyregion/05crash.html
 | access-date = May 1, 2014
| url-status = live
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140502103626/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/05/nyregion/05crash.html
 | archive-date = May 2, 2014
| df = mdy-all
 }}
</ref>

===2008 weeknight infomercial issue===
On March 25, 2008, WNBC carried a [[infomercial|paid program]] leading into NBC's Tuesday night prime time and after the 7&nbsp;p.m. newscast for mortgage lender [[Lend America]], replacing that night's ''Access Hollywood''. Several 'Big Four' stations throughout the United States had carried paid programs leading into prime time in a period during the [[Great Recession]] to some varied controversy (and often do to this day during Saturday evenings, a little-trafficked time period with no complaint), but the one airing in New York of the Lend America infomercial, which was hosted by ex-WNBC reporter Joe Avellar, attracted massive criticism from viewers and local media critics, especially involving Avellar's role as host and Lend America's part in the housing crisis, and to a much lesser extent, preemption of regular weeknight programming. Earning the station $130,000 for the {{frac|28|1|2}}-minute program, it generated low ratings and led to a quick fallout, with general manager Frank Comerford resigning his position from the station for approving the airtime sale.<ref>{{cite news|last=Huff|first=Richard|title=Channel 4 lends itself out for 'Lend America'|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/channel-4-lends-lend-america-article-1.288478|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=March 26, 2008|date=March 26, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201212025/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/channel-4-lends-lend-america-article-1.288478|archive-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref> Although Lend America expressed interest in buying more early access time on the station, WNBC has never again carried a paid program before prime time on weeknights.

===Sue Simmons "F-bomb" incident===
On May 12, 2008, a prime time promo for that night's 11&nbsp;p.m. newscast was thought by anchor Sue Simmons to be on tape for later broadcast but was actually going out live. After completing the first portion of the tease, Simmons noticed co-anchor Chuck Scarborough distracted with something on his on-desk laptop, and thinking the [[take]] would be trashed and another take would be shot for air, shouted "The [[fuck]] are you doing?" towards him in a manner seemingly meant as an [[inside joke]] among colleagues, while YouTube [[b-roll]] of a cruise ship departing Manhattan continued to roll before the promo's end.

Later during the actual newscast, Simmons profusely apologized for the live outburst, saying, "I have to acknowledge an unfortunate incident. I used a word that many people find offensive. It was a mistake I made and I'm truly sorry." No further comment was made by the station or Simmons about the incident.<ref>{{cite news|last=Huff|first=Richard|title=Curses! Anchor Sue Simmons slips|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/curses-anchor-sue-simmons-slips-article-1.332550|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=May 13, 2008|date=May 13, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201212041/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/curses-anchor-sue-simmons-slips-article-1.332550|archive-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Hancock|first=Noelle|title=Sue Simmons Wants to Know What the F**k You Are Doing|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2008/05/sue_simmons_wants_to_know_what.html|magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=August 30, 2015|date=May 13, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101005153/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2008/05/sue_simmons_wants_to_know_what.html|archive-date=November 1, 2015}}</ref>

''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' used clips from the promo in several [[Sketch comedy|sketches]] mocking the incident.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/22/letterman-mocks-sue-simmo_n_103148.html|title=David Letterman's Views on Sue's Slip!|website=HuffPost|access-date=October 27, 2011|first=Danny|last=Shea|date=May 22, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113020526/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/22/letterman-mocks-sue-simmo_n_103148.html|archive-date=November 13, 2011}}</ref>

===I-Team Super Bowl promo editing controversy===
On February 5, 2012, the station premiered the I-Team promo during [[NBC Sports]]' coverage of Super Bowl XLVI featuring former NYPD commissioner [[Raymond Kelly|Ray Kelly]], but later on the day after the Super Bowl, they edited out Kelly's clip due to some complaints from rival WCBS-TV. However, the spokesman declined to comment, and criticisms arose from WABC-TV, WNYW, and WPIX, the station's rivals. Station general manager Michael Jack said in the statement that "our investigative team is among the most experienced in the industry, and to suggest that the station won't cover the NYPD fairly, accurately and with balance simply because the commissioner appeared in a station promotional spot is simply not true".<ref>{{cite news|last=Huff|first=Richard|title=WNBC/Ch. 4 trims promo featuring NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly after Super Bowl airing|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/wnbc-ch-4-trims-promo-featuring-nypd-commissioner-ray-kelly-super-bowl-airing-article-1.1018204|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=February 6, 2012|date=February 6, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201225603/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/wnbc-ch-4-trims-promo-featuring-nypd-commissioner-ray-kelly-super-bowl-airing-article-1.1018204|archive-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref> After the promo was edited out at the station, Lynda Baquero resigned from the investigative team but continued as a reporter for the station. She was replaced by Pei-Sze Cheng and Jonathan Vigliotti (though Vigliotti later left for WCBS-TV).

===Tweet regarding anti-Semitic violence===
On January 2, 2020, WNBC posted a tweet on its Twitter account linking to an [[Associated Press]] wire article, syndicated to its website, on the recent wave of [[Antisemitism in the United States|anti-Semitic violence in the United States]], coming three weeks after a [[2019 Jersey City shooting|targeted shooting at a kosher supermarket]] in [[Jersey City, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_jewish-enclaves-spring-around-nyc-so-does-intolerance/6182010.html|title=As Jewish Enclaves Spring Up Around NYC, So Does Intolerance|date=January 2, 2020|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|agency=Associated Press|access-date=December 10, 2022}}</ref> The text of the message, likely automatically generated by the station's [[content management system]], featured one of three bullet points summarizing the article as a whole, and stated that [[Orthodox Jews]] moving from the core of New York and New Jersey and into their own self-established communities on the fringe of the Tri-State area due to [[Gentrification in the United States#New York City|gentrification]] was a reason for an increase of [[List of antisemitic incidents in the United States|violent anti-Semitic attacks]] in the broader region;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/anti-semitism-grows-in-jewish-communities-in-nyc-suburbs|title=Anti-Semitism Grows in Jewish Communities in NYC Suburbs|date=January 2, 2020|publisher=WNBC|agency=Associated Press|access-date=December 10, 2022}}</ref>

{{quote|"With the expansion of Orthodox communities outside NYC has come civic sparring, and some fear the recent violence may be an outgrowth of that conflict"}}

WNBC's headline, and its inclusion in the tweet, was met with backlash from [[American Jews|Jewish groups and people]], including the progressive [[Zionist]] group Zioness and the [[Republican Jewish Coalition]], which called out the station for "blaming the [[List of Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States|Orthodox community]] for the attacks". Others prominent in the community also questioned the message, including [[Bari Weiss]], former New York State Assemblyman [[Dov Hikind]], Ron Kampeas of the [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]], and ''[[The Forward]]''{{'}}s Batya Ungar-Sargon. The station later apologized for the original headline, deleted the original tweet, and then re-sent the article tweet with an edited headline.<ref>{{cite web|title=NBC New York Deletes Tweet on Anti-Semitic Violence After Backlash|url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/nbc-new-york-deletes-tweet-on-anti-semitic-violence-after-backlash/|last=Nash|first=Charlie|work=[[Mediaite]]|date=January 2, 2020|access-date=February 16, 2020}}; {{cite tweet|number=1212792332065628160|user=NBCNewYork|title=We are deleting an earlier tweet regarding a story on the recent anti-Semitic attacks in the tri-state area. A new...<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |accessdate=February 16, 2020|date=January 2, 2020}}</ref>

==Technical information and subchannels==
[[File:NBC NY Nonstop.png|right|thumb|Former New York Nonstop logo from 2011 to 2012.]]
{{#section:WNJU|subs}}
On December 20, 2012, WNBC and other NBC-owned stations began carrying [[Cozi TV]]. It replaced NBC (New York) Nonstop, which had been carried on digital subchannel 4.2 since 2009.

==See also==
{{Portal|Journalism|New York City|Television}}
* [[Channel 4 virtual TV stations in the United States]]
* [[Channel 35 digital TV stations in the United States]]
* [[Early television stations]]
* [[List of television stations in New York (by channel number)]]
* [[List of television stations in New York (by region)]]
* [[Media in New York City]]
* [[New Yorkers in journalism]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://nbcnewyork.com}}
* {{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=86578 |title= History Cards for WNBC|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}} ([[Wikipedia:WikiProject Radio Stations/History Cards|Guide to reading History Cards]])<!--Converted from {{FCC letter}}-->
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071019040346/http://members.fortunecity.com/tvnetworks/nbc/ WNBC-TV logos and screenshots from 1950s to the present day]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aboAF3J68CY WNBC's analog farewell video and signal shutdown], June 26, 2009; archived video at YouTube
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110714161504/https://www.nbcunetworks.com/Webpage/Techspecs/ViewPublicTechSpecs.aspx?NetworkId=MTg= WNBC America Technical Information]
* [http://www.earlytelevision.org/rca_1936_transmitter.html#antenna RCA 1936 Television Transmitter and Antenna Array for Station W2XBS]

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