View source for WSYT

{{Short description|Television station in Syracuse, New York}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox television station
| name                   =
| callsign               = WSYT
| city                   =
| logo                   = WSYT Syracuse logo.png
| logo_size              = 225px
| image                  = Wnys mntv.png
| image_size             = 200px
| branding               = {{ubl|Fox 68|My 43}}
| analog                 =
| digital                = 14 ([[UHF]])
| virtual                = 43, 68
| subchannels            =
| translators            = WNYS-[[Class A television service|CD]] 16 [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]]<ref>[https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=15567 "Call Sign History"]. ''CDBS Public Access'', [[Federal Communications Commission]], Retrieved January 15, 2020.</ref>
| affiliations           = {{ubl|'''43.1:''' [[MyNetworkTV]]|'''68.1:''' [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| network                =
| country                = United States
| founded                =
| airdate                = {{start date and age|1986|2|15|p=y}}
| last_airdate           =
| location               = [[Syracuse, New York]]
| callsign_meaning       = Syracuse Television
| former_callsigns       = WKAF (February–September 1986)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 68 (UHF, 1986–2009)|'''Digital:''' 19 (UHF, 2002–2019)}}
| owner                  = {{ubl|[[Imagicomm Communications]]|''(sale to Deltavision Media pending{{r|rbr-saletodeltavision}})''}}
| licensee               = Imagicomm Syracuse, [[LLC]]
| sister_stations        =
| former_affiliations    = [[Independent station|Independent]] (1986–1987)
| erp                    = 540 [[kW]]
| haat                   = {{convert|442.6|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id            = 40758
| coordinates            = {{coord|42|52|50.2|N|76|11|58.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority    = [[FCC]]
| website                = {{URL|https://www.foxsyracuse.com/}}
}}

'''WSYT''' (channels 43 and 68) is a [[television station]] in [[Syracuse, New York]], United States, affiliated with the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network and owned by [[Imagicomm Communications]]. The station's studios are located on James Street/[[NY 290]] in Syracuse's [[Near Northeast, Syracuse, New York|Near Northeast]] section, and its transmitter is located near [[Otisco, New York#Communities and locations in Otisco|Maple Grove]], a [[Administrative divisions of New York#Hamlet|hamlet]] of [[Otisco, New York|Otisco]].

WSYT operates a third [[digital subchannel]] affiliated with [[MyNetworkTV]] which brands as "My 43". It uses virtual channel 43.1, formerly utilized by separately-licensed [[WNYS-TV]] until January 2020, when then-owner [[Cox Media Group]] turned in WNYS-TV's [[broadcast license|license]] and merged its subchannels onto WSYT's spectrum as a condition of the 2019 acquisition of [[Northwest Broadcasting]] by [[Apollo Global Management]].<ref name="cox2020">{{cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=101814481&qnum=5110&copynum=1&exhcnum=1|title=Description of Transaction|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=January 14, 2020|quote=Prior to the consummation of the Reorganization, the company will surrender the license of WNYS-TV, Syracuse, NY (facility identification number 58725), which is currently held by Syracuse Broadcasting, Inc. Syracuse Broadcasting, Inc. will not hold any FCC licenses after the license for WNYS-TV is surrendered.}}</ref>

==History==
The station was originally assigned the call letters WKAF and was on UHF channel 62 rather than 68. After being reassigned to channel 68, the owners of WKAF (Channel 62 Inc.) got the station on-the-air February 15, 1986, and the outlet aired [[religious programming]] for three hours a day. The station was sold to [[Thomas Flatley|The Flatley Company]] in late-1986 at which point construction of its facility on James Street in Syracuse began. WSYT began full-time operation on April 5, 1987, with a general entertainment format of [[animated cartoon|cartoons]], classic [[sitcom]]s, recent sitcoms, [[feature film|movies]], [[drama (film and television)|drama]] shows, and [[broadcasting of sports events|sports]]. The launch of WSYT coincided with the prime time launch of the Fox network of which the station has been an affiliate ever since. For the first six months of the network's operations, the network's programming (which only consisted of a [[The Late Show (1986 talk show)|late-night program]] at the time) was not available over-the-air in the Syracuse market.

Flatley owned WSYT until 1992 when the station was sold to Encore Communications, later known as [[Max Media]] Properties. In 1998, the [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] bought the station. That company entered into a local marketing agreement with [[UPN]] affiliate WNYS-TV in 1995 and began operating that station out of WSYT's studios. It was carried on [[cable television|cable]] in the [[Kingston, Ontario]], area until 2009.<ref>[http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1379942 Cogeco to replace channels: Syracuse feeds to be lost], MIKE KOREEN, Kingston Whig-Standard, January 2009 (broken link)</ref> That [[media market|market]] is currently served by [[WNYF-CD]] in [[Watertown (city), New York|Watertown]] (for [[terrestrial television|over-the-air]] [[ATSC]] viewers) and on cable by [[WUTV]] in [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] and [[WUHF]] in [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]].

Like other Sinclair-owned stations in the region, WSYT and WNYS-TV have been transmitting digital-only signals since February 17, 2009.<ref>[http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/as_thousands_upstate_wait_for.html As thousands Upstate wait for TV coupons, 3 area stations may not delay switch to digital], Mark Weiner, Syracuse Post-Standard, February 6, 2009</ref> Until August 2008, WSYT had the highest [[analog television|analog]] channel allocation of any Fox affiliate before being eclipsed by [[KSWB-TV]] in [[San Diego]] when that station swapped its [[The CW|CW]] affiliation with [[XETV]]. WSYT's analog power was limited to 1,000,000 [[watt]]s due to its proximity to Canada. Until June 12, 2009 (the official day of the [[digital television transition in the United States]]), UHF analog stations in the country were [[Broadcast license|licensed]] to transmit up to 5,000,000 watts. All of this changed back on February 17, 2009, when WSYT went digital-only and moved to a less power-hungry transmitter on UHF channel 19.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WSYT|title=TV Query Results – Video Division (FCC) USA<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref>

From 1987 through 2003, WSYT owned the local broadcast rights to [[Syracuse University]] [[Syracuse Orange men's basketball|men's basketball]] games when rights were acquired by [[Time Warner Cable]] (now [[Charter Spectrum]]) and began airing on their local sports channel. During the majority of those years, WSYT produced a live post-game show as well as a weekly basketball coach's show with [[Jim Boeheim]]. They also acquired the rights to [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]] [[college football|football]] in the 1990s and would air a post-game show after a [[Syracuse Orange]]men game was shown. The coverage was expanded to include a football coach's show with [[Paul Pasqualoni]] and a football preview show hosted by Steve Hyder and Joe Zone. In the late-1980s, WSYT aired [[New York Yankees]] games that were produced and broadcast by [[WPIX]] in [[New York City]].

On May 15, 2012, Sinclair and Fox agreed to a five-year extension to the network's affiliation agreement with Sinclair's nineteen Fox stations (including WSYT) allowing them to continue carrying the network's programming through 2017.<ref>[http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/59463/sinclair-reups-with-fox-gets-wutb-option Sinclair Reups With Fox, Gets WUTB Option], ''TVNewsCheck'', May 15, 2012.</ref> In a [[YouTube]] video posted by [[WBFF]] in [[Baltimore]] in July 2012, it was revealed that WSYT would air ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' and ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'' beginning September 17, 2012. WSYT is one of a handful of Fox affiliates to air the game shows along with WBFF, [[WXIX-TV]] in [[Cincinnati]], [[WVUE-DT]] in [[New Orleans]], [[WLUK-TV]] in [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]], [[KDVR]] in [[Denver]], [[KVHP]] in [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]], [[WALA-TV]] in [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[WLUC-TV|WLUC-DT2]] in [[Marquette, Michigan]], and [[WDAF-TV]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cnyradio.com/2012/06/26/wheel-and-jeopardy-move-to-fox-68-in-september/|title="Wheel" and "Jeopardy!" Move to Fox 68 in September • CNYRadio.com / CNYTVNews.com|date=June 26, 2012|website=cnyradio.com}}</ref>

Sinclair announced the sale of WSYT, the LMA for WNYS-TV, and [[WYZZ-TV]] in [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]]–[[Bloomington, Illinois]], to [[Cunningham Broadcasting]] on February 28, 2013, following its acquisition of [[Barrington Broadcasting]]. The sale was necessary due to the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC)'s ownership rules as Sinclair chose to keep Barrington's [[WSTM-TV]] in Syracuse.<ref name=b&c-saletosinclair>{{cite news|last=Malone|first=Michael|title=Sinclair's Chesapeake TV Acquires Barrington Stations|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/492113-Sinclair_s_Chesapeake_TV_Acquires_Barrington_Stations.php|access-date=March 1, 2013|newspaper=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=February 28, 2013}}</ref> However, in an updated filing with the FCC, it was revealed that WSYT would instead be sold to Bristlecone Broadcasting, a company owned by Brian Brady, owner of Northwest Broadcasting.<ref>[https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101563583&formid=314&fac_num=40758 Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License] Federal Communications Commission, August 9, 2013</ref> Those transactions were completed on November 25.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Barrington%20Closes.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=November 25, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203013631/http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Barrington%20Closes.pdf |archive-date=December 3, 2013 }}</ref> Following the consummation of the sale, Sinclair continued to operate WSYT and WNYS-TV through a transitional service agreement for six months until May 2014. Sinclair would continue to own the station's studios on James Street and its transmitter site in Otisco for at least ten years. Bristlecone Broadcasting was incorporated into the Northwest Broadcasting corporate structure in a May 2015 restructuring of Brady's broadcast holdings, making WSYT and WNYS sister stations to [[WICZ-TV]] and [[WBPN-LP]] in [[Binghamton]].<ref name=fcc-wsytnorthwest>{{cite web|title=Application For Consent To Assign Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License Or To Transfer Control Of Entity Holding Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1677972&Service=DT&Form_id=316&Facility_id=40758|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=December 20, 2015|date=May 14, 2015}}</ref><ref name=fcc-wsytnorthwestcomplete>{{cite web|title=Consummation Notice|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1679302&Service=DT&Form_id=905&Facility_id=40758|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=December 20, 2015|date=May 29, 2015}}</ref>

In 2019, Northwest Broadcasting was in turn acquired by [[Apollo Global Management]], and was to be merged into a new group known as Terrier Media with another AGM acquisition, [[Cox Media Group]]. After expanding its purchase to include CMG's radio and advertising units, it was announced that the combined group would retain the Cox Media Group name.<ref name="coxsaletoapollo1">{{cite web|date=February 15, 2019|title=Apollo Global Management Acquires Cox's Television Stations Plus Radio & Newspapers In Dayton|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/174558/apollo-global-management-acquires-coxs-television-stations-plus-radio-newspapers-in-dayton/|access-date=February 15, 2019|work=RadioInsight}}</ref><ref name="terriermedia">{{cite web|last=Jessell|first=Harry A.|date=March 6, 2019|title=Cox TV Valued At $3.1 Billion In Apollo Acquisition|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/231448/cox-tv-valued-3-1-billion-apollo-acquisition/|access-date=March 6, 2019|work=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheckMedia LLC}}</ref><ref name="rbr-radiosaletoapollo">{{cite news|last1=Jacobson|first1=Adam|date=June 26, 2019|title=It's Official: Cox Radio, Gamut, CoxReps Going To Apollo|work=Radio & Television Business Report|url=https://www.rbr.com/cox-media-group-radio-apollo/|access-date=June 26, 2019}}</ref>

On March 29, 2022, Cox Media Group announced it would sell WSYT and 17 other stations to Imagicomm Communications, an affiliate of the parent company of the [[INSP (TV channel)|INSP]] cable channel, for $488 million;<ref name="coxsales2022">{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222357/cox-breaks-up-combined-radio-tv-cluster-in-tulsa-as-part-of-twelve-market-divestiture/|title=Cox Breaks Up Combined Radio/TV Cluster In Tulsa As Part Of Twelve Market Divestiture|first=Lance|last=Venta|work=RadioInsight|date=March 30, 2022|accessdate=March 30, 2022}}</ref> the sale was completed on August 1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/cox-media-group-insp-close-deal-for-sale-of-cox-tv-stations-to-imagicomm|title=Cox Media Group, INSP Close Deal for Sale of Cox TV Stations to Imagicomm
|first=George|last=Winslow|website=TVTechnology|date=August 1, 2022|accessdate=August 2, 2022}}</ref> On April 8, 2025, Imagicomm announced that WSYT would be acquired by Webb Collums' Deltavision Media.<ref name="rbr-saletodeltavision">{{cite web|url=https://rbr.com/imagicomm-finds-a-buyer-for-remaining-properties/|title=Imagicomm Finds A Buyer For Remaining Properties|first=Adam|last=Jacobson|website=Radio & Television Business Report|accessdate=April 10, 2025|date=April 8, 2025}}</ref>

==Newscasts==
From 1996 until 2000 through a news share agreement, [[NBC]] affiliate WSTM-TV produced a 30-minute prime time newscast on WSYT called ''Fox 68 News at 10''. After WSTM-TV declined to renew the arrangement, WSYT then established a new outsourcing agreement with [[CBS]] outlet [[WTVH]]. As a result, a new nightly news program began airing on the station with the name ''Fox 68 [[Eyewitness News]] at 10''. Eventually, an hour-long weekday morning show (also produced by WTVH) debuted and was called ''Fox 68 Eyewitness News at 7''. Both of the programs featured the same branding as WTVH's newscasts did at the time.

Meanwhile, in 2003, in order to offer competition in the 10 o'clock slot, WSTM-TV brought back its own half-hour newscast for newly acquired sister station WSTQ-LP that was seen only on weeknights. In April 2006, WTVH ceased producing all local news programming for WSYT in order to focus on its own newscasts that were cemented in third place by this point. Ironically, the nightly 10 o'clock broadcasts were WTVH's most successful having soundly beat WSTM-TV's effort on WSTQ-LP in the [[Nielsen ratings|ratings]]. Since dropping news programming from the CBS outlet, WSYT remains one of a handful of [[Big Four television networks|big four network]]-affiliated stations throughout the United States (and the largest Fox station in terms of market size, since former sister station WUTV in Buffalo, the previous largest market with a non-news Fox affiliate, added newscasts in 2013) that does not operate its own news department or air local newscasts through a partnership with a [[Big Three television networks|big three]] station.

==Technical information==

===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WSYT<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WSYT|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WSYT|website=[[RabbitEars]]|accessdate=April 10, 2025}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 43.1
| [[720p]] || [[16:9]] || MY43 || [[MyNetworkTV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 43.2
| [[480i]] || [[4:3]] || Dabl || [[Dabl]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 68.1
| 720p || rowspan="2"| 16:9 || WSYT-DT || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 68.2
| 480i || CoziTV || [[Cozi TV]]
|-
|}
On November 1, 2010, WSYT launched [[The Country Network]] on its second [[digital subchannel]] replacing a [[standard definition]] simulcast of its primary channel.

===Translator===
* '''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|15567|3=WNYS-CD}}''' 16 [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]]

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WSYT shut down its analog signal, over [[UHF]] channel 68, on February 17, 2009, the original date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 19, using [[virtual channel]] 68.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |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>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.foxsyracuse.com/ WSYT "Fox 68"]
* {{FCC-TV-Station-profile|WNYS-CD|Public file for WNYS-CD}}

{{Syracuse TV}}
{{Watertown TV}}
{{Binghamton TV}}
{{Rochester TV}}
{{Fox New York}}
{{Imagicomm}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wsyt}}
[[Category:1986 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Cozi TV affiliates]]
[[Category:Fox Broadcasting Company affiliates]]
[[Category:Imagicomm Communications]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1986]]
[[Category:Television stations in Syracuse, New York|SYT]]