WABC-TV
WABC-TV is a television station in New York City. It is the flagship station of the ABC television network, owned and operated through its ABC Owned Television Stations division. WABC-TV maintains studio facilities in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, co-located with ABC's corporate headquarters. The station transmits from atop the Empire State Building.
WABC-TV is best known in broadcasting circles for its version of the Eyewitness News format and for its morning show, syndicated nationally by corporate cousin Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution.
History
As WJZ-TV (1948–1953)
The station signed on August 10, 1948, as WJZ-TV, the first of three television stations signed on by ABC during that same year, with WENR-TV in Chicago and WXYZ-TV in Detroit being the other two. Channel 7's call letters came from its then-sister radio station, WJZ. In its early years, WJZ-TV was programmed much like an independent station, as the ABC television network was still, for the most part, in its very early stages of development; the ABC-owned stations did air some common programming during this period, especially after the 1949 fall season when the network's prime time schedule began to expand. The station's original transmitter site was located at The Pierre Hotel at 2 East 61st Street, before moving to the Empire State Building a few years later. The station's original studios were located at 77 West 66th Street, with additional studios at 7 West 66th Street. A tunnel linked ABC studios at 7 West 66th Street to the lobby of the Hotel des Artistes, a block north on West 67th Street. Another studio inside the Hotel des Artistes was used for Eyewitness News Conference.As WABC-TV (1953–present)
The station's call letters were changed to WABC-TV on March 1, 1953, after ABC merged its operations with United Paramount Theatres, a firm which was broken off from former parent company Paramount Pictures by decree of the U.S. government. The WJZ-TV callsign was later reassigned to Westinghouse Broadcasting as an historical nod in 1957 for their newly acquired television station in Baltimore – a station that was, by coincidence, an ABC affiliate until 1995.As part of ABC's expansion program, initiated in 1977, ABC built 7 Lincoln Square on the southeast corner of West 67th Street and Columbus Avenue, on the site of an abandoned moving and storage warehouse. At about the same time, construction was started at 30 West 67th Street on the site of a former parking lot. Both buildings were completed in June 1979 and WABC-TV moved its offices from 77 West 66th Street to 7 Lincoln Square.
On September 11, 2001, the transmitter facilities of WABC-TV, as well as eight other local television stations and several radio stations, were destroyed when two hijacked airplanes crashed into and destroyed the north and south towers of the World Trade Center. WABC-TV's transmitter maintenance engineer Donald DiFranco died in the attack. In the immediate aftermath, the station fed its signal to WNYE-TV, WHSE-TV, WHSI-TV, and the New Jersey Network before establishing temporary facilities at the Armstrong Tower in Alpine, New Jersey. The station eventually re-established transmission facilities at the Empire State Building, its original home when it signed on the air in 1948.
ABC News Now was launched in 2004 on digital subchannels of the ABC O&O stations. On January 31, 2005, ABC removed ABC News Now from O&O and affiliated stations' subchannels as the channel ended its experimental phase originally. The group changed its programming on secondary channels to ABC Plus, a local news and public affairs format. ABC teamed up with AccuWeather to launch a multicast service on WABC's third subchannel between December 9, 2005, and March 31, 2006.
On May 27, 2007, WABC-TV's studios suffered major damage as the result of a fire that knocked the station off the air shortly before the start of the 11 p.m. newscast. According to preliminary reports, the fire may have been ignited by a spotlight coming into contact with a curtain inside the news studio; the station's website later reported the cause as an "electrical malfunction". The station's building was evacuated and the fire was brought under control, though the studio was said to be "badly damaged", having suffered smoke and water damage. WABC-TV resumed broadcasting at around 1 a.m. on May 28, 2007. Due to the fire, the station broadcast Eyewitness News from the newsroom, while Live! with Regis and Kelly, whose set was also affected, moved to the set of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Starting with the 5 p.m. newscast on June 20, 2007, the station resumed the Eyewitness News and Live! broadcasts from its main studios at Columbus Avenue and 66th Street.
The Live Well Network was launched on April 27, 2009, in high definition by ABC's O&O stations on the stations'.2 subchannels.
WABC-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, VHF channel 7, at 12:30 p.m. on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 45 to VHF channel 7. WABC's digital signal was initially difficult to receive over-the-air in New York City. The station was requested by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast at a lower power; WABC was among many stations which have found it necessary to increase power to restore coverage to the same level as its former analog signal. On June 29, 2009, WABC filed an application with the FCC to increase power from 11.69 kW to 27 kW. On January 31, 2010, the FCC granted a special temporary authority for the station to increase power to 26.9 kW.
In May 2013, WABC-TV and Philadelphia sister station WPVI-TV became the first two ABC-owned stations to offer live, web-based streaming of programming to authenticated subscribers of participating cable and satellite television providers as provided through the relaunched Watch ABC mobile apps.
ABCOTS indicated in January 2015 that its stations' third subchannel would affiliate with Laff network upon launch on April 15, 2015; until then, LWN would run on both subchannels. ABC Stations rebranded Live Well Network on.2 as Localish on February 17, 2020, to add an outlet for the Localish lifestyle content.
Programming
WABC has long presented events such as the Columbus Day Parade and Puerto Rican Day Parade and beginning in 2017, they became the first television station to air the New York City LGBT Pride March. In addition, the station is also producing local programs such as Here and Now, a program covering the latest issues, trends and news stories impacting the local black community, Tiempo, a weekly program that focus on the issues affecting local Hispanic citizens, and Up Close, a public affairs program on the latest issues with the newsmakers. The station also formerly produced Viewpoint, a weekly program that highlighted the cultural and community efforts in New York, Long Island and New Jersey., aside from Live with Kelly and Mark, WABC's first-run syndicated programs include Tamron Hall, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune.
''Live with Kelly and Mark''
WABC-TV produces the nationally syndicated talk show Live with Kelly and Mark. Until the station's newscasts were moved to a separate studio in 2011, the program originated in the same ground-floor studio at 7 Lincoln Square as Eyewitness News, thus creating a situation which forced local news updates broadcast during Good Morning America and Live to be produced from the WABC-TV newsroom and the morning show's presence also limited the size of the Eyewitness News set.The program's roots originated with A.M. New York, which debuted in 1970 as a local version of NBC's Today show; its first host was John Bartholomew Tucker, who remained with the program until 1972. After Tucker's departure, a succession of hosts came and went, the most successful of whom was Stanley Siegel, who hosted from 1975 to 1978. After 1980, the show was retitled Good Morning New York, whose co-hosts in the last years of its run in that form included Spencer Christian, Andrea Kirby, Judy Licht, Dick Wolfsie and longtime Eyewitness News reporter and anchor Doug Johnson. After years of a losing ratings battle against Donahue on WNBC-TV, WABC-TV canceled Good Morning New York in early 1983.
The current show began as the station's second attempt at a local morning show a month later, aptly titled The Morning Show and was originally hosted by Regis Philbin and Cyndy Garvey. After Garvey's departure a year later, she was replaced by Ann Abernathy, who in turn, left in 1985 to return to Los Angeles. That year, Kathie Lee Johnson became Philbin's new co-host.
In 1988, Buena Vista Television began syndicating the show nationally as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. Gifford left the show in 2000 and was eventually replaced by Kelly Ripa. Philbin left the show in November 2011 and the show aired for nearly a year as Live! with Kelly until former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan became Ripa's permanent co-host in September 2012. In May 2016, Strahan left the show to become a full-time anchor at Good Morning America, thus leaving Ripa as the solo host again. On May 1, 2017, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest would become the new host of the show; to accommodate his syndicated radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest, an additional studio was built within WABC's facilities. Seacrest departed Live on April 14, 2023, and three days later Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, became the new co-host of the show.
Sports programming
WABC-TV serves as the local over-the-air broadcaster of Monday Night Football games, airing simulcasts of the ESPN-televised games carried nationally on ABC. However, ESPN-only MNF telecasts involving the Giants or Jets air locally on WPIX. Previously, the station carried coverage of the Giants' victory in Super Bowl XXV.Since 2013, WABC-TV serves as the exclusive local English-language carrier of the annual New York City Marathon. The station preempts a weekend edition of Good Morning America and delays This Week to schedule time for the live broadcast. The marathon is also simulcast on ESPN2 nationally.
WABC-TV currently airs any New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets games televised via the NBA on ABC. The station has aired the Knicks' appearances in the 1970, 1972 and 1973 NBA Finals, as well as the then-New Jersey Nets' appearance in the 2003 NBA Finals.
WABC-TV aired New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils games carried through the NHL on ABC; this included the Devils' victories in the 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, as well as their appearance in the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals. Beginning in 2021, it officially reassumed this duty, this time as the OTA simulcast partner of the NHL on ESPN.
Through the ABC portion of the MLS on ESPN package, WABC-TV aired New York City FC's victory in the 2021 MLS Cup and the New York Red Bulls' appearance in the 2008 MLS Cup.
WABC-TV also previously aired any New York Yankees and New York Mets games through ABC's baseball contract; this included the Yankees' victory in the 1977 World Series and appearance in the 1981 World Series.