TV GUIDE. SYRACUSE, NY EDITION. 1980

[RBW]

Utica
WKTV 2 (NBC)
WUTR 20 (ABC)

Syracuse
WSTM 3 (NBC)
WTVH 5 (CBS)
WIXT 9 (ABC)
WCNY 24 (PBS)

Watertown
WWNY 7 (CBS/ABC/NBC)
WNPE 16 (PBS)

Rochester
WROC 8 (NBC)
WHEC 10 (CBS)
WOKR 13 (ABC)

New York City
WNEW 5 (IND)
WOR 9 (IND)
WPIX 11 (IND)

Albany
WTEN 10 (ABC)

Deseronto, Ont
CJOH 6 (CTV)

Ottawa
CJOH 13 (CTV)

Kingston
CKWS 11 (CBC)

for programs on
18 - Elmira --- see 3
33 - Utica --- see 24
50 - Watertown --- see 20
62 - Nedrow --- see 24
63 - Oneonta --- see 20
64 - Lowville --- see 20
68 - Ogdensburg --- see 20

 

[Bob1370]

Couple oddities. First, both of the Rochester full power UHFs (WXXI/21, the PBS station, and WUHF/31, the then-new independent in the market) are omitted here even though they were operating with high enough power to push their signal into the outer portion of the Syracuse ADI. Secondly, why is only one of the three full power Albany network-affiliated Vs listed, when WRGB and WNYT covered the same ground as WTEN?

Was this limited to stations that were being carried on regional cable systems, even though more stations could punch through over the air with a normal outdoor antenna?

 

[RBW]

Good questions.

Here's a simple one. I wonder if "space" within the listings played a part. With the Canadian stations too --- perhaps they needed to limit the issue to a certain # of channels.

 

[fybush]

I suspect the answer may amount to "force of habit." 31 was brand-new in 1980, and 21 had just raised its power and moved to its own tower from its old side-mounted antenna on the WROC/WHEC tower, so perhaps neither station yet had an audience in the area covered by the Syracuse edition. I think WXXI, at least, showed up there later on.

And I suspect WTEN is there based on its old Hagaman/Vails Mills transmitter site, which would have reached considerably more to the west than any of the other Albany stations back in the day. (Never mind that it had been decades since WTEN had moved to the Helderbergs and shut down the site near Amsterdam...)

 

[Rob Jason]

Another question -- I knew that WUTR/20 had translators all over -- but never knew of the ones in Lowville (64) and Ogdensburg (68).

What became of those allocations? Who owns them now?

Also odd that while it lists Ottawa and Desoronto....It does not list WNPI/18 in Norwood, which was a full-power translator for WNPE.

This guide is odd-- though it hints that it stretches into Elmira, it does not list Binghamton, which is on the same latitude. Anyone in Elmira using this guide would also want to see WENY and all the Binghamton stations...

 

[fybush]

Elmira is mentioned in there only because WSYE 18 was then a satellite of WSYR-TV 3. Any area that was actually within range of Elmira TV would have received the New York-Pennsylvania edition of TVG, which listed Binghamton, Elmira and Scranton as its core markets, with additional listings for Syracuse, NYC and at least bits of other markets depending on the year.

As for the Lowville and Ogdensburg translators, I'm not sure when they went away. Channel 68 had to have been gone from Ogdensburg by the mid-80s, when WSYT signed on. Channel 64 in Lowville probably became redundant when WFYF 50 Watertown signed on with full power in, what, 1987?

 

[RBW]

As for the Lowville and Ogdensburg translators, I'm not sure when they went away. Channel 68 had to have been gone from Ogdensburg by the mid-80s, when WSYT signed on. Channel 64 in Lowville probably became redundant when WFYF 50 Watertown signed on with full power in, what, 1987?

Why would 64 seem redundant, when all it was relaying was WUTR? When 50 became WFYF (as full power), didn't the relay w/WUTR cease? If so that would still validate the need for the Lowville relay. ???

 

[Rob Jason]

It also occurred to me that WUTR's ch. 50 translator (technically in Copenhagen) is very close to Lowville and their translator on 64 -- maybe 15 miles as the crow flies...

BUT was the 50 translator, back then, low-power, or full power? If it was full-power, it would seem to be redundant to have a 64 right next door for Lowville -- though Lowville is in a valley, so maybe 64 was low-power on some communications tower in the village.

 

[fybush]

All translators are low-power, by definition. The channel 50 in Watertown was 1000 watts, while 64 in Lowville, 68 in Ogdensburg and 63 in Oneonta were all 100 watts each. When WFYF signed on as a full-power station with 100 kw, it more than covered the territory that had been served by the old 50, 64 and 68 translators.

 

[therealjm12]

WUTR's translator in Lowville only purpose was to feed Ch 50 in Watertown. There were no human beings anywhere near the translator. Only black flies and mosquitoes. The ID of Lowville was misleading. The transmitter (translator) was actually located on a ridge to the southeast of Lowville. It was in an extremely remote and creepy location. I would expand but am afraid the government would be at my door. Although the Watertown translator did have some off air viewers, It's primary purpose was to feed cable systems - same as Ogensburg & Oneonta. I speak first hand. I was an engineer at WUTR at the time and part of my job was to service the translators.