| WSYR-TV | |
|---|---|
| Syracuse, New York | |
| Branding | NewsChannel 9 WSYR |
| Slogan | NewsChannel 9 is Everywhere |
| Channels | Analog: 9 (VHF) Digital: 17 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | 9.1 ABC 9.2 VTV: The Variety Channel |
| Owner | Newport Television |
| First air date | September 9, 1962 |
| Call letters' meaning | SYRacuse |
| Former callsigns | WNYS-TV (1962-1978) WIXT (1978-1982) WIXT-TV (1982-2005) |
| Transmitter Power | 79.4 kW (analog) 105 kW (DT)) |
| Height | 462 m (analog) 402 m (DT) |
| Facility ID | 73113 |
| Website | NewsChannel 9 WSYR's Website |
WSYR-TV is a TV station located in Syracuse, New York; broadcasting on analog ch. 9 / DT ch. 17 & affiliated with the ABC TV network. It's transmitter is located in Pompey, New York. WSYR once served via cable as an ABC affiliate in northern New York communities such as Ogdensburg, Potsdam, Massena & Malone. Since then, most of those markets have replaced the station with WSYR's sister, WWTI, also an ABC affiliate (although both were available in the aforementioned markets for a short time; WVNY-TV from Burlington, Vermont now serves Malone). WSYR is 1 of very few American TV stations which still broadcasts in mono. This can easily be detected when comparing it to stereo broadcasts, especially when using a surround sound decoder because the mono signal cannot be unfolded. This is due to the fact that they broadcast in digital audio.
History[]
Ch. 9 was the last of Syracuse's major network affiliates to sign on the air, doing so on September 9 1962, after a channel shuffle involving rival WHEN-TV & Rochester's WHAM-TV allowed a 3rd VHF station in Syracuse. The original call letters were WNYS-TV (now assigned to Syracuse's My Network TV affiliate). WNYS-TV signed on under the ownership of a group of area investors; the station was later owned by The Coca-Cola Company. It has always been an ABC affiliate.
Fire overtook WNYS's studios in the basement of the Shopping Town Mall in DeWitt in April 1967, forcing the station to temporarily move to WCNY-TV's studios in Liverpool until the studios were rebuilt.
The station was sold to The Outlet Company in 1978 & the callsign was changed to WIXT-TV (IX standing for the Roman numeral 9). The Ackerley Group bought the station in 1982. After going from 3rd to 1st place in Syracuse news ratings, work commenced on a new facility in on Bear St. in East Syracuse in 1985. Work was completed in 1986 & WIXT moved there soon afterwards.
WIXT implemented a "Digital CentralCasting" control hub for Ackerley's New York cluster (which includes stations in Rochester, Watertown, Binghamton, Elmira & formerly Utica) in 1999-2000 to help with the upcoming DTV transition. This included an addition to the current building & a new set & newsroom built by NewSet. Other stations throughout Ackerley's New York cluster also received similar looking sets.
Also in 2000, in response to declining ratings, WIXT began a new segment called "Your Stories." Your Stories is where viewers can call the station, not have to deal with an automated phone system & get right on line with a staffer for help with questions. The most popular topics are turned into segments, which air @ 5:16 PM during the 5 PM news. Your Stories was reinvented in 2007, when WSYR-TV started the "Consumer Protection Unit." The unit is divided into 3 different parts, Your Stories, The Real Deal & Consumer Reports. The Real Deal was introduced as a headliner for stories about scams, bad deals & ripoffs. Your Stories still remains for other general knowledge segments suggested from viewers.
Clear Channel Communications bought Ackerley in 2001, putting WIXT under the same ownership as WSYR, the market's news/talk radio station. The callsign was then changed to WSYR-TV in July 2005, creating a small amount of confusion as rival NBC affiliate WSTM-TV was known as WSYR-TV from February 15, 1950 until it's sale to Times-Mirror in 1980.
In 2004, WIXT premiered a local talk, Bridge Street. The program airs every weekday @ 10 AM
On December 22 2006, Nancy Duffy, a General Assignment Reporter for WSYR-TV died after long-term illness. She became the 1st woman police reporter in Central New York after joining the Syracuse Herald-Journal in 1966. She was Syracuse’s 1st TV female reporter when she moved to WHEN-TV (now WTVH) in 1967. She became the 1st woman to join the Syracuse Press Club & later served as it's president. In 1970, Nancy served as press secretary at Syracuse City Hall. She returned to Ch. 5 after a year & moved to NewsChannel 9 as a reporter & morning anchor in 1977.
On April 20 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell it's entire TV stations group to Newport Television, a broadcasting group established by Providence Equity Partners. WSYR radio was not part of the sale; nevertheless, the WSYR-TV call letters have been retained.
Portions of WSYR's programming, most notably it's noon newscast, are being streamed on the Internet as of January 2007.
In July 2008, 46-year station veteran Mike Price retired. The station's news studio was renamed "Mike Price Studio" in dedication to his work during Bridge Street on July 9, 2008.
News/Station Presentation[]
Newscast Titles[]
- Charles Hammond & the News (1962-1972)
- 9 News (1972-1974)
- Eyewitness News (1974-1991)
- 9 News (1991-1998)
- NewsChannel 9 (1998-present)
Station Slogans[]
- Making a Difference, Central New York's News Source (early-mid 1990s)
- Coverage You Can Count On (1996-2005) Still used sporadically
- The News That Matters, From The People You Trust (2005-2007) Still on anchors section of website
- NewsChannel 9 is Everywhere (2007-present)
Special Affiliations[]
- Cortland High School - (CVC) "Cortland Video Club" - Jim Forshee
- Cable News Network - (CNN) - Provides local reports to CNN Center in Atlanta, GA
DT Programming[]
WSYR-DT (UHF 17) operates 2 subchannels of DT programming:
| Channel | Programming | Broadcast Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | main WSYR programming (ABC) | 480i (Local), 720p (Network) |
| 9.2 | WSYR 9.2 | 480i |
Newscasts[]
Weekdays[]
- The Morning News (5-7 AM, repeat on 9.2 from 7-9 AM)
- The Morning News Cut-Ins during GMA (approx. 7:25, 7:55, 8:25 & 8:55 AM)
- NewsChannel 9 @ Noon (12-12:30 PM, repeat on 9.2 from 1-1:30 PM)
- NewsChannel 9 @ 5 (5-5:30 PM, repeat on 9.2 from 6:30-7 PM)
- NewsChannel 9 @ 5:30 (5:30-6 PM, repeat on 9.2 from 7-7:30 PM)
- NewsChannel 9 @ 6 (6-6:30 PM, repeat on 9.2 from 7:30-8 PM)
- NewsChannel 9 Eleven @ 11 (11-11:35 PM, repeats on 9.2 @ 12 AM)
Weekends[]
- The Morning News Weekend (7-8 AM)
- NewsChannel 9 Weekend (6-6:30 PM)
- NewsChannel 9 Weekend (11-11:35 PM)
Weekend newscasts are not repeated on 9.2. The 6 PM weekend newscast is often delayed or pre-empted altogether by live ABC Sports programming. When this occurs, the weekend newscast is often broadcast live on DT ch. 9.2.
On-Air Talent[]
Anchors[]
Longtime anchor Rod Wood announced his retirement in 2020 after more than 50 years on air.
- Dan Cummings (The Morning News and Noon Anchor)
- Christie Casciano (Evening, 11pm & On The Lookout)
- Jeff Kulikowsky (Evening anchor, reporter)
- Nicole Sommavilla (The Morning News anchor, reporter)
- Callihan Marshall (Weekend Evening News Anchor, reporter)
Weather[]
In 2016, Dave Longley stepped down as chief meteorologist as his battle with multiple sclerosis continued. He took a job behind-the-scenes at WSYR.
- Jim Teske (Chief Meteorologist: 6 & 11 PM Weekend Meteorologist)
- Kate Thornton (The Morning News and Noon meteorologist)
- John DiPasquale (Weekend 6 and 11pm meteorologist)
- Lindsay Raychel (The Morning News Weekend Meteorologist)
Sports[]
- Steve Infanti (Sports Director)
- Mario Sacco (Sports reporter, Weekend 6 and 11pm Sports Anchor)
- Alex Sims (Sports reporter, Weekend 6 and 11pm Sports Anchor)
Reporters[]
- Andrew Donovan (Reporter)
- Julia LeBlanc (Reporter)
- Josh Martin (Reporter)
- Adrienne Smith (Reporter)
- Madison Moore (Reporter)
Bridge Street (Daytime Talk)[]
- Steve Infanti (co-host)
- Sistina Giordano
Former talent[]
- Solen Gray - retired
- Frank Hudson
- Stu Kellogg
- Jack Morse
- Stephanie Nazzaro
- Steve Newman