WBTS-LD, virtual channel 8 (UHF digital channel 46), is an NBC
owned-and-operated low-powered television station licensed to Boston,
Massachusetts

Massachusetts in the United States. The station is owned by the NBC
Owned Television Stations (NBC-OTVS) subsidiary of the NBCUniversal
division of Comcast, and operates as part of a de facto duopoly with
Merrimack, New Hampshire-licensed
Telemundo

Telemundo owned-and-operated station
WNEU

WNEU (channel 60). The two stations share studio facilities with
sister regional cable news channel
New England Cable News

New England Cable News (NECN) on
Wells Avenue in Newton, and its transmitter is located in Needham.
The station was founded in 1995 as W32AY by the Spanish-language
television network Telemundo. Later, as WTMU-LP, it carried that
network as a translator of WNEU, whose signal did not reach the entire
city of Boston.
On January 7, 2016, NBC-OTVS President Valari Staab confirmed that NBC
had declined to renew its affiliation with Boston-based WHDH, and that
it planned to launch an owned-and-operated outlet to be known as NBC
Boston

Boston on January 1, 2017. At the time,
NBC

NBC did not announce which
stations would be used to carry the new service over-the-air, and
WHDH's owner
Sunbeam Television

Sunbeam Television sued
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal under the
presumption that it planned to only use WNEU, contending that doing so
would have considerably reduced the ability of viewers to receive the
network over the air in Boston, thus bolstering the cable services
provided by NBC's parent company
Comcast

Comcast in the city.
On August 31, 2016,
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal filed to acquire the low-power
station from its owner ZGS Communications. The following month, ZGS
filed a request to the FCC to upgrade the station to a digital signal.
NBC

NBC later announced that the station, renamed WBTS-LD, would serve as
the main station of the
NBC

NBC
Boston

Boston service as part of a simulcast with
WNEU-DT2 (virtual 60.2).
NBC

NBC also leased a subchannel of
WMFP

WMFP (virtual
channel 60.5) in Lawrence,
Massachusetts

Massachusetts to provide an alternate
full-power signal for viewers in the
Boston

Boston area. In 2018 it started
an additional transmission service in the
Boston

Boston area through a
channel-sharing agreement with WGBX-TV, under the license of WYCN-CD.
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD is carried on channel 10 by most local cable television
providers.[1][2]
Contents
1 History
1.1 Early years
1.2 Sale and switch to NBC
1.2.1 Launch
1.3 Later developments
2 Digital television
2.1 Digital channels
3 Repeaters
4 Cable and satellite distribution
5 News operation
5.1 Notable current on-air staff
6 Canadian and out-of-market coverage
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
History[edit]
Early years[edit]
The station first signed on the air in April 1995 as W32AY, operating
on UHF channel 32[3] from the
Prudential Tower

Prudential Tower in
Boston

Boston as a
Telemundo

Telemundo owned-and-operated station.[4] In September 2000, the
station began to simulcast its programming on
WWDP

WWDP (channel 46),
giving it a chance to better compete with
Univision

Univision affiliate WUNI
(channel 27), the established Spanish-language station in the
area.[5][6]
Telemundo

Telemundo sold W32AY to
ZGS Communications in 2001.[7] In
February 2002, W32AY changed its call letters to WTMU-LP, and on July
1,
WWDP

WWDP discontinued its relay of the station's programming.[5][6]
In December 2002,
NBC

NBC (which had acquired
Telemundo

Telemundo in 2001) purchased
WPXB (channel 60, now WNEU);[8]
WNEU

WNEU began to carry Telemundo
programming as a satellite of WTMU in April 2003.[9]
WTMU went off-the-air in 2004, as the channel 32 allocation had been
assigned to WBPX for its digital signal,[10] and the station's attempt
to move to channel 67 was hindered by interference from WBPX's analog
signal on channel 68.[11] WTMU resumed broadcasting operations in
December 2006; it reduced its effective radiated power and relocated
its transmitter to a tower in Medford to alleviate the
interference.[11]
Although low-power stations were exempt from the 2009 analog shutdown
that full-service stations were subject to, WTMU initiated plans for a
digital signal on October 27, 2006 by applying for a construction
permit for a digital companion channel on VHF channel 3.[12] On August
28, 2008, WTMU changed its plans and applied to flash-cut to channel
42, which was to have become available after WHDH-TV moved its digital
signal to VHF channel 7;[13] the original application was dismissed by
the
Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on March 27, 2009,[14] but
a new application was filed on May 21.[15] A move was necessary, as
the spectrum that channel 67 is located within had been auctioned off
and was being removed from the television bandplan as a result of the
transition.[15]
Before WTMU's application could be approved, WHDH requested to return
its digital signal to channel 42, leading WTMU to withdraw its
application for the channel on August 24 and filing instead to move to
channel 46;[16] the FCC dismissed the channel 42 application on August
26, 2009,[17] at the same time also canceling the construction permit
for the previously-proposed digital companion channel.[12] In the
meantime, WTMU was unable to get a digital signal on the air before
being forced to terminate the analog signal on April 9, 2010,
resulting in the station suspending operations.[18] To avoid losing
its license due to not broadcasting for a year, WTMU resumed
broadcasting on April 4, 2011, using its existing analog facilities
but operating on channel 46 under special temporary authority.[19][20]
It again suspended operations on April 9, but returned to the air on
March 14, 2012.[21]
Sale and switch to NBC[edit]
In August 2015, Broadcasting & Cable reported that NBCUniversal
was considering the possibility of purchasing former
NBC

NBC affiliate
WHDH (channel 7), whose affiliation was set to expire at the end of
2016.[22] In October 2015, The
Boston

Boston Globe reported that
NBC

NBC had
considered moving the affiliation to its cable channel New England
Cable News (NECN) rather than to an over-the-air channel, although the
company declined to comment.[23] On December 15, 2015,
New England

New England One
reported, citing internal sources, that
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal had declined to
renew its affiliation with WHDH, and was in the process of preparing
WTMU-LP's parent station, WNEU, to become an
NBC

NBC O&O by hiring
staff for an English-language news operation, including former WHDH
meteorologist Pete Bouchard.[24][25] The
Boston

Boston Herald reported two
days later that the station would prospectively be branded as "NBC
Boston", and that WNEU's existing
Telemundo

Telemundo programming could be moved
to a different subchannel. Following the reports, Paul Magnes, WHDH's
vice president and general manager, told the Herald that the station
still expected its
NBC

NBC affiliation to be renewed, while NBCUniversal
again declined to comment.[24]
Sunbeam argued that WNEU's signal served 4 million fewer viewers than
WHDH because it is located in Merrimack, New Hampshire, which is
northwest of Boston, rather than in
Boston

Boston proper. WNEU's signal only
has overlap with the northwest portion of WHDH's signal.[26][27]
Sunbeam's owner, Ed Ansin, told the Globe that "No network has elected
to give up such a strong station and go to a startup station," after
having disclosed that he had rejected a $200 million offer to sell
WHDH to
NBC

NBC in September 2015, leading the network to threaten to
shift its programming to WNEU; however, he still predicted that NBC
would remain on channel 7.[28]
On January 7, 2016, Valari Staab, president of
NBC

NBC Owned Television
Stations, confirmed that
NBC

NBC had declined to renew its affiliation
with WHDH beyond the end of 2016, and would launch
NBC

NBC
Boston

Boston on
January 1, 2017; Staab explained that with NBC's recent investments
into the studio facilities of NECN and WNEU, "we have built a very
strong news organization in the
Boston

Boston market—both from a personnel
and facilities perspective—which puts us in a great position to
launch an NBC-owned station locally." The station is led by NECN and
Telemundo

Telemundo Boston's general manager Mike St. Peter. Staab did not
outright confirm whether
WNEU

WNEU would carry
NBC

NBC programming, but
iterated that the network would remain available over-the-air
following the transition, and that
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal was "committed to
expanding our over-the-air coverage of the market and are currently
looking at a variety of options to accomplish that".[29][30][31]
On March 10, 2016,
Sunbeam Television

Sunbeam Television sued
Comcast

Comcast in the District
Court for the District of Massachusetts, arguing that moving
NBC

NBC to
WNEU

WNEU would violate antitrust law by strengthening its near-monopoly
position in the market, and FCC conditions on Comcast's acquisition of
NBC, as the company had agreed not to reduce over-the-air coverage of
NBC, nor use its cable holdings to influence affiliation
negotiations.[27][32][33] On May 16, 2016, the lawsuit was thrown out,
with the judge arguing that the possible loss of OTA coverage was "not
a concern that WHDH has standing to redress", and that "absent any
actionable harm attributable to Comcast, it is simply an indurate
consequence of doing business in an competitive and unsentimental
marketplace."[34]
On May 18, 2016, the
Boston

Boston Herald reported that
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal was
considering acquiring Ion
Television station
.jpg/440px-Cerro_de_Punta_as_seen_from_Museo_de_Arte_de_Ponce,_Ponce,_Puerto_Rico_(DSC03460).jpg)
Television station
WBPX-TV (channel 68). The
Ion Media Networks-owned station covers a similar coverage area to
WHDH, lessening the impact of a potential switch.[35] On June 13,
2016, the Herald also suggested that
NBC

NBC could purchase or trade for
Fox station
WFXT

WFXT (channel 25) to use as its O&O instead (which
would cause WHDH to theoretically switch from
NBC

NBC to Fox, the same
affiliation as its Miami sister station), believing that Cox Media
Group (which had received the station in a trade with Fox Television
Stations for its San Francisco station KTVU) would be interested in
divesting the station due to declines it has faced since the sale.
WFXT's general manager, WHDH's general manager, and
NBC

NBC denied that
any of these ideas were being considered.[36]
On August 31, 2016,
ZGS Communications agreed to sell WTMU-LP to
NBCUniversal's Station Venture Operations subsidiary for $100,000.
Concurrently, ZGS entered into a local programming and marketing
agreement with another
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal subsidiary, WBTS Television, LLC,
to operate WTMU-LP.[37] The sale was approved by the FCC on October
28[38] and completed on November 4.[39] On September 14, 2016, ZGS
filed for a license to cover WTMU's digital construction permit: that
is, to upgrade the station to a digital signal;[40] the license was
granted on September 21, 2016.[41] On September 19, 2016 (four days
after the sale of WTMU was filed with the FCC),
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal announced
that it was in the process of acquiring a
Boston

Boston station to supplement
WNEU's coverage, which it said would "factor into our plan" to create
the
NBC

NBC owned-and-operated station that would replace WHDH;[42][43]
the company did not confirm that the station was WTMU.[43] The
station's call letters were changed to
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD on October 6, 2016;[44]
on October 25, the station received FCC approval to switch its PSIP
virtual channel number from 46 to channel 8, allowing it over-the-air
parity within
Boston

Boston proper with other low-numbered stations.[45]
Launch[edit]
The "Countdown
NBC

NBC Boston" Logo used between November 10, 2016 and
December 31, 2016
On November 1, 2016,
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal officially announced that it would
broadcast its new
NBC

NBC
Boston

Boston service across
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD and WNEU-DT2, and
unveiled details surrounding the station's launch programming and news
department. Mike St. Peter pointed out that although the two stations
combined would not have the same over-the-air coverage as WHDH, 97% of
viewers in the
Boston

Boston market were pay television subscribers, and NBC
would "continue to look for how we can improve over-the-air
service".[46][47][1]
On November 10, 2016,
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD and WNEU-DT2 began to carry a
transitional programming service branded as Countdown
NBC

NBC Boston. The
service was designed to promote the switch and assist viewers in
locating
NBC

NBC Boston's over-the-air channels; it featured
NBC

NBC Boston's
future syndicated programming, programs from Cozi TV, and newscasts
simulcast from NECN. The
NBC

NBC
Boston

Boston website and social media outlets
were also launched at this time.[47] On December 12, 2016, NBC
announced that it would lease a digital subchannel on
WMFP

WMFP in Lawrence
to further expand WBTS-LD's coverage in Greater Boston.[48][49] The
WMFP

WMFP subchannel uses virtual channel 60.5.[2]
Logo used as
NBC

NBC Boston
The change in affiliation officially took effect at 3:00 a.m. ET
on January 1, 2017. WBTS is the third station in
Boston

Boston to carry NBC
after
WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV (channel 4) and WHDH. As a final pre-launch promotion for
the switch, WBTS broadcast coverage of Boston's
First Night

First Night New Year's
Eve festivities hosted by the station's lead news anchors Phil Lipof
and Shannon Mulaire, which was also simulcast across NECN, WNEU, and
CSN New England. Meanwhile, WHDH carried its final night of NBC
primetime programming on December 31, 2016, including the network's
national New Year's coverage.[2][46][1][50]
Later developments[edit]
During 2017, the station referred to itself in most promotions as "NBC
Boston

Boston Channel 10", citing its cable channel number in the market
rather than its virtual channel 8 for
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD or virtual channel 60
for the repeaters
WNEU

WNEU or WMFP. On December 31, 2017, in concert with
its
First Night

First Night coverage,
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD introduced a new logo and brand
designation as
NBC

NBC 10 Boston,[51] although the nearby Providence,
Rhode Island,
NBC

NBC affiliate WJAR, which has broadcast as channel 10
since 1953, also uses the brand designation "
NBC

NBC 10".
Master control facilities for WBTS are co-located with Telemundo
station KDEN-TV, in Centennial, Colorado.
On October 18, 2017,
NBC

NBC agreed to purchase WYCN-CD,[52] a New
Hampshire station that had sold its frequency rights as part of the
Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction.[53] This
purchase gave
NBC

NBC a channel-sharing agreement with public broadcaster
WGBH Educational Foundation

WGBH Educational Foundation to transmit NBC's programming in the
Boston

Boston market through the facilities of WGBX-TV.[54]
Digital television[edit]
Digital channels[edit]
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
Channel
Video
Aspect
PSIP

PSIP short name
Programming[55][56]
8.1
1080i
16:9
WBTS-LD
Main
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD programming / NBC
8.2
Tele
Simulcast of WNEU
8.3
480i
Cozi
Cozi TV
8.4
TeleXo
Simulcast of WNEU-DT3
Repeaters[edit]
While
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD is technically considered the main station and official
NBC

NBC affiliate for the Boston–Manchester market, the signal of the
low-powered
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD is simulcast on the digital subchannels of two
other NBC-owned stations within the market to ensure reception across
eastern Massachusetts, southern and central
New Hampshire

New Hampshire and some
adjacent areas.[50][49]
Station
City of license
Channels
TV / (RF)
Subchannel
Video
Aspect
First air date
ERP
HAAT
Transmitter Coordinates
Facility ID
Public license
information
WNEU

WNEU 1
Merrimack, New Hampshire
60 (PSIP)
34 (UHF)
60.2 NBC
60.4 Cozi TV
1080i
.jpg)
1080i (DT2)
480i

480i (DT4)
16:9
August 14, 1987; 30 years ago (1987-08-14)
80 kW
293 m
42°59′2.4″N 71°35′18.6″W / 42.984000°N
71.588500°W / 42.984000; -71.588500 (WNEU)
51864
Profile
CDBS
WYCN-CD2
Nashua, New Hampshire
15 (PSIP)4
36 (UHF)
15.1 NBC
15.2 Cozi TV
1080i
.jpg)
1080i (DT1)
480i

480i (DT2)
16:9
1988; 30 years ago (1988)
500 kW
391 m
42°18′37″N 71°14′14″W / 42.31028°N 71.23722°W /
42.31028; -71.23722 (WYCN-CD)
9766
Profile
CDBS
1
WNEU

WNEU is considered by the
Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission as the
parent license of WBTS-LD.[57]
2
WYCN-CD

WYCN-CD is for all intents and purposes a full-power station
transmitting through a channel sharing agreement from the WGBX-TV
transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts.
Cable and satellite distribution[edit]
On cable and satellite,
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD is primarily carried on channel
10.[1][2]
News operation[edit]
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD presently[when?] broadcasts 44 hours of locally produced
newscasts each week (with 7 hours, 5 minutes on weekdays, 3½ hours on
Saturdays and 5 hours, 5 minutes on Sundays); in addition, the station
produces the half-hour lifestyle program The Hub Today, which airs
weekday afternoons, and the weekly half-hour public affairs program
This is New England, which airs Sunday mornings.[1][46] It also
utilizes a news helicopter (SkyRanger), a storm-chaser satellite truck
(Weather Warrior), mobile weather radar vehicles (StormRanger), a
consumer affairs unit (
NBC

NBC 10
Boston

Boston Responds) and an investigative
reporting unit (The Investigators).[1]
Notable current on-air staff[edit]
JC Monahan, anchor
Phil Lipof, anchor
Pete Bouchard, meteorologist
Canadian and out-of-market coverage[edit]
WBTS is one of several
Boston

Boston television stations uplinked to provide
U.S. network programming to television providers in Canada,
particularly in Atlantic Canada.[58] On November 11, 2016, Canadian
telecommunications company Bell Canada, which distributes Boston's
broadcast network affiliates on its satellite, IPTV, and cable TV
services in much of eastern Canada and via satellite uplink to other
providers, filed a request with the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to add WBTS's main feed to the
CRTC's list of foreign television channels authorized for distribution
in Canada, which was additionally supported by
Rogers Cable

Rogers Cable for their
systems in Atlantic Canada.[59] The request was approved by the CRTC
on December 20, 2016; television providers who carried WHDH, including
Bell, Eastlink, and Rogers among others, replaced the station with
WBTS.[58]
See also[edit]
Channel 8 virtual TV stations in the United States
Channel 46 digital TV stations in the United States
Channel 46 low-power TV stations in the United States
WBMA-LD, which uses a similar setup in the Birmingham market to
provide a full-market ABC affiliate to viewers
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Retrieved November 19, 2016.
^ "Station Search Details". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications
Commission. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
^ a b Faguy, Steve. "
NBC

NBC station switch affects many TV subscribers in
Eastern Canada". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^ "Interventions to CRTC Application 2016-1170-8". Canadian
Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2016-12-02.
Retrieved 2016-12-03.
External links[edit]
Official website
Query the FCC's TV station database for WBTS-LD
BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WBTS-LD
FAQ on
NBC

NBC Boston, Government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
v
t
e
Television in Greater Boston
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable
with cable television
Network O&Os are in bold
English stations
WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV (4.1 CBS, 4.2 Decades)
WCVB-TV

WCVB-TV (5.1 ABC, 5.2 MeTV)
WHDT-LD (6.1 DW)
WHDH (7.1 Ind., 7.2 This TV)
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD (8.1 NBC, 8.3 Cozi TV)
WFXT

WFXT (25.1 Fox, 25.2 Escape, 25.3 Laff)
WSBK-TV
.png)
WSBK-TV (38.1 MNTV, 38.2 H&I)
WWDP

WWDP (46.1/46.2 EVINE Live)
WYDN (48.1 Daystar)
WLVI
_2013.png/450px-WLVI_Logo_(As_CW_56_LVI)_2013.png)
WLVI (56.1 CW, 56.2 Buzzr)
WMFP

WMFP (62.1 SBN, 62.3 Charge!, 62.4 Comet)
WUNI

WUNI (66.2 Bounce TV, 66.3 GetTV, 66.4 Grit)
WBPX-TV/WDPX-TV (68.1/58.1 Ion, 68.2/58.2 Qubo, 68.3/58.3 Ion Life,
68.4/58.4 Ion Shop, 68.5/58.5 QVC, 68.6/58.6 HSN)
Public television
WGBH-TV

WGBH-TV (2.1 PBS, 2.2 World)
WGBX-TV

WGBX-TV (44.1 PBS, 44.3 Create, 44.4 Kids)
Spanish stations
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD (8.2 TMD (via WNEU), 8.4 TXO (via WNEU))
WFXZ-CD

WFXZ-CD (24.1/24.2 Azteca, 24.3/24.4 Infomercials)
WUTF-TV (27.1 UniMás, 27.2 LATV)
WCEA-LD

WCEA-LD (58.1 Ind)
WUNI

WUNI (66.1 UNI)
New Hampshire
WMUR-TV

WMUR-TV (9.1 ABC, 9.2 MeTV)
WENH-TV/WEKW-TV (11.1/52.1/11.2/52.2 PBS/NHPTV (x.1 Prime, x.2
Explore), 11.3/52.3 World, 11.4/52.4 Create, 11.5/52.5
PBS

PBS Kids)
WYCN-CD

WYCN-CD (15.1
NBC

NBC (from WBTS-LD), 15.2
Cozi TV

Cozi TV (from WBTS-LD)
(transmits via WGBX-TV))
WPXG-TV (21.1 Ion, 21.2 Qubo, 21.3 Ion Life, 21.4 Ion Shop, 21.5 QVC,
21.6 HSN)
WLEK-LD (22.1 DrTV, Concord)
WWJE-DT

WWJE-DT (50.1 Justice)
WNEU

WNEU (60.1 TMD, 60.2
NBC

NBC (from WBTS-LD), 60.3 TXO, 60.4
Cozi TV

Cozi TV (from
WBTS-LD))
Local cable channels
NECN
NESN
CatholicTV
Charter TV3
BNNTV
MCCTV
NBC

NBC Sports Boston
NewTV
RCNTV'
WCCA-TV

WCCA-TV (Worcester)
Adjacent locals
WNNE

WNNE (31.1 NBC; Hartford, Vermont)
WSBE-TV

WSBE-TV (36.1 PBS, 36.2 Learn; Providence)
WVTA (41.1/ PBS/VPBS, 41.2
PBS

PBS Plus, 41.3 Create, 41.4
PBS

PBS Kids;
Windsor, Vermont)
Defunct
CN8
WHDH-TV 5 (ABC/CBS; unrelated to today's WHDH Ch. 7)
WNAC-TV

WNAC-TV 7 (CBS/ABC; unrelated to today's WHDH or Providence's WNAC-TV)
WJZB-TV 14 (Ind)
WNHT 21 (Ind/CBS)
WXPO-TV 50 (Ind)
WTAO-TV 56 (ABC/DuMont)
WXHR-TV 56 (experimental)
Adjacent areas
Portland, Maine
Hartford/New Haven
Massachusetts

Massachusetts television
Albany
Boston
Providence
Springfield
Vermont

Vermont Broadcast television
Albany/Schenectady
Boston, MA
Burlington/Plattsburgh
v
t
e
Broadcast television in
Rhode Island

Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts
including Providence and New Bedford
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable
with cable television
Local telecast stations
WLNE-TV

WLNE-TV (6.1 ABC, 6.2 Grit, 6.3 Escape)
WJAR

WJAR (10.1 NBC, 10.2 MeTV, 10.3 Comet, 10.4 TBD)
WPRI-TV

WPRI-TV (12.1 CBS, 12.2 MyNetworkTV, 12.3 Bounce TV, 12.4 GetTV)
WLWC

WLWC (28.1 Ion Life)
WSBE-TV

WSBE-TV (36.1 PBS, 36.2 Learn)
WRIW-CD (50.1 TMD)
WNAC-TV

WNAC-TV (64.1 Fox, 64.2 CW, 64.3 Laff)
WPXQ-TV (69.1 Ion, 69.2 Qubo, 69.3 Ion Shop, 69.5 QVC, 69.6 HSN)
Greater
Boston

Boston stations
available in region
WGBH-TV

WGBH-TV (2.1 PBS, 2.2 World)
WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV (4.1 CBS, 4.2 Decades)
WCVB-TV

WCVB-TV (5.1 ABC, 5.2 MeTV)
WHDH-TV (7.1 Ind., 7.2 This TV)
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD (8.1 NBC, 8.2 TMD, 8.3 Cozi TV, 8.4 TXO)
WFXT

WFXT (25.1 Fox, 25.2 Escape, 25.3 Laff)
WUNI

WUNI (27.1 UNI)
WSBK-TV
.png)
WSBK-TV (38.1 MNTV)
WGBX-TV

WGBX-TV (44.1 PBS, 44.3 Create, 44.4 Kids)
WWDP

WWDP (46.1 EVINE Live)
WLVI
_2013.png/450px-WLVI_Logo_(As_CW_56_LVI)_2013.png)
WLVI (56.1 CW, 56.2 Buzzr)
WBPX-TV (68.1 Ion, 68.2 Qubo, 68.3 Ion Life)
Connecticut

Connecticut stations
available in region
WHPX-TV (26.1 Ion, 26.2 Qubo, 26.3 Ion Life)
WEDN (53.1 PBS/CPTV, 53.3 CPTV Spirit)
Cable channels
NBC

NBC Sports Boston
NECN
NESN
OSN
Defunct channels
WNET/16 (ABC/DuMont)
News Channel 5
Eyewitness News Pinpoint Weather Station
Cox Sports
Massachusetts

Massachusetts television
Albany
Boston
Providence
Springfield
Major telecast station area: New York City, Hartford/New Haven and
Boston
v
t
e
NBC

NBC Network Affiliates in New England
Massachusetts
WBTS 8 & WYCN 15 (Boston/Nashua, NH)
WWLP

WWLP 22 (Springfield)
Maine
WLBZ

WLBZ 2 (Bangor)
WCSH

WCSH 6 (Portland)
New Hampshire
WCSH

WCSH 6 (Portland; serving Coos and Carroll Counties)
WNNE

WNNE 31 (Hartford, VT; serving Grafton and Sullivan Counties)
WBTS 8 (Boston; serving the rest of the state)
Vermont
WPTZ

WPTZ 5 (Plattsburgh; serving Burlington and most of Vermont)
WNNE

WNNE 31 (Hartford; serving the Upper
Connecticut

Connecticut Valley counties)
WNYT 13 (Albany; serving Bennington County)
WBTS 8 (Boston; serving Windham County and Windsor County)
Rhode Island
WJAR

WJAR 10 (Providence)
Connecticut
WVIT

WVIT 30 (Hartford/New Haven)
See also
ABC
CBS
CW
Fox
Ion
MyNetworkTV
NBC
PBS
Other stations in New England
v
t
e
NBCUniversal
A subsidiary of Comcast
Corporate
officials
Board of Directors
Steve Burke (CEO)
Brian L. Roberts
Jeffrey R. Immelt
Keith Sherin
Executives
Dick Ebersol
Robert Greenblatt
Bonnie Hammer
Ted Harbert
Ronald Meyer
Universal Filmed
Entertainment Group
Amblin Partners[nu 1]
Back Lot Music
Carnival Films
Chiller Films
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Classics
Big Idea Entertainment
Bullwinkle StudiosJV
Harvey Entertainment
DreamWorks Channel
Oriental DreamWorks[nu 2]
DreamWorks New Media
AwesomenessTV[nu 3]
Big Frame
Fandango (70%)
Focus Features
Gramercy Pictures
Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Mac Guff
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan
United International Pictures[nu 4]
Universal Animation Studios
Universal Playback
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Working Title Films
Universal Parks
& Resorts
United States
Universal Studios Hollywood
CityWalk
Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Studios Florida
Universal's Islands of Adventure
CityWalk
International
Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Beijing
NBCU Cable
Entertainment
Universal Cable Productions
Craftsy

Craftsy (major stake)
Networks
Syfy
USA Network
Lifestyle Group
Bravo
E!
Oxygen
Universal Kids
NBCU Digital
Hulu[nu 5]
Movieclips
NBCU Telemundo
Enterprises
NBC

NBC Universo
Telemundo
Puerto Rico Studios
Telemundo

Telemundo TV Studios
Telemundo

Telemundo Deportesw/
NBC

NBC Sports Group
NBC

NBC Sports Group
NBC

NBC Sports Ventures
Alli
Golf Channel
NBC

NBC Sports Digital
GolfNow
NBC

NBC Sports
NBCSN
Olympic Channel
part owner
MLB Network
NHL Network
NBC

NBC Sports
Regional Networks
Bay Area (45%)
Boston
California
Chicago (20%)
Northwest
Philadelphia
Washington
SNY (8%)
NBCUniversal
News Group
NBC

NBC News
NBCNews.com
The Weather Channel[nu 6]
MSNBC
Peacock Productions
C
NBC

NBC global channels
CNBC
C
NBC

NBC Africa (licensee)
C
NBC

NBC Asia
C
NBC

NBC Europe
C
NBC

NBC Latin America
C
NBC

NBC World
C
NBC

NBC Europe branches
Class C
NBC

NBC (20%)
C
NBC

NBC Africa (licensee)
C
NBC

NBC Arabiya
CNBC-e
C
NBC

NBC Nordic
C
NBC

NBC Asia branches
CNBC-TV18
C
NBC

NBC Australia
C
NBC

NBC Awaaz
C
NBC

NBC Hong Kong
C
NBC

NBC Pakistan
C
NBC

NBC Singapore
Nikkei CNBC
SBS-CNBC
NBCUniversal
International
Networks
13th Street Universal
Australia
Benelux
France
Germany
Spain
Bravo New Zealand
Euronews[nu 7]
Syfy

Syfy Universal
Asia
Australia
Benelux
France
Germany
Italy[nu 8]
Latin America
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovenia
Spain
United Kingdom
Diva Universal
Asia
Italy
Romania
Movies 24
Studio Universal
Latin America
Universal Channel
Asia
Australia
Germany
Greece
Japan
Poland
Turkey
United Kingdom
Style Network
Australia
E!
Asia
Australia
Europe
NBC

NBC Entertainment
NBC
DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation Television
Stamford Media Center
Universal Television
NBC

NBC Broadcasting
Affiliate Relations
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal Television Distribution
NBCU Owned
TV Stations
O&Os
NBC

NBC Owned
TV Stations
KNBC
KNSD
KNTV
KXAS-TV
WBTS-LD

WBTS-LD & WYCN-CD
WCAU
WMAQ-TV
WNBC
WRC-TV
WTVJ
WVIT

WVIT Other properties:
Cozi TV
K15CU-D
LXTV
New England

New England Cable News
Telemundo
Station Group
KBLR
KDEN-TV
KEJT-LP
KHRR
KNSD-DT20
KNSO[nu 9]
KSTS
KTAZ
KTDO
KTLM
KTMD
KVDA
KVEA
KXTX-TV
WKAQ-TV
WNEU
WNJU
WRDM-CD/WDMR-LP[nu 10]
WRIW-CD
WRMD-CD
WSCV
WSNS-TV
WTMO-CD
WWSI
WWDT-CD
WZTD-LD
WZDC-CD[nu 10] Other properties:
TeleXitos
Independent station
WZGS-CD
Other assets:
EMKA, Ltd.
International Media Distribution
PictureBox Films
Former/Defunct
properties
and predecessors:
Castle Films
Chapman Entertainment
Chiller
CIC Video
Cloo
Comcast

Comcast Network
Esquire Network
FilmDistrict
G4
Good Machine
Gramercy Pictures
Harvey Films/Harvey Comics
ITC Entertainment
Interscope Communications
Kitty Films
Miss Universe[nu 11]
Multimedia Entertainment
MCA Inc.
NBC

NBC Weather Plus
October Films
Pacific Data Images
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Propaganda Films
Seagram

Seagram Company Ltd.
Shift
Seeso
Total Television
United Productions of America
Universal HD
ZGS Communications
^ Co-owned with The Amblin Group, Participant Media, Reliance
Entertainment,
Entertainment One

Entertainment One and Alibaba Pictures.
^ Co-owned with China Media Capital,
Shanghai Media Group

Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai
Alliance Investment.
^ Co-owned with
Hearst Communications

Hearst Communications and Verizon Communications.
^ 50%, with Viacom's Paramount Pictures.
^ Co-owned with 21st Century Fox,
The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company and Time
Warner.
^ Co-owned with
The Blackstone Group
.svg/440px-The_Blackstone_Group_logo_(2).svg.png)
The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital.
^ Co-owned with Media Globe Networks and European public broadcasters.
^ Co-owned with Mediaset.
^ The station is owned by NBCUniversal, but is controlled by Serestar
Communications.
^ a b Operated by
NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal under a local marketing agreement.
^ Co-owned with
The Trump Organization

The Trump Organization before September 2015 sale to
WME/IMG.
v
t
e
Owned-and-operated stations of the major television networks of the
United States
Disney–ABC
ABC/Live Well (8):
KABC
KFSN
KGO
KTRK
WABC
WLS
WPVI
WTVD
CBS

CBS Corp.
CBS/Decades (14):
KCBS
KCNC
KDKA
KOVR
KPIX
KTVT
KYW
WBBM
WBZ
WCBS
WCCO
WFOR
WJZ
WWJ
The CW

The CW (w/WB) (8):
KBCW
KMAX
KSTW
WKBD
WPCW
WPSG
WTOG
WUPA
21st Century Fox
Fox (17):
KDFW
KMSP
KRIV
KSAZ
KTBC
KTTV
KTVU
WAGA
WFLD
WJBK
WJZY
WNYW
WOFL/WOGX
WTTG
WTVT
WTXF
MyNet (10):
KCOP
KDFI
KTXH
KUTP
WDCA
WFTC
WMYT
WPWR3
WRBW
WWOR
NBCU
NBC/Cozi (11):
KNBC
KNSD
KNTV
KXAS
WBTS & WYCN
WCAU
WMAQ
WNBC
WRC
WTVJ
WVIT
Telemundo/
TeleXitos

TeleXitos (25):
KBLR
KDEN
KEJT-LP
KHRR
KNSO2
KSTS
KTAZ
KTDO
KTLM
KTMD
KUAN-LD
KVDA
KVEA
KXTX
WKAQ
WNEU
WNJU
WRDM-CD

WRDM-CD & WDMR-CD4
WRMD-CD
WRIW-CD
WSCV
WSNS
WTMO-CD
WWDT-CD
WWSI
WZTD-LD
WZDC-CD4
Univision
Comm.
Univision

Univision (22):
KABE-CD
KAKW
KCEC1
KDTV
KFTV
KLUZ1
KMEX
KTVW
KUTH
KUVE
KUVN
KUVS
KWEX
KXLN
WFDC1
WGBO
WLII/WSUR
WLTV
WQHS
WUNI1
WUVC
WUVG
WUVP
WVEA1
WVEN1
WXTV
UniMás

UniMás (22):
KBTF
KFPH
KFSF
KTFF
KFTH
KTFK
KTFO
KFTR
KFTU
KNIC
KSTR
WAMI
WFPA-CD
WFTY
WFUT
WTNC
WXFT
Univision

Univision owns the licenses to these stations but the stations
themselves are operated by
Entravision Communications

Entravision Communications under LMA.
NBC

NBC Universal owns the license but the station is operated by Serestar
Communications.
Secondary affiliation;
The CW

The CW is the station's primary affiliation.
ZGS Communications owns the license but the station is operated by NB