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WABC-TV

From Alfawiki
WABC-TV
Company typeTelevision station
IndustryBroadcasting
FoundedAugust 10, 1948; 78 years ago (1948-08-10) in New York City, United States
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
OwnerABC Owned Television Stations (Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution)
Websiteabc7ny.com

WABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station based in New York City, serving as the primary flagship station for the ABC network. Owned and managed by ABC Owned Television Stations, its studios are located in the Hudson Square area of Lower Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters. The station's broadcast signal originates from the Empire State Building.

Known for its Eyewitness News format, WABC-TV also produces the nationally distributed morning program Live with Kelly and Mark, which is syndicated through corporate partner Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution.

WJZ-TV Era (1948–1953)

WABC-TV commenced operations on August 10, 1948, initially under the call sign WJZ-TV, marking it as one of three ABC-owned stations launched that year alongside WENR-TV in Chicago and WXYZ-TV in Detroit. The call letters were derived from its then-associated radio counterpart, WJZ. Early broadcasts resembled those typical of an independent station, reflecting ABC's developing network status; however, starting with the fall 1949 schedule, the station incorporated a greater volume of network prime time programming.

The station’s initial transmission site was atop The Pierre Hotel at 2 East 61st Street before moving to the Empire State Building. Its original studio facilities were situated at 77 West 66th Street, supplemented by additional space at 7 West 66th Street, connected via an underground passage to the Hotel des Artistes on West 67th Street, where production for Eyewitness News Conference was conducted.

Transition to WABC-TV (1953–present)

On March 1, 1953, following ABC's merger with United Paramount Theatres—a separation from former owner Paramount Pictures mandated by government regulation—the station adopted the WABC-TV call letters. The WJZ-TV identifier was reassigned in 1957 to Westinghouse Broadcasting for their Baltimore ABC affiliate until 1995.

During ABC’s expansion in 1977, new facilities were developed at 7 Lincoln Square and 30 West 67th Street, completed by June 1979, prompting WABC-TV’s relocation from 77 West 66th Street to the Lincoln Square address.

On September 11, 2001, WABC-TV’s transmitter was destroyed during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Engineer Donald DiFranco lost his life in the event. Subsequently, the station temporarily relayed its signal through various local broadcasters before establishing transmission from Alpine, New Jersey’s Armstrong Tower, eventually returning to the Empire State Building.

In 2004, ABC introduced ABC News Now on its O&O digital subchannels; this experimental service concluded in January 2005. Programming then transitioned to ABC Plus, emphasizing local news and public affairs content. From December 2005 until March 2006, ABC collaborated with AccuWeather to provide a multicast weather service on WABC's third subchannel.

A significant fire on May 27, 2007 severely damaged WABC-TV’s studios and interrupted broadcasts until early May 28. The station resumed newscasts from temporary facilities and fully returned to its main studios by June 20 of that year.

The Live Well Network launched in high definition on April 27, 2009 across .2 subchannels of ABC O&O stations.

Complying with the federal digital transition mandate, WABC-TV ended analog transmissions on VHF channel 7 at 12:30 p.m. on June 12, 2009. Its digital broadcast moved from UHF channel 45 back to VHF channel 7 but initially experienced reception difficulties due to FCC power limitations. In early 2010, after applying for an increase from 11.69 kW to nearly 27 kW, WABC received approval to boost its signal strength and improve coverage.

By May 2013, WABC-TV and sister station WPVI-TV in Philadelphia became pioneers among ABC-owned stations by offering live streaming through the relaunched Watch ABC mobile applications for authenticated cable and satellite subscribers.

In January 2015, ABC announced that its stations’ third subchannel would affiliate with the newly launched Laff network beginning in April; until then, Live Well Network programming continued airing on both subchannels. On February 17, 2020, Live Well Network was rebranded as Localish on .2 subchannels to highlight lifestyle-oriented content.

Programming

WABC has a longstanding tradition of airing events such as the Columbus Day Parade and Puerto Rican Day Parade. Beginning in 2017, it became the pioneer station to televise the New York City LGBT Pride March. The station also creates local content like Here and Now, which addresses issues affecting the Black community in the area; Tiempo, dedicated to Hispanic community topics; and Up Close, a public affairs show featuring influential newsmakers. In the past, WABC produced Viewpoint, a weekly rotating program showcasing cultural and community initiatives throughout New York, Long Island, and New Jersey.

, besides Live with Kelly and Mark, WABC's current first-run syndicated offerings include Tamron Hall, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune.

Live with Kelly and Mark

The nationally syndicated talk show Live with Kelly and Mark is produced by WABC-TV. Until 2011, the show was broadcast from the same studio as Eyewitness News, which limited set space and necessitated that news segments during both Good Morning America and Live be produced within the newsroom.

This show's roots go back to 1970 with the local program A.M. New York, originally hosted by John Bartholomew Tucker. Later hosts included Stanley Siegel (1975–78), during which time it briefly adopted the title The Stanley Siegel Show. After 1980, it was renamed Good Morning New York and featured hosts such as Spencer Christian and Doug Johnson, but it was canceled in early 1983 after failing to compete with WNBC-TV's Donahue.

One month later, WABC introduced its second morning show, The Morning Show, with hosts Regis Philbin and Cyndy Garvey, later joined by Ann Abernathy and then Kathie Lee Johnson. In 1988, Buena Vista Television syndicated it nationwide as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. Following Kathie Lee Gifford’s departure in 2000, Kelly Ripa became co-host. When Philbin left in November 2011, the program continued as Live! with Kelly for nearly a year before former NFL athlete Michael Strahan joined in September 2012. Strahan exited in May 2016 to join Good Morning America. Ryan Seacrest succeeded him in May 2017, prompting WABC to construct an additional studio to accommodate his Los Angeles-based radio commitments. Seacrest departed in April 2023; three days later, Ripa’s spouse, Mark Consuelos, assumed co-host duties.

Sports programming

WABC-TV serves as the local over-the-air broadcaster for Monday Night Football games that are simulcast from ESPN on ABC, except for ESPN-exclusive MNF broadcasts featuring either the Giants or Jets, which are aired on WPIX. The station also previously covered the Giants’ triumph in Super Bowl XXV.

Since 2013, WABC-TV has held exclusive local English-language rights to broadcast the annual New York City Marathon, preempting a weekend edition of Good Morning America and postponing This Week for the live coverage. Nationally, the marathon is simulcast on ESPN2, although it is blacked out within the local market.

The station airs games involving the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets through NBA on ABC, including Knicks appearances in the 1970, 1972, and 1973 NBA Finals, as well as the then-New Jersey Nets’ participation in the 2003 Finals.

WABC-TV has also televised games featuring the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils via NHL on ABC, including Devils’ victories in both the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals and 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. Since 2021, WABC-TV resumed its role as the over-the-air simulcast partner for NHL on ESPN.

Under ABC's share of the MLS on ESPN package, WABC-TV broadcast New York City FC’s 2021 MLS Cup win as well as New York Red Bulls’ appearance in the 2008 MLS Cup.

Historically, WABC-TV also aired games involving the New York Yankees and New York Mets under ABC’s baseball contract, including Yankees’ championships in the 1977 World Series and their participation in the 1981 World Series.

News operation

WABC-TV currently broadcasts a total of 48 hours and 55 minutes of local news each week, averaging 7 hours and 35 minutes on weekdays and 5½ hours on each weekend day. The station partners with its Philadelphia affiliate, WPVI-TV—originators of the Action News format—to jointly produce statewide political debates focused on New Jersey. For significant statewide elections such as Governor or U.S. Senate races, both stations combine their anchors, reporters, and resources. They also coordinate coverage in shared New Jersey markets by pooling reporters, live vehicles, and helicopter assets.

Early years to 1968

WABC-TV debuted its first regular news broadcast titled Report to New York on October 26, 1959, featuring Scott Vincent delivering the news, Howard Cosell covering sports, and Lynn Dollar reporting weather. By January 1961, the program was expanded to include a 15-minute early edition at 6:15 p.m. on weeknights as well as weekend evenings.

On October 22, 1962, the station lengthened its weeknight newscast to 45 minutes and renamed it The Big News. Anchors Bill Beutel and Jim Burnes led the broadcast alongside Cosell on sports and Rosemary Haley handling weather updates. Despite these changes, the show did not surpass competitors WCBS-TV or WNBC-TV in ratings.

The Eyewitness News period

In early 1968, Bill Beutel departed for ABC News in London and was succeeded by Roger Grimsby from KGO-TV. The program underwent a revamp featuring Tex Antoine presenting weather, Rona Barrett reporting gossip, Jimmy Breslin offering political commentary, Martin Bookspan and Allan Jeffries providing reviews, with Cosell continuing sports coverage. This iteration, known as Roger Grimsby and the Noisemakers, experienced a significant decline in viewership.

Later that year, news director Al Primo introduced the innovative Eyewitness News format which emphasized reporters speaking directly to the audience and incorporated informal "happy talk" exchanges among anchors. The theme music was Lalo Schifrin's "Tar Sequence" from the Cool Hand Luke soundtrack. This new approach rejuvenated WABC-TV’s news division, elevating it to the top spot in ratings within a year and overtaking WCBS-TV. Throughout the decade, WABC-TV alternated first place with WCBS-TV while maintaining close competition with WNBC-TV.

Primo retained Grimsby, Cosell, and Antoine from the previous lineup and added Tom Dunn from WCBS-TV as co-anchor. After Dunn left in 1970, Bill Beutel returned to join Grimsby; together they became the prominent faces of Eyewitness News for sixteen years.

In 1975, Beutel briefly exited to co-host ABC's AM America, with Bill Bonds and Tom Ellis replacing him alongside Grimsby. Following the cancellation of AM America later that year, Beutel resumed co-anchoring duties with Grimsby. Bonds departed in 1976 and was replaced by Larry Kane for one year; Ellis left in 1977 and Ernie Anastos took over the 11 p.m. slot, co-anchoring with Rose Ann Scamardella and subsequently Kaity Tong.

On November 30, 1981, WABC introduced a 5 p.m. newscast initially anchored by Storm Field and Scamardella; Anastos and Tong later assumed these roles. Tom Snyder joined the team from 1982 until 1984. Anastos and Beutel co-anchored the short-lived afternoon show Eyewitness Extra before it was discontinued in early 1983.

In 1985, Bill Applegate was recruited from WLS-TV as news director to boost ratings. After ratings continued to decline, Grimsby was dismissed in April 1986—an action that generated controversy—and he soon joined rival station WNBC-TV. By 1987, WABC regained first place in New York City ratings and has maintained its position as market leader since then, becoming the most-watched broadcast station across the United States. Beutel retired from anchoring in 2001 after setting a record for the longest tenure as lead anchor in New York City television history at that time; his record has since been surpassed by Chuck Scarborough of WNBC and Rafael Pineda of WXTV.

2000–present

WABC-TV's news division is recognized for its clear and direct delivery, particularly during urgent news events. Over the last ten years, it has frequently topped local viewership charts, benefiting from strong lead-ins provided by widely watched talk and entertainment programs. For more than two decades—from December 1986 until May 2011—The Oprah Winfrey Show at 4 p.m. acted as a crucial lead-in to the 5 p.m. Eyewitness News, significantly enhancing its audience numbers.

The station offered rebroadcasts of newscasts on digital subchannels, including a dedicated local weather and news channel with live streaming available through "Channel 7 Eyewitness News NOW," which featured updates powered by AccuWeather. On February 24, 2011, WABC-TV, along with sister stations KABC-TV and WLS-TV, discontinued these channels in favor of a standard definition simulcast of the Live Well Network, which was subsequently replaced by Laff in April 2015.

On December 2, 2006, WABC-TV became the second station in New York City to air local newscasts in high definition. In September 2010, weekday morning coverage was extended to begin at 4:30 a.m., while Saturday morning newscasts were lengthened to run until 10 a.m. Following the conclusion of Oprah, a new 4 p.m. local news hour was introduced on May 26, 2011.

September 2011 saw WABC-TV debut broadcasts from a newly established street-level window studio located at its ABC headquarters on Columbus Avenue; the former news studio was converted for use by Live with Kelly. Weekend late-night newscasts at 11 p.m. were expanded to a full hour starting January 2012, and the midday newscast was extended to one hour in September 2014.

On January 31, 2022, WABC unveiled "ABC 7 New York 24/7 Stream," launching a streaming-exclusive newscast at 6:30 p.m. Then, on September 11, 2023, WABC-TV along with sister stations WPVI-TV and WTVD premiered a new hour-long newscast at 10 a.m., replacing Tamron Hall with a focus on traditional news and local reporting; WABC postponed its debut by one day due to coverage of the September 11 anniversary.

The station transitioned from its longtime home in Lincoln Square to Disney’s newly developed Hudson Square campus in Lower Manhattan on February 22, 2025.

Anchors
Weather
Sports
Reporters

Notable former on-air staff

Subchannels

The station's broadcast is multiplexed:

WABC-TV Subchannels
Channel Resolution Aspect Ratio Identifier Content
7.1 720p 16:9 WABC 7 ABC Network
7.2 LOCLish Localish Programming
7.3 480i Charge Charge!
7.4 HSN Home Shopping Network
11.1 720p 16:9 PIX11 The CW (WPIX)

Cablevision (2010)

On March 7, 2010, Cablevision's New York area systems dropped WABC-TV after failing to finalize a retransmission consent contract, impacting as many as three million subscribers. The station encouraged viewers to consider alternatives such as Verizon FiOS, DirecTV, or using over-the-air antennas paired with digital converters to maintain service. Additionally, sister station WPVI-TV was removed from Cablevision’s systems in Mercer, Ocean, and Monmouth counties in New Jersey.

Later that evening, roughly twenty minutes into ABC’s airing of the 82nd Academy Awards, Cablevision and ABC reached an agreement, reinstating WABC and WPVI signals after nearly a 21-hour interruption.

Time Warner Cable (2010)

During July 2010, Disney entered into a carriage conflict with Time Warner Cable (currently Spectrum), marking its first dispute with the provider in ten years. This disagreement involved four ABC owned-and-operated stations (WABC-TV, KABC-TV, WTVD, and WTVG in Toledo, Ohio), along with Disney Channel and ESPN networks. Without resolution, these channels faced potential removal from Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks systems nationwide. On September 2, 2010, Disney and Time Warner Cable finalized a long-term contract ensuring continued carriage of these networks.

Charter Spectrum (2023)

On August 31, 2023, Disney withdrew all its channels—including WABC-TV, two additional ABC-owned stations, and ESPN networks—from Spectrum cable platforms amid a carriage dispute. This marked Disney’s first such disagreement with Spectrum since 2010. The blackout concluded on September 11, 2023, when Charter Communications, Spectrum’s parent company, and Disney signed a new distribution agreement restoring the affected channels.

DirecTV (2024)

On September 1, 2024, Disney removed its programming from DirecTV following unsuccessful negotiations for a distribution deal. This blackout interrupted access to key content such as WABC-TV and ESPN coverage of the New York Jets season opener on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. The conflict was resolved on September 14 with a new agreement reinstating Disney’s channels on DirecTV.

See also

External links

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