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WCBS-TV

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WCBS-TV
Company typeTelevision station
IndustryBroadcasting
FoundedJuly 21, 1931; 95 years ago (1931-07-21) in New York City, United States
FounderCBS
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Area served
New York metropolitan area
ProductsTelevision broadcasting
OwnerCBS News and Stations (Paramount Global)
ParentCBS News and Stations
Websitenewyork.cbslocal.com

WCBS-TV (channel 2), known on-air as CBS New York, operates as a television station based in New York City and serves as the principal station of the CBS network, under ownership and management by CBS News and Stations. It shares its production facilities with the independent station WLNY-TV (channel 55), licensed to Riverhead, located at the CBS Broadcast Center in Midtown Manhattan. The station's transmitter is positioned atop One World Trade Center.

Founding era (1931–1951)

WCBS-TV traces its origins to CBS's experimental broadcast outlet W2XAB, which commenced operations on July 21, 1931, utilizing primitive mechanical television technology. Its inaugural broadcast included appearances by New York Mayor Jimmy Walker, singer Kate Smith, and composer George Gershwin. W2XAB was among the pioneers to maintain a seven-day weekly schedule, transmitting approximately 28 hours each week. Early programming slate featured shows such as Harriet Lee, The Television Ghost, and Piano Lessons. By broadcasting video signals on 2750 kHz and audio on 6120 kHz shortwave frequencies, the station’s reach extended beyond New York City to metropolitan areas like Boston and Baltimore.

Bill Schudt, who served as announcer and director, was the only paid staff member; all other contributors were volunteers. The station was innovative in developing various program formats, while engineer Bill Lodge created the first synchronized sound wave in 1932, facilitating simultaneous transmission of audio and video over a single channel. On November 8, 1932, it delivered the first televised coverage of presidential election results. Operations were suspended in February 1933 to transition from mechanical to fully electronic systems, resuming broadcasts in 1939 from new studios at Grand Central Station, with a transmitter installed atop the Chrysler Building, operating on channel 2. On August 28, 1940, W2XAB presented the first color television broadcast in the United States, although this system was incompatible with black-and-white receivers.

On June 24, 1941, W2XAB was granted a commercial construction permit under the call sign WCBW and began commercial transmissions on July 1, shortly after competitor WNBT (channel 1). This positioned it as the second fully authorized commercial TV station in the nation. Its debut commercial broadcast included the country’s initial local newscast aired on a commercial station. Initially assigned to frequencies between 60–66 MHz (then identified as channel 2), WCBW solidified its programming schedule by October 29, 1941, and received a full broadcast license on March 10, 1942. Following World War II, FCC frequency reallocations shifted it to channel 2’s new range (54–60 MHz) in spring 1946—a frequency it maintained until ceasing analog broadcasts in 2009.

In compliance with FCC regulations permitting co-owned radio and television stations to share call signs with a "-TV" suffix, WCBW adopted the WCBS-TV designation on November 1, 1946. This change coincided with CBS renaming its New York radio outlets from WABC (880 AM) and WABC-FM (101.1) to WCBS and WCBS-FM, respectively.

Analog era developments (1951–2008)

On February 26, 1951, WCBS-TV pioneered regularly scheduled feature film broadcasts with its program The Late Show. Later that year, on August 11, it transmitted the first baseball game in color television between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves at Ebbets Field. This utilized CBS’s field-sequential color system, which was incompatible with black-and-white televisions. CBS discontinued this approach after the FCC endorsed RCA’s all-electronic dot sequential color system in late 1953. Despite this early experimentation with color broadcasts, WCBS-TV aired relatively few color programs until mid-1960s when color TV sets became more accessible.

In May 1997, WCBS-TV rebranded itself as "CBS 2," aligning its identity with sister stations KCBS-TV and WBBM-TV, while preserving a unique logo design.

During the September 11 terrorist attacks, WCBS-TV’s over-the-air signal continued uninterrupted due to a fully operational backup transmitter located at the Empire State Building—maintained since relocating its primary transmitter from the World Trade Center North Tower in 1975. The station’s coverage was simultaneously broadcast nationwide via Viacom-owned cable network VH1. For a brief period following the attacks, WCBS-TV was the sole provider of full over-the-air television service within New York City and temporarily offered transmission access to other stations until their backup systems were restored. This emergency backup transmitter had previously been activated during the aftermath of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Digital era

On June 12, 2009, at 2 p.m., WCBS-TV ended its analog transmission on VHF channel 2 in adherence to the federally mandated digital conversion. The station shifted its digital broadcast from UHF channel 56, which was removed from service, to channel 33, while continuing to use virtual channel 2. Under the provisions of the nightlight clause, WCBS maintained its analog signal for public service announcements until July 13, 2009, likely making it among the final full-power NTSC stations to cease analog broadcasts.

In November 2011, WCBS-TV introduced digital subchannel 2.2 as CBS New York Plus, a round-the-clock news outlet utilizing content from WCBS-TV and its sister radio stations WINS and WFAN. Although CBS planned to implement Plus channels across its owned stations, only WCBS and Philadelphia’s KYW-TV launched this service.

CBS Television Stations revealed on December 12, 2011, its intention to purchase WLNY-TV (channel 55) in Riverhead, New York, for $55 million, creating a duopoly with WCBS-TV. The acquisition included plans to expand WLNY's local news offerings beyond its existing late-night newscast. The FCC approved this transaction on January 31, 2012, with CBS assuming control on March 30. WLNY halted its independent news production before the merger and began broadcasting WCBS-produced newscasts starting July 2, 2012.

By February 2012, WCBS-TV had secured a construction permit for a digital fill-in translator on channel 22 licensed to Plainview, New York. This measure addressed signal interference issues on eastern and central Long Island caused by overlapping broadcasts from Hartford’s WFSB on channel 33. In 2016, WCBS-TV resumed transmissions from One World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.

On October 21, 2014, CBS and Weigel Broadcasting announced the launch of Decades, a new digital subchannel network debuting May 25, 2015, on all CBS-owned stations including WCBS-TV’s channel 2.2. Co-owned by CBS and Weigel (owner of Milwaukee’s WDJT-TV), Decades showcased programming from CBS Television Distribution’s extensive archive alongside historical news footage. On September 3, 2018, Decades was replaced on WCBS-TV’s subchannel by Start TV. Decades returned to the New York market via WNYW channel 5.5 in October 2019 through a Weigel-Fox partnership.

Following the FCC's spectrum incentive auction during 2016–17, WCBS-TV transitioned its digital broadcast from channel 33 to channel 36 on August 1, 2019.

On December 12, 2018, WCBS-TV joined forces with CBS Interactive to launch CBSN New York—a localized version of the CBSN streaming platform—available through cbsnewyork.com and affiliated applications.

With the December 4, 2019 merger of CBS Corporation and Viacom into ViacomCBS (currently Paramount Global), both WCBS and WLNY became part of this expanded media conglomerate.

News operation

When it launched as commercial station WCBW in 1941, two daily news programs were broadcast featuring Richard Hubbell as anchor. Most newscasts consisted of Hubbell reading prepared scripts with occasional visual cutaways. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, WCBW aired an extensive special report that incorporated commentary from CBS radio personnel. This unscheduled live broadcast pushed the boundaries of television journalism and marked a notable advancement for the medium. Due to wartime limitations including staff enlistment and equipment shortages, WCBW suspended live newscasts and studio activities in May 1942.

By May 1944, as Allied fortunes improved during the war, WCBW resumed news broadcasts with anchors Ned Calmer and Everett Holles. After being renamed WCBS-TV in 1946 postwar, news programming expanded featuring Milo Boulton followed by Douglas Edwards. On May 3, 1948, Edwards began anchoring CBS Television News, recognized as the first regularly scheduled network television news program with an anchor presenting weeknights at 7:30 p.m. It was retitled Douglas Edwards with the News in 1950 and became the first coast-to-coast news broadcast in 1951 thanks to new coaxial cable technology. Walter Cronkite succeeded Edwards in anchoring duties in 1962 when it was renamed the CBS Evening News. Edwards remained with CBS News until his retirement in 1988.

Throughout the 1950s into the mid-1960s, local newscasts at WCBS-TV were anchored by Robert Trout at 7 p.m., alongside Don Hollenbeck or Douglas Edwards at the late news slot of 11 p.m. In 1965, control of local newscast production shifted from CBS News to individual stations; Jim Jensen replaced Trout and Edwards after gaining recognition for his coverage of Robert F. Kennedy's Senate campaign in 1964. During the ’60s and ’70s, WCBS-TV engaged in close ratings competition with WNBC-TV and later WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News. The early ’80s witnessed fierce rivalry among anchor teams from these three stations.

WCBS-TV debuted its weekday 5 p.m. newscast on January 25, 1982. Prominent figures included anchors Dave Marash, Rolland Smith, Michele Marsh, Vic Miles; meteorologists Frank Field and John Coleman; reporters Meredith Vieira, Randall Pinkston, Tony Guida, John Stossel, Arnold Díaz; and sportscaster Warner Wolf. Many reporters subsequently advanced into roles at the national CBS network level.

In 1988, an on-air dispute involving Jim Jensen and co-anchor Bree Walker led to Walker’s exit shortly before Jensen entered rehabilitation for substance abuse. By the early ’90s WCBS-TV experienced a ratings decline against WNBC. On August 31, 1992, Channel 2 launched a one-hour weekday morning newscast anchored by Morry Alter and Lisa Rudolph with Jay Trelease handling traffic updates and Craig Allen providing weather forecasts. Late in 1994 Jensen was removed from anchoring duties and reassigned to a Sunday public-affairs show; he retired in 1995 following Westinghouse Electric Corporation's acquisition of CBS.

By late 1995 WCBS-TV had fallen to last place in ratings for the first time while WNBC rose to second place—a position it held for over ten years. The station’s rebranding from Channel 2 News to 2 News contributed to this decline during February’s sweeps period in 1996.

1996 "massacre": Extensive layoffs and format revisions

On October 2, 1996, WCBS-TV conducted an extraordinary dismissal of seven employees, among them anchors John Johnson, Michele Marsh, Tony Guida, sports anchor Bernie Smilovitz, and reporters Reggie Harris, Roseanne Colletti, and Magee Hickey. This sudden action, overseen by news director Bill Carey, sought to rejuvenate the newsroom amid financial strains faced by CBS after its merger with Westinghouse. The terminations took place immediately following the 6 p.m. newscast, preventing Johnson and Marsh from delivering on-air farewells.

This restructuring culminated in May 1997 with the station's rebranding as News 2, adopting a brisker pace that featured an increased number of stories and the tagline "More news in less time." The station transitioned its identity from New York's Channel 2 to CBS 2, unveiling a striking italicized "2" logo adjacent to the CBS eye emblem. Despite these modifications, audience ratings remained stagnant, leading to the introduction of a "virtual studio" presentation incorporating CGI graphics alongside a "club" remix of WBBM-TV's theme music. This strategy also failed to boost viewership, prompting WCBS to return to a conventional newscast format by 2000. The "club" remix soundtrack persisted until early that year.

CBS 2 News

In 2000, Joel Cheatwood—recognized for developing WSVN Miami's 7 News format—was appointed news director. He rebranded the newscasts as the CBS 2 Information Network, integrating partnerships with outlets such as U.S. News & World Report and VH1 while adopting a tabloid-oriented approach. Cheatwood redesigned the 11 p.m. broadcast into Nightcast, which featured a grittier tone. The station shared facilities with CBS Sports and employed two distinct musical themes composed by Edd Kalehoff: "WCBS Grand" for standard newscasts and a separate composition for Nightcast. However, these changes did not translate into improved ratings, resulting in Cheatwood’s exit in 2002.

Following him, Dianne Doctor assumed leadership and phased out the tabloid style along with the Information Network branding in favor of a "news for the people" philosophy inspired by WNBC. She replaced Kalehoff’s scores with John Hegner’s "News in Focus," aligning WCBS’s blue and silver aesthetic with other CBS-owned stations.

Doctor emphasized serious journalism while reviving investigative segments like Arnold Diaz's Emmy-winning "Shame on You," which was relaunched in 2003 before Diaz departed again in 2005. Another feature, "Eat at Your Own Risk," highlighted hazardous restaurant practices—including violations found within the CBS Broadcast Center cafeteria itself.

Despite these initiatives, ratings remained largely unchanged under Doctor’s tenure. She faced criticism for focusing on such segments at the expense of major news stories and for leading the May 24, 2005, 11 p.m. broadcast with celebrity gossip rather than important political coverage.

On May 27, 2004, Doctor made the contentious decision to dismiss popular sports anchor Warner Wolf prior to his contract expiration; Chris Wragge from Houston’s KPRC-TV succeeded him. In June 2005, Jim Rosenfield returned to co-anchor alongside Roz Abrams after previous roles at WCBS and WNBC. Rosenfield replaced Ernie Anastos, who departed for WNYW.

On August 22, 2005, WCBS introduced "Live Doppler 2 Million," an advanced live Doppler weather radar system that attracted both media attention and some mockery. The radar was renamed simply "Live Doppler" in 2006 and utilized VIPIR processing software. Earlier that year, transportation reporter Arthur Chi’en was terminated following an on-air incident involving prank calls from the Opie and Anthony radio show.

Dianne Doctor exited WCBS on April 14, 2006, reportedly due to conflicts with new general manager Peter Dunn’s vision, which included discontinuing investigative features like "Shame on You" and "Eat at Your Own Risk." Subsequently, WCBS revamped its graphics package and anchor team lineup, receiving favorable reviews from media critics.

Alliance with The Weather Channel; audience gains

In September 2006, WCBS-TV's meteorology team formed a collaboration with The Weather Channel, involving shared appearances by meteorologists as well as exchanging radar and satellite information. During this period, The Weather Channel incorporated New York City weather reports featuring WCBS meteorologists on its Evening Edition show, while WCBS forecasts adopted the tagline "exclusive forecast from CBS 2 and The Weather Channel." This collaboration concluded on July 7, 2008, following The Weather Channel's acquisition by NBCUniversal, which owns competing station WNBC.

Changes in staff

On November 6, 2006, WCBS-TV restructured its midday and 5 p.m. news programs by appointing former sports director Chris Wragge alongside newcomer Kristine Johnson as co-anchors, replacing Roz Abrams and Mary Calvi (who transitioned to weekend evening anchoring). Calvi also co-anchored morning broadcasts with Rob Morrison. On December 25, 2006, John Elliot took over morning and noon meteorology duties from Audrey Puente, who left for WWOR-TV. WCBS recruited Lonnie Quinn from Miami while gradually phasing out John Bolaris. On June 25, 2007, Wragge and Johnson assumed the 11 p.m. newscast roles, swapping with Dana Tyler and Jim Rosenfield at noon; Tyler and Rosenfield continued anchoring the 6 p.m. news. Rosenfield departed in May 2008 and was replaced by weekend anchor Don Dahler.

Ratings growth and updated studio

By February 2007, WCBS-TV recorded its highest ratings in sixteen years, ranking second overall behind WABC-TV, although most individual newscasts placed third. During the November 2007 sweeps, WCBS’s evening news overtook WNBC for second place amid WNBC’s decline—marking WCBS’s strongest showing in over a decade—yet remained well behind WABC-TV. On April 11, 2007, WCBS became the third New York City station to air newscasts in high-definition. By May 2008, WCBS extended its advantage over WNBC but ceded its long-held No. 1 noon newscast spot to WABC—the only other station airing a noon broadcast—and has not reclaimed it since.

Approximately a year later, WCBS revised its noon anchor lineup again, pairing morning anchors Maurice DuBois and Mary Calvi with John Elliott handling weather. DuBois subsequently moved to co-anchor weeknight newscasts at 5 and 11 p.m. alongside Johnson (with Wragge moving to The Early Show before returning to co-anchor the 6 p.m. broadcast with Dana Tyler), while Calvi continues to lead weekday mornings and noon broadcasts.

Current status of WCBS-TV

During the February 2011 Nielsen sweeps, WCBS-TV’s 11 p.m. newscast briefly surpassed WABC-TV in total household viewership but lost that lead by May of the same year. Since then, WABC-TV has held the top spot at 11 p.m., while WCBS-TV slipped to third place by March 2021 due to increasing ratings at WNBC.

On March 12–13, 2020, due to COVID-19-related disinfection of the CBS Broadcast Center, WCBS-TV’s newscasts were produced remotely by sister stations KCBS-TV (Los Angeles) and KPIX-TV (San Francisco), with weather segments originating from a mobile unit. Although broadcasts briefly returned to the Broadcast Center before it closed again on March 18, production shifted back to KCBS-TV. Beginning March 20, WCBS-TV utilized YES Network’s Stamford studios for broadcasts, repurposing idle sports facilities during MLB season delays. Production resumed at the Broadcast Center on April 17.

In January 2025, Maurice DuBois advanced to co-anchor the CBS Evening News alongside John Dickerson, leaving WCBS-TV to concentrate on the national broadcast.

Sports coverage

Between 1956 and 1993, WCBS-TV was the primary broadcaster for most New York Giants games as part of CBS's NFL package. Following CBS's loss of NFC broadcasting rights to Fox in 1994, Giants games transitioned to WNYW. Presently, Giants preseason contests are televised on NBC-owned WNBC, with WWOR-TV serving as an alternate outlet during scheduling conflicts caused by the Summer Olympics. The NFL returned to CBS and WCBS-TV in 1998 with rights to AFC matchups; currently, the station airs New York Jets preseason games along with the majority of their regular season schedule. It also occasionally broadcasts Giants games when they face AFC opponents or under the 'cross-flex' policy that transfers certain NFC games from Fox to CBS. From 1970 until 1993, Jets home games against NFC teams were shown on WCBS. Regular season Jets games rotate among WNBC (for NBC Sunday Night Football), WNYW (Fox Thursday Night Football), WABC-TV (Monday Night Football), WPIX (Monday Night Football when WABC is unavailable), and sometimes WWOR-TV. WCBS also covered the Giants’ victories and defeats in Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXXV respectively.

In 1980, WCBS-TV aired Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals through CBS Sports Spectacular, showcasing the New York Islanders’ inaugural Stanley Cup championship. More recently, in 2021 and 2022, the station broadcasted the New York City ePrix after CBS acquired the rights to Formula E racing.

WCBS-TV acquired over-the-air broadcasting rights for New York Yankees games in 2002, taking over from Fox’s WNYW. These telecasts, produced by the YES Network, continued until 2004 before shifting to UPN affiliate WWOR-TV in 2005. Additionally, WCBS aired Yankees and Mets games during CBS's Major League Baseball contract from 1990 through 1993.

Moreover, WCBS-TV served as the official regional host broadcaster for the 1996 NCAA Men's Final Four held at Continental Airlines Arena.

Present

Former

Digital subchannels

The broadcast signal of the station is divided into multiple streams:

WCBS-TV subchannel lineup
Channel Resolution Aspect ratio Identifier Content
2.1 1080i 16:9 WCBS-HD CBS
2.2 480i STARTTV Start TV
2.3 DABL Dabl
2.4 FAVE-TV Fave TV
2.5 COMET Comet
21.2 480i 16:9 CREATE Create (WLIW)

Translator station

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External resources

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