WECT (New York)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | September 1952 |
| Defunct | May 27, 1954 |
| Fate | Ceased operations due to financial difficulties; license surrendered |
| Headquarters | Elmira, New York , United States |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
| Owner | El-Cor Television, Inc. |
WECT (channel 18) was a television station based in Elmira, New York, United States. Owned by El-Cor Television, Inc., it was the second television outlet in Elmira following WTVE (channel 24). The station operated from September 1953 until May 1954, ceasing broadcasts after seven months due to financial difficulties.
History
El-Cor Television, Inc. was established in September 1952 with investors including the Corning Leader and the Elmira Star-Gazette. Both newspapers withdrew their separate FCC applications for channels 18 and 24 to support El-Cor’s bid. The Federal Communications Commission granted the construction permit on February 26, 1953. However, building the station was postponed until Elmira-Corning Broadcasting Corporation divested its interest in WELM, as there was signal overlap with stations owned by shareholders of the newspapers. Construction commenced on March 25 following WELM’s acquisition by Radio Elmira, Inc.
Development began on a combined studio and transmitter facility located at Hawley Hill. In July, an affiliation deal with NBC was secured. The station intended to produce local content alongside NBC network programming.
The initial broadcast objective focused on airing the 1953 World Series, which was accomplished on September 30 by retransmitting NBC’s coverage from WSYR-TV in Syracuse. After the World Series concluded, WECT temporarily halted full-scale broadcasting and instead transmitted test patterns and select NBC programs until October 19, when local productions started. Official regular transmissions commenced on October 22 with a formal station dedication.
On May 27, 1954, WECT announced it would suspend operations due to ongoing financial losses. In September, El-Cor surrendered the license to the FCC and declared no intention to resume broadcasting. The property was sold in 1955; the transmitter building was converted for residential use while the tower was leased to a cable provider.
Later proposals sought to utilize channel 18 as a relay station, with applications from WSYR-TV and WNBF-TV in Binghamton. After WNBF-TV withdrew its application, WSYR-TV obtained the construction permit. WSYE-TV, primarily serving as a Syracuse repeater, began transmissions on September 15, 1956. This station later developed into WETM-TV, maintaining studios at Hawley Hill until 1988 and continuing to use the original transmitter location.