WKNY-TV

WKNY-TV

Company type	Private
Industry	Broadcasting
Founded	May 1954 (1954-05)
Defunct	July 25, 1956 (1956-07-25)
Headquarters	Kingston, New York , United States
Products	Television broadcasting

WKNY-TV (channel 66) was a television station based in Kingston, New York, providing service to the Hudson Valley region from May 1954 until July 1956. It operated alongside the radio outlet WKNY (1490 AM) from facilities including studios and a transmitter located in Port Ewen, just south of Kingston. Financial difficulties, a common issue among early ultra high frequency (UHF) broadcasters, ultimately led to its shutdown. Although authorization was granted to relocate to channel 21, designated for Poughkeepsie, the station never completed this move.

History

In June 1952, the Kingston Broadcasting Company, owner of WKNY radio, submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking approval for a television station on channel 66. The FCC granted this application on January 23, 1953.

Construction commenced toward the end of 1953. By September, the FCC had authorized a transmitter facility at Port Ewen, including a tower for WKNY-TV. At that time, affiliations with both NBC and CBS networks had been secured. The WKNY-TV Corporation was established in early 1954 as the license holder, and after delays caused by winter weather, tower construction resumed.

Test patterns began airing on April 23, followed by WKNY-TV initiating regular programming in late May 1954 with an official dedication ceremony on May 31. This marked the station as the 300th to be interconnected via coaxial cable for network content and provided the first clear television signal to the Mid-Hudson Valley area situated between New York City and stations located in Albany and Schenectady. WKNY-TV broadcast programming from all four major networks of that era—NBC, CBS, ABC, and DuMont. Operating with a team of twelve employees who frequently took on multiple responsibilities, Robert L. Sabin served as the inaugural operations manager; he handled advertising sales, anchored evening newscasts, and operated cameras for local productions. Approximately fifty percent of the station’s schedule consisted of local and live programming.

Although channel 21 had been assigned to nearby Poughkeepsie, its construction permit was relinquished in March 1954. Due to economic challenges typical for UHF broadcasters—especially since many television sets could not receive UHF channels—WKNY-TV filed a petition in November 1954 requesting relocation to Poughkeepsie's lower channel number. The FCC approved this change in April 1955 because technical issues hindered full-power operation on channel 66.

Despite holding onto affiliations with three networks after DuMont ceased operations and broadcasting approximately thirty-four hours of network programming weekly, WKNY-TV never completed its move to channel 21 and ended transmissions on July 25, 1956. Its UHF designation discouraged both local and national advertisers despite offering some of the most competitive advertising rates among UHF stations as of January 1955, which limited revenue streams necessary to sustain network content. WKNY-TV president Joseph K. Close attributed the shutdown to inadequate advertising sales despite strong consumer purchases and conversions of television sets. Although the construction permit remained valid until the WKNY-TV Corporation was dissolved in 1958, it was officially surrendered in March of 1960.