Wometco Home Theater
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pay television |
| Founded | August 1977 |
| Founder | Wometco Enterprises |
| Defunct | March 1986 |
| Fate | Shut down due to declining subscribers; stations converted to music format then sold |
| Headquarters | Miami , United States |
Area served | New York City region, parts of New Jersey and Connecticut |
Key people | Alex MacDonald (VP of engineering), Harold Brownstein (President), Robert Borders (VP of Marketing) |
| Products | Pay television programming including films, NHL games, special presentations, and adult programming |
| Owner | Wometco Enterprises; later Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. |
| Parent | Wometco Enterprises (until ownership transfer) |
Wometco Home Theater (WHT) was among the pioneering pay television providers serving the New York City region. It was owned by Miami-based Wometco Enterprises, which also operated prominent network affiliates such as its flagship station, WTVJ, in Miami. The service debuted in August 1977 on WWHT-TV (channel 68) and subsequently expanded to WSNL-TV (channel 67) located in Smithtown, New York.
Overview
At launch, viewers were required to purchase a set-top descrambler box for $15 to access the scrambled broadcasts on channel 68. Under the guidance of VP of engineering Alex MacDonald, an advanced addressable two-channel descrambler was later introduced. WHT’s programming approach resembled that of HBO, emphasizing films tailored to the New York City audience and focusing on regions lacking cable infrastructure, as cable availability remained limited throughout the boroughs until the late 1980s.
The channel offered a selection of 12 titles each month, including movies, special presentations, and select live NHL contests featuring the New York Islanders from Nassau Coliseum. Each title was broadcast five times monthly. During daytime hours, WWHT operated as a low-budget commercial outlet airing syndicated programs such as The Uncle Floyd Show, along with public affairs, religious content, financial updates, and programming aimed at minority communities. In 1980, WHT expanded its lineup by adding daytime films and introduced a late-night adult-oriented segment called "Nightcap."
In autumn 1980, new leadership under President Harold Brownstein and VP of Marketing Robert Borders successfully transformed the business from four consecutive years of losses exceeding $1 million into profitability within a year and a half. Their initiatives included consolidating satellite offices into a central location in Fairfield, producing bi-monthly program guides to reduce printing expenses, and implementing direct response marketing techniques through local television advertising to track sales performance.
WHT broadened its distribution through a Master Antenna Television (MATV) division that collaborated with property developers to provide service via existing master antenna systems in residential buildings.
By spring 1983, WHT had expanded its daily programming schedule to 20 hours and increased subscription fees to $21 per month. Religious and public affairs content was broadcast unscrambled for two hours daily; children’s programming was also transmitted without scrambling but promoted as part of WHT’s offerings. During this period, ownership of WHT transferred from Wometco Enterprises to the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co..
By 1984, original programming ceased on WHT as it began carrying shows from California-based pay TV provider SelecTV. Due to declining subscriber numbers, WHT ultimately shut down in March 1986. Following its closure, WSNL and WWHT switched to an all-music format branded "U68," which lasted for eight months before being acquired by an affiliate of the Home Shopping Network. These stations are now owned by the Spanish-language broadcaster UniMás.
List of Wometco Home Theater affiliates
| Station | Channel | FCC City of License | Affiliation Years | Notations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WTVG, 1977-1979 WWHT, 1979-1985 (now WFUT-DT) |
68 | Newark, New Jersey | 1977-1985 | Served as the flagship station for the WHT Network, covering New York City's Five Boroughs, Northern and Central New Jersey, and parts of Fairfield County, Connecticut where WSNL's signal had limited reach. |
| WRBV (now WUVP-DT) | 65 | Vineland, New Jersey | 1981-1985 | Rimshot station targeting the Philadelphia market from the southeast; strong reception in New Jersey and Philadelphia proper but weaker in northern and western suburbs. |
| W60AI (now WDYJ-LD) | 60 | New York City | 1977-1985 | Provided simulcast coverage of WTVG/WWHT for areas within NYC experiencing poor reception of channel 68. |
| WSNL (now WFTY-DT) | 67 | Smithtown, New York | 1980-1985 | Simulcast station serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island plus parts of Fairfield County, Connecticut where main signal reception was weak. |
See also
- ON TV, a subscription-based broadcast service available in key U.S. cities such as Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Los Angeles, among others.
- PRISM, a pay-TV provider covering Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, Delaware, and the Delmarva Peninsula.
- SelecTV, which operated in Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and subsequently in regions served by Wometco Home Theater following WHT programming changes.
- Spectrum, an over-the-air subscription service competing with ON TV within the Chicago market.
- Super TV, a subscription network catering to Washington, D.C., Maryland’s Capital and Central areas, as well as Northern Virginia.