WKOF

WKOF is a full-power television station licensed to Syracuse, New York, and serving the Central New York television market. The station broadcasts on digital channel 15 and is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which also owns WSTM-TV, the market's NBC and CW affiliate. WKOF and WSTM operate within the CNYCentral station group and share studios on James Street, northeast of downtown Syracuse. WKOF's transmitter is located near Sentinel Heights in the town of Onondaga. The station was created after Sinclair won federal authority to construct a new full-power Syracuse television facility. Sinclair's winning bid in 2022 was approximately $3.137 million, according to the station's historical account, and the resulting permit received the call sign WKOF. The station began broadcasting on July 22, 2025. It launched as an ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, facility, making the station part of the industry's transition toward higher-capacity digital terrestrial broadcasting. At launch, WKOF carried Roar, a Sinclair-owned multicast network, while WTVH supplied an ATSC 1.0 simulcast for viewers using conventional digital television equipment. WKOF became the Syracuse area's CBS affiliate on December 1, 2025. Before that date, CBS programming had been carried by WTVH on channel 5. The change moved the CBS5 service from WTVH's 5.1 signal to WKOF's 15.1 signal and repositioned Roar on WTVH. The transition effectively transferred the market's CBS programming and related branding to the newer Sinclair facility. The call sign was reported to honor Joe Koff, a former Sinclair and Ring of Honor wrestling executive who died in 2024. WKOF's history is closely connected to the much older Syracuse channel 5 operation. That predecessor began in 1948 as WHEN, Syracuse's first television station, under Meredith ownership. It moved from channel 8 to channel 5 in 1962 and adopted the WTVH call sign in 1976 after Meredith sold the associated radio station. WTVH was later acquired by Granite Broadcasting, whose ownership period included repeated changes to the news operation and a long-term decline in local-news ratings. In 2009, WTVH's operations were consolidated with WSTM-TV under agreements involving Barrington Broadcasting, resulting in the dismissal of approximately 40 WTVH employees. Sinclair acquired Barrington in 2013 and subsequently managed WTVH's operations while Granite retained the license. With the 2025 transfer, WKOF became the principal CBS outlet in Syracuse, while WTVH continued as a separate station carrying Roar. The arrangement places WKOF within a shared-services local media structure rather than presenting it as an entirely standalone newsroom. Its public-facing service combines CBS network programming, local news and weather associated with the CNYCentral operation, and Sinclair's digital broadcasting infrastructure. Because the station is new and its long-term programming, ratings position, and audience strategy remain developing, its historical significance currently rests chiefly on the replacement of WTVH as the Syracuse CBS outlet and its early adoption of ATSC 3.0 technology.

WKOF is the newest full-power television station serving Syracuse, New York. Its creation followed a federal authorization process in which Sinclair Television Group secured the right to build a station on channel 15. Sinclair's winning bid was reported as $3.137 million. The permit was assigned the call sign WKOF, and the station began broadcasting on July 22, 2025. From its launch, WKOF used ATSC 3.0 transmission technology. Its initial programming was Roar, a Sinclair-owned digital multicast network. Because many households still relied on ATSC 1.0 receivers, WTVH carried a conventional simulcast of the new station's service. WKOF and WTVH also shared transmission infrastructure near Sentinel Heights in the town of Onondaga. The station's most important change came on December 1, 2025, when CBS programming moved from WTVH to WKOF. The move transferred the established CBS5 service from channel 5.1 to channel 15.1. WTVH consequently shifted to Roar programming on its primary channel. Sinclair described the change as both a call-sign and major-channel transition. The WKOF call sign was associated with Joe Koff, a former Sinclair and Ring of Honor wrestling executive who died in 2024. WKOF inherited the market role of a predecessor service whose roots reach back to 1948. Meredith received federal approval in July 1948 to build Syracuse's first television station. Broadcasting began on December 1 of that year under the call sign WHEN, initially on channel 8. The station soon carried programming from CBS, DuMont, and ABC. In 1962, a channel exchange moved the station to channel 5, and in 1976, after Meredith sold the associated WHEN radio station, the television outlet changed its call sign to WTVH. WTVH was acquired by Granite Broadcasting in 1993. During the 1990s and 2000s, its local-news operation went through management changes, rebranding, anchor turnover, and reductions in staffing and compensation. A 2003 lifestyle and sponsored-content program, Central New York Live!, replaced the 5 p.m. newscast but was canceled in 2004 after weak ratings. The station later adopted the CBS 5 News identity. Its news ratings declined substantially during this period, and long-serving personalities including Ron Curtis, Maureen Green, Matt Mulcahy, and Liz Ayers left at different points. In 2009, Granite and Barrington Broadcasting entered an agreement to combine operations in Syracuse and another market. WSTM-TV, then owned by Barrington, assumed operational control of WTVH, and roughly 40 WTVH employees were dismissed. News reports, weather coverage, and sports resources were shared, although WTVH retained branded newscasts. Sinclair acquired Barrington in 2013, bringing WSTM and the associated operating arrangement into Sinclair's portfolio. WTVH later received some dedicated morning, noon, and evening-news resources, but continued to operate within the consolidated CNYCentral structure. The transition to WKOF did not erase the legacy of the channel 5 service. Former WHEN-TV and WTVH personnel included Al Roker, Mike Tirico, and David Muir, all of whom began important parts of their broadcasting careers at the Syracuse station. WKOF now functions as Sinclair's CBS outlet for Syracuse and Central New York, with local programming supplied through the CNYCentral operation and network programming supplied by CBS. Its long-term identity remains tied to both the established CBS5 audience and the newer technical model represented by ATSC 3.0.

1. 2026WTVH sale closes

   The sale of WTVH to Deerfield Media was completed on February 13, 2026.

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2. 2025WKOF launches

   WKOF began broadcasting on July 22 as an ATSC 3.0 station.

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3. 2025CBS affiliation transfers to WKOF

   CBS programming moved from WTVH channel 5.1 to WKOF channel 15.1 on December 1.

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4. 2022Sinclair wins channel 15 permit

   Sinclair won federal authority to build a new full-power Syracuse station on channel 15.

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5. 2009WTVH operations consolidate with WSTM-TV

   A shared-services and joint-sales arrangement placed WTVH's operations under WSTM-TV and led to approximately 40 layoffs.

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6. 1993Granite Broadcasting acquires WTVH

   Granite purchased WTVH and KSEE from Meredith in a reported $32 million transaction.

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7. 1976WTVH call sign adopted

   After the associated radio station was sold, the television station changed its call sign from WHEN-TV to WTVH.

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8. 1962The predecessor station moves to channel 5

   A channel exchange between Syracuse and Rochester moved WHEN-TV from channel 8 to channel 5.

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9. 1948Syracuse's first television station begins broadcasting

   The predecessor operation to WKOF began as WHEN on December 1, 1948, initially broadcasting on channel 8 under Meredith ownership.

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A local broadcast television station combining CBS network programming with Central New York news, weather, and sports coverage, supported by Sinclair's CNYCentral operating structure and ATSC 3.0 transmission technology.

• CBS5Network-affiliated television service2025

  CBS5 is WKOF's public-facing CBS affiliation and primary network service. It carries CBS network programming for the Syracuse market and replaced WTVH as the local CBS outlet on December 1, 2025. The identity is linked to the established channel 5 CBS service even though the programming moved to WKOF's channel 15.1 signal.

• CNYCentralLocal television news operation

  CNYCentral is the shared local-media brand associated with WKOF and WSTM-TV. It provides local news, weather, sports, and related digital coverage for Central New York. WKOF operates alongside WSTM within Sinclair's Syracuse station group, allowing the stations to share studios, personnel, and production resources.

• ATSC 3.0 NextGen TVBroadcast transmission service2025

  WKOF launched as an ATSC 3.0 station, using the newer digital television standard from its first day of operation. The service is designed to support enhanced broadcast capacity and data features. WTVH provided an ATSC 1.0 simulcast arrangement for compatibility with conventional television receivers.

• RoarDigital multicast television network2025

  Roar is a Sinclair-owned digital multicast network that formed WKOF's initial programming service when the station launched. After the CBS affiliation moved to WKOF, Roar moved to WTVH's primary channel, while WKOF became the CBS outlet.

• 2025Transfer of CBS affiliation from WTVH to WKOFStrategy

  Sinclair had constructed WKOF as a new full-power Syracuse station using ATSC 3.0 technology, while WTVH had long supplied CBS programming in the market under a Sinclair management arrangement.

  What changed. On December 1, CBS programming and the CBS5 identity moved from WTVH channel 5.1 to WKOF channel 15.1. Roar moved in the opposite direction to WTVH.

  Aftermath. WKOF became the Syracuse CBS affiliate, while WTVH continued as a separate Sinclair-associated station pending its later sale to Deerfield Media.

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• 2025Launch of WKOF as an ATSC 3.0 stationProduct launch

  Sinclair obtained authorization to build a new full-power station on Syracuse channel 15.

  What changed. WKOF began broadcasting on July 22, 2025, using ATSC 3.0 transmission and initially carrying Roar.

  Aftermath. The station established a new Sinclair transmission platform in the Syracuse market and later became the local CBS outlet.

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• 2026WTVH sale to Deerfield Media is completed

  The sale of WTVH to Deerfield Media was completed on February 13, 2026, according to the station's historical account.

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• 2025WKOF begins broadcasting as an ATSC 3.0 station

  WKOF began transmission on July 22, 2025, initially carrying Sinclair's Roar network and using WTVH for an ATSC 1.0 simulcast.

  Product launch
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• 2025CBS programming moves from WTVH to WKOF

  On December 1, 2025, the Syracuse CBS service moved from WTVH channel 5.1 to WKOF channel 15.1, while Roar moved to WTVH.

  Product generation
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• 2025Granite files to sell WTVH to Deerfield Media

  Following the transfer of CBS programming to WKOF, Granite filed to sell the WTVH license to Deerfield Media.

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• 2022Sinclair wins authorization for a new Syracuse television station

  Sinclair Television Group won the right to construct a full-power television station on Syracuse channel 15 through a federal auction.

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1. WKOF
2. CNYCentral