WPTZ

WPTZ is a commercial television station licensed to Plattsburgh, New York, and serving the Burlington, Vermont–Plattsburgh, New York designated market area. The station carries NBC programming on its primary channel and is operated by Hearst Television alongside WNNE, a CW-affiliated station licensed to Montpelier, Vermont. Although WPTZ retains its Plattsburgh identity and maintains a secondary facility there, its principal studios are in South Burlington, Vermont. The station began broadcasting on December 8, 1954, under the call sign WIRI. It was established by Great Northern Broadcasting Company, which also owned Plattsburgh radio station WIRY. Its original license was associated with North Pole, New York, and its early facilities were located on Cornelia Street in Plattsburgh, with transmission from Terry Mountain in Peru, New York. From its launch, the station was primarily affiliated with NBC. It also carried some ABC programming until the arrival of WVNY in 1968 and briefly had a secondary DuMont affiliation before that network ceased operations. Rollins Telecasting acquired the station in 1956 and changed its call letters to WPTZ. The call sign had previously been used by a Philadelphia television station. WPTZ became the market's only outlet carrying network color programming until 1965 and later introduced color studio cameras. During the late twentieth century, its coverage and operational footprint expanded through its relationship with WNNE. Heritage Broadcasting acquired WNNE in 1990 and subsequently operated it as a semi-satellite of WPTZ, helping extend the station group's reach into southeastern Vermont and the Upper Valley. Ownership changed several times during the 1990s. Rollins merged with Heritage Broadcasting to create Heritage Media in 1987. Heritage sold its broadcasting assets to Sinclair Broadcast Group in 1997, and Sinclair sold WPTZ and WNNE to Sunrise Television in 1998. Later that year, Sunrise exchanged the stations with Hearst-Argyle Television, now Hearst Television. WPTZ's local marketing relationship with Fox affiliate WFFF-TV ended around the time of the Hearst transaction. WPTZ petitioned in 1999 to change its community of license from North Pole to Plattsburgh, citing the diminishing independent identity and population of North Pole. The FCC approved the change in 2011. The station subsequently continued to serve both sides of the Lake Champlain region, balancing its historical North Country focus with increasing coverage of Vermont. In 2019, WPTZ moved its principal operations to a new South Burlington facility and began producing newscasts in high definition. It retained a Plattsburgh studio and later established a renovated secondary facility on Cornelia Street. WPTZ's business is centered on local television news, weather, sports and community reporting, supplemented by NBC's national programming and syndicated or digital-subchannel content. Its news operation has historically emphasized northern New York while maintaining bureaus and reporters in Vermont. WPTZ has often competed against WCAX-TV and WVNY/WFFF for local news audiences. The station's digital history includes a locally produced weather service, This TV, MeTV and The CW on successive subchannels. Following WNNE's 2018 channel-sharing arrangement with WPTZ, the CW affiliation moved to WNNE, while WPTZ's spectrum continued to support the shared transmission operation. The station currently operates under the NBC 5 and MyNBC5 identity and remains an active Hearst-owned local broadcaster.

WPTZ signed on December 8, 1954, as WIRI. Great Northern Broadcasting Company owned the station together with WIRY radio in Plattsburgh. The television operation used early studios on Cornelia Street in Plattsburgh and transmitted from Terry Mountain in Peru. It was established as the area's NBC affiliate and also carried selected ABC programs until WVNY began broadcasting in 1968. It briefly carried DuMont programming before that network's closure. Rollins Telecasting bought the station in 1956 and renamed it WPTZ. The new call sign reflected Plattsburgh and had recently been relinquished by a Philadelphia station. WPTZ developed as a VHF network affiliate and was the market's sole outlet for network color programming until 1965. It later installed color studio cameras and moved its studios to a new Old Moffitt Road facility in Plattsburgh in 1979. Corporate consolidation shaped the station during the following decades. Rollins merged with Heritage Broadcasting in 1987, forming Heritage Media. Heritage acquired WNNE in 1990 and turned the Vermont station into a semi-satellite of WPTZ, substantially extending the group's coverage. Heritage sold its broadcast portfolio to Sinclair in 1997. Sinclair subsequently sold WPTZ and WNNE to Sunrise Television, which exchanged them with Hearst-Argyle Television in 1998. Hearst's takeover ended WPTZ's local marketing arrangement for independently owned WFFF-TV. WPTZ sought a formal community-of-license change in 1999, arguing that North Pole no longer functioned as a meaningful standalone community. The FCC approved the transfer from North Pole to Plattsburgh on January 5, 2011. The station nevertheless continued to serve a broad cross-border market, using Vermont facilities and reporting resources to complement its New York base. The station expanded its digital services in the 2000s. It launched a second digital channel carrying NBC Weather Plus in 2006, later replaced the discontinued national service with a locally derived weather presentation, and then carried This TV. MeTV replaced This TV in 2013. WPTZ's second digital channel assumed the market's CW affiliation in March 2013, with MeTV continuing outside CW programming until the services were separated into distinct subchannels in 2014. The CW affiliation ultimately moved to WNNE in 2018 after WNNE began sharing WPTZ's spectrum. In June 2018, Hearst announced a new South Burlington broadcast center. WPTZ moved its principal operations there in July 2019 and began airing high-definition newscasts. The former Plattsburgh operation remained useful as a secondary studio, and the station later opened a renovated Cornelia Street facility. WPTZ and WNNE transmit through a channel-sharing arrangement using WPTZ's spectrum and an antenna on Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. The station's news identity has traditionally been that of a North Country broadcaster competing across a geographically divided market. Its coverage has focused on northern New York while adding Vermont bureaus and reporters over time. WNNE once produced separate local newscasts, but its news operation was progressively reduced after the Heritage acquisition and ended as an independent full-scale news department in 2007. WPTZ continues to provide local news, weather and public-affairs programming under Hearst Television ownership.

1. 2019South Burlington facility opens

   WPTZ moved its main operations to South Burlington and began producing newscasts in high definition.

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2. 2019Mount Mansfield antenna fire

   A fire at the shared transmission facility temporarily interrupted over-the-air service for WPTZ, WNNE and WCAX-TV.

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3. 2018WNNE begins channel-sharing transition

   WNNE moved to a channel-sharing arrangement using WPTZ's spectrum, and the CW affiliation shifted to WNNE.

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4. 2016NBC 5 branding introduced

   The station changed its on-air identity from NewsChannel 5 to NBC 5.

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5. 2013CW affiliation arrives on WPTZ-DT2

   WPTZ's second digital channel assumed the local CW affiliation from WFFF-DT2.

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6. 2011Community of license changes to Plattsburgh

   The FCC approved WPTZ's move of its formal community of license from North Pole to Plattsburgh.

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7. 2006Weather Plus digital service launches

   WPTZ launched a second digital subchannel associated with NBC Weather Plus.

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8. 1998Hearst takes control

   A Sunrise Television exchange brought WPTZ and WNNE into Hearst-Argyle Television.

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9. 1990WNNE acquired

   Heritage purchased WNNE and subsequently operated it as a semi-satellite of WPTZ.

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10. 1987Heritage Media formed

    Rollins merged with Heritage Broadcasting, placing WPTZ in the newly formed Heritage Media portfolio.

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11. 1979Plattsburgh studio relocation

    WPTZ moved its studios to a new facility on Old Moffitt Road in Plattsburgh.

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12. 1956Call letters change to WPTZ

    Rollins Telecasting acquired the station and adopted the WPTZ call sign.

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13. 1954WIRI signs on

    Great Northern Broadcasting launched the station on December 8 as WIRI, an NBC affiliate serving the Plattsburgh area.

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A regional NBC affiliate combining local news and weather coverage for the Champlain Valley, northern New York and Vermont, with a particularly strong historical focus on the North Country.

• NBC 5 local newsLocal television news1954

  WPTZ's core offering is a schedule of local news programs covering the Champlain Valley, northern New York and Vermont. The operation combines studio anchors, regional reporters, weather presentations and live field reporting, with a historical emphasis on the North Country and an expanded Vermont presence.

• First Alert Storm TrackerWeather service

  The station's weather presentation uses National Weather Service radar data and a branded forecasting system to deliver regional forecasts and severe-weather coverage. The service is presented across WPTZ and its associated WNNE operation.

• WPTZ digital multicast servicesDigital television2006

  WPTZ has used its digital subchannels for several services over time, including NBC Weather Plus, a locally derived weather channel, This TV, MeTV and The CW. The CW service later moved to WNNE after the channel-sharing transition.

• 2018Move primary operations to South BurlingtonStrategy

  WPTZ had long operated from Plattsburgh while maintaining Vermont bureaus to cover a geographically divided market.

  What changed. Hearst Television announced and implemented a move to a new South Burlington broadcast facility, while retaining a Plattsburgh secondary operation.

  Aftermath. The move was completed in July 2019, and WPTZ began producing high-definition newscasts from the new facility.

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• 2018Transfer the CW affiliation to WNNEGeneration change

  WNNE was preparing to discontinue its previous transmission arrangement and share WPTZ's spectrum.

  What changed. Hearst moved the market's CW service from WPTZ-DT2 to WNNE when WNNE entered the channel-sharing arrangement.

  Aftermath. The change improved access to the CW service for WNNE viewers, while some Upper Valley viewers relied on cable and satellite distribution for WPTZ's NBC programming.

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• 2016Adopt NBC 5 brandingStrategy

  The station had previously used the NewsChannel 5 identity.

  What changed. WPTZ changed its logo and on-air branding to NBC 5 before the 2016 Summer Olympics.

  Aftermath. The new identity emphasized the station's network affiliation and became its principal broadcast brand.

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• 2019WPTZ and WNNE affected by transmitter fire

  A November 19 fire at the shared Mount Mansfield antenna facility knocked WPTZ, WNNE and WCAX-TV off the air. Cable viewers generally continued receiving the stations through fiber feeds, while one Quebec provider used WDIV-TV as a temporary substitute for WPTZ.

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• 2018WPTZ announces South Burlington facility

  Hearst announced that WPTZ would move its main operations to a new broadcast facility in South Burlington, Vermont.

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• 2016WPTZ changes on-air identity to NBC 5

  The station replaced its NewsChannel 5 branding with NBC 5 shortly before the Rio Summer Olympics.

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• 2012Hearst–Time Warner Cable carriage dispute

  A dispute between Hearst Television and Time Warner Cable temporarily removed WPTZ from the cable system. WBRE-TV was substituted until the companies reached an agreement later in July.

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• 2011FCC approves Plattsburgh community of license

  The FCC approved WPTZ's long-pending request to change its community of license from North Pole to Plattsburgh.

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• 1998WPTZ becomes part of Hearst-Argyle Television

  Sunrise Television exchanged WPTZ and WNNE with Hearst-Argyle Television in a broader station transaction, bringing the pair into the Hearst broadcasting group.

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• 1956Station adopts the WPTZ call sign

  After Rollins Telecasting purchased the station, it changed the call letters from WIRI to WPTZ.

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• 1954WPTZ begins broadcasting as WIRI

  The station signed on December 8, 1954, as WIRI, establishing an NBC television presence in the Plattsburgh area.

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1. WPTZ
2. My NBC 5 official website