WRGB
WRGB, branded as CBS 6, is a historic CBS-affiliated television station serving New York’s Capital District.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
WRGB is a television station licensed to Schenectady, New York, and serving the Albany–Schenectady–Troy Capital District. The station is affiliated with CBS and operates on channel 6, using the on-air brand CBS 6. Its studios are located on Balltown Road in Niskayuna, while its transmitter is situated on the Helderberg Escarpment west of New Salem. WRGB is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates it alongside CW affiliate WCWN. The station’s roots reach back to January 1928, when General Electric established an experimental television service in Schenectady under the call sign W2XCW. The early service transmitted rudimentary low-resolution pictures and had a highly restricted schedule, but it placed Schenectady among the earliest centers of television experimentation. During the 1930s, GE continued the work through the W2XAF and W2XB call signs while the industry moved toward an all-electronic standard. W2XB began operating in 1939 with improved resolution and a VHF transmission system, and in 1940 it began rebroadcasting programming from New York City’s W2XBS, the predecessor of WNBC. This made it an early NBC television affiliate. In 1942, the station ended its experimental phase and received the call sign WRGB, honoring electric-industry pioneer Walter Ransom Gail Baker. Commercial broadcasting began on February 26, 1942, making WRGB the fourth television station in the United States to begin commercial operation and one of the earliest outside New York City. Its Washington Avenue facility in Schenectady was described as the first building in the country designed specifically for television. WRGB later carried programming from several networks. In 1948 it added secondary affiliations with CBS, ABC, and DuMont, before the local network structure changed during the 1950s. The station moved from channel 4 to channel 6 in January 1954 to reduce interference with other stations and increased its effective radiated power. In 1957 it moved its studios to the Balltown Road facility that remains its principal home. Local productions were an important part of its identity, including the long-running children’s program Freihofer’s Breadtime Stories, quiz program Answers Please, and bowling series TV Tournament Time. The station also helped launch the television careers of chef Art Ginsburg, known as Mr. Food, and Rachael Ray, whose 30 Minute Meals segments originated on WRGB newscasts in the 1990s. WRGB became a CBS affiliate in September 1981 after exchanging affiliations with WAST, now WNYT. The change aligned CBS with the market’s historically dominant station. General Electric sold WRGB in 1983 to Universal Communications Corporation. Freedom Communications acquired it in 1986, and Sinclair Broadcast Group purchased WRGB in 2012 after Freedom exited television broadcasting. Sinclair also owns WCWN, allowing the stations to operate as a local television combination. WRGB entered the digital era with a full-market digital signal in 2003 and began high-definition local broadcasting during the following decade. Its analog channel 6 audio once could be heard on 87.75 FM by nearby listeners, a characteristic of analog North American channel 6 television. After the 2009 digital transition, the station explored a separate FM-audio transmission to preserve this feature, but the experiment encountered interference and was ended following FCC action. Reception problems associated with low-VHF digital transmission led to power increases, replacement-translator applications, and a simulcast of WRGB programming on WCWN’s digital service. In 2022, WRGB shifted its primary digital transmission to UHF spectrum. Today the station’s principal business is local news, weather, public-affairs and community programming, combined with CBS network programming and syndicated content.
History
WRGB developed from General Electric’s early television experiments in Schenectady. The first service, W2XCW, began in January 1928 with extremely low-resolution transmissions and a limited schedule. GE continued experimentation under W2XAF and later W2XB, gradually adopting improved electronic television technology and moving into the VHF band. In 1940, W2XB rebroadcast programs from New York City’s W2XBS, creating an early NBC connection. In 1942, GE obtained the WRGB call sign and converted the operation into a commercial television station. The call letters honored Walter Ransom Gail Baker, an engineer associated with the development of electrical systems. WRGB’s February 26, 1942, commercial launch made it the fourth commercial television station in the United States and one of the first outside New York City. Its original Schenectady studio was purpose-built for television. During the postwar expansion of broadcasting, WRGB carried programming from NBC and later maintained secondary relationships with CBS, ABC and DuMont. The station moved to channel 6 in 1954 to address interference concerns and increased its power. In 1957, it relocated to Balltown Road in Niskayuna. Its locally produced programs included Freihofer’s Breadtime Stories, Answers Please and TV Tournament Time. These programs helped establish WRGB as a community institution rather than merely a network outlet. The station also became associated with the early television work of Art Ginsburg and Rachael Ray. WRGB became a CBS affiliate in 1981. General Electric sold it in 1983, Universal Communications owned it briefly, and Freedom Communications acquired it in 1986. Freedom later experienced financial difficulties, including a Chapter 11 filing in 2009, but emerged from bankruptcy in 2010. In 2011, Freedom announced that it would leave television, and Sinclair completed its purchase of WRGB in April 2012. Sinclair’s ownership placed WRGB alongside WCWN, the market’s CW affiliate. WRGB launched a full-market digital signal in 2003. It later produced local programming in high definition and attempted to address reception limitations created by digital broadcasting on low-VHF channel 6. The station increased power, sought digital replacement translators in Schenectady, Kingston and Pittsfield, and used WCWN’s digital facilities for a simulcast. WRGB also investigated a separate FM audio signal on 87.7/87.9 MHz after the 2009 analog shutdown, but the effort was abandoned after interference and regulatory problems. The station ultimately moved its primary digital operation to UHF transmission in 2022. It remains an active CBS station serving the Capital District.
- 2022
Primary digital transmission shifts to UHF
[1]WRGB changes its primary digital transmission arrangement after years of reception issues associated with low-VHF broadcasting.
- 2012
Sinclair acquisition closes
[1]Sinclair Broadcast Group completes its purchase of WRGB from Freedom Communications.
- 2003
Full-market digital signal launches
[1]WRGB-DT becomes the first full-market digital television signal in the Albany region.
- 1986
Freedom Communications acquisition
[1]Freedom Communications purchases WRGB.
- 1983
General Electric ownership ends
[1]GE sells WRGB to Universal Communications Corporation.
- 1981
Becomes a CBS affiliate
[1]WRGB switches network affiliation with WAST and joins CBS.
- 1957
Moves to Balltown Road studios
[1]The station relocates from downtown Schenectady to its present studio complex.
- 1954
Moves to channel 6
[1]WRGB changes from channel 4 to channel 6 and substantially increases its power.
- 1942
Commercial launch as WRGB
[1]The station adopts the WRGB call sign and begins commercial broadcasting on February 26.
- 1940
Early NBC affiliation
[1]W2XB begins rebroadcasting programming from New York’s W2XBS.
Products and positioning
A legacy local television broadcaster combining CBS network content with Capital District news, weather, community information and syndicated programming.
Local television news
CBS 6 News
WRGB’s local news operation, branded CBS 6 News, provides reporting, weather, traffic, public-affairs coverage and breaking-news updates for the Capital District. It is the station’s principal locally produced offering and is distributed through broadcast and digital channels.
Children’s television program · 1949
Freihofer’s Breadtime Stories
A locally produced children’s program associated with WRGB, beginning in 1949. It became one of the station’s best-known historic productions and is cited as one of the longest-running locally produced children’s programs in television history.
Quiz program
Answers Please
A locally produced WRGB quiz program that formed part of the station’s long-running schedule of community-oriented original programming before ending by the late 1980s.
Bowling program
TV Tournament Time
A locally produced bowling program and one of WRGB’s notable historic productions. It remained part of the station’s local-programming legacy until its cancellation by the late 1980s.
Brand decisions
2012
Acquisition by Sinclair Broadcast GroupM&ABackground
Freedom Communications announced that it would exit television ownership and sell its stations.
Action taken
Sinclair acquired WRGB and completed the transaction on April 2, 2012, retaining WRGB alongside WCWN under an FCC waiver.
Aftermath
WRGB became part of Sinclair’s station portfolio and continued operating as a CBS affiliate in the Capital District.
2009
Experiment with a post-digital FM audio serviceOtherBackground
The digital transition eliminated the analog audio carrier formerly receivable around 87.75 FM from channel 6 television stations. WRGB sought to preserve car-radio access to its audio programming.
Action taken
The station obtained experimental FCC authorization, tested a separate FM transmission and later resumed broadcasting at 87.9 MHz without explicit authorization.
Aftermath
The FCC ordered the 87.9 MHz transmission to cease in August 2009 after interference concerns. The effort was ultimately abandoned.
Recent events
- 2012
Freedom Communications sells WRGB to Sinclair[1]
M&A
Sinclair completed its acquisition of WRGB and other Freedom television stations after Freedom announced its withdrawal from television ownership.
- 2009
WRGB ends unauthorized 87.9 FM simulcast[1]
Regulation
The FCC ordered WRGB to stop an FM audio transmission that had resumed without explicit authorization during efforts to preserve the station’s former analog channel 6 audio service.
- 1981
WRGB changes affiliation to CBS[1]
Other
WRGB exchanged affiliations with WAST and became the Capital District’s CBS affiliate.
- 1942
WRGB begins commercial television broadcasting[1]
Other
The Schenectady station ended its experimental phase, adopted the WRGB call sign and began commercial operation as one of the earliest television stations in the United States.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/wrgb · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled