WZME

WZME is a full-power television station licensed to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and serving the New York City television market. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 43 and is owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting, which also operates other stations serving the New York region. Its primary licensed transmitter is in Trumbull, Connecticut, while a secondary facility at the Empire State Building in Manhattan has become an important part of its effective market coverage. WZME currently serves as the New York-area outlet for Story Television, a Weigel-affiliated digital network focused on documentary and historical programming. The channel 43 facility has a long and unusually changeable history. Its first service began in 1953 as WICC-TV, an ABC and DuMont affiliate operated by Bridgeport radio station WICC. Like many early UHF outlets, it faced technical and commercial disadvantages because many households lacked UHF reception equipment and because viewers could receive established VHF stations from New York and Connecticut. The station struggled to attract viewers and advertisers, eventually leaving the air in 1959. A later attempt to revive the facility with a text-and-music format was abandoned after regulatory objections, and the permit was ultimately surrendered in 1971. A new channel 43 station was authorized in 1980 and began broadcasting in 1987 as WBCT-TV. It initially carried home-shopping programming, although its owners had originally considered a locally oriented independent station. The station later explored programming aimed at the Jewish community and adopted the call sign WHAI-TV. During the 1990s, ownership passed through ValueVision and Paxson Communications. Plans for a Pax TV affiliation were dropped, partly because of ownership and market-overlap concerns, and the station continued to rely on shopping and infomercial programming under the WBPT call sign. In 1999, the station was sold to the Shop at Home Network and became WSAH. It remained associated with shopping programming for much of the following decade, including Shop at Home and, later, Gems TV. A proposed sale to Azteca América did not close. After Multicultural Television acquired the station in the mid-2000s, financial problems led to a bankruptcy-related sale process. NRJ TV acquired WSAH in a 2011 auction, with the transaction receiving Federal Communications Commission approval in March 2012. The station gradually moved from shopping toward entertainment and network programming. It carried Retro Television Network for periods beginning in 2009 and 2011, then joined MeTV in January 2012 while retaining some infomercial hours. The call sign changed from WSAH to WZME in July 2012. When MeTV's New York affiliation moved to WJLP, WZME continued serving the broader New York-Connecticut area for a time before affiliating with Heroes & Icons in October 2015. It then carried Sonlife Broadcasting Network from 2017 to 2019, returned to home shopping through Shop LC and ShopHQ in 2020, and was sold to Weigel Broadcasting in 2021. Under Weigel, MeTV Plus programming returned briefly in September 2021. In April 2022, WZME replaced MeTV Plus with Story Television on its main digital channel, while MeTV Plus moved to a secondary subchannel. The station has also been affected by the FCC's broadcast-spectrum reallocation program. In 2017, it agreed to surrender its spectrum allocation in exchange for compensation and moved to a channel-sharing arrangement involving Connecticut public television station WEDW. WZME therefore represents both a local Connecticut broadcast license and a network distribution platform for a national digital television service.

The channel 43 broadcast facility in Bridgeport has operated under several identities and business models. WICC-TV began broadcasting in 1953 as an ABC and DuMont affiliate. It struggled against stronger VHF stations and the limited availability of UHF reception equipment, eventually leaving the air in 1959. A proposed revival under the WFTT call sign did not proceed, and the construction permit was canceled in 1971. A successor station was authorized in 1980 and launched in 1987 as WBCT-TV. It initially used home-shopping programming, despite earlier plans for a locally focused independent service. The station later pursued culturally targeted programming and adopted the WHAI-TV call sign. During the 1990s, it passed through ValueVision and Paxson Communications, with plans for a Pax TV affiliation abandoned because of market and ownership issues. The station continued with shopping and infomercial programming as WBPT. The facility was sold to the Shop at Home Network in 1999 and became WSAH. It briefly attracted interest from Azteca América but the proposed transaction failed. WSAH remained a shopping-oriented station, carrying Shop at Home and later Gems TV. In 2006, The E. W. Scripps Company announced the sale of WSAH and other stations to Multicultural Television. Multicultural took control of WSAH in April 2007 after the station's license renewal was completed. WSAH began moving toward entertainment programming in 2009, when it affiliated with Retro Television Network. The arrangement was reduced and discontinued, then restored in 2011. Multicultural's financial difficulties resulted in a bankruptcy-related sale process. NRJ TV won the 2011 auction, and the FCC approved the transaction in March 2012. MeTV programming began on WSAH in January 2012, although the station initially carried the network only for part of the day. The WZME call sign was adopted in July 2012. Following the relocation of MeTV's New York affiliation to WJLP, WZME continued with MeTV in the broader New York-Connecticut area until changing to Heroes & Icons in October 2015. The station then carried Sonlife Broadcasting Network from 2017 through 2019, returned to Shop LC and ShopHQ in 2020, and was acquired by Weigel Broadcasting in 2021. Weigel restored MeTV Plus in September 2021. In April 2022, Story Television replaced MeTV Plus on the primary digital channel, while MeTV Plus moved to a secondary service. The station also transitioned from its former independent spectrum assignment to a channel-sharing arrangement following the FCC's spectrum-reallocation process. Its official primary transmitter remains in Trumbull, while a facility at the Empire State Building provides important coverage in Manhattan and the surrounding market.

• 2022

  Story Television launches on the main channel

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Story Television replaces MeTV Plus on WZME's primary digital service.

• 2021

  Weigel Broadcasting acquisition

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Weigel Broadcasting acquires WZME and restores one of its digital television services.

• 2017

  Spectrum-reallocation agreement announced

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  WZME agrees to surrender its spectrum allocation and subsequently operates through a channel-sharing arrangement.

• 2012

  MeTV programming begins

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  WSAH adds MeTV programming and later adopts the WZME call sign.

• 2007

  Multicultural Television assumes control

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Multicultural takes control after the station's license renewal is completed.

• 1999

  Station becomes WSAH

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  The Shop at Home Network acquires the station and changes its call sign to WSAH.

• 1987

  WBCT-TV signs on

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  The successor station begins broadcasting with a home-shopping format.

• 1980

  New construction permit issued

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Bridgeways Communications Corporation receives authorization to build a new channel 43 station.

• 1959

  Original station leaves the air

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  WICC-TV ends operations after failing to attract a sustainable audience and advertising base.

• 1953

  WICC-TV launches on channel 43

  [1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  The original channel 43 station begins broadcasting from Bridgeport as an ABC and DuMont affiliate.

A New York-market broadcast outlet for Weigel Broadcasting's digital television networks, currently centered on documentary and historical programming through Story Television.

• Digital television network · 2022

  Story Television

  Story Television is WZME's current primary programming service. It is a Weigel Broadcasting digital network built around documentary, historical, and factual programming. WZME distributes the service to viewers in the New York metropolitan area through its main digital channel.

• Digital television network · 2021

  MeTV Plus

  MeTV Plus is a classic-television-oriented digital network that returned to WZME after Weigel Broadcasting acquired the station in 2021. It was carried on the primary channel for a short period before moving to a secondary digital subchannel when Story Television became the main service.

• Broadcast infrastructure · 1987

  Television transmission service

  WZME provides over-the-air television transmission for the New York-Connecticut market. Its licensed facilities include a primary transmitter in Trumbull, Connecticut, and a secondary facility at the Empire State Building in Manhattan. The station operates under a channel-sharing arrangement associated with the FCC's spectrum reallocation program.

• 2022

  Switch to Story TelevisionProduct launch

  Background

  Weigel adjusted the station's digital lineup after bringing MeTV Plus back to WZME.

  Action taken

  Story Television replaced MeTV Plus on the primary digital channel, while MeTV Plus moved to a secondary subchannel.

  Aftermath

  WZME's principal identity shifted toward documentary and historical programming.

  Source

• 2021

  Sale to Weigel BroadcastingM&A

  Background

  WZME was sold after a period under NRJ TV ownership during which the station carried several different network and shopping affiliations.

  Action taken

  Weigel Broadcasting acquired the station and reintroduced MeTV Plus programming.

  Aftermath

  The station became part of Weigel's broader digital-network distribution strategy and later adopted Story Television as its main service.

  Source

• 2017

  Surrender of broadcast spectrumStrategy

  Background

  As part of the FCC's broadcast-spectrum reallocation process, WZME agreed to relinquish its prior spectrum allocation.

  Action taken

  The station accepted compensation and moved to a channel-sharing arrangement involving public television station WEDW.

  Aftermath

  WZME continued operating as a New York-market broadcast outlet while using shared-spectrum facilities.

  Spectrum-auction compensation. $191,813,165 (Agreement publicly reported in 2017)

  Source

• 2022

  Story Television replaces MeTV Plus on WZME[1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Story Television became the station's primary digital-channel service, with MeTV Plus moving to a secondary subchannel.

• 2021

  Weigel Broadcasting acquires WZME[1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Leadership change

  Weigel Broadcasting acquired the station and restored MeTV Plus programming later that year.

• 2020

  WZME returns to home-shopping programming[1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  WZME began carrying Shop LC and later ShopHQ, while Sonlife programming moved to a digital subchannel.

• 2017

  WZME joins Sonlife Broadcasting Network[1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The station changed its primary affiliation to the Sonlife Broadcasting Network, operated by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.

• 2015

  WZME becomes a Heroes & Icons affiliate[1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After MeTV's New York affiliation moved to WJLP, WZME began carrying Heroes & Icons programming in the New York-Connecticut area.

• 2012

  WZME changes its call sign from WSAH[1]WZMEen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The station adopted the WZME call letters after becoming associated with MeTV programming in the New York market.

1. 1WZMEen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WZME official websitewzmetv.com