WPIX-TV "WB11" in New York City is the flagship station of the Warner Brothers television network. Prior to its affiliation to the WB, WPIX operated for over 40 years as an independent television station, using the moniker 11 Alive from 1976 to 1984.
WPIX-TV's call letters come not just from the station being a TV outlet, but from the newspaper that founded it—the New York Daily News ("New York's Picture Newspaper"). Channel 11 remained the News's TV station until 1991, when Robert Maxwell took over the newspaper but not the TV station from the Tribune Company.
From June 1980 until 1990, WPIX-TV produced a national newscast, Independent Network News , for independent stations across the country. The show was anchored by the same air staff that produced local "Channel 11 Action News -- " Pat Harper, Steve Bosh and Bill Jorgensen. The local newscast was the first by an independent to win a New York Emmy Award for outstanding newscast.
On September 11, 2001, the transmitter facilities of Channel 11 as well as six other New York City television stations and several radio stations were destroyed when two hijacked airplanes crashed into and destroyed the World Trade Center towers.
WPIX-FM (101.9) was co-owned with WPIX-TV for over 30 years, but was sold by Tribune to Emmis Communications in 1988; WPIX-FM was famous for not being able to settle on a format for any real length of time and was derisively nicknamed "The format of the month station" by many in the New York City radio industry and general public. It it is now WQCD , "CD101.9".
WPIX was the long-running broadcast home of the Yankees until 1999, when WNYW got Yankee rights. In 1999, WB11 became the broadcast home of the Mets.
External links
WB11.com
