WBBZ-TV
A Buffalo-area television station licensed to Springville, New York, with a primary MeTV affiliation and locally produced programming.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
2requests
1companies- Anthropic2
- Profile
- 2
- Controversies
- 0
- JSON · MD
- 0
- First read
- Nov 4, 2026
- Latest read
- Nov 4, 2026
From this site's server log
Overview
WBBZ-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Springville, New York, and serving the Buffalo and wider Western New York television market. The station broadcasts on channel 67 and has a primary affiliation with MeTV, the classic-television network, while also operating as an independent outlet for locally produced programs, syndicated entertainment, sports-related shows, movies and other programming. Its transmitter is located in the hills of southern Erie County near Springville, while its studios and offices are at the Eastern Hills Mall in Clarence, in the Harris Hill area. The station began broadcasting in 1993 as WJTQ. Soon afterward, its call letters were changed to WNGS, a reference to Buffalo wings. Although licensed as a full-power station, its original analog operation used comparatively low power and a directional signal designed largely for the Southtowns. Canadian frequency-protection arrangements further limited its ability to reach Buffalo viewers over the air, making cable and satellite distribution especially important. Its early schedule combined infomercials and home-shopping programming with barter talk shows, cartoons and inexpensive sitcoms. In 1998, WNGS became a UPN affiliate, but the affiliation moved to WNLO in 2003, after which WNGS returned largely to infomercials and other non-network programming. The station subsequently passed through a number of programming and ownership phases. It became associated with Equity Broadcasting and was operated under a local marketing agreement by Granite Broadcasting, the owner of ABC affiliate WKBW-TV. During that period, it carried Equity's Retro Television Network and selected sports programming, including material supplied through WKBW. When Equity's relationship with RTN's purchaser, Luken Communications, broke down in January 2009, WNGS left RTN and later affiliated with This TV. Equity's 2008 bankruptcy placed the station at risk, and the station went silent during the 2009 digital-television transition after it could not complete its digital facilities in time. Daystar Television Network acquired WNGS through the Equity bankruptcy process, but soon agreed to sell it to ITV of Buffalo, a local company associated with television personalities Philip Arno and Donald Angelo. The station returned to the air in late May 2010 with a digital signal and completed the sale in September of that year. Daystar retained programming rights on one digital subchannel. The station also worked to regain cable carriage and must-carry distribution in parts of Western New York. A major repositioning followed in 2011. WNGS adopted the WBBZ-TV call sign on August 1, 2011, moved This TV to a digital subchannel and placed MeTV on its main channel. Under Arno's ownership, the station emphasized locally produced entertainment, talk, sports and specialty programming rather than attempting to build a conventional full-scale local-news department. Programs developed or carried by the station have included talk and lifestyle shows, sports discussion, automotive content, paranormal programming and Buffalo-oriented productions. A purpose-built studio at the Eastern Hills Mall began construction in 2012, and the first program was recorded there in June of that year. WBBZ-TV remains a small-market independent-style broadcaster whose identity combines a national classic-television affiliation with local programming aimed at Buffalo-area viewers. In August 2023, it entered a joint sales agreement with radio station WECK. The station has continued to use the Eastern Hills Mall for general production despite restrictions associated with the mall's redevelopment; in January 2024, it received permission to continue production through a back entrance after the mall's concourse was closed. Available reference material does not establish a later change in ownership or a definitive end to its MeTV affiliation.
History
WBBZ-TV traces its origin to March 12, 1993, when it was founded under the call sign WJTQ. Bill Smith, an amateur-radio enthusiast, and Caroline Powley, whose family was connected to low-power television pioneer John R. Powley, soon changed the calls to WNGS. The new identity referred to Buffalo wings and tied the station to its regional market. The station initially transmitted on analog UHF channel 67. Although it held a full-power license, its analog facilities operated at reduced effective coverage with a directional pattern aimed toward the Southtowns. Canadian frequency-protection requirements restricted transmissions toward Buffalo because channel 67 was also used by a CHCH-TV rebroadcaster in Ontario. Consequently, the station depended heavily on cable and satellite distribution for viewers in Buffalo and surrounding communities. WNGS started with an infomercial and home-shopping format. In 1997, it broadened the schedule with general-entertainment barter programming, including talk shows, cartoons and low-cost sitcoms. It secured a UPN affiliation in April 1998, but UPN programming moved to WNLO in January 2003. WNGS then reduced its entertainment schedule and relied more heavily on infomercials. A low-power Olean-area station, WONS-LP, had shared UPN programming under a mutual arrangement before the affiliation moved to WNLO. WNGS also carried programming from The Sportsman Channel during part of this period. Ownership and operating arrangements changed again when Equity Broadcasting acquired the station. WNGS became an affiliate of Equity's Retro Television Network, and Granite Broadcasting operated it under a local marketing agreement connected to WKBW-TV. WNGS appeared on a WKBW digital subchannel and supplemented RTN programming with sports and other material from WKBW. Equity sold RTN to Luken Communications in 2008, but a dispute between the companies led Equity's RTN affiliates, including WNGS, to leave the network on January 4, 2009. WNGS continued with sports, locally produced material and the film showcase Off Beat Cinema before affiliating with This TV later that month. The station's future was imperiled by Equity's Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the 2009 digital transition. Equity auctioned WNGS on April 16, 2009, and Daystar Television Network was the successful buyer. WNGS ceased normal analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, because its digital facilities were not ready, and remained silent for almost a year. Complications included the need to coordinate channel assignments and tower facilities in a market affected by both Canadian and American spectrum planning. During the silence period, the station risked losing cable carriage and must-carry benefits. It eventually returned to the air with a digital transmission in late May 2010, initially carrying Daystar programming. Daystar filed to sell the station to ITV of Buffalo in May 2010. The proposed local ownership was associated with Philip Arno and Donald Angelo, although Angelo later withdrew. The transaction closed on September 16, 2010. Daystar retained the right to program one digital subchannel, while the station resumed its This TV affiliation. WNGS also pursued cable carriage, including a prime cable position in the Buffalo area and later must-carry carriage in additional Western New York service territories following an appeal to the Federal Communications Commission. On August 1, 2011, WNGS changed its call sign to WBBZ-TV. The station placed MeTV on its principal channel and shifted This TV to a digital subchannel, signaling a new strategy centered on recognizable classic television alongside locally produced shows. Owner Philip Arno considered a range of Buffalo-area studio locations before settling on the Eastern Hills Mall in Clarence. Construction of a dedicated studio began in early 2012, with the first program taped there in June. The relaunch sought to build several hours of local programming per day without creating a traditional local-news operation comparable to WGRZ, WIVB-TV or WKBW-TV. Proposed and eventual projects included talk, lifestyle, sports, entertainment, military-oriented and youth-focused concepts. The station hired Bob Koshinski, a former WKBW sports director and Empire Sports Network general manager, in 2012. He became vice president and general manager before resigning those posts in January 2015, while continuing as a sports host for part of that year. John DiSciullo, a longtime WKBW program director, joined as a production executive and host, and Chris Musial, formerly a general manager at WIVB-TV, became a consultant and later a management successor. WBBZ-TV's local schedule has included personality-driven programs such as The Karyn Reece Show, which began in 2017, as well as sports and automotive segments. Its production arrangements were affected by redevelopment and closure of the Eastern Hills Mall concourse, which prevented live studio-audience productions. The station was nevertheless allowed to continue general production at the mall in January 2024 through a back entrance. In August 2023, it entered a joint sales agreement with WECK. The station's current public identity remains that of a Buffalo-area MeTV affiliate supplemented by independent local production and digital subchannel programming.
- 2024
Mall production access retained
[1]Despite redevelopment and concourse closure, the station received permission to continue general production at the Eastern Hills Mall using a back entrance.
- 2023
Joint sales agreement with WECK
[1]WBBZ entered a joint sales agreement with the Buffalo-area radio station WECK.
- 2017
The Karyn Reece Show debuts
[1]The paranormal program began airing on July 7.
- 2012
Eastern Hills Mall studio begins production
[1]Construction began earlier in the year, and the first program was taped at the new studio in June.
- 2011
WBBZ-TV identity launched
[1]WNGS adopted the WBBZ-TV call sign and began its MeTV-led programming strategy on August 1.
- 2010
Digital service resumes
[1]WNGS returned to the air in late May with a digital signal and Daystar programming.
- 2010
ITV of Buffalo completes acquisition
[1]The sale from Daystar to ITV of Buffalo closed on September 16.
- 2009
WNGS leaves Retro Television Network
[1]Following the Equity-Luken dispute, WNGS ended its RTN affiliation and later joined This TV.
- 2009
Station goes silent during digital transition
[1]WNGS stopped regular analog broadcasting on June 12 after failing to complete its digital facilities.
- 2008
Equity bankruptcy affects station operations
[1]Equity Media Holdings filed for Chapter 11 protection, complicating WNGS's digital transition and financing.
Products and positioning
A locally oriented Buffalo-area television station combining MeTV's classic-television schedule with independent programming, regional sports and personality-led local shows.
Television network affiliation · 2011
MeTV programming
WBBZ-TV's principal-channel offering is affiliated with MeTV, a network built around classic television series and older entertainment programming. The affiliation forms the station's dependable base schedule while leaving room for locally produced and independently acquired programs.
Original television programming · 2011
Local programming
The station develops and carries Buffalo-oriented talk, lifestyle, sports, automotive, paranormal and entertainment programs. These productions are designed around local personalities and regional interests rather than a conventional hourly local-news format.
Multicast television · 2010
Digital multicast programming
WBBZ-TV has used digital subchannels for services including This TV and Daystar. The subchannel structure allows the station to combine its main MeTV service with additional network or religious programming.
Brand decisions
2023
Joint sales arrangement with WECKStrategyBackground
WBBZ sought a commercial relationship with another locally oriented Buffalo-area media outlet.
Action taken
The station entered a joint sales agreement with radio station WECK.
Aftermath
The agreement broadened the station's local-media sales relationship; detailed financial or audience effects are not established in the reference material.
2011
Repositioning as WBBZ-TV with MeTVStrategyBackground
After ownership changed and the station returned from its digital-transition disruption, management sought a stronger local identity and a more sustainable schedule than its earlier infomercial-heavy operation.
Action taken
The station changed its call sign from WNGS to WBBZ-TV, placed MeTV on the main channel, moved This TV to a digital subchannel and planned a substantial slate of local productions.
Aftermath
WBBZ developed a hybrid identity combining classic network programming with independent local shows and established studio operations at the Eastern Hills Mall.
2009
Digital-transition shutdown and recoveryOtherBackground
Equity's bankruptcy and unresolved digital-facility work prevented WNGS from completing the transition before analog broadcasting ended.
Action taken
The station went silent in June 2009, was subsequently sold to Daystar and later resumed digital transmission in May 2010.
Aftermath
The interruption threatened cable carriage and must-carry distribution, but the station returned and later pursued expanded cable carriage.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/wbbz-tv · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled