WNDT-CD, (channel 14) is a class A low–power, First Nations Experience-affiliated television station, licensed to New York, New York. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educational Broadcasting Corporation and later as WNET.org), it is sister to the city's two PBS member stations—Newark, New Jersey-licensed WNET (channel 13) and Garden City, New York-licensed WLIW (channel 21)—and Class A station WMBQ-CD (channel 46).
Under a channel sharing arrangement, WNDT-CD and WMBQ-CD share transmitter facilities with WNET at One World Trade Center. Despite WNDT-CD and WMBQ-CD legally holding low-power class A licenses, they transmit using WNET's full-power spectrum. This ensures complete reception across the New York City television market.
In addition to FNX programming, WNDT-CD airs some news and public affairs shows from WNET and NJ PBS.
History
W73AP and W17AC (1973–1992) The station was signed on over UHF channel 73 in 1973 by its original owner, WPIX, Inc., as W73AP. It was one of multiple television broadcast translators in New York City that operated at the upper end of the UHF television band in order to provide reliable coverage to sections of New York City where reception was compromised by the construction of the World Trade Center. It relayed WPIX, which operates over VHF channel 11.
Originally, most of the New York City television stations operated their main transmitters from the Empire State Building. However, reliable reception was compromised for some viewers once the majority of the World Trade Center was constructed, thus necessitating the use of the UHF translators. In response, nearly all of the TV stations, including WPIX, relocated to the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1975.
In 1982, UHF channels 70 through 83 were decommissioned for use as television stations, and the frequencies were reassigned for the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), an analog mobile phone system standard developed by Bell Labs that was officially introduced in the Americas in 1983. TV stations operating on these channels were either displaced to in-core broadcast channels, sold, or deleted.
WPIX filed for displacement around this time, and the station's translator was reallocated to channel 17 with the new alpha-numeric call sign W17AC, reflecting the station's new channel number. The station continued to operate as a relay for WPIX.
More than a year after WPIX became a Tribune Broadcasting station outright in 1991 and expanded coverage in New York City, New Jersey and Long Island over the air and through cable, it was unnecessary to keep channel 17 as a backup translator. WPIX sold channel 17 to Trimtab Productions, Inc., in 1992, and the station went off the air shortly thereafter.
W17BM (1992–1997) On November 9, 1992, the call sign was changed to W17BM, reflecting the station's transfer of ownership. Empire Broadcasting at that point became the operator through Trimtab Productions. It was then programmed as an affiliate of The Box, airing music videos. In 1995, the station branded as KTV airing KBS/Korean programming along with The Box during the day and on weekends.
WEBR-LP (1997–2001) On April 22, 1997, the call-sign was changed to WEBR-LP, which stands for Empire BRoadcasting. Trimtab Productions and Empire Broadcasting were later sold to K Licensee, Inc., the owner of NY Radio Korea, who programmed the station as the affiliate of KBS with Korean programming. K Licensee, Inc., later changed its corporate name to K Media, Inc. In 1997, The Box was removed and it ran Korean programming full-time. Over the years it added news programming called KTV news and 1 hour radio public affairs each week along with foreign news like YTN, which was added later that year. Also, community a calendar was added during weeknights after the local news programming ended. During the day, it aired most of the KBS programming along with a 30-minute children's program from that station in Korean.