Tribune Broadcasting's WPIX(TV), New York's WB Television Network affiliate is now broadcasting from an omnidirectional antenna on top of the Empire State Building also used by WABC-TV.
The antenna's design permits WPIX's signal to be broadcast in a pattern similar to what it was before September 11, station management said. An electronic device called a "combiner" permits more than one station to beam a signal from the same antenna.
Viewers who watch over-the-air TV are being advised to aim their antennas at the Empire State Building in midtown Manhattan for the best reception.
It's "the best interim solution for restoring service to as many people as possible right now and probably for several months to come," said Betty Ellen Berlamino, WPIX vice president and general manager said in a prepared
statement. "Now we can work on finding the best long-term solution that combines full coverage with the highest quality picture and sound."
Since September 15 (four days after the terrorist attack) WPIX has been broadcast on Channel 11 from the Alpine Tower in Alpine, New Jersey, using a directional antenna that reached many, but not all, New York TV viewers.
WPIX augmented the reach of the Alpine facility with a UHF signal beamed from the Empire State Building toward Brooklyn and points east of New York on Channel 64.
WPIX plans to keep a backup transmitter at the Alpine tower for the foreseeable future. Channel 64, not needed now that WPIX is back on Channel 11, has been shut down.
- Michael Grotticelli
