i remember when wnyb used to show the sabres away games in the late 80s..i miss this station and still recall their early evening schedule from early 1989
If you were lucky to get WUTV AND WNYB and you were a kid back in '88/'89 it was like a pleasure overload. Awesome cartoons, sit-coms and movies, yes Sabres Hockey and more, A CRTC rule stated that any US station that signed on after 1987 could not be carried on Cable in Canada WNEQ (now WNLO The CW 23 ans WNYB signed on in 1987) so the only way to get 'em was with an antenna.
In St. Catharines, WNYO MyTV49 IS available on cable now.
This was the station i grew up on...29 and 49. 49 had all the cool cartoons too like Transformers and Voltron. A year later in 1988 they went to a religious format :(
I think the religious format took place early 1990, holding that way til fall of 1996, when they became WB49.
Now... MY49... not really working all that well, though. They should bring back "independent" TV channels and let 49 lead the way. Maybe let them air Sabres games, and Bills pre-season/special games, without interrupting the other networks' programs.
Know what you mean. It is unacceptable that Sabres are only on cable. Come on! The Leafs are on every week in Buffalo, but the Sabres aren'y. Even though I live in Buffalo that is a major reason why I'm a Leafs fan. Way I see it, if the Sabres won't show me their games, why should I be thier fan?
Yeah...I STILL miss TV49--nearly 20 years later. You couldn't get channel 49 on cable in our area (Niagara) and it didn't matter because we had an antenna! Channel 29 and 49 were all you needed.
When they changed over to religious programming there was no warning. Instead of the Super Mario Brothers Super Show it was time to Paraise the Lord. Man was I pissed!
Wikipedia said it was a Fox station for its first three years. WRONG! It was independant for the first two years, then it was a Fox station for a brief time. WUTV had Fox from 1986 until 1989, then it became a permanent Fox station in 1990, the year when WNYB became a religious station.
Then, in 96, WNYB became WNYO, a then-WB affiliate.
But man, seeing this brings back memories. They had GAME SHOWS, too: Scrabble, Wipeout, Family Feud (Ray Combs style), etc. Cool!
Thanks for the info. (I was only 2 years old in 1990 and have no memories of WUTV prior to about 1992, so when Wikipedia said that WNYB was Buffalo's Fox affiliate until 1990, I assumed it was right.)
I also assume WNYB aired Buffalo Sabres games back then?
They did, in fact, air Buffalo Sabres games when it initially went on the air. They ran in for its entire first 3 years. WNYB only had Fox for the 1989-1990 season. WUTV, in fact, first went on the air in the early 1970s. I always used to wish they would overhaul its image during the 80s, seeing that many other TV stations back then did.
Was WNYB available on cable in the Toronto area in 1989-1990, or just by antenna? I'm curious because I read that no Canadian channel carried "The Simpsons" during its first season before Global picked it up for seasons 2+.
It was available in Toronto, but only by antenna, because some days, it would come in crystal clear but other days it would be fuzzier than Fuzzy Wuzzy.
As to whether no Canadian channel carried "The Simpsons" during its first season, well, CHCH, now an affiliate with E! Canada, aired its first season. Back in those days, it also aired the show from which it was spun off, namely, "The Tracey Ullman Show". Sadly, WNYB--now WNYO--was not available on cable back then.
A month ago I was researching TV listings using the Toronto Sun's online service, and their TV listings did include 49, but noted that it was not carried on cable systems there. Too bad, because WNYB was owned by the Sabres, and fans in Toronto could watch more hockey.
I remember they ran British comedies like Allo Allo and Are You Being Served in the evening, with commercial breaks. Unusual because those programs were being run at the same time on Buffalo's pbs station WNED 17 (where they also seemed more at home).
WNYB also ran Hawaii Five-0 at lunchtime, which was great because at the time no other channels were shoing it.
This was one of my ABSOLUTE favorite channels as a kid back in the 80s. The lineup on there was 2nd to none.
RaveSacks 9 months ago
i remember when wnyb used to show the sabres away games in the late 80s..i miss this station and still recall their early evening schedule from early 1989
4:30pm double dare
5pm: super mario bros super show
5:30pm: fun house
6pm: mama's family
6:30pm silver spoons
7pm: star trek the next generation
domirules28 1 year ago
If you were lucky to get WUTV AND WNYB and you were a kid back in '88/'89 it was like a pleasure overload. Awesome cartoons, sit-coms and movies, yes Sabres Hockey and more, A CRTC rule stated that any US station that signed on after 1987 could not be carried on Cable in Canada WNEQ (now WNLO The CW 23 ans WNYB signed on in 1987) so the only way to get 'em was with an antenna.
In St. Catharines, WNYO MyTV49 IS available on cable now.
Keaster2000 2 years ago
Maybe someone can fill me in...
but isn't that Steve Mitchell as the voice of WNYB?
ckg927 2 years ago
Yes, it is Steve Mitchell. He also voxed the classic House fo Masters "Active Man of the 80s" commercial I have uploaded on my account
Retrontario 2 years ago
This was the station i grew up on...29 and 49. 49 had all the cool cartoons too like Transformers and Voltron. A year later in 1988 they went to a religious format :(
tmq1384 3 years ago
I think the religious format took place early 1990, holding that way til fall of 1996, when they became WB49.
Now... MY49... not really working all that well, though. They should bring back "independent" TV channels and let 49 lead the way. Maybe let them air Sabres games, and Bills pre-season/special games, without interrupting the other networks' programs.
StukInBuf 2 years ago
Know what you mean. It is unacceptable that Sabres are only on cable. Come on! The Leafs are on every week in Buffalo, but the Sabres aren'y. Even though I live in Buffalo that is a major reason why I'm a Leafs fan. Way I see it, if the Sabres won't show me their games, why should I be thier fan?
foamer4269 2 years ago
Yeah...I STILL miss TV49--nearly 20 years later. You couldn't get channel 49 on cable in our area (Niagara) and it didn't matter because we had an antenna! Channel 29 and 49 were all you needed.
When they changed over to religious programming there was no warning. Instead of the Super Mario Brothers Super Show it was time to Paraise the Lord. Man was I pissed!
Keaster2000 3 years ago 5
I remember this station.
Wikipedia said it was a Fox station for its first three years. WRONG! It was independant for the first two years, then it was a Fox station for a brief time. WUTV had Fox from 1986 until 1989, then it became a permanent Fox station in 1990, the year when WNYB became a religious station.
Then, in 96, WNYB became WNYO, a then-WB affiliate.
But man, seeing this brings back memories. They had GAME SHOWS, too: Scrabble, Wipeout, Family Feud (Ray Combs style), etc. Cool!
theinkworm 3 years ago
Thanks for the info. (I was only 2 years old in 1990 and have no memories of WUTV prior to about 1992, so when Wikipedia said that WNYB was Buffalo's Fox affiliate until 1990, I assumed it was right.)
I also assume WNYB aired Buffalo Sabres games back then?
88HJS 3 years ago
They did, in fact, air Buffalo Sabres games when it initially went on the air. They ran in for its entire first 3 years. WNYB only had Fox for the 1989-1990 season. WUTV, in fact, first went on the air in the early 1970s. I always used to wish they would overhaul its image during the 80s, seeing that many other TV stations back then did.
theinkworm 3 years ago
Was WNYB available on cable in the Toronto area in 1989-1990, or just by antenna? I'm curious because I read that no Canadian channel carried "The Simpsons" during its first season before Global picked it up for seasons 2+.
88HJS 3 years ago
It was available in Toronto, but only by antenna, because some days, it would come in crystal clear but other days it would be fuzzier than Fuzzy Wuzzy.
As to whether no Canadian channel carried "The Simpsons" during its first season, well, CHCH, now an affiliate with E! Canada, aired its first season. Back in those days, it also aired the show from which it was spun off, namely, "The Tracey Ullman Show". Sadly, WNYB--now WNYO--was not available on cable back then.
theinkworm 3 years ago
Thanks for the info.
88HJS 3 years ago
A month ago I was researching TV listings using the Toronto Sun's online service, and their TV listings did include 49, but noted that it was not carried on cable systems there. Too bad, because WNYB was owned by the Sabres, and fans in Toronto could watch more hockey.
reganBuffalo 2 years ago
I remember they ran British comedies like Allo Allo and Are You Being Served in the evening, with commercial breaks. Unusual because those programs were being run at the same time on Buffalo's pbs station WNED 17 (where they also seemed more at home).
WNYB also ran Hawaii Five-0 at lunchtime, which was great because at the time no other channels were shoing it.
Retrontario 3 years ago
True on that! I would tape-record the Five-O exploits while at school, watching it later. Didn't need to see WWOR's broadcasts.
StukInBuf 2 years ago
WLFL in Raleigh and WTVZ in Norfolk had the same logos as well; they were also owned by TVX Broadcasting.
bhayes06 3 years ago
That's right, they did. I am not sure about WETO in Greeneville, TN.
WETO was owned by TVX Broadcasting before they changed the calls to WEMT in 1987 or 1988. and was brought by MT Communications.
They, too, was an independent station.
DerrickLee2006 3 years ago