WPLE

WPLE (channel 46) is a PBS member television station licensed to Plattsburgh, New York, United States, serving the Burlington, Vermont–Plattsburgh, New York market, owned by Mountain Lake Public Telecommunications Council.
==History== 
WPLE-TV signed on March 6, 1977 from its studios at SUNY Plattsburgh. In 1993, it rebranded itself as "Mountain Lake PBS" to reflect its growing viewership. 
From 1990 to 1996, WPLE-TV had a sister NPR station, WPLE-FM on 91.9. However, in a case of exceptionally bad timing, WPLE-FM signed on just as North Country Public Radio began building a number of satellites and repeaters in the WPLE-TV service area. It did not help matters that much of the area got a strong signal from Vermont Public Radio flagship WVPS in Burlington. 
It soon became apparent that Plattsburgh was too small for a standalone NPR station to be viable. Realizing that it was up against two established public radio broadcasters with more resources than it could hope to match, Mountain Lake sold WPLE-FM to Albany's WAMC in 1996, who operates 91.9 as a repeater, WCEL. 
=2007 transmitter tower collapse=
On April 18, 2007, WPLE's 400-foot (122 m) transmitter tower located on Lyon Mountain completely collapsed as a result of heavy amounts of ice and snow from the April 2007 Nor'easter, and partially damaged the transmitter building at the base. The station started rebuilding a transmitter tower. In the meantime, the direct fiber optic lines to the local Charter Communications franchise were unaffected, and the station continued to broadcast on cable. 
On April 23, 2007, WPLE-TV went back on the air as a temporary digital subchannel of WKAW, broadcast from Mount Mansfield, Vermont. WPLE-TV was multicast on WKAW's digital channel 53, mapped to channel 46.1. 
On August 10, 2007, WKAW-TV discontinued carriage of WPLE-TV, when interim facilities were established (see below). Following the collapse, cable viewers outside of the New York side of the Plattsburgh–Burlington market had to rely on distant affiliates for PBS programming. Cable systems in Vermont and some systems in Montérégie continued to have access to Vermont Public Television stations, while Videotron systems in the latter region that offered WPLE-TV substituted its signal with that of Detroit's WIJE. 
On April 27, WPLE-TV's signal was reestablished on Videotron, which received WPLE-TV's signal from its temporary transmitter. In addition, WWOD donated its internet streaming facilities to WPLE-TV, which was used for WPLE-TV's annual Art Auction, which took place as scheduled, shortly after the collapse. 
The transmitter that was damaged was a Thomson TBM unit. The company was able to provide one of their Affinity transmitters on lease to the station within two weeks of getting the request from the station. This temporary transmitter was located at the station's studio location until they could get the main transmitter facility repaired (which was a very involved process due to site access issues). 
On October 9, 2007, WPLE-TV's new tower at Lyon Mountain went into service, almost six months after the collapse. WPLE-TV's digital signal went on the air on October 23.
==Gallery==
===Logos===
 
Mountain Lake Public Television logo 1995.svg|1993–1999 
Mountain Lake PBS logo early 2000s.svg|1999-2008
WCFE-TV 2008.svg|2008-2021
Category:Channel 46
Category:Plattsburgh, New York
Category:New York
Category:PBS member stations
Category:Former NET affiliates
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1977