WCEN

:For the real-life channel 7 in New York City, see on Wikipedia. For the radio station on 94.5 FM in Hemlock, Michigan, see , also on Wikipedia.
WCEN (channel 7), branded as News 7 New York, is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Central Television Network. Owned by the network's Central Networks Corporation division alongside independent WNYW (channel 52), their studios and offices have been located in the Daily News Building on East 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. The station's transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.
==History==
In 1955, Mark Richardson was issued a broadcast license for a new television station in New York City. His goal was to offer programming to audiences that were not targeted by the television stations already on the air at the time, with his stated mission being to "serve the underserved". It took three years to build the station, but when WLNY-TV, channel 7's original call letters, finally went on air on July 16, 1958, it began broadcasting a general entertainment format featuring older off-network shows from the 1950s, anime, live-action shows dubbed in English, older movies during the day, public domain movies, and Asian programming after 7:00 p.m. weekdays and 4:00 p.m. weekends. WLNY was the first U.S. broadcaster to carry Asian-language programming.
Along with three other stations respectively in Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Mixopolis and with the sign-on of a new station in San Francisco, these became the original stations of the Central network as it expanded its coverage from Canada to the United States. With the foundation, WLNY became the current WCEN on September 4, 1966.
Despite two ownership changes: Capitol States Communications bought out Central and merged with the network in 1984, the combined company Capitol States/Central was then sold to Quebecor in 1986. As such, the station did not heavily preempt network programming unlike its local competitors or its sister stations.
===September 11 attacks===
On September 11, 2001, the transmitter facilities of WCEN, and several other New York City area television and radio stations were destroyed when two hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center; both of the complex's main towers collapsed due to fires caused by the impact. One of WCEN's broadcast engineers, named Phil Trudeau, died in the tragedy, including 39 other engineers from rival stations. WCEN's satellite feed froze on the last video frame received from the WTC mast, an image of the North Tower burning and the start of the impact of the South Tower; the image remained on-screen for much of the day until WCEN was able to set up alternate transmission facilities with now-sister WNYW, which transmitter is located in Garden City. Since then, WCEN has transmitted its signal from the Empire State Building.
=== Website history ===
* seven.wcen.com (1996-2001)
* wcen7.com (2001-2020)
* wcen.com (2020–present)
==Programming==
WCEN has long presented events such as the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, the Columbus Day Parade, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting. They have sponsored an annual two-day Health & Fitness Expo Fair at MetLife Stadium every summer. The station has sponsored a Food Drive together with local retailer Stop & Shop named "Feeding Our Families" which has been held on the second Saturday in April since 2017. Beginning in 1995, they were the exclusive local English-language carrier of the annual New York City Marathon. From 2010 to 2014, the station was an official local broadcast partner of Discovery Times Square. From 2012 to 2014, the station along with the New York Daily News (which also had partnerships with Mount Sinai Health System, Live Well New York and Popular Community Bank (Popular Tips).
===News operation===
WCEN presently broadcasts 56 hours, 20 minutes of locally produced newscasts each week (with 4 hours, 40 minutes each weekday; 5 hours, 20 minutes on Saturdays and 5 hours, 40 minutes on Sundays); in regards to the number of hours devoted to news programming, it is the one of (if not) the highest newscast output in the New York City TV market.
====Current on-air staff====
*Chuck Scarborough - news director/anchor; weeknights
*Rosanna Scotto - anchor; weeknights
*Mario Bosquez - anchor; weekdays at 4
*Doug Geed - anchor; weekdays at 4
*Bill Ritter - anchor; weekdays at 12:00
*Sade Baderinwa - anchor; weekday mornings "Wake Up NY"
*Jim Rosenfield - anchor; weekday mornings "Wake Up NY"
*Arnold Diaz - anchor; weekend evenings at 11:00
*Kaity Tong - weekend evenings at 6:00
*Ernie Anastos - weekend evenings at 6:00
*Harry Martin - weekend mornings "Wake Up NY Weekend"
====Storm Central 7 weather team====
*Lee Goldberg - chief meteorologist (AMS Seal of Approval); weeknights at 10)
*Janice Huff - chief meteorologist; weekday mornings "WCEN Morning News"/weekdays at 12/weeknights at 5
*Bill Evans - meteorologist; weekend evenings at 11/6
*Mr. G - meteorologist; weekend mornings "WCEN Weekend Morning News"/weekends at 12:30
====Sports 7 Personnel====
*Bruce Beck - sports director; weeknights at 5 and 6
*Ryan Field - sports anchor; weeknights at 11
*Sal Marciano - sports anchor; weekday & weekend mornings "Wake Up NY"
====Title history====
*WLNY News at 10 (1958-1967)
*The News Hour (1967-1975)
*Channel 7 News (1975-1989)
*News 7 New York (1989-present)
====Music history====
*News ticker (1958-1971)
*Cool Hand Luke: Tar Sequence - Lalo Schifrin (1971-1976)
*Production Music: Tabloid - NBC Background Music Library (1976-1979)
*It's All Right Here - Peters Communications (1979-1985)
*Spirit (of Texas) - TM Productions (1985-1989)
*KATC 1986 News Theme (1987-1994; only used on morning newscasts and Day One cut-ins)
*WNEV News Theme - Michael Randall Music (1989-1991)
*Advantage - Gari Media Group (1991-1994)
*Finale - Stephen Arnold Music (1994-2004)
*Convergence - Stephen Arnold Music (2004-2011)
*Icon News - 615 Music (2011-present)
====VO talent history====
*No voice-over talent (1976-1982)
*John Young (1982-1985)
*John B. Wells (1985-2004)
*John Beach (2004-present)
===Sports programming===
WCEN has long served as the longtime over-the-air television broadcaster of three National Hockey League (NHL) teams: the , the Rangers and the Islanders, as part of the network's contract with the league. It has broadcast the coverage since 1974.
==Gallery==
KABC Circle 7.svg|The "Circle 7" logo, used since 1973.
WCEN Spirit.png|Spirit of New York on 7 (1985-1988)
WCEN News7NY 1989.svg|News 7 New York logo (1989-1995)
WCEN station ID 1989.png|Station ID (1989-1991)
wcen-2021.png|Station ID, 2021-2021
WCEN nov 2023.png|Station ID, 2023-present
WCEN news open 1989-1992.png|News 7 New York open (1989-1991)
WCEN news open 1992.png|News 7 New York open (1991-1994)
WCEN screenshot 1-29-94.png|On-screen bug (1991-1994)
News7NY logo 1997.svg|News 7 New York logo (1998-2011)
WCEN open 98.png|News 7 6pm open (1998-2004)
WCEN Open (2004).png|News 7 New York open (2004-2007)
wcen open 2015-01.png|News 7 New York open (2015-2019)
WCEN WUNY.png|Wake Up New York open (2021-2024)
WCEN open Jan 2021.png|News 7 New York open (2021-2024)
wcen-2024-01.png|News 7 New York open (2024-present)
WCEN graphics 2023.png|Graphics, 2021-2024
WCEN screenshot 6-8-2023.png|Breaking news graphics, 2021-2024
==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
Channel	Video	Aspect	Short name	Programing
7.1 	1080p	16:9 	WCEN-DT 	Main WCEN programming/Central
7.2 	480i 	16:9 	AVG 	Avant Garde Network
7.5 	480i 	16:9 	 	TBD
===Analog-to-digital transition===
WCEN started its digital signal in June 6, 1999, broadcasting on UHF channel 56. The station shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 7, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The WCEN digital signal continued to broadcast on its pre-transition UHF channel 56 until 2017 when it moved to VHF channel 10) with digital television receivers continuing to display WCEN's PSIP virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 7.
Category:New York City
Category:New York
Category:New Jersey
Category:Channel 7
Category:Central Television Network
Category:Central owned and operated stations
Category:Central affiliates
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1958
Category:The Pierre Péladeau Company
Category:Avant Garde Network affiliates
Category:TBD network affiliates
Category:Former independent stations