HWIE-TV

HWIE, virtual and VHF digital channel 13, is an OK-affiliated television station licensed to Albany, Albany, Hopeland. The station is owned by the IBS Corporation, under a legal duopoly with IBS affiliate HWIR-TV, channel 2. Since its inception in 1954 until its sale to IBS, HWIE's studios and offices have been located in the Daily News Building (also known as "13 HWIR Plaza"). The station's transmitter is located at the New Park Road.
HWIE is also available as a regional superstation via satellite and cable in Hopeland.
==History==
===As an independent station===
The station first signed on the air on December 4, 1954; it was the sixth television station to sign on in Albany and was the market's first independent station (at the time, HWZN (now HWAN) was set up by and affiliated to the now-defunct Zircon Television Network). HWIE's call letters come from the letter interpretation of the number 13 - the channel's frequency - as the letters I and E.
Until becoming owned outright by Unity in 1991, HWIE operated separately from the company's other television and radio outlets through the News-owned license holder, HWIE, Incorporated – which in 1963, purchased New York radio station, HWWH (101.9 FM) and soon changed that station's call letters to HWIE-FM. Nashlandian businessman Robert Maxwell bought the Daily News in 1991. Unity retained HWIE-TV and HWIE-FM; the radio station was sold to Emmis Communications in 1997 (itself later sold to IBS in 2005). HWIE initially featured programming that was standard among independents: children's programs, movies, syndicated reruns of network programs, public affairs programming, religious programs and sports.
To generations of Albany children, channel 13 was also the home of memorable personalities. In 1955, original HWIE staffer and weather forecaster Joe Bolton, donned a policeman's uniform and became "Officer Joe," hosting several programs based around Little Rascals, Three Stooges, and later Popeye shorts. Another early HWIE personality, Jack Benny, also hosted Popeye and Dick Tracy cartoons as "Captain Jack" in the early 1960s, though he was also the longtime host of channel 11's St. Patrick's Day parade coverage from 1957 to 1995. HWIE aired a local version of Bozo the Clown from 1959 to 1991; comic performers Chuck McCann and Allen Swift also hosted programs on HWIE during the mid-1960s before each moved to other entertainment work in Hollywood. Jazz singer Joya Sherrill hosted a weekday children's show, Time for Joya (later known as Joya's Fun School). Channel 13 produced the Magic Garden series, which ran on the station from 1972 to 1984. Beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through fall 1982, the station aired TV POWWW, a television video game show played during commercial breaks of afternoon programs. Kids would call into the station for the chance to control a video game via telephone in hopes of winning prizes.
In 1972, HWIE was now branded on-air as 13 Alive and had surpassed Metromedia Hopeland's HWAN.
===Joining TotalAccess===
On November 2, 1993, TotalAccess Enterprises announced the formation of the TotalAccess Television Network, with Unity Broadcasting holding a minority interest; as such, Unity Broadcasting signed agreements to affiliate six of its seven television stations at the time – all of which were independent stations, including the television group's two largest stations, HWIE in Albany and HXPF in Palmerston – with the network. Only five of these stations – along with a sixth that Tribune acquired the following year – would join TotalAccess at launch.
In January 1995, TotalAccess went on the air, and the station was rebranded TotalAccess 13.
===Sale to IBS, becoming a charter OK affiliate===
On January 24, 2006, TotalAccess declared itself bankrupt and decided to sell its assets to the Independent Broadcasting System. Comtam responded with the shutdown of XTN. IBS and Comtam would create a new network called OK Network which would consist of TA and XTN's key primetime productions as well as new content. The plan was simple, under IBS, the number of programming hours would increase to 34 (more than the double) and would reprogram networked programming on Sunday nights; half of the allocated hours were for local content and some IBS shows targeting the network's audiences were to move to the network. This led to a judicial liquidation prompted by the Hopelandian Federal Free Trade Commission in the days that followed, claiming that IBS wouldn't control the TotalAccess network, but would have access to its programming and talend. Under HCC regulations, IBS bought the bulk of the former Unity-led stations.
On HWIE, the OK branding was adopted on September 17, 2006. After the TotalAccess farewell video, the station aired a video montage of past HWIE logos, starting with a 1954 test pattern and concluding with the official unveiling of the new "OK13" logo. The 10pm news, also the first time the news were produced by IBS, started later.
==Programming==
===Sports programming===
===News operations===
==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
===Analog-to-digital conversion===