Jump to content

New England Cable News

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromNECN)
New England Cable News
New England Cable News
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaMassachusetts
Connecticut
Vermont
Maine
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
HeadquartersNeedham, Massachusetts
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format480i(SDTV)
1080i(HDTV)
Ownership
OwnerNBCUniversal
ParentNBCUniversal Owned Television Stations
Sister channelsNBC Sports Boston,WNEU,WBTS-CD,WVIT
History
LaunchedMarch 2, 1992
Links
WebsiteNew England Cable News
Availability
Streaming media
FuboTVInternet Protocol television
YouTube TV(Select areas)Internet Protocol television

New England Cable News(NECN) is a regional24-hourcable newstelevision networkowned and operated byNBCUniversal(as part of theNBCUniversal Owned Television Stationsdivision, both ultimately owned byComcast) serving theNew Englandregion of theUnited States.It focuses on regional news, though in some low priority timeslots,paid programmingand programming fromWNBCsuch asTalk StoopandOpen Houseare seen.

NECN, along withNBCowned and operatedWBTS-CD(channel 15),TelemundoO&OWNEU(channel 60), andNBC Sports Boston,are based at the NBCU Boston Media Center on B Street inNeedham, Massachusetts.NECN also operates severalnews bureausin the New England area, includingManchester, New Hampshire;Hartford, Connecticut;Worcester, Massachusetts;Portland, Maine;Providence, Rhode Island;andBurlington, Vermont.

New England Cable News maintains a remote camera in the television studio ofSuffolk Universityin downtown Boston. New England Cable News is available across New England in 3.7 million homes and produces several original programs.

Overview[edit]

NECN was launched March 2, 1992, as a joint partnership between Continental Cablevision (now part ofComcast) and theHearst Corporation.[1]On June 18, 2009, Hearst sold its stake in NECN to Comcast, which began to operate it as a division of the Comcast Sports Group andComcast SportsNet.[2]

When Hearst owned a stake in NECN, it used the resources of several New England stations owned and operated byHearst Televisionto assist in news coverage of the region. The Hearst stations include BostonABCaffiliateWCVB-TV(early in NECN's existence, the network rebroadcast WCVB's 6:00 p.m. newscast at 8:00 p.m.,[1]an arrangement discontinued in 1998[3]);New Hampshire's ABC affiliateWMUR-TV;ABC affiliateWMTWin Portland (NECN and WMTW both maintained bureaus in theTime and Temperature Buildingin downtown Portland, though the operations were physically separate and NECN used its own news vehicles inMaine); andWPTZandWNNE,Vermont's twoNBCaffiliates. Other partnerships NECN maintained in its early years includedWGGB-TVinSpringfield, Massachusetts,WGME-TVin Portland (prior to Hearst's 2004 purchase of WMTW),WTNHinNew Haven, Connecticut,WPRI-TVin Providence, Rhode Island, andThe Boston Globe.[3]

Before its merger into the NBC Owned Television Stations, NECN was a training ground for local news reporters. Some of the better-known reporters who got their start at NECN include ABC'sDan Harris,CNN'sSuzanne Malveaux,andCNBC's Maya Kulycky. Several of Boston's current television reporters and anchors also began at NECN. Conversely, NECN has also employed some of the long-lived veterans of the Boston television market, including R. D. Sahl, Tom Ellis andChet Curtis.

In addition to its cable production operations, NECN began to produce a 10:00 p.m. newscast for BostonFoxaffiliateWFXT,known asFox 25 News at 10:00on September 7, 1993.[4]Shortly afterFox Television Stationsbought WFXT from theBoston Celtics,it chose not to renew the contract with NECN upon its expiration on October 1, 1995 (the station would launch its own news operation a year later);[5]the next day, the newscast moved toUPNaffiliateWSBK-TVand was renamedUPN 38 Prime News.[6]The 10:00 p.m. newscast left the air on October 4, 1998, when WSBK canceled it to focus on sports and entertainment programming; WSBK'sBoston Bruinstelecasts continued to include NECN-produced news inserts during the1998–99 season.[7]During the 2000s, NECN partnered withCharter Communicationsto produceWorcester News Tonightfor itsCharter TV3channel.[8]

Comcast systems carry NECN as part of its limited basic tier, usually on a low and prime channel position (channel 6 in most Metro Boston communities). It is also seen onVerizon FiOSon channel 13 as part of local Digital, and onRCNon channel 318 as part of its Signature package. Most othercable TVsystems in New England carry NECN, with the exception ofCox.The service is not available on satellite.

On January 18, 2010, NECN began broadcasting inhigh definition.Most Boston-area Comcast subscribers can watch NECN-HD on Channel 840. Verizon carries NECN-HD on channel 513, also as part of local digital, while RCN subscribers can watch NECN-HD on channel 618.

In July 2013, as part of a corporate reorganization resulting from Comcast's purchase ofNBC Universal,NECN was moved into theNBC Owned Television Stationsdivision—aligning it withNBCandTelemundo's owned-and-operated stations, although Boston's NBC affiliateWHDHwas not owned by the network.[9]On January 1, 2017, low-power stationWBTS-LDbecame Boston's new NBC O&O, replacing WHDH as its affiliate; it shares studios and resources with NECN.[10]WNEU,the Telemundo O&O for Boston, has also shared resources with NECN since launching a news operation in 2015.[11]Under NBCUniversal management, NECN also began sharing resources with the other NBC affiliates in New England:WVITinNew Britain, Connecticut(an O&O),WWLPin Springfield, Massachusetts,WJARin Providence, Rhode Island, andWCSHin Portland, Maine (and itsBangorsemi-satellite,WLBZ), along with maintaining its existing relationship with WPTZ.

In December 2013,Time Warner Cableannounced that NECN would be dropped from its lineups in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts by the end of the year.[12]The future of the Portland, Maine bureau was called into question.[13]The decision was widely criticized by Time Warner Cable customers, who solicited the intervention of public officials on their behalf. TWC subsequently decided to continue carrying NECN.[14]

In 2016, NECN became one of the first regional cable networks to be available on the now defunctPlayStation Vue(and the first to be on an over-the-top Internet television service). Due to how PlayStation Vue defined each region it served, it also extended the network's reach into theNew York Tri-Statearea. It was later added to more streaming television services such asFuboTV,YouTube TV,Hulu with Live TV,andSling TV.

In December 2016,Charter Spectrumdropped NECN from its basic tier, although it remains available on its digital tiers.

In late December 2022, as part of cost-cutting measures, NBCUniversal announced the closure of the NECN Vermont bureau at the end of the year.[15][16]

Since 2023, NECN has aired select games involving the W NBA 'sConnecticut Sun.Most Sun games air on sister stationNBC Sports Boston.[17]

Notable on-air staff[edit]

Notable former on-air staff[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"New England's CNN — Here To Stay".Times-Union.Warsaw, Indiana.Associated Press. August 26, 1993. pp. 3C.RetrievedFebruary 18,2011.
  2. ^Comcast assumes full ownership of NECN
  3. ^abSullivan, Steve (May 8, 2000)."NECN comes into its own".Broadcasting & Cable.RetrievedMay 23,2019.
  4. ^Bickelhaupt, Susan (August 4, 1993)."WFXT brings you the news at 10".The Boston Globe.Archived fromthe originalon November 5, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 13,2011.(subscription content preview)
  5. ^"The Boston TV Dial: WFXT(TV)".The Archives @ BostonRadio.org.March 27, 2005.RetrievedFebruary 18,2011.
  6. ^"The Boston TV Dial: WSBK-TV".The Archives @ BostonRadio.org.March 27, 2005.RetrievedFebruary 18,2011.
  7. ^Fybush, Scott (October 1, 1998)."WNNZ Sold to Clear Channel".North East RadioWatch.RetrievedFebruary 13,2011.
  8. ^Doyle, Bill (December 5, 2008)."High school sports has become big news on TV 3".Worcester Telegram & Gazette.RetrievedMay 23,2019.TV 3…teamed up with NECN to produce "Worcester News Tonight."
  9. ^"NBC's Owned Stations Reorganize".Broadcasting & Cable.Retrieved5 August2013.
  10. ^Littleton, Cynthia (December 30, 2016)."NBCUniversal Gambles in Beantown With NBC Boston Launch".Variety.RetrievedMay 23,2019.
  11. ^Malone, Michael (June 11, 2015)."Boston Telemundo Station Debuts Local News".Broadcasting & Cable.RetrievedMay 23,2019.
  12. ^Time Warner to yank NECN from Berkshire cable channel lineupBerkshire Eagle, December 10, 2013
  13. ^Loss of NECN angers Time Warner viewersPortland Press Herald, December 12, 2013
  14. ^Time Warner reverses decision to drop New England Cable NewsBerkshire Eagle, December 20, 2013
  15. ^Schulman-Hall, Juliet (2022-12-21)."New England Cable News closes Vermont bureau, lays off local journalists".VTDigger.Retrieved2022-12-22.
  16. ^Cristantiello, Ross (2022-12-21)."NECN, NBC10 close Vermont bureau, laying off journalists".MSN.Retrieved2022-12-22.
  17. ^"Connecticut Sun announce TV deal with NBC Sports Boston".17 May 2023.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_England_Cable_News&oldid=1232385067"