- For the real-life radio station on 107.7 FM in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, see WTPL on Wikipedia.
WTPL (channel 17) is a television station licensed to Tupper Lake, New York, United States, affiliated with CBS. Owned by the Sala Media Group, the stations' studios are on Main Street in Tupper Lake, while its transmitter is on top of Mt. Arab in rural Saint Lawrence County.
History[]
As an ABC affiliate[]
The station was first signed on channel 65, on August 20, 1967 by James Layton, who also owned WTPL-FM, the station was signed on as WJCK's signal was not able to reach the Tupper Lake area. WTPL would receive investments from James Layton, with the most major one being a local newscast being started in 1977, along with a switch to channel 17.
When died James Layton on November 20, 1980, the station was given to Watertown, New York based EJ Broadcasting, which would own the station until 2019. With EJ Broadcasting owning the station, WTPL would receive many upgrades, with more news equipment being given to the station.
As the station got more major, it's signal got upgraded, now being able to reach as far as Plattsburgh and Ogdensburg, New York. The station also served as the default ABC affiliate on Cable in the Burlington, Vermont market, meaning that served most of Vermont.
By 1990 the station had been well known for serving well beyond it's range, and around that time CBS affiliate WPRC had signed on, on channel 34, with would provide WTPL with competition for the first time. WPRC at the got it's local newscast, but WTPL would still manage to beat it out by a wide margin
As a CBS affiliate[]
In 1994 CBS had gone into an agreement with EJ Broadcasting that WTPL would swap to CBS by 1996, which evoked fear in many, as many relied on WTPL for ABC programming in the Burlington, Vermont market. WPRC would try to get the ABC affiliation, which would fail for them, and they would swap to NBC later in 1995. The station would swap from ABC to CBS on September 10, 1995, with special promos being made for the station.
In 1995 the station would also get an upgrade to it's range with repeaters W28MT, in Star Lake, New York, W45MT in Long Lake, New York and W60MT in Potsdam, New York being signed on. The station as a CBS affiliate, like as an ABC affiliate, did not use the stations logo in it's logo.
The station would start branding as CBS 17 on August 20, 2003, to match many other CBS affiliates, the station around that same time would get a 5PM newscast produced by Watertown based WWJC, with it being branded as North Country News Now, though it would be dropped by 2006.
The station was starting to lose dominance as WPRC started producing news more often, and not just at 5PM, WTPL would upgrade it's entire set by 2009, and the studios were relocated.
WTPL, along with all EJ Broadcasting stations was dropped on Time Warner Cable on July 29, 2011, and Watertown based WKGW-DT2, would replace it on cable, but 2 weeks later the station would be returned on Time Warner Cable.
On April 13, 2019 the station alongside all other EJ Broadcasting stations were to by bought out by Wagner Village, Utah based Sala Media Group, and would officially be bought on November 23, 2019. WTPL started getting upgrades and would still remain the dominant station in the area.
WTPL would start branding as WTPL Action News starting on January 1, 2023, marking a new refresh for the station, with new graphics, and parts of the set being upgraded
Gallery[]
Logos[]
Station IDs, news opens and screenshots[]
| Full powered stations | |
|---|---|
| Low powered stations | |
 affiliates | |
|---|---|
 affiliates | |
 affiliates | |
 affiliates | |
 affiliate | |
 affiliate | |
| Independent stations | |
 affiliates | |
 affiliates | |
 affiliate | |
 affiliate | |
 affiliates | |
 affiliate | |