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{{Short description|Television station in Newark, New Jersey}}
{{for|the television station in Providence, Rhode Island (1954–1955)|WNET (Rhode Island)}}
{{redirect-distinguish|WNTA-TV|WNTA}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = WNET
| logo = WNET Thirteen 2022 logo.svg
| logo_upright = .9
| location = {{ubl|[[Newark, New Jersey]]|[[New York, New York]]}}
| country = US
| city = Newark, New Jersey
| branding = THIRTEEN
| digital = 12 ([[VHF]]), shared with [[WNDT-CD]]
| virtual = 13
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''13.1:''' [[PBS]]|'''13.2:''' [[PBS Kids]]}}
| owner = The WNET Group
| licensee = WNET
| airdate = {{Start date and age|1948|5|15|p=y|br=y}}
| callsign_meaning = [[National Educational Television]] (forerunner of PBS)
| sister_stations = [[NJ PBS]], [[WEER (FM)|WEER]], [[WLIW (TV)|WLIW]], [[WLIW-FM]], [[WMBQ-CD]], [[WNDT-CD]]
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WATV (1948–1958)|WNTA-TV (1958–1962)|WNDT (1962–1970)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 13 (VHF, 1948–2009)|'''Digital:''' 61 ([[UHF]], 1998–2009)|13 (VHF, 2009–2020)}}
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[Independent station|Independent]] (1948–1956; 1961–1962)|[[NTA Film Network]] (1956–1961)|[[National Educational Television|NET]] (1962–1970)}}
| erp = 6.5 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|507.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 18795
| coordinates = {{coord|40|42|46.8|N|74|0|47.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{ubl|{{URL|https://www.thirteen.org/}} (station)|{{URL|https://www.wnet.org/}} (corporate)}}
}}
'''WNET''' (channel 13), branded on-air as '''Thirteen''' (stylized as '''THIRTEEN'''), is a primary [[PBS]] member television station licensed to [[Newark, New Jersey]], United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educational Broadcasting Corporation and later as WNET.org),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1275018.pdf |title=FCC Consent to Assignment |website=fjallfoss.fcc.gov |access-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621071654/https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1275018.pdf |archive-date=June 21, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> it is a [[sister station]] to the area's secondary PBS member, [[Garden City, New York]]–licensed [[WLIW (TV)|WLIW]] (channel 21), and two [[Class A television service|class A]] stations: [[WMBQ-CD]] (channel 46), and [[WNDT-CD]] (channel 14, which [[frequency sharing|shares spectrum]] with WNET). The WNET Group also operates New Jersey's PBS state network [[NJ PBS]], and the website NJ Spotlight through an outsourcing agreement.

WNET and WLIW share studios at [[One Worldwide Plaza]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]]; WNET's transmitter is located at [[One World Trade Center]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thebroadcastbridge.com/content/entry/8291/future-of-nyc-broadcast-tv-moving-to-1-wtc |title=Future of NYC Broadcast TV Moving to 1 WTC |last=Soseman |first=Ned |date=April 10, 2017 |website=thebroadcastbridge.com |access-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621070355/https://www.thebroadcastbridge.com/content/entry/8291/future-of-nyc-broadcast-tv-moving-to-1-wtc |archive-date=June 21, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

==History==
===Independent station (1948–1962)===
WNET commenced broadcasting on May 15, 1948, from a transmitter located atop First Mountain in [[West Orange, New Jersey]], as WATV, a commercial television station owned by Atlantic Television, a subsidiary of Bremer Broadcasting Corporation.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-05-10-BC.pdf#page=17 |title=It's a 50,000 watt boy, Mr. Time Buyer! |page=17 |magazine= Broadcasting - Telecasting|access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-05-24-BC.pdf#page=50 |title=WATV Newark Begins Regular Telecasting |page=50 |date=May 24, 1948 |magazine=Broadcasting - Telecasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> Frank V. Bremer, the CEO, also owned two [[North Jersey]] radio stations, [[WNYM|WAAT]] (970 AM) and [[WXBK|WAAT-FM]] (94.7&nbsp;MHz). The three stations were based in the [[Newark Symphony Hall|Mosque Theatre]] at 1020 Broad Street in Newark. WATV was the first of three new stations in the New York City television market to sign on the air during 1948, and was also the first [[independent station]]. One unusual daytime program, ''Daywatch,'' consisted of a camera focused on a [[teletypewriter]] printing [[wire service]] news stories, interspersed with cutaways to mechanical toys against a light music soundtrack. Another early series by the station was ''[[Stairway to Stardom (1950 TV program)|Stairway to Stardom]]'' (1950–1951), one of the first TV series with an African-American host. WATV's transmitter was moved to the [[Empire State Building]] in November 1953.<ref name="Inc.1953">{{cite magazine |title=Empire State's $700,000 Antenna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VAoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8 |magazine=Billboard |date=November 14, 1953 |page=6 |access-date=April 7, 2023 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

On October 6, 1957, Bremer Broadcasting announced it had sold its stations for $3.5&nbsp;million to [[National Telefilm Associates]] (NTA), an early distributor of motion pictures for television, joining its [[NTA Film Network]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1957/1957-10-07-BC.pdf#page=9 |title=WAAT, WATV (TV) Sold To NTA For $3.5 Million |page=9 |date=October 7, 1957 |magazine=Broadcasting - Telecasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1958/1958-04-07-BC.pdf#page=64 |title=NTA Newark Purchase Gets FCC's Approval |page=64 |date=April 7, 1958 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> On May 7, 1958, channel 13's [[call sign]] was changed to WNTA-TV to reflect the new ownership; the radio stations also adopted these call letters. NTA's cash resources enabled WNTA to produce a schedule of programming with greater emphasis on the people and events of New Jersey, compared to the other commercial television stations.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1957/1957-10-14-BC.pdf#page=77 |title=NTA Said Planning Overhaul Of WAAT-WATV (TV) Operations |page=77 |date=October 14, 1957 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> NTA also sought to make channel 13 the center of a new commercial network, though during its run the NTA Film Network offered only one night of "in-pattern" network programming, Friday nights in 1957–58, and for most purposes WNTA served as the New York showcase for nationally [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] programming and produced several such entries, notably the anthology drama series ''Play of the Week''; the talk show ''[[Open End]]'', hosted by [[David Susskind]]; [[children's show]] ''[[The Magic Clown]]''; and a popular [[dance on television|dance program]] emceed by [[Clay Cole]]. The station continued to lag behind New York's other independent stations—[[WNEW-TV]] (channel 5), [[WOR-TV]] (channel 9) and [[WPIX]] (channel 11)—in terms of audience size, and NTA incurred a large debt load. National Telefilm Associates put the WNTA stations up for sale in February 1961.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-02-20-BC.pdf#page=42  |title=NTA to Sell WNTA-AM-TV; Landau Out |page=42 |date=February 20, 1961 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>

====Transition (1961–1962)====
At least three prospective purchasers expressed interest in WNTA. The most prominent was the New York City-based group Educational Television for the Metropolitan Area (ETMA), a consortium of businesspeople, cultural leaders and educators who intended to turn channel 13 into New York City's educational station. By this time, it was obvious that the non-commercial frequency that the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) originally allocated to the city, [[UHF]] channel 25, would not be nearly adequate enough to cover a market that stretched from [[Fairfield County, Connecticut]], in the north to [[Ocean County, New Jersey]], in the south. Prior to 1964, when the FCC required television manufacturers to include UHF tuners in newer sets as per the [[All-Channel Receiver Act]] passed in 1961, most viewers could not view UHF stations except with an expensive converter; only a few manufacturers made sets with built-in UHF tuning. Even for those who could access UHF stations, reception was marginal even under the best conditions.

With assistance from the [[University of the State of New York]], ETMA had attempted to purchase channel 13 and convert it into a non-commercial station in 1957, when Bremer Broadcasting first put the station on the block;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1957/1957-12-09-BC.pdf#page=66 |title=N.Y. State Seeks WATV (TV)'S CH. 13 |page=66 |date=December 9, 1957 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> this bid was later withdrawn. This time ETMA was competing with NTA founding president [[Ely Landau]], who had formed a syndicate to buy the station after resigning from NTA; and David Susskind, who received financial backing from [[Paramount Pictures]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-04-03-BC.pdf#page=33 |title=The Dam Breaks in Station Sales |pages=33–35 |date=April 3, 1961 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>

ETMA's initial bid of $4&nbsp;million was rejected by NTA,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-02-27-BC.pdf#page=36 |title=$4 million offer to buy WNTA -TV called too low |page=36  |date=February 27, 1961 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> but the citizens' group remained persistent. With the support and guidance of [[National Educational Television]] (NET), ETMA later received an endorsement from newly appointed FCC chairman [[Newton N. Minow]], who established public hearings to discuss the fate of channel 13. The pendulum quickly shifted in favor of channel 13 going non-commercial, and the commercial suitors withdrew their interest.<ref name="JARVIK">{{Cite book |title=PBS, Behind the Screen |last=Jarvik |first=Laurence  |publisher=Prima Lifestyles |year=1996 |isbn=978-0761506683 |location=Rocklin, CA}}</ref>

On June 29, 1961, ETMA agreed to purchase WNTA for $6.2&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-07-03-BC.pdf#page=62 |title=ETV Group Buys WNTA-TV |page=62 |date=July 3, 1961 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> About $2&nbsp;million of that amount came from five of the city's six remaining commercial [[VHF]] stations (WPIX was the lone holdout), all of whom were pleased to see a competitor eliminated.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-09-10-BC.pdf#page=68  |title=Source of funds for acquisition of WNDT(TV) |page=64 |date=September 10, 1962 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> In addition, [[CBS]] later donated a facility in Manhattan to ETMA and NET to use as a studio. The FCC approved the transfer in October, and converted channel 13's commercial license to non-commercial.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-10-30-BC.pdf#page=83 |title=FCC Okays WNTA -TV Sale to ETV |pages=83–84 |date=October 30, 1961 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>

The outgoing New Jersey governor, [[Robert B. Meyner]], addressing state lawmakers' concerns over continued programming specific to New Jersey, and fearing the FCC would move the channel 13 allocation to New York City,<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-09-11-BC.pdf#page=88 |title=Meyner hits again at WNTA -TV sale |page=88 |date=September 11, 1961 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=April 2, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> petitioned the [[United States courts of appeals]] on September 6, 1961, to block the sale of WNTA-TV. The court ruled in the state's favor two months later.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-11-13-BC.pdf#page=76 |title=WNTA -TV sale delayed |page=76 |date=November 13, 1961 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=April 2, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>

The unsettled deal almost caused National Telefilm Associates to reconsider its decision to sell the station altogether, and NTA made plans to go forward: WNTA-TV made a play to acquire broadcast rights for the [[New York Mets]] baseball team for its inaugural 1962 season.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-11-20-BC.pdf#page=88 |title=WNTA-TV 'hopeful' of commercial future|magazine=Broadcasting |date=November 20, 1961 |pages=88–89 |access-date=April 5, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> Faced with either consummating the transaction or seeing it canceled, ETMA settled their differences with New Jersey officials on December 4, 1961.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=WNTA-TV Sale: More Chaos |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-12-04-BC.pdf#page=74 |magazine=Broadcasting |date=December 4, 1961 |pages=74–75 |access-date=April 5, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> After a few last-minute issues arose to cause further delays, the transfer became final on December 22.<ref name="EBCH"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-12-25-BC.pdf#page=9 |title=It's final: WNTA-TV sale to ETMA closed |page=9 |date=December 25, 1961 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=April 5, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> Later that evening, WNTA-TV signed off for the final time. ETMA and NET then went to work converting the station, which they said would return with its new educational format within three months.

[[File:WNET Edward R. Murrow 1962.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"Tonight, you join me in being present at the birth of a great adventure." [[Edward R. Murrow]], on the first broadcast of WNDT on September 16, 1962.<ref name=JamesDay>{{Cite book |title=The Vanishing Vision: The Inside Story of Public Television |last=Day |first=James |publisher=University of California Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0520086593 |location=Berkeley, CA |pages=[https://archive.org/details/vanishingvisioni00dayj/page/386 386] |url=https://archive.org/details/vanishingvisioni00dayj/page/386 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://vimeo.com/85157403 |title=Edward R. Murrow: WNDT First Day of Air |via=Vimeo |date=January 27, 2014 |access-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517222843/https://vimeo.com/85157403 |archive-date=May 17, 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref>]]
Ten months later, channel 13 was ready to be reborn under new call letters, WNDT (for "New Dimensions in Television"). With [[Edward R. Murrow]]—then director of the [[United States Information Agency]]—as host of the maiden broadcast, ETMA—now the Educational Broadcasting Corporation—flipped the switch on September 16, 1962.<ref name="EBCH"/><ref name="JARVIK" /><ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-04-02-BC.pdf#page=128|title=For The Record |page=128 |date=April 2, 1962 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=April 8, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-09-10-BC.pdf#page=66 |title=New York ETV Goes On Air Next Week |pages=62–64 |date=September 10, 1962 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=April 8, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gr-QxU1Sz0 |title=Thirteen/WNET Opening Night Broadcast September 16, 1962 |date=July 13, 2007 |via=YouTube |access-date=July 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205150008/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gr-QxU1Sz0 |archive-date=December 5, 2013 |url-status=live  }}</ref> The return of channel 13 as WNDT gave the New York City market its first educational station, and with a dial position on the coveted VHF band (in many other cities, including large ones, educational stations had to make do with UHF frequencies). New York's non-commercial UHF channel, on the other hand, signed on as [[WNYE-TV]] four-and-a-half years later in April 1967. [[Richard Heffner]] was appointed as WNDT's first general manager, serving in that position in its first year; Heffner continued to appear on channel 13 as producer and host of the [[public affairs (broadcasting)|public affairs]] program ''[[The Open Mind (TV series)|The Open Mind]]'' until his death in December 2013.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lapin|first=Andrew|title=Richard Heffner, WNET pioneer and TV host, dies at 88|url=http://www.current.org/2013/12/richard-heffner-wnet-pioneer-and-tv-host-dies-at-88/|work=[[Current (newspaper)|Current]]|date=December 19, 2013|access-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804110938/http://www.current.org/2013/12/richard-heffner-wnet-pioneer-and-tv-host-dies-at-88/|archive-date=August 4, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Educational/public television station (1962–present)===
During the transition, and after the inaugural broadcast, WNDT faced an immediate crisis. The [[American Federation of Television and Radio Artists]] (AFTRA) was concerned about the use of teachers—some of whom were union-certified performers—on non-commercial television, and how they would be compensated should their work be distributed nationally.

AFTRA called a strike on the morning of WNDT's debut. Engineers and technicians who were members of the [[International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers]] (IBEW) refused to cross the AFTRA picket line, leaving the station's management and other non-union employees to produce the three-hour inaugural broadcast. Immediately afterwards, channel 13 went off the air again, as the strike continued for nearly two weeks.<ref name="EBCH">{{Cite web |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/educational-broadcasting-corporation-history/ |title=Educational Broadcasting Corporation History |website=fundinguniverse.com |access-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726235502/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/educational-broadcasting-corporation-history/ |archive-date=July 26, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref name=JamesDay /><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-09-24-BC.pdf#page=125 |title=Strike keeps New York's WNDT off |page=125 |date=September 24, 1962 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=May 3, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> The striking workers returned WNDT to the air after ten days<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-10-01-BC.pdf#page=72 |title=WNDT (TV) back to air, but strike continues |pages=72–74 |date=October 1, 1962 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=May 3, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> and on September 28, the labor dispute was settled.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-10-01-BC.pdf#page=10 |title=AFTRA strike ends; WNDT resumes |page=10 |date=October 1, 1962 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=May 3, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> However, the station's financial resources were drained, requiring an infusion of cash from the [[Ford Foundation]] to help keep the station running.<ref name="EBCH"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-10-01-BC.pdf#page=10 |title=Ford fund ETV grants: $16.3 million in 1962 |pages=56–57 |date=January 7, 1963 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=May 3, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>

NET originally wanted to merge its operations with WNDT, which would have given the station a direct line of funding as well as make channel 13 NET's flagship station. The Ford Foundation, which supported both groups, stopped the proposed mergers on at least two different occasions in 1962 and 1965.

Events that began in 1967 led the Ford Foundation to change its stance and push for a WNDT-NET merger. The newly formed [[Corporation for Public Broadcasting]] (created by an [[Public Broadcasting Act of 1967|act]] of the [[United States Congress]]) initially supported NET's network role, while providing government funding for programming. But that move was followed two years later by the establishment of the Public Broadcasting Service as the CPB's own distribution system—which was a direct threat to NET's territory. It has been intimated that the CPB's creation was an attempt to curb NET's production of controversial documentaries and replace it with a less controversial, government-friendly broadcaster, less hostile in particular to the [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Johnson]], and later the [[Nixon]] administrations (NET ignored the demand and continued with the production of the critically acclaimed documentaries). At one point, President Nixon, frustrated with NET's documentaries criticizing his administration, especially its handling of the [[Vietnam War]], almost managed to cut NET's $20&nbsp;million funding grant in half.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnouw|first=Erik|title=Tube of Plenty|year=1990|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-19-506484-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/tubeofplentyevol00barn/page/454 454]|url=https://archive.org/details/tubeofplentyevol00barn/page/454}}</ref> This led both the Ford Foundation and the CPB to threaten NET with funding withdrawal in early 1970, unless it merged its operations with WNDT. Not long after, the Ford Foundation brokered the merger of WNDT and NET, which took effect on June 29, 1970.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://current.org/timeline-the-history-of-public-broadcasting-in-the-u-s/ |title=Timeline: The History of Public Broadcasting in the U.S. |website=current.org |date=January 2, 2018 |access-date=September 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928161240/https://current.org/timeline-the-history-of-public-broadcasting-in-the-u-s/ |archive-date=September 28, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> Channel 13's call sign was changed to the present WNET on October 1, 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1970/1970-10-05-BC.pdf#page=30 |title=Call letters changed in NET-WNDT merger |page=30 |date=October 5, 1970 |magazine=Broadcasting |access-date=May 3, 2019 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> NET ceased network operations three days later, with PBS taking over the following day. The station continued to produce some shows for the national PBS schedule with the NET branding until early 1972, when they began to be identified as "WNET/13" programs;<ref name="b-nettownet13">{{cite magazine |title=No longer as such: NET |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1972/1972-01-31-BC.pdf#page=9 |magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=January 31, 1972 |page=9 |access-date=October 9, 2020 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> a formal consolidation of the corporation's separate national and local production facilities occurred later that year.<ref name="b-wnetnetmerger72">{{cite magazine |title=All together now |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1972/1972-05-29-BC.pdf#page=33 |magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=May 29, 1972 |page=33 |access-date=October 9, 2020 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>

Following the merger, [[David Loxton]] established the [[TV Lab at Thirteen/WNET|TV Lab]] in 1972<ref name="EBCH"/> with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and New York State Council on the Arts. TV Lab provided artists with equipment to produce video pieces through an artist-in-residence program. The Independent Documentary Fund and Video Tape Review series were both produces of TV Lab. TV Lab ended in 1984 when the CPB withdrew funds.

Since 1979, the station has been known on-air as "Thirteen". It continued to include Newark in its legal IDs (though logos for national productions read "New York") until the late 1990s. Since then, it has identified mostly as "New York", though it is still legally licensed to Newark.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

Even after becoming a noncommercial station, channel 13 retained its original studios and offices at the Mosque Theater in Newark. The station eventually moved to the Gateway Center office building, also in Newark. In 1982, more than 20 years after becoming the New York area's flagship public television station, WNET moved its operations to the [[Hudson Hotel]] at 237 West 58th Street in Manhattan, while retaining the Gateway Center studios for a few more years.

In 1987, channel 13 celebrated its silver anniversary with a series of rebroadcasts of older programs titled ''[[Thirteen Revisited]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=John J. |title=TV Reviews: Channel 13 Reviews Its 25 Years |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/16/arts/tv-reviews-channel-13-reviews-its-25-years.html |access-date=July 24, 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=September 16, 1987 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033617/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/16/arts/tv-reviews-channel-13-reviews-its-25-years.html |archive-date=July 25, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

In 1998, WNET moved to [[450 West 33rd Street]], straddling the railroad tracks going into [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Pennsylvania Station]].

Channel 13's transmitter facilities, including a newly installed digital transmission system, were destroyed in the [[terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001]]. Gerard (Rod) Coppola, channel 13's head transmitter engineer, was among those who died when the north tower collapsed. His remains were discovered on December 25, 2001.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Decade Later, the Loss Still Deep|url=http://www.tvtechnology.com/feature-box/0124/a-decade-later-the-loss-still-deep/210198|publisher=tvtechnology.com|access-date=July 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113033551/http://www.tvtechnology.com/feature-box/0124/a-decade-later-the-loss-still-deep/210198|archive-date=November 13, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> For the next ten months, WNYE-TV, headquartered in [[Brooklyn]], became WNET's surrogate transmitter and airwave: for those without cable, repeats of WNET's prime time schedule were broadcast on WNYE until Channel 13 could re-establish transmission facilities back at the Empire State Building.

Some time later, in February 2003, WNET completed its merger with Long Island PBS broadcaster WLIW (licensed to Garden City and based in [[Plainview, New York|Plainview]]), combining the two stations into one operation.<ref name="EBCH"/> While most of the two stations' operations have been merged, they still have separate studio facilities, separate governing boards, and conduct separate fundraising efforts.
[[File:OneWorldwidePlaza.JPG|thumb|WNET's studio, One Worldwide Plaza]]
During 2009, WNET's parent company, WNET.org, sustained financial difficulties, and in January, the company pared its workforce from 500 employees to 415, due to severe problems with its budget and fundraising. In October, WNET announced that its studios at 450 West 33rd Street would soon be up for sale, as it no longer needed the extra space. In November, WNET announced that all WNET.org employees would take an unpaid furlough for three to five days between Christmas and New Year's Day, with a skeleton crew of engineers remaining during that time to keep the stations on the air; however, they, too, would have to go on furloughs at the start of 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://neptune.observer.com/2009/media/mandatory-furloughs-wnet |title=Furloughs Hit WNET |last=Gillette |first=Felix |date=November 4, 2009 |website=The New York Observer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809195137/http://www.observer.com/2009/media/mandatory-furloughs-wnet |archive-date=August 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 17, 2019}}</ref> In 2011, WNET moved its studios and offices to Worldwide Plaza.

WNET has been broadcasting [[Digital television transition in the United States|digital-only]] since June 12, 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=List of Digital Full-Power Stations |website=hraunfoss.fcc.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 17, 2019}}</ref><ref name="FCCForm387">{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101233708&formid=387&fac_num=18795|title=CDBS|publisher=FCC}} {{dead link|date=March 2019}}</ref><ref>[http://media.myfoxny.com/pdf/WWORForm388Update091508.pdf WWOR-DT FCC Form 387] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321131859/http://media.myfoxny.com/pdf/WWORForm388Update091508.pdf |date=March 21, 2012 }}, Exhibit 4, September 15, 2008</ref>

On July 1, 2011, WNET took over the programming of [[New Jersey Network]]'s television stations, which were relaunched as NJTV (now [[NJ PBS]]). The network features increased coverage of news and issues pertinent to New Jersey, as well as programming from the WNET and PBS libraries. The transfer of programming to WNET was part of Governor [[Chris Christie]]'s plan for the [[Government of New Jersey|New Jersey government]]'s exit from public broadcasting.<ref name=NJN061611>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nbc40.net/news/17927/ |title=Gov Christie Selects WNET for NJN Takeover |website=nbc40.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610161158/http://www.nbc40.net/news/17927/ |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 6, 2011 }}</ref> As part of the deal, WNET airs NJTV's nightly statewide newscast, ''NJ Today'' (which was renamed ''NJTV News'' on November 4, 2013), to meet its local programming obligations since it still operates on a frequency allocated to Newark. Previously, it had aired NJN's newscast, ''[[NJN News]]'', which it co-produced with NJN from 1978 to 1981 (the program continued to air on WNET even after NJN took full control over its production).

In 2014, the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center were built at the southwest corner of [[66th Street]] and [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]]; this facility houses two television studios. The space can also accommodate lectures, screenings and concerts. The facility is named in honor of James S. Tisch and his wife, Merryl H. Tisch, whose $15&nbsp;million gift was, at that time, the single largest donation from individuals in WNET's history.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100507005050/en/Landmark-Philanthropic-Gift-WNET.ORG-New-Lincoln-Center |title=With a Landmark Philanthropic Gift, WNET.ORG Will Name Its New Lincoln Center Studios in Honor of Board Chairman James S. Tisch and His Wife, Merryl H. Tisch  |date=May 7, 2010 |via=Business Wire |access-date=March 17, 2019}}</ref>

On May 9, 2017, it was announced that WNET would resume broadcasting from Lower Manhattan at One World Trade Center by the end of the year.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nypost.com/2017/05/08/one-world-trade-center-adds-ion-media-as-newest-broadcaster-tenant/ |title=One World Trade Center adds ION Media as newest broadcaster tenant |last=Cuozzo |first=Steve |date=May 8, 2017 |website=New York Post |access-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212222928/https://nypost.com/2017/05/08/one-world-trade-center-adds-ion-media-as-newest-broadcaster-tenant/ |archive-date=February 12, 2019 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

In 2019, WNET acquired New Jersey news website NJ Spotlight. The following year, it merged NJ Spotlight with NJTV's newsroom, with the NJTV newscasts becoming ''NJ Spotlight News''.<ref>{{Cite web| title = WNET Acquires NJ Spotlight, Fosters Closer Partnership with NJTV - NJ Spotlight| date =March 5, 2019| access-date =April 19, 2019| url = http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/19/03/04/wnet-acquires-nj-spotlight-fosters-closer-partnership-with-njtv/}}</ref> NJ Spotlight would merge with NJTV News in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=NJTV News And NJ Spotlight Combine News Teams And Rebrand As NJ Spotlight News Beginning October 5 |url=https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/njtv-news-nj-spotlight-combine-news-teams-rebrand-nj-spotlight-news-beginning-october-5/ |website=insidernj.com |date=October 5, 2020 |access-date=April 2, 2021}}</ref> On March 25, 2021, WNET.org was reorganized as The WNET Group.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wnet-rebrands-as-the-wnet-group-media-made-possible-by-all-of-you-301256254.html|title=WNET Rebrands as The WNET Group: Media Made Possible by All of You|agency=PR Newswire|publisher=The WNET Group|date=March 25, 2021|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>

On July 2, 2020, at 9 a.m. during the [[FCC repack]], WNET relocated from channel 13 to channel 12.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knight |first=Christina |date=June 16, 2020 |title=Over-The-Air Viewers: Rescan THIRTEEN on July 2 |url=https://www.thirteen.org/blog-post/over-the-air-viewers-rescan-for-thirteen-in-future/ |website=Thirteen.org}}</ref>

== Original productions ==
{{Dynamic list}}

=== Notable general-audience programs produced by WNET ===
WNET has produced, created and/or presented a number of PBS shows. This includes, but is not limited to:
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''Africa'' (2001)
* ''The African-American Journey'' (2002–2005)
* ''Aging Out'' (2005)
* ''Amato: A Love Affair with Opera'' (2001)
* ''[[Amanpour & Company]]'' (2018–present)
* ''[[American Masters]]'' (1983–present)
* ''Assignment America'' (1974–1975)
* ''Australia: Beyond the Fatal Shore'' (2000)
* ''Bill Moyers Reports: Earth On Edge'' (2001)
* ''[[Black Journal (TV program)|Black Journal]]''
* ''[[Kofi Annan|Center of the Storm]]'' (2002)
* ''Changing Stages'' (2001)
* ''[[Charlie Rose (talk show)|Charlie Rose]]'' (1991–2017)
* ''Chasing the Dream'' (2014–present)
* ''[[Colonial House (TV series)|Colonial House]]'' (2004)
* ''Cucina Amore'' (1999–2002)
* ''Dickens'' (2003)
* ''DNA'' (2003)
* ''Echoes From the White House'' (2001)
* ''[[EGG, the Arts Show]]'' (2000–2003)
* ''Extreme Oil'' (2004)
* ''[[Firing Line (TV program)|Firing Line]]'' (2018–present)
* ''Freedom: A History of Us'' (2003)
* ''[[Frontier House]]'' (2002)
* ''[[The Great American Dream Machine]]'' (1971–1972)
* ''Great Food'' (2001)
* ''[[Great Performances]]'' (1972–present)
* ''Heroes of Ground Zero'' (2002)
* ''[[In Search of Ancient Ireland]]'' (2002)
* ''Innovation: Life, Inspired'' (2004)
* ''Justice and the Generals'' (2002)
* ''[[Live from Lincoln Center]]'' (1976–present)
* ''Local News'' (2001)
* ''[[Lord of the Universe]]''
* ''[[MasterChef USA]]'' (2000–2001)
* ''The Mind''
* ''[[Monarchy (TV series)|Monarchy]]''
* ''Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home'' (1998)
* ''[[Nature (TV program)|Nature]]'' (1982–present)
* ''[[New York: A Documentary Film]]'' (1999–2003; co-produced with [[WGBH-TV]])
* ''NET Opera Theater'' (1967-1974)
* ''[[Now on PBS|NOW]]'' (2002–2010)
* ''[[NYC-ARTS]]'' (2012; formerly known as ''Sunday Arts'')
* ''On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying'' (2000)
* ''[[The Open Mind (TV series)|The Open Mind]]'' (1956–present)
* ''Our Genes Our Choices'' (2003)
* ''[[PBS NewsHour]]'' (weekday editions, 1975–1995; weekend editions, 2013–2022)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/newshour-weekend-update-torch-passes-on | title=NewsHour Weekend update: The torch passes on | publisher=[[PBS]] | date=March 27, 2022 }}</ref>
* ''Reagan Needs Help'' (1979–present)
* ''[[Realidades (TV series)|Realidades]]'' (1975–1977)
* ''Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood'' (2002)
* ''[[Religion & Ethics Newsweekly]]'' (1997–2017)
* ''Reel New York''
* ''The Rise and Fall of [[Jim Crow]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Savage Earth]]'' (1998)
* ''Savage Seas'' (1999; co-produced with [[Granada Television]])
* ''The Secret Life of the Brain'' (2002)
* ''[[Secrets of the Dead]]'' (2000–present)
* ''[[Simon Schama's Power of Art]]'' (Schama hosted ''The Story of the Jews'' and ''A History of Britain'' with the [[BBC]])
* ''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII (documentary)|The Six Wives of Henry VIII]]'' (TV series) (2003)
* ''[[Slavery and the Making of America]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Sound and Fury (film)|Sound and Fury]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Soul!]]'' (1968–1973)
* ''[[Srebrenica: A Cry from the Grave]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Stage on Screen]]'' (2001)
* ''[[The Story of English]]''
* ''[[Sunday Arts]]''
* ''[[Tavis Smiley (TV series)|Tavis Smiley]]'' (2004–2017)
* ''Taxi Dreams'' (2001)
* ''That Money Show'' (2000–2001)
* ''Thomas Hampson: I Hear America Singing'' (1997)
* ''[[Verna: U.S.O. Girl]]''
* The ''A Walk Through...'' series of historical walking tours of New York City: ''A Walk Through [[Central Park]]'', ''A Walk Through [[Greenwich Village]]'', ''A Walk Through the Bronx'', ''A Walk Through Brooklyn'', ''A Walk Through Queens'', and ''A Walk Through Staten Island''
* ''[[Warrior Challenge]]'' (2003)
* ''Who Cares: Chronic Illness in America'' (2001)
* ''Who's Dancin' Now?'' (2001)
* ''[[Wide Angle (TV program)|Wide Angle]]'' (2002–2009)
* ''[[Wild TV]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Woman Alive!]]'' (1974–1977)
* ''[[Worldfocus]]'' (2008–2010)
{{div col end}}

=== Notable children's programs produced by WNET ===
* ''[[Angelina Ballerina (TV series)|Angelina Ballerina]]''* (2005–2009 and original series broadcast 2002–2003; produced with [[HIT Entertainment]])
* ''[[Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps]]'' (2009–2011)
* ''[[Barney & Friends]]''* (1992–2010; produced with [[HIT Entertainment]]) (Original series)
* ''[[Bob the Builder]]''* (2005–2018; produced with [[HIT Entertainment]])
* ''Camp TV'' (2020–present)
* ''[[Cyberchase]]'' (2002–present; produced with [[Nelvana]] seasons 1–5, season 4 with Flying Minds Entertainment, seasons 6–present with [[PiP Animation Services]] and Title Entertainment)
* ''[[Franny's Feet]]'' (2004–2011; produced with [[Decode Entertainment]] and [[C.O.R.E.|C.O.R.E. Toons]] for season 3)
* ''Let's Learn'' (2020–present)
* ''[[Shining Time Station]]'' (1989–1993)
* ''[[Space Racers]]''** (2014–present; produced with Stardust Animation)
* ''[[Thomas & Friends]]''* (2004–2017; produced with [[HiT Entertainment]])

<small><nowiki>*</nowiki>indicates a program that was originally presented by [[Connecticut Public Television]].</small><br />
<small><nowiki>**</nowiki>indicates a program that was originally presented by [[Maryland Public Television]].</small>

WNET has also produced programming for public television stations distributed outside of the PBS system, including:
* ''In the Mix: The New Normal'', a co-production with ''[[In the Mix (TV series)|In the Mix]]''
* ''Planet H2O''
* ''What's Up in Factories''
* ''What's Up in Finance''
* ''What's Up in Technology''

===Other programming===
WNET was also one of the original co-producing entities of the ''[[PBS NewsHour]]'', along with Washington, D.C. PBS member station [[WETA-TV]] and MacNeil-Lehrer Productions. The show debuted in 1975 as a local news-analysis program, ''The [[Robert MacNeil]] Report''. [[Jim Lehrer]], a frequent guest on MacNeil's show, became co-host the following year, when the show was picked up by other PBS stations. WNET produced weekend editions of ''PBS NewsHour'' alongside WETA-TV for the weekday editions until 2022 when WETA assumed production for the weekend edition in addition to the weekday editions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://current.org/2014/06/weta-to-create-subsidiary-for-transfer-of-pbs-newshour-ownership/ |title=WETA to create subsidiary for transfer of PBS NewsHour ownership |last=Sefton |first=Dru |date=June 18, 2014 |website=current.org |access-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219145344/https://current.org/2014/06/weta-to-create-subsidiary-for-transfer-of-pbs-newshour-ownership/ |archive-date=December 19, 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref name="vty-pbsnewsweekend">{{cite web|title=Geoff Bennett Gets Ready to Launch a Retooled 'PBS News Weekend'|url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/geoff-bennett-pbs-news-weekend-1235219819/|author=Brian Steinberg|periodical=Variety|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=March 31, 2022}}</ref>

== Criticism and controversy ==
===Misuse of federal grants===
In 2010, the office of the [[United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York]], filed a lawsuit asserting that the WNET subsidiary, the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, misused grant money worth $13&nbsp;million, donated by the [[National Science Foundation]], the [[National Endowment for the Humanities]] and the [[National Endowment for the Arts]] between September 2001 and January 2008.<ref name=WnetGrantLawsuit>{{cite news|last1=Jensen|first1=Elizabeth|title=Wnet Unit Gives Up Grants To Settle Lawsuit|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/arts/television/17arts-WNETUNITGIVE_BRF.html|access-date=July 14, 2017|work=The New York Times|issue=New York Edition, page C2|date=June 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201082106/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/arts/television/17arts-WNETUNITGIVE_BRF.html|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=WNET.orgLawsuit>{{cite web|last1=Jensen|first1=Elizabeth|title=Unit of WNET.org Gives Up Grant Money to Settle Lawsuit|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/after-misuse-of-grant-money-unit-of-wnet-org-to-make-amends/|website=ArtsBeat: The New York Times|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044016/https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/after-misuse-of-grant-money-unit-of-wnet-org-to-make-amends/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=AccountingWNET>{{cite web|title=Accounting problems cost WNET $1 for every $7 in federal grants|url=https://current.org/2010/06/accounting-problems-cost-wnet-1-for-every-7-in-federal-grants/|website=Current.org|date=June 21, 2010 |publisher=Current LLC|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031313/https://current.org/2010/06/accounting-problems-cost-wnet-1-for-every-7-in-federal-grants/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Sloppiness,' not wrongdoing, led to probe, says WNET chair|url=https://current.org/2009/09/sloppiness-not-wrongdoing-led-to-probe-says-wnet-chair/|website=Current|date=September 21, 2009 |publisher=American University School of Communication|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201081005/https://current.org/2009/09/sloppiness-not-wrongdoing-led-to-probe-says-wnet-chair/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The suit asserted that WNET had used grant money that was given for the production of programs including ''[[American Masters]]'', ''[[Great Performances]]'' and ''[[Cyberchase]]'' for other purposes.<ref name="WNET.orgLawsuit" /><ref name="AccountingWNET" /> WNET settled the lawsuit in June 2010 by paying back the United States government $950,000,<ref name="WNET.orgLawsuit" /> pledging to instate a program to ensure they honored all future federal grant requirements<ref name="WnetGrantLawsuit" /> and agreeing to not receive $1,015,046 in [[federal grant]] money that was about to be awarded,<ref name="AccountingWNET" /> WNET Vice President and General Counsel, Robert Feinberg, said to ''[[The New York Times]]'': "This is not a scenario we want to repeat and we have no intention of repeating it."<ref name="WNET.orgLawsuit" />

===Board member influence on programming===
In November 2012, WNET was scheduled to air [[Alex Gibney]]'s film ''[[Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream]]'' produced by [[Independent Lens]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gibney|first1=Alex|title=Park Avenue: Money, Power & the American Dream|url=https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/park-avenue/|website=Independent Lens|publisher=PBS|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720203933/http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/videos/park-avenue-money-power-the-american-dream-2/|archive-date=July 20, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The film compared the [[Economic inequality|wealth gap]] between the New York residents of [[Park Avenue]] in the [[Bronx]] and the wealthy residents of an exclusive [[Manhattan]] apartment block at [[740 Park Avenue]], including [[David Koch]], a billionaire businessman and political activist.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fuchs|first1=Cynthia|title=Park Avenue Money, Power and the American Dream|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/165397-park-avenue-money-power-and-the-american-dream/|website=PopMatters|date=November 13, 2012|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719044745/http://www.popmatters.com/review/165397-park-avenue-money-power-and-the-american-dream/|archive-date=July 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time Koch was a board member of WNET and was planning on making "a seven-figure donation—maybe more" to WNET.<ref name= PublicTVDavidKoch>{{cite magazine|last1=Mayer|first1=Jane|title=A Word from Our Sponsor: Public television's attempts to placate David Koch.|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/a-word-from-our-sponsor|magazine=The New Yorker|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716181134/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/a-word-from-our-sponsor|archive-date=July 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> A furor erupted<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bloomfield|first1=Aubrey|title=Citizen Koch: PBS Kills Koch Brothers-Critical Documentary For Fear Of Offending Them|url=https://mic.com/articles/43793/citizen-koch-pbs-kills-koch-brothers-critical-documentary-for-fear-of-offending-them#.u9SU4qVkc|website=MIC|date=May 22, 2013 |publisher=MIC Network, Inc.|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424111603/http://mic.com/articles/43793/citizen-koch-pbs-kills-koch-brothers-critical-documentary-for-fear-of-offending-them#.u9SU4qVkc|archive-date=April 24, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Weigel|first1=David|title=The Best Flacking the Kochs Can Buy?|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/05/20/the_best_flacking_the_kochs_can_buy.html|website=Slate|date=May 20, 2013|publisher=Weigel|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807030132/http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/05/20/the_best_flacking_the_kochs_can_buy.html|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=WNETPushDocs>{{cite web|last1=Rainey|first1=James|title=Filmmakers Fight WNET Plan to Push Aside Documentaries|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/filmmakers-fight-wnet-plan-to-push-aside-documentaries-exclusive-1201424227/|website=Variety (US Edition)|date=February 6, 2015|publisher=Variety Media LLC|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629110204/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/filmmakers-fight-wnet-plan-to-push-aside-documentaries-exclusive-1201424227/|archive-date=June 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> when ''The New Yorker'' revealed in May 2013 that to appease Koch, the president of WNET, [[Neal Shapiro]], called Koch offering him the opportunity to screen Gibney's film before broadcast and rebut it after it aired with a written statement. Shapiro said to ''The New Yorker'' that he "just called David Koch. He's on our board. He's the biggest main character. No one else, just David Koch. Because he's a trustee. It's a courtesy. I can't remember doing anything like this [before]".<ref name="PublicTVDavidKoch" /> WNET replaced the film's introduction by [[Stanley Tucci]] with a new introduction calling the film "controversial" and "provocative". Immediately after the broadcast, they aired a statement from [[Koch Industries]] criticizing the film as "disappointing and divisive", although a Koch spokesperson said David Koch had only watched the trailer. WNET followed the statement with an on-air round-table discussion where the moderator repeatedly mentioned that Koch's philanthropic contributions totaled a billion dollars.<ref name="PublicTVDavidKoch" /> Gibney was not invited to appear at the round-table and was quoted as saying, "Why is WNET offering Mr. Koch special favors? And why did the station allow Koch to offer a critique of a film he hadn't even seen? Money. Money talks. They tried to undercut the credibility of the film, and I had no opportunity to defend it."<ref name="PublicTVDavidKoch" /> Koch did not make the large donation to WNET and resigned from their board on May 16, 2013.<ref name="PublicTVDavidKoch" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Sefton|first1=dru|title=Was resignation of billionaire Koch from WNET Board related to controversial doc?|url=https://current.org/2013/05/was-resignation-of-billionaire-koch-from-wnet-board-related-to-controversial-doc/|website=Current.org|date=May 20, 2013 |publisher=American University School of Communication|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807022228/https://current.org/2013/05/was-resignation-of-billionaire-koch-from-wnet-board-related-to-controversial-doc/|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Ethical issues with funding===
In September 2013, WNET launched a series called ''The Pension Peril'', examining the economic sustainability of public [[pensions]] and promoting cuts to their funding.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sirota|first1=David|title=In new letter, PBS promises to continue taking anti-pension billionaire's money and echoing his message|url=https://pando.com/2014/02/14/in-new-letter-pbs-promises-to-continue-taking-anti-pension-billionaires-money-and-echoing-his-message/|website=Pando.com|publisher=PandoMedia Inc.|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711140535/https://pando.com/2014/02/14/in-new-letter-pbs-promises-to-continue-taking-anti-pension-billionaires-money-and-echoing-his-message/|archive-date=July 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=WNETPension>{{cite news|last1=Jensen|first1=Elizabeth|title=WNET to Return $3.5 Million Grant for Pension Series|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/business/media/wnet-to-return-3-5-million-grant-for-pension-series.html|access-date=July 8, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=February 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706084300/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/business/media/wnet-to-return-3-5-million-grant-for-pension-series.html|archive-date=July 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> On December 18, 2013, Neal Shapiro, president and CEO of WNET was quoted in a press release saying "this is the type of complex public policy story that only public television covers in an in-depth and ongoing way. WNET is poised to lead and further the dialogue about this challenging situation all across public media, on PBS, public radio, and online".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Pension Peril|url=http://www.thirteen.org/13pressroom/press-release/the-pension-peril/|website=Thirteen.org|publisher=WNET|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810013004/http://www.thirteen.org/13pressroom/press-release/the-pension-peril/|archive-date=August 10, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

On February 12, 2014, [[PandoDaily]] reported that the sole sponsor of ''The Pension Peril'' was former [[Enron]] trader [[John D. Arnold]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sirota|first1=David|title=The Wolf of Sesame Street: Revealing the secret corruption inside PBS's news division|url=https://pando.com/2014/02/12/the-wolf-of-sesame-street-revealing-the-secret-corruption-inside-pbss-news-division/|website=Pando.com|publisher=PandoMedia Inc.|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807054925/https://pando.com/2014/02/12/the-wolf-of-sesame-street-revealing-the-secret-corruption-inside-pbss-news-division/|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> who had financially backed efforts to cut public employee pension benefits.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Arnold|first1=Laura|last2=Arnold|first2=John|title=Laura and John Arnold: Let's prevent another Detroit|work=Laura and John Arnold Foundation |date=August 12, 2013 |url=http://www.arnoldfoundation.org/laura-john-arnold-lets-prevent-another-detroit/|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708040643/http://www.arnoldfoundation.org/laura-john-arnold-lets-prevent-another-detroit/|archive-date=July 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 19, 2014 |title=WNET Returns Arnold Foundation Grant for Series on Pension Funds |url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/wnet-returns-arnold-foundation-grant-for-series-on-pension-funds |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=Philanthropy News Digest}}</ref> Stephen Segaller, WNET's vice president for programming told ''The New York Times'' on February 13, 2014, that he had "absolute conviction" that the [[Laura and John Arnold Foundation]] was an admissible funder and the funding did not violate PBS' "perception" rule. On February 14, Segaller told ''The New York Times'' that WNET had reversed course after discussing with PBS "both the facts and the optics. We all take very, very seriously any suggestion that there's a perception problem about the integrity of our work or the sources of our funding, and we came to the conclusion that it's better to err on the side of caution".<ref name="WNETPension" />
WNET and PBS issued a joint statement saying the series would go on hiatus and WNET would return the $3.5&nbsp;million grant it had received from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.<ref name="WNETPension" /> Segaller said in the statement, "We made a mistake, pure and simple". PBS [[ombudsman]], [[Michael Getler]], commented that PandoDaily's article "shines a light, once again, on what seems to me to be ethical compromises in funding arrangements and lack of real transparency for viewers caused, in part, by the complicated funding demands needed to support public broadcasting, and in part by managers who make some questionable decisions".

Getler added that WNET "went seriously wrong" and that their "decision to accept a grant of $3.5 million from the Arnold Foundation, with a stated interest in 'public employee benefits reform', flunks PBS's own 'perception test', which is part of the service's Funding Standards and Practices."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Getler|first1=Michael|title=Tensions Over Pensions|url=https://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2014/02/tensions_over_pensions_1.html|website=PBS Ombudsman|publisher=PBS|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711140558/http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2014/02/tensions_over_pensions_1.html|archive-date=July 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Neglecting public mission and mandate===
In late 2014, WNET programming chief Stephen Segaller received widespread criticism for proposing to push the multi award-winning documentary strands ''Independent Lens'' and ''[[POV (TV series)|POV]]'' out of a prime time slot and onto a secondary station, WLIW (Channel 21).<ref name="WNETPushDocs" /><ref name=PBSNeglectingMission>{{cite news|last1=Lear|first1=Norman|title=Is PBS Neglecting Its Mission?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/opinion/is-pbs-neglecting-its-mission.html|access-date=July 10, 2017|work=The New York Times(New York Edition)|issue=A23|date=April 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808000216/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/opinion/is-pbs-neglecting-its-mission.html|archive-date=August 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Over 2,000 documentarians signed a petition,<ref name="WNETPushDocs" /> stating that WNET's action would lead to the shows being marginalized by PBS affiliates nationwide and have a severe effect on cutting edge documentary filmmaking.<ref name="PBSNeglectingMission" /> Among the prominent opponents of rescheduling ''POV'' and ''Independent Lens'' were filmmakers Alex Gibney and [[Laura Poitras]], who had campaigned against a similar move by WNET in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Taking Action: PBS Needs Independents|url=http://www.kartemquin.com/news/4425/taking-action-pbs-needs-independents|website=Kartemquin.com|publisher=Kartemquin Films|access-date=July 10, 2017|date=March 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807235114/http://www.kartemquin.com/news/4425/taking-action-pbs-needs-independents|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> TV producer [[Norman Lear]] wrote an [[op-ed]] in ''The New York Times'' accusing WNET and PBS of a ratings-chase that "could devastate independent documentary film making". He criticized the broadcaster for "threatening, for the second time in four years, to downgrade documentaries, which are at the heart of its public mission."<ref name="PBSNeglectingMission" /> Many of the subjects ''POV'' and ''Independent Lens'' covered – like the Koch brothers' influence on American politics in Alex Gibney's film, ''Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream'' — have been controversial,<ref name="WNETPushDocs" /><ref name="PBSNeglectingMission" /> leading the Indie Caucus, a group of Independent filmmakers to speculate if the provocative subjects they explored might also be relegating them to the more obscure TV schedule.<ref>{{cite web|title=Indie Caucus Response to Statements by Congress About Diverse PBS Documentaries|url=http://www.indiecaucus.org/blog/|website=Indiecaucus.org|publisher=Indie Caucus|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170528173436/http://www.indiecaucus.org/blog/|archive-date=May 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Segaller said it was "preposterous" to suggest that WNET had a censorship agenda when both programs had run for more than a decade. "One disputatious moment in a many-year history does not a conspiracy make," he declared.<ref name="WNETPushDocs" /> In April 2015, WNET relented and restored both strands to their original slots.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rainey|first1=James|title=WNET And PBS Agreement Keeps 'POV,' 'Independent Lens' in Primetime|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/pbs-wnet-pov-independent-lens-1201478442/|website=Variety (US edition)|date=April 23, 2015|publisher=Variety Media LLC|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808000046/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/pbs-wnet-pov-independent-lens-1201478442/|archive-date=August 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Inaccuracy and improper influence===
In June 2015, a media furor forced WNET to postpone the third season of ''[[Finding Your Roots]]''<ref name=PBSSuspendsFYR>{{cite news|last1=Dowd|first1=Kathy Ehrich Dowd|title=PBS Suspends Finding Your Roots Amid Ethics Concerns Following Ben Affleck Controversy|url=http://people.com/tv/finding-your-roots-pbs-suspends-show-following-ben-affleck-controversy/|newspaper=People|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043237/http://people.com/tv/finding-your-roots-pbs-suspends-show-following-ben-affleck-controversy/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=SuspensionFYR>{{cite web|last1=Garcia|first1=Tonya|title=Suspension Was the Only Option for PBS in 'Finding Your Roots' Controversy|url=http://www.adweek.com/digital/suspension-was-the-only-option-for-pbs-in-finding-your-roots-controversy/|work=Adweek|date=June 26, 2015 |access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201083726/http://www.adweek.com/digital/suspension-was-the-only-option-for-pbs-in-finding-your-roots-controversy/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> when the [[Sony Pictures hack]] revealed via hacked emails that a subject of the series, [[Ben Affleck]], had lobbied for material relating to a relative owning slaves be removed from the show.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Steinberg|first1=Brian|title=PBS Says Ben Affleck Had Undue Influence on 'Finding Your Roots'|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/pbs-ben-afflect-finding-you-roots-1201527439/|website=Variety|date=June 24, 2015|publisher=Variety Media Inc.|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628214148/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/pbs-ben-afflect-finding-you-roots-1201527439/|archive-date=June 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Those edits, which violated PBS ethics standards,<ref name="PBSSuspendsFYR" /><ref name="SuspensionFYR" /> brought strong criticism from the media to WNET and the producers of the show. PBS issued a statement saying "the series co-producers violated PBS standards by failing to shield the creative and editorial process from improper influence, and by failing to inform PBS or WNET of Mr. Affleck's efforts to affect program content". The statement promised the episode would be withdrawn from distribution and that the series would employ "an independent genealogist to review all versions of program episodes for factual accuracy".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bentley|first1=Anne|title=PBS Conclusions of Finding Your Roots Internal Review|url=https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-conclusions-of-finding-your-roots-internal-review/|publisher=PBS|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803075230/http://www.pbs.org/about/blogs/news/pbs-conclusions-of-finding-your-roots-internal-review|archive-date=August 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> After the suspension of the series, ''[[Adweek]]'' commented: "The network clearly understands that its integrity has been thrown into question by this controversy. Even if they understood where the producers of the show were coming from when they decided to entertain the request, PBS and the veracity of all that's included in their documentaries, requires decisive action that conveys just how serious this infraction was".<ref name="SuspensionFYR" /> The series returned to the air in January 2016.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Steinberg|first1=Brian|title='Finding Your Roots' To Return To PBS After Ben Affleck Controversy|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/finding-your-roots-pbs-ben-affleck-1201621127/|website=Variety (US Edition)|date=October 19, 2015|publisher=Variety Media LLC|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628191628/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/finding-your-roots-pbs-ben-affleck-1201621127/|archive-date=June 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== LGBTQ+ content ===
In March 2025, WNET came under fire by Republican members of Congress during the Anti-American Airwaves hearing, which saw the station accused of using public funding to push "radical, left positions". Following these hearings, the station scrubbed its archives of three episodes of the educational program ''Let's Learn''—two of which featured a children's book with a transgender protagonist, while the third featured a [[drag queen]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mazurov |first=Nikita |date=May 29, 2025 |title=PBS Station Wipes Drag and Trans Content After DOGE Outcry |url=https://theintercept.com/2025/05/29/drag-trans-pbs-wnet-censorship-doge/ |access-date=May 31, 2025 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Subchannels ==
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
<section begin=subs />
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WNET and WNDT-CD<ref name=rei>{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WNET|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WNET#station|website=[[RabbitEars.info]]|access-date=September 7, 2024}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | License
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! rowspan = "5" style="border-right: 4px solid #60B0FF;" | WNET
! scope = "row" | 13.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan="2" | [[16:9]] || WNET-HD || [[PBS]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 13.2
| [[480i]] || KIDS || [[PBS Kids]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[WLIW (TV)|21.1]]
| 1080i || rowspan=3|16:9 || WLIW-HD || [[PBS]] ([[WLIW (TV)|WLIW]])
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6;"
! scope = "row" | [[WLIW (TV)|21.3]]
| 480i || WORLD || [[World Channel]] ([[WLIW (TV)|WLIW]])
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6;"
! scope = "row" | [[WLIW (TV)|21.4]]
| 1080i || AllArts || All Arts ([[WLIW (TV)|WLIW]])
|-
! rowspan = "row" scope = "row" style="border-right: 4px solid #0057AF;" | WNDT-CD
! scope = "row" | 14.1
| 480i || 16:9 || WNDT-CD || [[First Nations Experience|FNX]]
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}
<section end=subs />

== See also ==
* [[Media of New York City]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.thirteen.org/ Official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071019040341/http://members.fortunecity.com/tvnetworks/misc/ WNET logos and screenshots from the 1950s to the present day]
* [https://archives.lib.umd.edu/repositories/2/resources/725 WNET records] at the [[University of Maryland Libraries]]
* [https://americanarchive.org/catalog?f%5Baccess_types%5D%5B%5D=online&f%5Bseries_titles%5D%5B%5D=Assignment+America&sort=asset_date+asc Episodes of the 1975 "Assignment America" series from Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting]

{{NYC TV}}
{{New Jersey TV}}
{{New York State TV}}
{{New England TV}}
{{Pennsylvania TV}}
{{PBSTV}}
{{European Broadcasting Union Members}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1948 establishments in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Mass media in Newark, New Jersey]]
[[Category:PBS member stations]]
[[Category:Peabody Award winners]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1948]]
[[Category:Television stations in New Jersey|NET]]
[[Category:Television stations in New York City|NET]]