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{{Short description|Television station in Erie, Pennsylvania}}
{{Infobox_Broadcast|
{{more citations needed|date=May 2019}}
call_letters = WSEE-TV|
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
station_logo = [[Image:Wsee-eyelogo.jpg]]|
{{infobox television station
station_slogan = Everybody's Watching|
| callsign = WSEE-TV
station_branding = Newswatch 35|
| city analog = 35 ([[Ultra high frequency|UHF]])| =
| logo digital = 16 ([[Ultra high frequency|UHF]])| = WSEE logo 2012.svg
| logo_size = 240px
affiliations = [[CBS]]|
| image founded = [[April 24]], [[1954]]| = WSEE-DT2 2024.svg
| image_size ___location = [[Erie, Pennsylvania]]| = 140px
| branding = {{ubl|WSEE; ''Erie News Now''|Erie CW (on 35.2)}}
callsign_meaning = '''SEE''', The Eye Network (nickname of CBS)|
| analog owner = Lilly Broadcasting of Pennsylvania| =
| digital = 21 ([[UHF]])
former_affiliations = |
| virtual = 35
homepage = [http://www.35wsee.com/ www.35wsee.com/]|}}
| translators = W22FA-D 22 (UHF) [[Mayagüez, PR]]
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''35.1:''' [[CBS]]|'''35.2:''' [[The CW Plus]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| founded =
| airdate = {{start date and age|1954|4|24|p=y}}
| ___location = [[Erie, Pennsylvania]]
| country = United States
| callsign_meaning = "See" alludes to [[CBS#Logos and slogans|CBS eye logo]]
| former_callsigns = WSEE (1954–1981)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 35 (UHF, 1954–2009)|'''Digital:''' 16 (UHF, until 2018)}}
| owner = [[Lilly Broadcasting]]
| licensee = Lilly Broadcasting of Pennsylvania, [[LLC]]
| sister_stations = [[WICU-TV]], [[WENY-TV]]
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|'''Both secondary:'''|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1954–1966)|[[UPN]] (1995–2006)}}
| erp = 96 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|296|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 49711
| coordinates = {{coord|42|2|16|N|80|3|43|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.erienewsnow.com/}}
}}
 
'''WSEE-TV''' (channel 35) is a [[television station]] in [[Erie, Pennsylvania]], United States, affiliated with [[CBS]] and [[The CW Plus]]. It is the [[flagship (broadcasting)|flagship]] television property of locally based [[Lilly Broadcasting]], and is a [[sister station]] to [[NBC]] affiliate [[WICU-TV]] (channel 12), to which Lilly provides certain services under a [[local marketing agreement]] (LMA) with SJL Broadcasting. The two stations share studios on State Street in downtown Erie; WSEE-TV's [[transmitter]] is located on Peach Street in [[Summit Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania|Summit Township, Pennsylvania]].
'''WSEE-TV''' is the [[CBS]]-TV affiliate station based in [[Erie, Pennsylvania]], [[United States|USA]]. Owned by Lilly Broadcasting with its studio located at 1220 Peach St. in [[Erie, Pennsylvania]]. The station's signal covers [[Erie County, Pennsylvania|Erie]], [[Warren County, Pennsylvania|Warren]] and [[Crawford County, Pennsylvania|Crawford]] counties. It also reaches [[Jamestown, New York]], [[Ashtabula, Ohio]], north to [[London, Ontario]] and [[Hamilton, Ontario]] and south to [[Clarion, Pennsylvania]]. It can also be seen on C-Band satellite (mainly for Caribbean and Latin American viewers) via [[Primetime 24]] and digitally on [[Dish Network]] (for Erie market viewers only). It is under an LMA (Local Marketing Agreement) with [[NBC]] affiliate [[WICU-TV]] which is owned by [[SJL of Pennsylvania, Inc.]] of which Lilly Broadcasting holds family ties to.
 
WSEE-TV's over-the-air digital broadcast signal covers [[Erie County, Pennsylvania|Erie]], [[Warren County, Pennsylvania|Warren]], and [[Crawford County, Pennsylvania|Crawford]] counties in Pennsylvania; reaches east to [[Jamestown, New York]], west to [[Ashtabula, Ohio]], north to [[London, Ontario|London]] and [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] in [[Ontario]], Canada, and south to [[Clarion, Pennsylvania]]. The station can be seen via satellite in [[North America]] and the [[Caribbean]] through [[C band (IEEE)|C band]]. It is available in [[Puerto Rico]] via [[Liberty Puerto Rico]] (via translator '''W22FA-D''' in [[Mayagüez]]) as well as part of the locals package on [[Dish Network]].
WSEE's transmitter is located in Summit Township, Pennsylvania.
 
Until 2017, WSEE-TV was [[simulcast]] in [[standard definition]] on WICU-TV's third [[digital subchannel]] on [[virtual channel]] 12.3 from a separate transmitter in Greene Township;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum%3D65364%26channel%3D12.3 |title=WICUDT3 (WICU-DT3) TV Listings, TV Shows and Schedule - Zap2it |access-date=December 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002234/http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=65364&channel=12.3 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref><ref>''Lilly Broadcasting and SJL Choose Axcera for Digital Television Transmitters'', April 12, 2007 {{cite web |url=http://www.axcera.com/news/lillybrdcst.php |title=Axcera &#124; LILLY BROADCASTING AND SJL CHOOSE AXCERA FOR DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSMITTERS |access-date=May 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501003322/http://www.axcera.com/news/lillybrdcst.php |archive-date=May 1, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://radiostationworld.com/Locations/United_States_of_America/Pennsylvania/tv.asp?m=eri Radio Station World] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111222055/http://radiostationworld.com/Locations/United_States_of_America/Pennsylvania/tv.asp?m=eri |date=January 11, 2016 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.sjlbroadcastmanagementcorp.com/about.html SJL Broadcasting Group] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124033337/http://www.sjlbroadcastmanagementcorp.com/about.html |date=January 24, 2007 }}</ref> this was dropped on May 29, 2017, in favor of [[Ion Television]]. An upgraded [[multiplexer]] allowed the restoration of the WSEE simulcast to WICU on January 24, 2018, this time on 12.4, in [[720p]] high definition; it was dropped again in March 2019 in favor of [[Start TV]].
 
==History==
WSEE began broadcasting on April 24, 1954.<ref>[http://www.brainyhistory.com/events/1954/april_24_1954_115636.html Brainy History].</ref> The station was originally owned by the Mead family, publishers of the ''[[Erie Times-News]]''. [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] programming was shared by WSEE and WICU-TV until [[WJET-TV]] signed-on in 1966. The Meads sold the station to Gillett Broadcasting in 1978. In 1981, the "-TV" suffix was added to the WSEE calls. Gillett then sold the station to SCS Communications in 1982. In 1988, SCS sold WSEE to Price Communications. Price sold WSEE along with three of its stations ([[WAPT]] in [[Jackson, Mississippi]]; [[WZZM]] in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]]; and [[WNAC-TV]] in [[Providence, Rhode Island]]) to Northstar Television Group in 1989. Channel 35 also served as the market's [[UPN]] affiliate on a secondary basis throughout that network's eleven-year history, carrying network programming on weekends.
*1954 - WSEE begins broadcasting as a [[CBS]] affiliate sharing [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] with [[WICU-TV]].
 
*1966 - WSEE becomes strictly a CBS affiliate when [[WJET-TV]] signed on and took ABC.
In 2002, WICU-TV entered into a local marketing agreement with WSEE-TV. From that point until June 1, 2009, the station continued to operate from studios on [[U.S. Route 19 in Pennsylvania|Peach Street/US 19]] in Downtown Erie. On that date, WSEE-TV merged into WICU-TV's facilities on State Street. WSEE has been digital-only since February 17, 2009.<ref name="Analog to Digital">{{cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |website=hraunfoss.fcc.gov |access-date=January 15, 2022 |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}}</ref>
*1995 - WSEE adds a secondary [[UPN]] affiliation.
 
*2006 - WSEE moves UPN to one of its digital subchannels, UPN will be replaced with [[The CW]] in September 2006. (Note: As the author lives out of town and is unaware...WSEE has no Digital Channel or SubChannel. UPN Programming airs from 11:30pm to 2:00am Saturday and Sunday on WSEE Channel 35!)
[[File:Lilly Broadcasting Erie Studios.jpg|thumb|left|WSEE-TV has been based out of WICU's facility since the summer of 2009.]]
==Logos==
WICU-TV and WSEE-TV merged their websites in June 2011.
<gallery>
 
Image:WSEE.JPG|The "'''W''SEE'''''" logo, still used on WSEE's website, but was stopped being used on the air in [[2005]].</gallery>
==News operation==
Although the local marketing agreement between WSEE-TV and WICU-TV was established in 2002, the actual beginning of newscast consolidation between the two did not start until WSEE-TV actually moved into WICU's studios. WSEE-TV aired the final newscast from its separate Peach Street studios on May 28, 2009. With the challenges of moving, this station went without local news for nearly four days while technical and logistical arrangements were finalized.
 
When it resumed broadcasts, WSEE-TV's weeknight news at 11&nbsp;p.m. was recorded while it broadcast live on the CW at 10&nbsp;p.m.
 
After WSEE-TV moved its operations into the State Street facility, the existing studio set was split in two, allowing each station's newscast to look unique.
 
For one year starting in March 2009, a special feed of WSEE-DT2 (incorrectly identified on-air as "WBEP-DT2 Northwest Pennsylvania CW") was aired in the portions of [[Cattaraugus County, New York]], served by Atlantic Broadband. This special feed replaced the first run of the prime time news at 10&nbsp;p.m. with a replay of WICU-TV's weeknight show seen earlier at 6&nbsp;p.m. The practice was performed to compensate for the fact that WICU-TV is not seen on Atlantic Broadband (whereas WSEE-TV and WSEE-DT2 both are). Without explanation, "WBEP-DT2" was discontinued in March 2010, and Cattaraugus County viewers began receiving the same WSEE-DT2 feed as viewers in Pennsylvania including the WSEE-TV-produced 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast.
 
Originally, WSEE-TV's sixty-minute weekday morning show ''Mornings Live'' was recorded at 4&nbsp;a.m. and then aired in the 6 o'clock a.m. hour. It retained the show's branding (as made obvious by the lack of current conditions during [[weather forecasts]]) despite the actual operation. During the 2012–13 season, following the national trend toward 4&nbsp;a.m. newscasts, ''Mornings Live'' was actually seen "live" from 4 to 5&nbsp;a.m. on WSEE-DT2 in addition to being taped for its later showing on WSEE-TV.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wsee.titantv.com/apg/ttv.aspx?siteid=53661|title=TitanTV Programming Guide|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803143046/http://wsee.titantv.com/apg/ttv.aspx?siteid=53661|archive-date=August 3, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=65362&channel=12.2 |title=WICUDT2 (WICU-DT2) TV Listings, TV Shows and Schedule - Zap2it |access-date=April 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030081131/http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=65362&channel=12.2 |archive-date=October 30, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
Until January 2013, this station's weeknight news at 6&nbsp;p.m. was usually recorded during the mid-afternoon. The studios were unable to air two live broadcasts at the same time until a second high-definition production control room was added. Sister station WICU-TV airs a midday show weekdays at 12:30&nbsp;p.m. following WSEE-TV's long-running noon newscast. On weekends, the two stations jointly produce local news at 6 and 11&nbsp;p.m. These shows are known as ''Weekends Now''. The WSEE-TV news department also produces a weekly public affairs program ''The Insider'', which airs weekends Sunday morning on WSEE-TV.
 
During the week, WSEE-TV and WICU-TV maintain talent for news and sports that generally appear on one station. Most video footage and content is shared, coming from the same newsroom. In cases of breaking news, [[severe weather]], or election coverage, the two simulcast newscasts and occasionally include the CW subchannel as well. On weekday mornings, WSEE-DT2 provides a simulcast of the first hour of WICU's ''12 News Today'' at 5&nbsp;p.m. and the NBC affiliate's midday show at 12:30&nbsp;p.m.. It also aired the nationally syndicated broadcast ''[[The Daily Buzz]]'' from 6 to 9&nbsp;p.m. with other CW Plus stations.
 
Along with their sister station WICU-TV, WSEE-TV upgraded newscasts to high definition in November 2012. The ''Newswatch'' branding was dropped after 28 years to coincide with the switch. WSEE's newscasts were rebranded as ''SEE News''.
 
In September 2015, Lilly Broadcasting announced that WICU-TV and WSEE-TV would no longer produce separate morning and evening newscasts as of October 12; the two stations now simulcast newscasts in these time periods. The stations' executive vice president, John Christianson, said that the WICU and WSEE newscasts were seen by viewers to have been essentially the same newscast with different anchors.<ref name=etn-wicuwseenewsmerge>{{cite news|last1=Weiss|first1=Gerry|title=Changes come to Erie TV news lineups|url=http://www.goerie.com/changes-come-to-erie-tv-news-lineups|access-date=September 21, 2015|work=[[Erie Times-News]]|date=September 21, 2015}}</ref>
 
WSEE signed a shared services agreement with [[Jamestown, New York]]–based The WNY Media Company (doing business as WNY News Now) in July 2021.<ref>[https://wnynewsnow.com/2021/07/12/erie-news-now-wny-news-now-partner-strengthening-regional-coverage/ Erie News Now & WNY News Now Partner, Strengthening Regional Coverage]</ref>
 
===Notable former staff===
*[[Al Benedict]] – news anchor
*[[Micah Johnson (journalist)|Micah Johnson]] – reporter and news anchor (1984–1985)
*[[Lloyd Newell]] – primary news anchor (1984–1986)
*[[Dave Price]] – reporter (1997)
*[[Steve Scully]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.journalismjobs.com/steve_scully.cfm|title=Interview with Steve Scully, C-SPAN &ndash; December 2004|publisher=journalismjobs.com|access-date=May 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507191214/http://www.journalismjobs.com/steve_scully.cfm|archive-date=May 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[John Stehr]] – news anchor and reporter (1980)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?s=825910|title=John Stehr bio|access-date=March 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017184735/http://www.wthr.com/article/john-stehr|archive-date=October 17, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
==Subchannels==
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WSEE-TV<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WSEE#station | title=RabbitEars TV Query for WSEE | website=RabbitEars.info }}</ref>
! 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
|-
! scope = "row" | 35.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan="6"|[[16:9]] || WSEE-DT || [[CBS]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 35.2
| [[720p]] || CW || [[The CW Plus]] → Weather (effective September 1, 2025)
|-
! scope = "row" | 35.3
| rowspan="4"|[[480i]] || ENN+ || Erie News Now Plus
|-
! scope = "row" | 35.4
| H&I || [[Heroes & Icons]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 35.5
| DABL || [blank]
|-
! scope = "row" | 35.6
| ION + || [[Ion Plus]]
|}
 
In June 2025, Erie News Now announced an agreement to air 10 [[Erie SeaWolves]] [[minor league baseball]] games on Erie News Now Plus.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SeaWolves Partner with Erie News Now to Broadcast 10 Games Locally|url=https://www.milb.com/news/seawolves-announce-local-broadcast-scheule|date=June 5, 2025|access-date=June 7, 2025|publisher=Erie SeaWolves}}</ref>
==Current On Air Personalities==
Jennifer Boresz - Reporter (August 2005-Present)
Scott Bremner - Anchor (March 1983-Present)<p>
Kelly Curran - Meteorologist (October 2005-Present)<p>
Gary Drapcho - Sports Director (1983-Present)<p>
Ray Petelin - Meteorologist (January 2004-Present)<p>
Joey Stevens - Meteorologist (1999-Present)<p>
Jennifer Taylor - Reporter (February 2005-Present)<p>
Raychel Vendetti - Anchor (September 2002-Present)<p>
Carol Wilson - Reporter (1992-Present)<p>
Pat Van Zandt - Anchor (April 2001-Present)<p>
 
==Out-of-market coverage==
==Current Newscasts==
WSEE-TV is available on some cable systems in Canada that serve communities on [[Lake Erie]]. [[Atlantic Broadband]], the cable provider that serves [[McKean County, Pennsylvania]], and portions of Cattaraugus County, New York, announced that WSEE-TV would replace Buffalo's [[WIVB-TV]]. Though an agreement was eventually reached with WIVB-TV, WSEE-TV was kept on the Atlantic Broadband lineups. However, Time Warner Cable announced it would remove WSEE-TV (along with WICU-TV) from its cable lineups in [[Westfield, New York|Westfield]] and [[Dunkirk, New York]], in favor of [[CFTO-TV]] from [[Toronto]] and [[YNN Buffalo]]. Atlantic Broadband, by this point renamed [[Breezeline]], quietly dropped WSEE-TV from its New York systems in 2024.
 
WSEE is also available on cable and over-the-air in portions of [[Ashtabula County, Ohio]], which is part of the [[Cleveland]] market despite much of the county being located geographically closer to either the Erie or [[Youngstown]] markets.
* '''Mornings Live''' - weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. - Raychel Vendetti and Ray Petelin
* '''Newswatch at Noon''' - weekdays at noon - Raychel Vendetti and Ray Petelin
* '''Newswatch at 6''' - weekdays from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Pat VanZandt, Scott Bremner, Joey Stevens and Gary Drapcho
* '''Newswatch at 11''' - weeknights at 11 - Pat VanZandt, Scott Bremner, Joey Stevens and Gary Drapcho
 
From November 1997 to November 2019, WSEE-TV was available via the [[Primetime 24]] package, when it replaced [[Raleigh]]'s [[WRAL-TV]] (now an NBC affiliate) due to that station's regular preemptions of CBS programming. The service provides American network television service to C band satellite and some cable viewers in [[Latin America]], the [[Caribbean]], and in rural parts of the United States where local signals are not available. This feed of WSEE-TV, which is carried on all three cable providers in [[Puerto Rico]] {{citation needed span|date=January 2024 |and is relayed via [[Mayagüez]]-based W22FA-D,}} varies from its local one where local commercials are replaced with ads directed towards the Caribbean. The station's local newscasts and some syndicated shows are sometimes replaced with [[infomercial]]s, although there is a taped Caribbean weather forecast by WSEE-TV's weather staff nightly at 11, available through a WSEE-TV-managed<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.onecaribbeanweather.com/ |title=Home |website=onecaribbeanweather.com}}</ref> website specific to Caribbean weather and is branded as "One Caribbean Weather". On November 19, 2019, Lilly completed the purchase of [[WCVI-TV]] in the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] from [[Family Broadcasting Corporation]] (which already carried a modified feed of sister ABC affiliate [[WENY-TV]] from [[Elmira, New York]] on their second digital subchannel under a lease agreement), adding the modified WSEE feed to that station's main feed the next day to allow it over-the-air coverage in the region. Once the purchase was completed, WCVI-TV and W32DZ-D took the place of WSEE-TV in the package's lineup.
==Former Personalities==
Stu Boyer - Sports Anchor (1981-1986), now at [[WGRZ]] in [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo, NY]]<p>
Jim Dewart - Weathercaster (1974-1984)<p>
Tim Earl - Meteorologist (1982-1995)<p>
Carol Pella - Reporter (1973-2004)<p>
Bill Schubert - Meterologist (1995-2004)<p>
Don Shriver - Anchor (1998-2006)<p>
John Stehr - Anchor/Reporter (1977-1979)<p>
Lisa Zompa - Anchor/Reporter (1988-2005)<p>
 
==PrimetimeSee 24also==
*[[Channel 21 digital TV stations in the United States]]
*[[Channel 35 virtual TV stations in the United States]]
 
==References==
WSEE has been part of the Primetime 24 lineup since the late-1990s, when it replaced [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh's]] [[WRAL-TV]] due to that station's regular preemptions of CBS programming. The Primetime 24 service provides American network TV service to C-Band viewers in Latin America, the Caribbean, and in rural parts of the US where local signals are not available. WSEE's PT24 feed varies from the local Erie feed, in which local commercials are replaced with ads directed towards the Caribbean (especially direct response ads). Also, WSEE's local newscasts are replaced with infomercials, though there's a pre-taped, brief Caribbean weather forecast by WSEE's weather staff (often in tropical garb) at 11PM ET.
{{reflist}}
 
==External linklinks==
*[http{{official website|https://www.35wseeerienewsnow.com/ 35wsee.com]}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090401083701/http://yourcwtv.com/partners/erie/ CW Erie website]
*{{TVQ|WSEE}}
*[http://www.puertoricocbs.com CBS Puerto Rico]
 
{{Erie TV}}
{{CBS Pennsylvania TV}}
{{UPNLilly PennsylvaniaBroadcasting}}
{{CW Pennsylvania}}
 
[[Category:CBS1954 networkestablishments affiliatesin Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:CBS affiliates]]
[[Category:The CW affiliates]]
[[Category:Heroes & Icons affiliates]]
[[Category:Ion Plus affiliates]]
[[Category:Lilly Broadcasting]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954]]
[[Category:Television stations in Erie, Pennsylvania|SEE-TV]]