Many New Yorkers left without local tv stations

In New York City, WCBS-TV, the CBS-owned station, was the only major TV news outlet serving the 30 percent of the population without cable hookups — about 1.7 million viewers. The transmitters of all other New York stations were located on a tower atop one of the collapsed WTC buildings. (WCBS-TV maintained a backup transmitter on the Empire State Building.) WABC-TV, the ABC-owned station, indicated that it hoped to return to the air, presumably from the Empire State Building tower, by the end of the week. (All TV transmitters in New York had originally been located there, but had switched to a mast at the taller WTC building upon its completion; it was not clear why they did not continue to maintain their older antennas on the Empire State Building tower as well.)