class immigrants who come from all over the world to make New York City their home. Ratings The once-overlooked station has soared in the ratings with an average 150,000 viewers for its most popular shows, making it one of the most-watched local stations in the New York market. Its success in attracting viewers is largely viewed as having translated into commercial success. NYC Media now has a wide range of sponsors and underwriters supporting the station's shows. Companies such as Subaru, American Express, Delta Air Lines and Snapple, as well as many local establishments, have been active in underwriting NYC Media programs. In 2006, NYC Media became the first public broadcaster in the United States to enter into a deal with a major commercial broadcast network, NBC, to air its shows. NYC Media aired weekdays on WNBC and on digital channel 4.4 / 28.4. Continental, Delta, and South African airlines have featured NYC Media on their flights. Carnival Cruise Lines launched an NYC Media closed-circuit channel on its New York-bound cruises in 2006. In that same year, NYC Media programming became available for purchase on DVD. Criticism Since the relaunch of the station, the station's popularity has been reflected in ratings, underwriter support, and press coverage. Despite these successes, the station has come under some degree of criticism from the New York City City Council, and Councilmember Gale Brewer who has called NYC Media "too hip and flashy." Although Brewer's rhetoric has subsided since former General Manager Arick Wierson huddled with Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler and agreed to produce a new news program entitled "City Scoop," Brewer still contends that NYC Media has strayed from its original mission in search of audience share and advertising dollars. On August 4, 2009, the Village Voice published a cover article criticizing the network's founder, Arick Wierson, for his many outside business interests, and his close relationship to the Mayor and other wealthy businessmen. Technical information Subchannels The station's digital signal is multiplexed: , WNYE-TV broadcasts its main channel in 1080i high definition. Analog-to-digital conversion WNYE-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 25, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 24, using PSIP to display WNYE-TV's virtual channel as 25 on digital television receivers. References External links WNYE-TV Website 1967 establishments