In 2003, co-founders Seth Unger and Arick Wierson - both aides to Mayor of New York CityMichael Bloomberg - launched NYC-TV, which replaced "Crosswalks Television," the name of the previous network. In 2005, NYC TV expanded when it acquired WNYE-TV along with the radio station WNYE-FM. The new group was called NYC Media Group. The local cable channels programmed by NYC Media provide coverage of a diverse array of programming formats ranging from local politics and government news on channel 74, traffic camera feeds on channel 72, and ethnic/international programming on channel 73. NYC Media has received attention as an innovator in municipal broadcasting. Since its inception, NYC Media has been nominated for 160 New York Emmy Awards, winning 42. It has also won 42 Telly Awards and 4 Promax Awards and was recently nominated for 4 Webby Awards. Cities such as Seoul, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, and Los Angeles have expressed interest in replicating the station's success. On September 24, 2007 Mayor Bloomberg held a press conference to introduce NYC Media On Demand, a partnership with online video platformBrightcove to offer on demand programming online. Its main over-the-air broadcast channel, WNYE-TV, reaches the New York City metropolitan area, which includes Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Suffolk and Westchester counties in New York state as well as portions of New Jersey and Connecticut. WNYE-TV is carried on all area cable and satellite systems. NYC Media's main broadcast signal, WNYE-TV, reaches 7.43 million households in the New York City market, thus making it the fifth largest local television station in the United States. The main broadcast station is seen in the New York City area on channel 25 on all cable and satellite systems with the exception of Altice USA, where it is seen on channel 22.
Television
NYC Media operates four television channels: NYC life, NYC gov, NYC drive, and NYC world.
NYC life, is NYC Media's flagship television station and broadcasts as WNYE-TV channel 25.1 as well as appearing on local cable television as channel 22 on Altice USA and on channel 25 on other cable services.
NYC gov, covers city government meetings and press conferences. It appears on most local cable services as channel 74.
NYC drive, formerly known as City Drive Live, provides live feeds from traffic cameras. It appears on most local cable services as channel 72.
NYC world provides international and ethnic programming. It appears on most local cable services as channel 73.
Services on most of these channels had previously each been branded as NYC TV or nyctv with a cable channel number since 2003, and before that as Crosswalks Television.
Radio
NYC Media operates WNYE-FM, branded as "NYC radio 91.5".