WNBC is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City and owned and operated by NBC Universal. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan. WNBC is the sister station to Linden, New Jersey-based WNJU (flagship of the co-owned Telemundo network), and the two stations have some cross promotion.

In the few areas of the eastern United States where viewers cannot receive NBC programs over-the-air, WNBC is available on satellite via C band, and to subscribers of DirecTV, which also provides coverage of the station to Latin America, the Caribbean and JetBlue's LiveTV inflight entertainment system. DirecTV also allows subscribers in Greater Los Angeles to receive the channel for an additional monthly fee. The station is also seen on certain cable providers in markets where there is no local NBC affiliate. As of March 4, 2009, WNBC is once again available on Dish Network as part of All American Direct's distant network package.

Early history