The
PBS affiliate for
Long Island, with a
transistor in
Plainview and offices in
Garden City. Since it is in the same market as the much larger
WNET, based in
New York City, it is significantly smaller financially and in terms of viewers, since the two stations are already sharing a limited amount of the
television audience.
WNET tends to air more "eat your vegetables" programming, such as science and arts
documentaries that you know are
intelligent, but can't hold your
attention for long. WLIW tends to air more sitcoms and dramas from the
BBC, including such viewer favorites as "
Eastenders", "
Inspector Morse", and "
As Time Goes By", among others.
It is also famous for the old films shown late on Saturday nights. These films are the old black and white versions that are gritty and dark, yet dignified classics in their own right. Films shown have included "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Cyrano de Bergerac".