Cable television channel
TW3 was a cable television network owned by Time Warner Cable. It was carried on Time Warner Cable systems in the Capital District of New York and that area's suburbs including Saratoga County, the southern Adirondack region, the Mohawk Valley, and most of Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
TW3 was formed in October 2002 as the improved successor to Time Warner 9, a similar station that was succeeded on the Time Warner lineup by sister station Capital News 9 and taking over the channel 3 position which had been pay-per-view previews. On most of Time Warner's Albany-area systems, TW3 occupied the channel 3 position though there were several exceptions, namely former Adelphia systems or systems where an "actual" channel 3 (WCAX in Burlington, Vermont or WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut) has that channel position. Those systems are:
It was never an over the air station, just a program source carried by Time Warner.
Programming.
Much of TW3's programming was locally originated. The more notable series produced for the station were as follows:
TW3 also served as the Albany-area affiliate of the SUNY-owned New York Network, the Educational-access television programming of which aired mostly during daytime hours though their Regents review specials often end up in primetime.
Sports coverage.
TW3 produces and airs a sizeable slate of local sports coverage including high school athletics (football, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse), UAlbany and Siena athletics, Albany Devils hockey, Union College men's hockey and RPI Men's Hockey. Regionally and beyond, TW3 was the Albany affiliate for ESPN Plus coverage of Big East football and basketball as well as America East Conference network coverage alongside their UAlbany rights. New Jersey Nets games which are seen on WWOR in New York City air on TW3 as well. It also airs New York Yankees games that do not air on ESPN or are not picked up by WXXA from New York City based channel WWOR-TV.
Outside of the Albany area, some TW3 sports programming is simulcast or rebroadcast on Time Warner Cable Sports.
Preemptions.
The station picks up several preempted programs from local broadcast stations that are unable to air them:
Time Warner 9.
The predecessor to TW3, Time Warner 9, was on the air from 1997 (when Time Warner purchased the CVI and Cablevision systems in the market) until 2002. Originally, the channel was primarily a barker channel for the then-new services of digital cable and Road Runner plus a clearinghouse for overflow sports programming, most notably WWOR-produced New York Mets games. After Time Warner purchased the former TCI systems in Schenectady and Amsterdam in 1999, it evolved into a showcase for Time Warner's own programming as well as a home for local sports programming. Time Warner 9 was also the home for New York Yankees games in 1999 and from 2000 until 2002 aired a replay of WRGB's 6:00 p.m. newscast at 6:30 p.m., the success of which was a catalyst for the establishment of its replacement, Capital News 9.