For its entire history, Utica–Rome's NBC affiliate, WKTV, has been the dominant local news station in the Mohawk Valley according to Nielsen ratings. Among the factors contributing to its dominance: its longevity (it was the first television station to sign on in the market and one of the first 100 stations in the United States to do so) and its signal strength (consistently broadcasting on channel 2 in the days when VHF stations were more easily received by potential viewers than UHF stations such as WUTR, which broadcast on channel 20). At various times in its history, WUTR has sought to compete for local news viewers—with varying degrees of success. Its highest ratings to date, perhaps, occurred during two periods: the late 1980s and the mid-1990s.