The implications of must-carry and the consequent expansion of its reach continued to transform channel 55. In early 1996, the station opened news bureaus in Wayne, New Jersey and Fairfield, Connecticut, and it obtained press credentials in New York City. The station cemented its broader reach and sought to distinguish itself from the multiple stations using "LI" in their call sign when it changed its call letters to WLNY, representing Long Island and New York, on September 1, 1996. The sale of Pascucci's auto leasing business, Pascucci Oxford Resources, in 1997 brought a cash infusion to the television station as well.