WABC-TV is best known in broadcasting circles for its version of the Eyewitness News format and for its morning show, syndicated nationally by corporate cousin Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution.

In its early years, WJZ-TV was programmed much like an independent station, as the ABC television network was still, for the most part, in its very early stages of development; the ABC-owned stations did air some common programming during this period, especially after the 1949 fall season when the network's prime time schedule began to expand.

The station's original transmitter site was located at The Pierre Hotel at 2 East 61st Street, before moving to the Empire State Building a few years later.

The station eventually re-established transmission facilities at the Empire State Building, its original home when it signed on the air in 1948.

[14] On May 27, 2007, WABC-TV's studios suffered major damage as the result of a fire that knocked the station off the air shortly before the start of the 11 p.m. newscast.

[21] On January 31, 2010, the FCC granted a special temporary authority (STA) for the station to increase power to 26.9 kW.

As of 2023, aside from Live with Kelly and Mark, WABC's first-run syndicated programs include Tamron Hall, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune.

[30] After 1980, the show was retitled Good Morning New York, whose co-hosts in the last years of its run in that form included Spencer Christian, Andrea Kirby, Judy Licht, Dick Wolfsie and longtime Eyewitness News reporter and anchor Doug Johnson.

After years of a losing ratings battle against Donahue on WNBC-TV, WABC-TV canceled Good Morning New York in early 1983.

In May 2016, Strahan left the show to become a full-time anchor at Good Morning America, thus leaving Ripa as the solo host again.

The station preempts a weekend edition of Good Morning America and delays This Week to schedule time for the live broadcast.

WABC-TV currently airs any New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets games televised via the NBA on ABC.

Additionally, the two stations share coverage of news from New Jersey where their markets overlap, pooling reporters, live trucks, and helicopters.

Newcomers Bill Beutel and Jim Burnes[34] were the anchors, with Cosell continuing on sports and Rosemary Haley as "weather girl".

In a complete revamp, Grimsby was joined by Tex Antoine doing weather, celebrity gossip columnist Rona Barrett, New York Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin with political commentary and reviews by Martin Bookspan and Allan Jeffries, while Cosell continued doing sports.

Ellis remained until May 1977[40] and Kane's successor, Ernie Anastos, began his New York career at the station; he co-anchored at 11 p.m. with Rose Ann Scamardella and later Kaity Tong for most of his tenure there.

Tom Snyder, who joined WABC after his late night talk show, Tomorrow, was canceled, would take Anastos' place in 1982 and would remain at the station until 1984; WABC attempted an early afternoon, feature-driven newscast shortly thereafter with Anastos and Beutel anchoring Eyewitness Extra, but the program was short lived and was canceled in early 1983.

Applegate claimed credit for taking WLS-TV from last to first in only two years and ABC hoped he could work the same magic at the flagship station.

It has been the ratings leader in New York City since then, and has grown to become the most-watched broadcast television station in the United States.

For the last decade, it has waged a spirited battle for first place, but for most of the time has held onto the lead, helped in part by lead-ins from the highly rated talk and entertainment shows.

For over 24 years (December 1986 to May 2011), the lead-in for the 5 p.m. Eyewitness News broadcast had been The Oprah Winfrey Show at 4 p.m. and its strong ratings brought viewers along to the 5 p.m. newscast.

On December 2, 2006, WABC-TV became the second station in the New York City market to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.

[42] On May 26, 2011, WABC-TV added another hour of local news at 4 p.m. to replace Oprah, which aired its last original episode the previous day.

On September 24, 2011, the station began broadcasting its newscasts and public affairs programs from a new street-level window studio at a former Disney Store location in the ABC building on 66th Street and Columbus Avenue.

[47] On September 11, 2023, WABC-TV, along with sister stations WPVI-TV and WTVD in Durham, North Carolina, launched an additional hour-long newscast at 10 a.m. which took over the time slot previously occupied by Tamron Hall.

The broadcast delivers news in a traditional format, and also allows more focus to be placed on local newsmakers, and further discussion on topics addressed on Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Mark.

[48] WABC delayed its launch by one day, due to coverage of events in the city, marking the anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

WABC-TV's signal was removed from Cablevision's New York area systems (including iO Digital Cable) after the two sides failed to reach terms on a new retransmission consent agreement; the station was replaced by either a blank screen or a looping video containing a message from Cablevision about the removal.

[75] WABC's sister station, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, was also pulled from Cablevision's New Jersey systems in Mercer, Ocean and Monmouth counties.

[77] In July 2010, ABC's parent company Disney announced that it was involved in a carriage dispute with Time Warner Cable (now Spectrum), its first with that provider in 10 years.