2023 CW affiliation realignment
The CW is an over-the-air television network in the United States, majority owned by Irving, Texas-based Nexstar Media Group (75 percent) with co-founders, Warner Bros. Discovery and CBS News and Stations (itself a unit of Paramount Global) owning the remaining 25 percent (both companies holding 12.5 percent each).
Prelude
Plans for the shuffling of affiliations of The CW in nine television markets began in October 3, 2022, when Nexstar Media Group acquired a 75 percent stake in the network, leaving its co-founders, Warner Bros. Discovery and CBS News and Stations with the remaining 25 percent (both companies holding 12.5 percent each).[1] As part of that deal, Nexstar granted CBS the option for its stations to disaffiliate from the network, which it would exercise on May 5, 2023.[2]
Timeline
As a result of CBS pulling that network's affiliation from its stations, Nexstar was able to reach new affiliation deals in three markets, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Tampa Bay. This was the result of Nexstar already owning stations in those markets. Meanwhile, in the other six markets, additional deals were reached to move the CW affiliations in Seattle, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Detroit, Sacramento and Oklahoma City. The affiliation deals were signed and finalized in June and August 2023.
On June 14, Nexstar announced its new CW affiliates in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Tampa Bay, all of them assuming the affiliations from CBS-owned stations, and in doing so, becoming network owned-and-operated stations. All 3 of CBS's stations became independents as a direct result. In Philadelphia, WPHL-TV assumed the affiliation from WPSG, sister to CBS owned-and-operated KYW-TV. In San Francisco, KRON-TV assumed the affiliation from KPYX (formerly KBCW and sister to CBS owned-and-operated KPIX-TV). And in Tampa Bay, WTTA (licensed to St. Petersburg) replaced WTOG (also out of St. Petersburg) as the new CW affiliate in that market. All three stations will continue carrying their existing MyNetworkTV on a secondary affiliation basis. KRON and WTTA will carry its programs late nights following CW programming while WPHL will carry that network's programs on a second subchannel complementing programs carried by Antenna TV.[3]
On August 1, Nexstar announced a deal was signed and finalized to not only extend existing affiliations with stations owned by Hearst Television, but to also affiliate KQCA (sister station to NBC affiliate KCRA-TV) with The CW, replacing CBS-owned KMAX-TV, sister to CBS O&O KOVR. KQCA continues to carry MyNetworkTV programming late nights on a secondary affiliation basis.[4]
On August 23, WADL in Mount Clemens, Michigan (serving the Detroit television market) announced on its own website that it was joining The CW with MyNetworkTV being carried late nights on a secondary affiliation basis. WADL was replacing WKBD-TV (sister to CBS O&O WWJ-TV), which was to be an independent station once again as a direct result of CBS pulling the affiliations nationwide. It should be noted WADL itself, is up for sale. Wichita Falls, Texas-based Mission Broadcasting is acquiring the station from Adell Broadcasting for a reported $75 million, which if approved and finalized, would end 34 years of local ownership of the station. The acquisition is still pending regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Like the rest of Mission's stations, Nexstar would manage and operate the station.[5][6]
On August 30, Nexstar signed a deal to affiliate Gray Television-owned WPCH-TV, replacing CBS-owned WUPA.[7] As WPCH-TV is the former WTBS and the basis for cable channel TBS, this also gave Canadian viewers outside of border areas access to the CW, as its Canadian feed has access to the origianl feed and not thencurrent cable feed.
On August 31, Nexstar announced it had reached a deal to move the CW affiliation in Oklahoma City to its own station, KAUT-TV, sister station to NBC affiliate KFOR-TV, pulling it from longtime affiliate KOCB, which became an independent once again. KAUT is now a network owned-and-operated station as a result. As part of that deal with KOCB's owner Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar allowed Sinclair to move the CW affiliations in Seattle to the second subchannel of ABC affiliate KOMO-TV (replacing CBS-owned KSTW) and in Pittsburgh to WPNT, replacing WPKD-TV (out of Jeannette and formerly WPCW), another CBS-owned station (and sister to CBS network O&O KDKA-TV) with WPNT moving its own MyNetworkTV programming to late nights.[8][9]
With all of the deals set in place, the switchover of the affiliations officially took effect most stations on September 1, 2023. WPCH began its new affiliation on September 2, 2023.
Stations
| City of license / market | New affiliate | Owner | Prior affiliate | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA | WPHL-TV 17 | Nexstar Media Group | WPSG 57 | CBS News and Stations |
| Atlanta, GA | WPCH-TV 17 | Gray Television | WUPA 69 | CBS News and Stations |
| San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose, CA | KRON-TV 4 | Nexstar Media Group | KPYX 44 | CBS News and Stations |
| Seattle–Tacoma, WA | KOMO-DT2 4.2 | Sinclair Broadcast Group | KSTW 11 | CBS News and Stations |
| Tampa–St. Petersburg, FL | WTTA 38 | Nexstar Media Group | WTOG 44 | CBS News and Stations |
| Detroit, MI | WADL 38 | Adell Broadcasting[lower-alpha 1] | WKBD-TV 50 | CBS News and Stations |
| Sacramento–Stockton–Modesto, CA | KQCA 58 | Hearst Television | KMAX-TV 31 | CBS News and Stations |
| Pittsburgh, PA | WPNT 22 | Sinclair Broadcast Group | WPKD-TV 19 | CBS News and Stations |
| Oklahoma City, OK | KAUT-TV 43 | Nexstar Media Group | KOCB 34 | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Billings, Montana | KSVI 6.2 | Nexstar Media Group | KTVQ 2.2 | E. W. Scripps Company |
- ↑ Sale to Mission Broadcasting pending, to be operated by Nexstar Media Group shortly thereafter.
See also
- 1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment
- 2001 Vancouver TV realignment
- 2006 United States broadcast television realignment
- 2007 Canada broadcast TV realignment
References
- ↑ Hayes, Dade (October 3, 2022). "New Day Dawns For Broadcast TV As Nexstar Closes Deal For Control Of The CW". Deadline. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ↑ Rice, Lynette (May 5, 2023). "Eight CBS Stations To Ditch CW And Go Independent This Fall". Deadline. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Nexstar Television Stations in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Tampa to Become Affiliated with the CW Network on September 1". Nexstar Media Group. June 14, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ↑ "The CW Network And Hearst Television Expand And Extend Affiliation Partnership". Nexstar Media Group. August 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Mission Broadcasting To Acquire WADL-TV Detroit From Adell Broadcasting". Mission Broadcasting, Inc. broadcastone. May 18, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Assignments". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. May 17, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ↑ "The CW Network and Gray Television Expand and Extend Affiliation Partnership". Nexstar Media Group. August 30, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Nexstar's KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City To Become CW Network Affiliate on September 1". Nexstar Media Group, Inc. August 31, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ↑ "The CW Network and Sinclair Expand and Extend Affiliation Partnership". Nexstar Media Group, Inc. August 31, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
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