View source for 2023 CW affiliation realignment

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Short description|2023 television network affiliation changes}}
'''[[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).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hayes |first1=Dade |title=New Day Dawns For Broadcast TV As Nexstar Closes Deal For Control Of The CW |url=https://deadline.com/2022/10/nexstar-closes-deal-for-control-of-the-cw-mark-pedowitz-exits-top-job-1235133428/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] |date=October 3, 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rice |first1=Lynette |title=Eight CBS Stations To Ditch CW And Go Independent This Fall |url=https://deadline.com/2023/05/cbs-stations-eight-drop-cw-go-independent-this-fall-1235357388/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] |date=May 5, 2023}}</ref>

== 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 area|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, California|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, Florida|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]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Nexstar Television Stations in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Tampa to Become Affiliated with the CW Network on September 1|url=https://www.nexstar.tv/nexstar-television-stations-in-philadelphia-san-francisco-and-tampa-to-become-affiliated-with-the-cw-network-on-september-1/|publisher=Nexstar Media Group|date=June 14, 2023|access-date=September 1, 2023}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news|title=The CW Network And Hearst Television Expand And Extend Affiliation Partnership|url=https://www.nexstar.tv/the-cw-network-and-hearst-television-expand-and-extend-affiliation-partnership/|publisher=Nexstar Media Group|date=August 1, 2023|access-date=September 1, 2023}}</ref>

On August 23, [[WADL (TV)|WADL]] in [[Mount Clemens, Michigan]] (serving the Detroit television market) announced on its own [https://www.cw38wadl.com 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://missionbroadcastinginc.com/2023/05/18/mission-broadcasting-to-acquire-wadl-tv-detroit-from-adell-broadcasting/|title=
Mission Broadcasting To Acquire WADL-TV Detroit From Adell Broadcasting
|website=Mission Broadcasting, Inc.|date=May 18, 2023|access-date=September 1, 2023|publisher=broadcastone}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/views/public/assignmentDraftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076ff387de8c4a0187e7ea3d64032c&id=25076ff387de8c4a0187e7ea3d64032c&goBack=N|title=Assignments|website=Licensing and Management System|date=May 17, 2023|access-date=September 1, 2023|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}}</ref>

On August 30, Nexstar signed a deal to affiliate [[Gray Television]]-owned [[WPCH-TV]], replacing CBS-owned [[WUPA]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The CW Network and Gray Television Expand and Extend Affiliation Partnership|url=https://www.nexstar.tv/the-cw-and-gray-expand-extend-affiliation-partnership/|publisher=Nexstar Media Group|date=August 30, 2023|access-date=September 1, 2023}}</ref> As WPCH-TV is the former WTBS and the basis for cable channel [[TBS (American TV 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 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[KOMO-TV]] (replacing CBS-owned [[KSTW]]) and in Pittsburgh to [[WPNT]], replacing [[WPKD-TV]] (out of [[Jeannette, Pennsylvania|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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 31, 2023 |title=Nexstar’s KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City To Become CW Network Affiliate on September 1 |url=https://www.nexstar.tv/kaut-tv-in-oklahoma-city-to-become-cw-affiliate-sept-1/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=Nexstar Media Group, Inc. |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 31, 2023 |title=The CW Network and Sinclair Expand and Extend Affiliation Partnership |url=https://www.nexstar.tv/the-cw-and-sinclair-expand-and-extend-affiliation-partnership/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=Nexstar Media Group, Inc. |language=en-US}}</ref>

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 ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | [[City of license]] / [[Media market|market]]
! scope="col" | New affiliate
! scope="col" | Owner
! scope="col" | Prior affiliate
! scope="col" | Owner
|-
| [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, PA]]
! [[WPHL-TV]] 17
| [[Nexstar Media Group]]
! [[WPSG]] 57
| [[CBS News and Stations]]
|-
| [[Atlanta|Atlanta, GA]]
! [[WPCH-TV]] 17
| [[Gray Television]]
! [[WUPA]] 69
| CBS News and Stations
|-
| [[San Francisco]]–[[Oakland, California|Oakland]]–[[San Jose, California|San Jose, CA]]
! [[KRON-TV]] 4
| Nexstar Media Group
! [[KPYX]] 44
| CBS News and Stations
|-
| [[Seattle]]–[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma, WA]]
! [[KOMO-TV|KOMO-DT2]] 4.2
| [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]]
! [[KSTW]] 11
| CBS News and Stations
|-
| [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]–[[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg, FL]]
! [[WTTA]] 38
| Nexstar Media Group
! [[WTOG]] 44
| CBS News and Stations
|-
| [[Detroit|Detroit, MI]]
! [[WADL (TV)|WADL]] 38
| Adell Broadcasting{{Efn|Sale to [[Mission Broadcasting]] pending, to be operated by [[Nexstar Media Group]] shortly thereafter.}}
! [[WKBD-TV]] 50
| CBS News and Stations
|-
| [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]–[[Stockton, California|Stockton]]–[[Modesto, California|Modesto, CA]]
! [[KQCA]] 58
| [[Hearst Television]]
! [[KMAX-TV]] 31
| CBS News and Stations
|-
| [[Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh, PA]]
! [[WPNT]] 22
| Sinclair Broadcast Group
! [[WPKD-TV]] 19
| CBS News and Stations
|-
| [[Oklahoma City|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]]
|}
{{notelist}}

== 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 ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Nexstar Media Group|C]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Discovery|C]]
[[Category:CBS News and Stations|C]]
[[Category:2023 in American television|C]]
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