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CW To Be Sold? Nexstar Among The Suitors.

In Charlotte, if Nexstar bought the CW, it would mean WMYT would flip to the CW and would likely change its calls to something like WCWT. WCCB or WAXN would likely end up with the MyNetwork TV “affiliation”.
 
nelsonincharlotte said:
In Charlotte, if Nexstar bought the CW, it would mean WMYT would flip to the CW and would likely change its calls to something like WCWT. WCCB or WAXN would likely end up with the MyNetwork TV “affiliation”.
Click to expand...

Oh my god. If this goes through, it would be like **HOLY SHIT**, and not only that, WGN becomes a CW affiliate all over again.
 
This is a fascinating story. I was just speaking with a former employee of Viacom about this. Obviously they've been selling a lot of hard assets such as buildings and studios. They're shrinking the footprint and building a stockpile of cash. What is the purpose of all this? Certainly selling a traditional OTA TV network makes sense in a OTT streaming world. It's wasteful to devote resources towards creating content for traditional ad-supported networks when the growth is in subscriber-based platforms. Warner has just been acquired by Discovery. A lot will be changing there as well. So yes, let the TV station owners buy a network for their O&Os. That makes sense.
 
Here’s my speculation, if Nexstar bought The CW, then here’s my speculation…

Chicago:
2 - WBBM (CBS)
5 - WMAQ (NBC)
7 - WLS (ABC)
9 - WGN (CW)
26 - WCIU (Independent)
32 - WFLD (Fox)
50 - WPWR (MyNetworkTV)
60 - WXFT (UniMas)
66 - WGBO (Univision)

Philadelphia
2 - WDPN (MeTV)
3 - KYW (CBS)
6 - WPVI (ABC)
10 - WCAU (NBC)
17 - WPHL (CW)
29 - WTXF (Fox)
40 - WMGM (TCN)
48 - WGTW (TBN)
57 - WPSG (MyNetworkTV)
65 - WUVP (Univision)
69 - WFMZ (Independent)

San Francisco
2 - KTVU (Fox)
4 - KRON (CW)
5 - KPIX (CBS)
7 - KGO (ABC)
11 - KNTV (NBC)
20 - KOFY (Independent)
36 - KICU (MyNetworkTV)
44 - KBHK (Independent)

Sacramento
3 - KCRA (NBC)
10 - KXTV (ABC)
13 - KOVR (CBS)
31 - KMAX (MyNetworkTV)
40 - KTXL (CW)
58 - KQCA (Fox)

Tampa
8 - WFLA (NBC)
10 - WTSP (CBS)
13 - WTVT (Fox)
28 - WFTS (ABC)
32 - WMOR (Independent)
38 - WTTA (CW)
44 - WTOG (MyNetworkTV)

Cleveland
3 - WKYC (NBC)
5 - WEWS (ABC)
8 - WJW (CW)
19 - WOIO (CBS)
43 - WUAB (Fox/MyNetworkTV)
55 - WBNX (Independent)
61 - WQHS (Univision)

San Diego
8 - KFMB (CBS)
8.2 - KFMB-DT2 (Fox/MyNetworkTV)
10 - KGTV (ABC)
39 - KNSD (NBC)
51 - KUSI (Independent)
69 - KSWB (CW)

Indianapolis
4/29 - WTTV/WTTK (CBS)
6 - WRTV (ABC)
8 - WISH (Fox)
13 - WTHR (NBC)
23 - WNDY (MyNetworkTV)
59 - WXIN (CW)

Charlotte
3 - WBTV (CBS)
9 - WSOC (ABC)
18 - WCCB (MyNetworkTV)
36 - WCNC (NBC)
46 - WJZY (Fox)
55 - WCWT (CW)
64 - WAXN (Independent)
 
anabate123 said:
Here’s my speculation, if Nexstar bought The CW, then here’s my speculation…

Chicago:
2 - WBBM (CBS)
5 - WMAQ (NBC)
7 - WLS (ABC)
9 - WGN (CW)
26 - WCIU (Independent)
32 - WFLD (Fox)
50 - WPWR (MyNetworkTV)
60 - WXFT (UniMas)
66 - WGBO (Univision)

Philadelphia
2 - WDPN (MeTV)
3 - KYW (CBS)
6 - WPVI (ABC)
10 - WCAU (NBC)
17 - WPHL (CW)
29 - WTXF (Fox)
40 - WMGM (TCN)
48 - WGTW (TBN)
57 - WPSG (MyNetworkTV)
65 - WUVP (Univision)
69 - WFMZ (Independent)

San Francisco
2 - KTVU (Fox)
4 - KRON (CW)
5 - KPIX (CBS)
7 - KGO (ABC)
11 - KNTV (NBC)
20 - KOFY (Independent)
36 - KICU (MyNetworkTV)
44 - KBHK (Independent)

Sacramento
3 - KCRA (NBC)
10 - KXTV (ABC)
13 - KOVR (CBS)
31 - KMAX (MyNetworkTV)
40 - KTXL (CW)
58 - KQCA (Fox)

Tampa
8 - WFLA (NBC)
10 - WTSP (CBS)
13 - WTVT (Fox)
28 - WFTS (ABC)
32 - WMOR (Independent)
38 - WTTA (CW)
44 - WTOG (MyNetworkTV)

Cleveland
3 - WKYC (NBC)
5 - WEWS (ABC)
8 - WJW (CW)
19 - WOIO (CBS)
43 - WUAB (Fox/MyNetworkTV)
55 - WBNX (Independent)
61 - WQHS (Univision)

San Diego
8 - KFMB (CBS)
8.2 - KFMB-DT2 (Fox/MyNetworkTV)
10 - KGTV (ABC)
39 - KNSD (NBC)
51 - KUSI (Independent)
69 - KSWB (CW)

Indianapolis
4/29 - WTTV/WTTK (CBS)
6 - WRTV (ABC)
8 - WISH (Fox)
13 - WTHR (NBC)
23 - WNDY (MyNetworkTV)
59 - WXIN (CW)

Charlotte
3 - WBTV (CBS)
9 - WSOC (ABC)
18 - WCCB (MyNetworkTV)
36 - WCNC (NBC)
46 - WJZY (Fox)
55 - WCWT (CW)
64 - WAXN (Independent)
Click to expand...
What about Raleigh-Durham? Maybe Nexstar buys WRDC and flips it to the CW, forming a duopoly with WNCN. WLFL would be left with MyNet. But WLFL does have the news partnership with WTVD. That’s why I didn’t suggest Nexstar buy them.

I think WCCB would probably want MyNetwork TV, though they might want to go back to their true independent days of the early 80s. Maybe WAXN gets it. There’s no telling which station would get it.
 
Actually, Raleigh-Durham, I think could go like this...

Raleigh-Durham:
5 - WRAL (NBC)
11 - WTVD (ABC)
17 - WNCN (CW)
22 - WLFL (CBS)
28 - WRDC (MyNetworkTV)
40 - WUVC (Univision)
47 - WRPX (Ion Television)
50 - WRAZ (Fox)
62 - WFPX (Bounce TV)
 
TheBigA said:
This is a fascinating story. I was just speaking with a former employee of Viacom about this. Obviously they've been selling a lot of hard assets such as buildings and studios. They're shrinking the footprint and building a stockpile of cash. What is the purpose of all this? Certainly selling a traditional OTA TV network makes sense in a OTT streaming world. It's wasteful to devote resources towards creating content for traditional ad-supported networks when the growth is in subscriber-based platforms. Warner has just been acquired by Discovery. A lot will be changing there as well. So yes, let the TV station owners buy a network for their O&Os. That makes sense.
Click to expand...
It looks like they’re merely selling the infrastructure. Variety is indicating that Warner Bros. and CBS would still jointly program the network and hold minority stakes.

It’s a perfect deal if you’re the seller.
 
I wonder if CBS may be proposing a station swap with Nexstar as part of the deal to shed the CW to them. CBS currently has single stations in Atlanta and Seattle affiliated with the CW. They can easily swap them for the CBS affiliate station in Las Vegas, KLAS. Alternatively, they could try switching two West Coast stations: KSTW in Seattle for KOIN in Portland.

To me, unless they want to snag the CBS affiliation from WGCL and put it on WUPA, they should sell WUPA to Nexstar.

Another idea is KOIN, WNCN and KLAS to CBS and KSTW and WUPA to Nexstar.
 
In terms of station branding, if this comes to fruition, I hope this doesn't mean for those Nexstar CW stations that ID themselves ("Insert city name" Very Own) that they ditch the call letters for the CW & just be like WGN when they were a CW affiliate, which I can definitely see come back if this happens.
 
NYCsporty said:
In terms of station branding, if this comes to fruition, I hope this doesn't mean for those Nexstar CW stations that ID themselves ("Insert city name" Very Own) that they ditch the call letters for the CW & just be like WGN when they were a CW affiliate, which I can definitely see come back if this happens.
Click to expand...
CW affiliate branding among the legacy Tribune affiliates has always been ever-changing. Many of them de-emphasized the CW name outright during the Zell/Michaels era of Tribune in favor of local branding, but some reverted like KDAF and KIAH.

Of note, WJZY is rebranding to “Carolina’s Very Own Queen City News” next week, so the WGN branding conventions are definitely starting to be extended to other Nexstar stations. (WJW’s “Cleveland’s Own” branding dates to 1988.)
 
stationless listener said:
I wonder if CBS may be proposing a station swap with Nexstar as part of the deal to shed the CW to them. CBS currently has single stations in Atlanta and Seattle affiliated with the CW. They can easily swap them for the CBS affiliate station in Las Vegas, KLAS. Alternatively, they could try switching two West Coast stations: KSTW in Seattle for KOIN in Portland.

To me, unless they want to snag the CBS affiliation from WGCL and put it on WUPA, they should sell WUPA to Nexstar.

Another idea is KOIN, WNCN and KLAS to CBS and KSTW and WUPA to Nexstar.
Click to expand...
Remember that Nexstar doesn’t have that much room with the 39% ownership cap, even with the UHF Discount in effect. It would be highly counterproductive to purchase or trade for a stand-alone Atlanta station when CBS can simply run it as a pass-through affiliate.

That being said, I absolutely can see Nexstar poaching the CW for KRON. Ditto with WPHL.
 
I haven’t thought about the Triad, presumably WGHP would flip to the CW and WCWG would go to Fox but there’s not a lot of Hearst Fox stations, if any.
 
In KC area KCWE is a Hearst station and WDAF a Nextstar one but WDAF is the only station in KC area without a secondary channel to put programming.
 
In Springfield, IL/Decatur/Champaign most likely a simple switch. CW and My swap affiliations, CW goes to Nexstar's WCIX-49.1 Springfield/3.2 Champaign (BTW WCIA's CBS affiliation airs on 3.1 in Champaign and 49.2 in Springfield). My's "affiliation" goes to Sinclair LMA'ed WBUI-23.1 Decatur.

In Peoria/Bloomington, Nexstar's WMBD (CBS) likely picks up the CW100 feed from Gray's WEEK-25.3, and moves it to one of WMBD's subchannels (or creates a new one).
 
KC area
KMBC/38 the Spot
KSHB/KPXE
WDAF/KCWE
KCTV5/KSMOTV
KCPT has Create and so on Digital Sub Channel.
KUKC hookup with like KAJF and KGKC with KCMN. KCKS-LD just needs better OTA coverage.
 
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