Directv switches CW-East feeds

[Xkrusdx]

It looks like Directv has dropped CW affiliate WDCW-50 Washington D.C. in favor of WNUV-54 Baltimore. Does anyone have any info on this? The guide still lists CW-E as WDCW, but the schedule is for WNUV.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

I'll have to add to that question. Is the original choice gone? Or can you request it back? (instead of...)

 

[Xkrusdx]

I should've mentioned i have DNS service. Meaning, I do not have a a CW affiliate available to me in my DMA provided by Directv. Therefore, I am eligable for, and do receive both the CW-EAST and CW-WEST feeds. As of a few weeks ago, CW-east was WDCW-50 Washington, D.C., and CW-west was XETV-6 Tijuana/San Diego. XETV is still there, but WDCW was replaced with WNUV-54 Baltimore. Does this have something to do with WDCW being a Tribune affiliate?

 

[w00t]

I wish they'd provide us with WPIX. I miss having that as a superstation when I had Dish Network.

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

Does this have something to do with WDCW being a Tribune affiliate?

Yes. WNUV-Baltimore is owned by Sinclair (or their LMA shell company). Tribune wants money from the sat provider for their stations, but DirecTV doesn't want to pay it.

 

[Xkrusdx]

So is this permanent? I seem to remember WNUV-54 Baltimore was available on Directv on a national basis a few years back.

 

[Louis_009]

Its okay but WNUV-TV as I look at it seem to run like the CW+ (plus) just like my local CW station in Tallahassee Florida WTLF-DT thats also run the CW+ (plus). WDCW doesnt run like WNUV I like DC50 better than WNUV-TV.

 

[dave73]

So is this permanent? I seem to remember WNUV-54 Baltimore was available on Directv on a national basis a few years back.

Since you don't have a CW affiliate in your market, you should be thankful DirecTV is giving you an alternate CW affiliate, instead of leaving you in the cold. For those of us in a Tribune market, those with DirecTV have lost their local Tribune station along with WGN America. For Chicago, WGN-TV was pulled from the service, & DirecTV isn't offering another CW affiliate for those viewers, since WGN-TV can be picked up OTA. So those viewers can still get the channel. So hopefully, this won't last too long.

For me, I haven't had DirecTV in 10 years, & not sure if I want the service again. I however would prefer if local channels weren't available to me if I had the service. When I signed up in 1999, locals weren't even available, & had to use an antenna to get the local stations. I've been using an outdoor antenna all this time, & perfectly ok with it (even more so since TV went digital).

 

[ShawnHill1]

When DirecTV launched east and west feed for The CW, WNUV and KSWB in San Diego were the original choices. Not too long after (within a couple years), KSWB swapped network affiliations XETV, with KSWB becoming Fox, and accordingly, DirecTV put in XETV as The CW's west coast feed (why didn't they chose KTLA and WPIX as The CW feeds, to match up with their in-city counterparts, we'll never know).

 

[taylorjsdad]

When DirecTV launched east and west feed for The CW, WNUV and KSWB in San Diego were the original choices. Not too long after (within a couple years), KSWB swapped network affiliations XETV, with KSWB becoming Fox, and accordingly, DirecTV put in XETV as The CW's west coast feed (why didn't they chose KTLA and WPIX as The CW feeds, to match up with their in-city counterparts, we'll never know).

That would not help much now... both KTLA and WPIX are owned by Tribune.

I have Dish Network... we get CW affiliates in 3 different time zones, WPIX - New York, KWGN - Denver and KTLA- Los Angeles. All owned by, you guessed it, Tribune. (Although I think KWGN is operated under an LMA by Local TV.)

 

[ShawnHill1]

When DirecTV launched east and west feed for The CW, WNUV and KSWB in San Diego were the original choices. Not too long after (within a couple years), KSWB swapped network affiliations XETV, with KSWB becoming Fox, and accordingly, DirecTV put in XETV as The CW's west coast feed (why didn't they chose KTLA and WPIX as The CW feeds, to match up with their in-city counterparts, we'll never know).

That would not help much now... both KTLA and WPIX are owned by Tribune.

I have Dish Network... we get CW affiliates in 3 different time zones, WPIX - New York, KWGN - Denver and KTLA- Los Angeles. All owned by, you guessed it, Tribune. (Although I think KWGN is operated under an LMA by Local TV.)

Of course, but still it would have been a bit more logical, IMO, to add KTLA and WPIX when they launched The CW bi-coastal feeds (or even The WB before that); you're right, it's a moot point presently.

I'm not missing KTLA all that much, as far as DirecTV is concerned, because I have a second TV in the house that's over-the-air only. Heck, I watch Antenna TV more than I watch KTLA's main channel; there's nothing at all on The CW that I watch, and only time I watch KTLA on a semi-regular basis is news, Family Guy reruns, and everybody's favorite paternity tester--Maury Povich (and that's if I'm home during the day).

 

[ding12]

(why didn't they chose KTLA and WPIX as The CW feeds, to match up with their in-city counterparts, we'll never know).

Not only that but WPIX and KTLA were popular with satellite customers who used to get them as superstations (from Dish, or C-Band, or cable back in the day)

I think DirecTV avoided offering WPIX or KTLA outside of market because those affiliates have sports that might preclude CW network programming. And, they also fell into the superstation category and for whatever reason (maybe dilution of sales of sports passes like MLB EI), DirecTV didn't want to offer the superstations like rival Dish Network.

It seems DirecTV wanted CW affiliates to function as CW-E and CW-W, so chose ones with less local programming.

 

[ShawnHill1]

(why didn't they chose KTLA and WPIX as The CW feeds, to match up with their in-city counterparts, we'll never know).

Not only that but WPIX and KTLA were popular with satellite customers who used to get them as superstations (from Dish, or C-Band, or cable back in the day)

I think DirecTV avoided offering WPIX or KTLA outside of market because those affiliates have sports that might preclude CW network programming. And, they also fell into the superstation category and for whatever reason (maybe dilution of sales of sports passes like MLB EI), DirecTV didn't want to offer the superstations like rival Dish Network.

It seems DirecTV wanted CW affiliates to function as CW-E and CW-W, so chose ones with less local programming.

That was my original thinking, as far as sports, but there really isn't a lot of sports programming on either station compared to years ago, outside of WPIX carrying Mets games (almostly excluisvely Sunday games) and MSG occasionally buying time to put Knicks and Rangers telecasts on 11. KTLA lost the Clippers a few years ago, and the Dodgers and Angels years before that; their only annual sports programming is Raiders preseason games, but that's mostly Friday or Saturday nights.

 

[jerseyfla]

My South Jersey native wife wishes they would've piped in WPSG from Philly instead of WNUV.

 

[kilamanjero]

When DirecTV launched east and west feed for The CW, WNUV and KSWB in San Diego were the original choices. Not too long after (within a couple years), KSWB swapped network affiliations XETV, with KSWB becoming Fox, and accordingly, DirecTV put in XETV as The CW's west coast feed (why didn't they chose KTLA and WPIX as The CW feeds, to match up with their in-city counterparts, we'll never know).

That would not help much now... both KTLA and WPIX are owned by Tribune.

I have Dish Network... we get CW affiliates in 3 different time zones, WPIX - New York, KWGN - Denver and KTLA- Los Angeles. All owned by, you guessed it, Tribune. (Although I think KWGN is operated under an LMA by Local TV.)

Local TV is basically a part of Tribune because they operate as is in most markets where they are LMAed.