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Sign of trouble for the CW

A

arnoldevns

I recently noticed that my local CW affiliate has quit calling themselves "CW33" in the audio portions of promos and on their newscast. In fact, they changed their website name to eliminate the CW from the address. What makes this particularly interesting is that the station in question is Tribune-owned KDAF Channel 33 in Dallas-Fort Worth. On screen you still see CW33 on a lot of things, but the anchors call it the "KDAF 33 News At Nine." The website is now KDAF33.com.

The Tribune-owned CW station in Houston has just changed it's call letters to eliminate the CW from them. KHCW became KIAH (the identifier for the Houston airport) Tribune is also switching it's station in San Diego from CW to Fox. (the current Fox affil is picking up the CW)

So it makes me wonder if Tribune wants to dump the CW? If that were to happen, the network would have some pretty big holes to fill in its lineup. In the DFW area, they'd probably go with Viacom-owned KTXA (a former UPN affiliate). In Houston, their options would be some very low rated UHF stations that don't serve the market well. Other markets would be much tougher. I think the CW would go to KCAL in Los Angeles, WCIU in Chicago, but I'm not sure they could find decent affiliates in markets like New York, Washington, Miami, Denver, St. Louis, Portland, Indianapolis, Hartford, and New Orleans. They'd probably have to go with Ion stations or put the network on a digital sub-channel.

Has anyone heard anything?
 
They're on WTXX-TV/DT channel 20/D 12 (D 20 in 2009) in Hartford/New Haven. Tribune owns WTIC-TV/DT (FOX) channel 61/D 31 of Hartford. WTXX is paired with them as a duopoly. As for subchannels, WTIC-DT doesn't use 61-2, 61-3, etc. The MY affiliate here is WCTX-TV/DT channel 59/D 39 of New Haven. They are in a duopoly with WTNH-TV/DT (ABC) channel 8/D 10 of New Haven. The only other commercial stations? WHPX-TV/DT (ION) channel 26/D 34 of New London (a good clip to the southeast) and WUVN-TV/DT (UNI) channel 18/D 46 of Hartford (who doesn't have the best signal around here).
 
In Indianapolis, my question is this: How ironclad is the My Network TV contract for WNDY TV? Because if at all possible, if Tribune dumps CW, my guess is that LIN would love to pick up CW for WNDY and run MyNet programming out of pattern at 10pm. (Or, alternatively, move MyNet programming to WISH subchannel 8.3 "Local Weather Station" and just run CW on WNDY.)

FWIW though, I don't think Tribune will pull the CW from the 4 // 29 simulcast until the network actually goes out of business. Both analog signals are rimshots, and the station is the weaker half of Tribune's Indy duopoly anyway. So it's not as if there is another great affiliation up for grabs that they are leaving on the table to go with CW.
 
tested said:
So it makes me wonder if Tribune wants to dump the CW? If that were to happen, the network would have some pretty big holes to fill in its lineup. In the DFW area, they'd probably go with Viacom-owned KTXA (a former UPN affiliate). In Houston, their options would be some very low rated UHF stations that don't serve the market well. Other markets would be much tougher. I think the CW would go to KCAL in Los Angeles, WCIU in Chicago, but I'm not sure they could find decent affiliates in markets like New York, Washington, Miami, Denver, St. Louis, Portland, Indianapolis, Hartford, and New Orleans.
Click to expand...

Maybe in New York, they could use Long Island-based independent WLNY. Location shouldn't make a difference, as the channel is carried on most New York City cable systems. But then, where would that leave WPIX? Back to being an indie? Or possibly creating a seventh network?

Love the conspiracy snausage, tested!
 
tested said:
I recently noticed that my local CW affiliate has quit calling themselves "CW33" in the audio portions of promos and on their newscast.
Click to expand...

The same is true for CW affiliate WXCW in the Fort Myers/Naples market. It was "CW6"...now it's just "6."

In this instance, I think it has more to do with synergy in regards to WINK TV's newscast airing on WXCW than the station dropping CW. Their website (CW6tv.com) links directly to the main CW website.
 
DToTheJ said:
Maybe in New York, they could use Long Island-based independent WLNY. Location shouldn't make a difference, as the channel is carried on most New York City cable systems. But then, where would that leave WPIX? Back to being an indie? Or possibly creating a seventh network?

Love the conspiracy snausage, tested!
Click to expand...

Ha! :) It's not really a conspiracy theory. It's just an observation of some recent moves by the new owners of Tribune that strongly suggest they don't see this network in their long term future.

Maybe they know something we don't about CBS/Warner's commitment to the network.
 
Also KWGN-TV here in Denver has rebranded from CW2 to 2 and has been promoting their web site as KWGN.com although if you go to it it will still direct you to CW2.com but from what I hear they're planning on relaunching their site early next month.
 
Well, the Philly CW station is still "CW Philly"... but check out how uglily worded the copyright disclaimer is:

"© MMVIII, Philadelphia Television Station WPSG Inc. All Rights Reserved"
 
We're really just talking about Tribune owned CW stations here. I'm pretty sure Tribune doesn't own either the Philly or Cleveland stations.

The news about KWGN in Denver is significant. It seems to show that this is a corporate-wide trend among Tribune CW stations.

Wonder when the Tribune deal with CW ends?
 
Perhaps Sam "Mr Tribune" Zell has crawled into bed with FOX...

:eek:)

After San Diego...

The affiliations with the CW were supposedly for ten years, but wasn't that with the old Tribune company, I'm not sure if they apply now under the sale.
 
Tribune-owned WTXX-TV/DT here in greater Hartford is still called "CW 20-WTXX". As for Philadelphia, Tribune owns WPHL-TV channel 17, which is a MY affiliate.
 
CBS O&O WUPA Atlanta is still "CW 69" (which they did change to...from the original "CW Atlanta"), licensed to "Atlanta Television Station WUPA Inc." (WPSG "CW Philly" is a CBS O&O as well).

KTLA and WGN never have identified with the CW (nor the WB). WPIX was "CW 11" at last check. If WPIX ditches that branding...that is a true sign Tribune has no faith in the CW. If Tribune ditches their agreement...the CW will shut down, as they will lose market clearances in the top 3 markets, and that will send a signal to everyone else that there is no future for the CW.

Two years ago, when the CW and My Network TV launched, everyone was predicting MyNet would crash in burn in a few months due to the all-soap opera format that was the original plan, and that the CW might be around for a while. It looks like MyNet will outlive the CW.
 
ChaseW said:
Also KWGN-TV here in Denver has rebranded from CW2 to 2 and has been promoting their web site as KWGN.com although if you go to it it will still direct you to CW2.com but from what I hear they're planning on relaunching their site early next month.
Click to expand...

As recently as last weekend it still says "CW2" on KWGN's building. Of course that means nothing. My friends live across the street from Denver's new 107.1 ONE-FM radio station. As recently as a month ago the sign in front of those high rise towers on the corner of Dartmouth Ave & Parker Road ( where ONE-FM is located ) still read "Sassy 107" even though Sassy had been defunct several months now.
 
When I was in New York in February 2007, the WPIX building still had the WB11 logo on it - five months after it became CW11. Didn't even see a CW11 mention anywhere.
 
I mean, seriously, guys, does anybody have any faith in the CW? The first sign of trouble was before they launched, they revealed the network branding and everybody screamed "WTF?????". I don't think anybody would be surprised if they close up shop completely in the next year or two. IMO, Time-Warner should've stayed on their own, bought UPN from Viacom, and just absorbed the UPN programming under the WB brand.
 
jal41 said:
KTLA and WGN never have identified with the CW (nor the WB).
Click to expand...

Not entirely true. In the CW's first season, KTLA was referred to as "The CW/5". Now, like seemingly everybody else, they've stopped references to the CW.

That would seem to indicate that the CW/Dawn Osteroff death watch is ongoing.

tick....tick....tick....
 
M.J. said:
When I was in New York in February 2007, the WPIX building still had the WB11 logo on it - five months after it became CW11. Didn't even see a CW11 mention anywhere.
Click to expand...

I can confirm that last last glance, there was indeed a "CW 11" logo gracing the Daily News Building. Next time I'm in the area, and see otherwise, I shall report it here.
 
tested said:
Wonder when the Tribune deal with CW ends?
Click to expand...
Tribune signed a 10-year agreement for its CW affiliates that ends in 2016. One would wonder, though, just how iron-clad that agreement is when you look at how KSWB-TV is transitioning from CW to FOX after just 2 years.
 
mleach said:
As recently as last weekend it still says "CW2" on KWGN's building. Of course that means nothing. My friends live across the street from Denver's new 107.1 ONE-FM radio station. As recently as a month ago the sign in front of those high rise towers on the corner of Dartmouth Ave & Parker Road ( where ONE-FM is located ) still read "Sassy 107" even though Sassy had been defunct several months now.
Click to expand...

Okay, I'll go over this again. A sign on the building means nothing. Those take time to order and change.

What I noted was that my local Tribune owned CW affiliate had dropped all verbal references to the CW in promos and on their newscast. The website address the now promote is KDAF33.com instead of CW33.com. HOWEVER - all the logos on the screen and website still show CW33. I also noted the changes in Houston and San Diego. Others have noted other changes at other Tribune owned stations.

NONE of this is in reference to CBS owned CW stations.

It seems to me that if Tribune can get out of the CW deal in San Diego as quickly as they did, they can probably do the same for their other stations.
It may also be that Tribune knows something we don't about the future of the network. Maybe Warner Brothers or Viacom (CBS) is getting ready to pull the plug on it in a year or so and Tribune is trying to mitigate the damage from this by changing their station marketing.
 
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