STATIONS WITH THE SAME NETWORK FOR YEARS, BUT CALL LETTERS HAVE CHANGED

[RyanHoward]

WTNZ Knoxville, formerly WKCH, has been with FOX since the beginning of FOX. It is the only station in Knoxville to stay with its original network. WVLT aka WKXT aka WTVK has been with three of the four major networks and none were secondary affiliations.

WKCH was independent until Fox came along in 1986.

 

[bpatrick]

Channel 3 in Norfolk switched from NBC to CBS in 1952 and
has been with the Eye Network ever since; its calls have
changed from WTAR to WTKR.

In Richmond, Channel 8 (ABC since 1965) has gone from WXEX
to WRIC; Channel 12 (NBC since 1965) from WRVA to WWBT.

And if PBS stations count, Louisville's Channel 15 started as WFPK,
eventually becoming WKPC.

Channel 27 in Tallahassee (ABC since sign-on in 1976) went from
WECA to WTXL. Likewise, Channel 13 in Panama City (NBC from
1974-82, ABC since) went from WDTB to WMBB.

And have I or anyone else mentioned Channel 10 in Miami (ABC
from 1958) went from WLBW to WPLG?

Also, Channel 39 in San Diego (ABC from 1972-77, NBC since) went
from KCST to KNSD. KGTV/10 (ABC since '77) there was once KOGO; San Antonio's
Channel 12 (KSAT, ABC all the way) was once KONO.

Finally, back to the South: WRCB Chattanooga (NBC, Channel 3) started as WRGP;
WTVC (ABC, Channel 9) was WROM when it was licensed to Rome, GA; that station
was moved to Chattanooga to avoid short-spacing WLW-A, Channel 8 in Atlanta;
as we know, Channel 8 was reassigned to the University of Georgia and became WGTV,
while WLW-A was kicked upstairs to Channel 11 (now WXIA/11 Alive, ABC from 1951-80,
NBC since). 11 Alive has gone through a slew of call letters: WCON (which never got
on the air and was licensed to Channel 2 before the Cox family bought the Atlanta Constitution
and, already owning the Journal and WSB, put WSB on Channel 2); WLTV, WLW-A, WAII,
WQXI, and WXIA.

I also recall WCBD/2 Charleston, SC (NBC since 1996) starting as NBC, then ABC, affiliate
WUSN, changing its call letters around 1972. Also, WMGT/41 Macon, GA (NBC since 1968)
started as WCWB.

 

[Ultimajock]

You've forgot KCBS-TV 2 (before 1984) when it was KNXT (after gaining the CBS O&O).

...and, during its DuMont affiliation under Don Lee ownership from 1948 to 1951, KTSL-TV...

 

[Ultimajock]

Some (but not all) network O&Os fit this category. I'm only counting post-war channels.

CBS
WCBW/WCBS-TV 2 New York (1946-present)

ABC
WJZ-TV/WABC-TV 7 New York (1948-present)
WENR-TV/WBKB/WLS-TV 7 Chicago (1948-present)
KECA-TV/KABC-TV 7 Los Angeles (1949-present)

...CBS' WBBM-TV 2 Chicago was the original location of the WBKB call sign, when it was owned by Balaban & Katz Theaters and on Channel 4. At that time, the CBS affiliation had been split between WBKB and WGN-TV (whick, BTW, had originally been advertised in the Tribune before sign-on as WGNA, but was not issued that call sign by the FCC). It was after CBS bought out the Bakaban & Katz license in 1953 that Channel 4 was renamed WBBM-TV, later moving to Channel 2 (so that WTMJ-TV Milwaukee could move from 3 to 4) and changing studio locales from the old Lake Theater to their longtime McClurg Court facility. It was then when WENR-TV 7 took the opportunity to move out of their Merchandise Mart facility (co-operated with WNBQ 5, a holdover from the days when WENR and WMAQ were both owned by NBC) into the old WBKB Lake Theater studios and grab the jettisoned WBKB call sign...

 

[KeithE4]

CBS' WBBM-TV 2 Chicago was the original location of the WBKB call sign, when it was owned by Balaban & Katz Theaters and on Channel 4. At that time, the CBS affiliation had been split between WBKB and WGN-TV (whick, BTW, had originally been advertised in the Tribune before sign-on as WGNA, but was not issued that call sign by the FCC).

It might have been, but only as a CP. When WGN-TV ran its 40th anniversary show in 1988, they showed pictures of cameras with WGNA on them. But AFAIK it was never used on-air other than maybe for testing in early '48 (same thing happened with WCFC/38, which tested briefly as the long-dormant WCFL-TV in 1976).

It was after CBS bought out the Bakaban & Katz license in 1953 that Channel 4 was renamed WBBM-TV, later moving to Channel 2 (so that WTMJ-TV Milwaukee could move from 3 to 4) and changing studio locales from the old Lake Theater to their longtime McClurg Court facility. It was then when WENR-TV 7 took the opportunity to move out of their Merchandise Mart facility (co-operated with WNBQ 5, a holdover from the days when WENR and WMAQ were both owned by NBC) into the old WBKB Lake Theater studios and grab the jettisoned WBKB call sign...

IIRC, the deal between United Paramount Theaters/ABC and CBS was that CBS would get the Channel 4 transmitter and would move it to Channel 2 as soon as they could (in July '53 - sucked to be Zenith, who had to shut down KS2XBS since they never upgraded it to WTZR). CBS would also get to keep the UPT/Balaban & Katz talent and production/engineering staff. I believe WBBM-TV remained at 190 N. State St. until they could get the 630 N. McClurg Ct. building ready for TV. After that, WBKB returned to that location.

UPT station management and the WBKB call letters would remain with the merged company and combine with the existing personnel at Channel 7. The WENR call letters would remain on its half of AM 890 for a few more years, then move strictly to FM 94.7 when ABC bought WLS and kept the latter call letters on the future Big 89.

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

afaik, WFIE-14-Evansville has been NBC (and the same calls) since sign-on in the mid-50s.

Sadly, can't say the same for the other (commercial) stations in the market.

And in the Paducah/Cape G/Carbondale market, WSIL-3 has been ABC since sign-on originally on channel 22 in downtown Harrisburg.

 

[chrish]

Ah, WSIL-TV 3, I remember it well. One of the TV stations that often appeared mornings during the summer along with KYTV -3 using only rabbit ears on our sun porch TV in Salem, Mass during the mid 60's. WESH-TV 2 Daytona Beach was in every summer morning until WGBH-TV 2 Boston came on at 11:00AM

 

[firepoint525]

And in the Paducah/Cape G/Carbondale market, WSIL-3 has been ABC since sign-on originally on channel 22 in downtown Harrisburg.

Any word on how WSIL fared in the tornado that struck Harrisburg the other day?

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

And in the Paducah/Cape G/Carbondale market, WSIL-3 has been ABC since sign-on originally on channel 22 in downtown Harrisburg.

Any word on how WSIL fared in the tornado that struck Harrisburg the other day?

I don't believe they were affected by the storms. Their studios are no longer located in downtown Harrisburg (where they started out). About 20 years ago (give or take a year or two) they built a new facility in Carterville, IL (roughly half-way between Marion and Carbondale).

And btw: I realized this morning - after clicking on the thread again - that my contributions didn't match the original intent of the thread Sorry about that

 

[bpatrick]

Somebody correct me on this, but Channel 4, the NBC affiliate
in Oklahoma City, has gone from WKY to KTVY to KFOR. And
San Antonio's NBC affiliate, also on Channel 4, has gone from
WOAI to KMOL and back to WOAI. Channel 2 in Tulsa, another
NBC affiliate, was KTEW when I lived out there in the late '70s;
it became KJRH.

 

[newsmark]

Somebody correct me on this, but Channel 4, the NBC affiliate
in Oklahoma City, has gone from WKY to KTVY to KFOR. And
San Antonio's NBC affiliate, also on Channel 4, has gone from
WOAI to KMOL and back to WOAI. Channel 2 in Tulsa, another
NBC affiliate, was KTEW when I lived out there in the late '70s;
it became KJRH.

Channel 2 in Tulsa was also KVOO before it was KTEW... and NBC back then, too.

In Dallas, Channel 4 went from KRLD to KDFW while remaining CBS. (The Fox switch was more than 20 years later.)

 

[firepoint525]

And in the Paducah/Cape G/Carbondale market, WSIL-3 has been ABC since sign-on originally on channel 22 in downtown Harrisburg.

Any word on how WSIL fared in the tornado that struck Harrisburg the other day?

I don't believe they were affected by the storms. Their studios are no longer located in downtown Harrisburg (where they started out). About 20 years ago (give or take a year or two) they built a new facility in Carterville, IL (roughly half-way between Marion and Carbondale).

Thanks. I moved away from that area about 20 years ago, myself, so that would explain why I wasn't aware of their move. And I lived in the southernmost part of the Paducah/Cape Girardeau market (northwest Tennessee), so while I was aware of the existence of the Harrisburg ABC station, we got our ABC from the much closer WBBJ channel 7 in Jackson, Tennessee, another town which has definitely seen more than its share of tornadoes. :'( (At least three since 1999!)

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

And I lived in the southernmost part of the Paducah/Cape Girardeau market (northwest Tennessee), so while I was aware of the existence of the Harrisburg ABC station, we got our ABC from the much closer WBBJ channel 7 in Jackson, Tennessee, another town which has definitely seen more than its share of tornadoes. :'( (At least three since 1999!)

And likely couldn't have picked it up on rabbit ears either. I recall during my time at Murray State Univ, WSIL could rarely and barely be picked up OTA. Which I think had something do with interference from WREG-Memphis.

 

[firepoint525]

And I lived in the southernmost part of the Paducah/Cape Girardeau market (northwest Tennessee), so while I was aware of the existence of the Harrisburg ABC station, we got our ABC from the much closer WBBJ channel 7 in Jackson, Tennessee, another town which has definitely seen more than its share of tornadoes. :'( (At least three since 1999!)

And likely couldn't have picked it up on rabbit ears either. I recall during my time at Murray State Univ, WSIL could rarely and barely be picked up OTA. Which I think had something do with interference from WREG-Memphis.

We could pick it up with rabbit ears, but even with the antenna pointing north, the signal was grainy at best. And since we were in west TN, I seriously doubt that they had any west TN coverage. So we got our ABC, and local west TN news, from channel 7 in Jackson.

 

[bpatrick]

Somebody correct me on this, but Channel 4, the NBC affiliate
in Oklahoma City, has gone from WKY to KTVY to KFOR. And
San Antonio's NBC affiliate, also on Channel 4, has gone from
WOAI to KMOL and back to WOAI. Channel 2 in Tulsa, another
NBC affiliate, was KTEW when I lived out there in the late '70s;
it became KJRH.

Channel 2 in Tulsa was also KVOO before it was KTEW... and NBC back then, too.

In Dallas, Channel 4 went from KRLD to KDFW while remaining CBS. (The Fox switch was more than 20 years later.)

I had forgotten that Channel 2 in Tulsa was once KVOO; that was before I moved to that part of the country (Dallas, to be exact). Speaking of which, Channel 5 in Fort Worth went from WBAP to KXAS and has stayed with NBC fulltime since the late '50s (as I understand it, it shared both NBC and ABC with WFAA for several years).