The Future of WGN America?

[Bill_W]

Speaking of WGN America, does anybody in New England carry it? As long as I've had cable here in New Britain, CT (close to Hartford), I have never seen either WGN America or WGN itself, in any fashion. We did get WWOR (actual channel 9 and then the EMI-Eastern Microwave), WPIX (which we lost in July of 1990 due to Syndex) and WSBK (gone by about 1999 or so).

Does FiOS carry it up there? Down here in Philly, I never had it with Comcast but when I switched to FiOS I got it. I never watch it.

 

[Mr Tony]

...Tribune does have templates to remove their dependence as a superstation. But in the Midwest, it's sure to kill their 'channel 9' exclusivity, like what has happened with TBS losing their 'channel 17' slots over the years as it's been neighborhooded in the 20's and 30's with TNT, USA, FX and the like.

In the past, most cable systems slotted TBS in the 2-13 range, especially systems that still had the old 12-channel systems. The system also had WGN since the early-1980s -- don't know what channel it was on, but it was never on channel 9 (which was where the local origination channel was at the time, later occupied by Bay News 9).

Here in Minneapolis TBS is STILL on channel 7. Has been on 7 as long as I can remember (and that has been though about 4 buyouts/name changes.....from Comcast back to Time Warner to Paragon to Amzak which goes back 20 years)
WGN has moved around. Use to be on 12 but got moved to 22 when KSTC45 started around 2000. KSTP (sister station....runs ABC) got alot of the cable companies to put KSTC on 12 so they could say "Channel 45 cable 12" in promos

Ironically both TBS & WGN are in lifeline (as is CNN which is on 3)

 

[ShawnHill1]

For a long time, TBS was on Channel 17 on cable systems throughout most of the Los Angeles area as well, while WGN's channels placements varied; if some cable systems didn't carry WGN, they most likely offered WWOR instead. It used to be, at least in my area of Los Angeles, that TBS was part of the lifeline service along with the locals and public access channels; at least since the mid-90s, when TBS was gradually morphing into more a basic cable channel, WGN was used in lifeline instead.

Around 1995, the area cable system (when it was Continental Cablevision) re-shuffled the channel line-ups, with the locals being all grouped together, and premiums practically occupying channels 20-25, and the basics from 26 onward to 69. WGN moved from Channel 26 to 45 around that time, and later moved to its current channel 25 spot through another channel re-shuffling (by then, our service area was taken by AT&T Broadband, then later Comcast, and finally Time Warner). TBS moved from to 17 to 41, where it currently resides.

 

[justpassingthough]

For a long time, TBS was on Channel 17 on cable systems throughout most of the Los Angeles area as well, while WGN's channels placements varied; if some cable systems didn't carry WGN, they most likely offered WWOR instead. It used to be, at least in my area of Los Angeles, that TBS was part of the lifeline service along with the locals and public access channels; at least since the mid-90s, when TBS was gradually morphing into more a basic cable channel, WGN was used in lifeline instead.

Around 1995, the area cable system (when it was Continental Cablevision) re-shuffled the channel line-ups, with the locals being all grouped together, and premiums practically occupying channels 20-25, and the basics from 26 onward to 69. WGN moved from Channel 26 to 45 around that time, and later moved to its current channel 25 spot through another channel re-shuffling (by then, our service area was taken by AT&T Broadband, then later Comcast, and finally Time Warner). TBS moved from to 17 to 41, where it currently resides.

TBS HD is at channel 417 on Time Warner's LA lineup so it's back where it started- amongst the locals and biggest cable channels at least amongst the HDs.

 

[Mr Tony]

Here in Minneapolis TBS is STILL on channel 7. Has been on 7 as long as I can remember (and that has been though about 4 buyouts/name changes.....from Comcast back to Time Warner to Paragon to Amzak which goes back 20 years)
WGN has moved around. Use to be on 12 but got moved to 22 when KSTC45 started around 2000. KSTP (sister station....runs ABC) got alot of the cable companies to put KSTC on 12 so they could say "Channel 45 cable 12" in promos

Ironically both TBS & WGN are in lifeline (as is CNN which is on 3)

even more ironic is WGN HD is in QAM with lifeline on 50-1....CNN & TBS HD are not

 

[milwaukee_dave]

In Wisconsin, WGN has a long history of being on Channel 9 on cable line-ups. In fact, every system I've had throughout the Milwaukee area has, without fail, placed it on that channel. Prior to the demise of the EMI Service, WWOR bounced around, if a system around here decided to carry it. I lived in one community with the provider had it on Channel 14; another had it on Channel 19. The cable company I grew up on as a kid had WTBS on Channel 17, but later iterations had it on Channels 3 and 5.