WGN's National Signal

[azumanga]

I remember watching the cartoons on WWOR EMI Service. All the commercial breaks were the same. The same cereal commercials over and over again.

I didn't even know the EMI Service had kiddie entertainment separate from WWOR -- or regular commercials for cereal.

 

[MarkLaRoi]

I hope they retain the Chicago newscasts as part of the feed. That's really what distinguishes the channel from others. On a subjective note, local/semi-local newscasts are a part of the enjoyment of watching television/listening to radio from other areas. Take that away and there is usually no reason to tune in because everything else is duplicated somewhere.

 

[milwaukee_dave]

I remember watching the cartoons on WWOR EMI Service. All the commercial breaks were the same. The same cereal commercials over and over again.

I didn't even know the EMI Service had kiddie entertainment separate from WWOR -- or regular commercials for cereal.

This jogged my memory. I consulted my TV Guide collection, and WWOR EMI Service was running a one-hour block of "Woody Woodpecker" and "Yogi Bear" in 1995. I'm guessing, but those cereal commercials were probably part of the barter deal to carry the cartoons. The only exclusive ads on the EMI feed appeared to be direct response-type commercials.

 

[mleach]

I hope they retain the Chicago newscasts as part of the feed. That's really what distinguishes the channel from others. On a subjective note, local/semi-local newscasts are a part of the enjoyment of watching television/listening to radio from other areas. Take that away and there is usually no reason to tune in because everything else is duplicated somewhere.

I hope they stay too. It is interesting how those Chicago WGN newscats, well actually one can say the same thing about the other past and present "superstations", how their "local" news ended up with a nationwide following. For example its not hard to find people in West Virginia who fondly remember LA's KTLA.

Or my sister down in North Carolina. She fell in love with Denver's KWGN "News 2" newscasts. She really believes the product that KWGN puts out is better than anything out of Norfolk, Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham even though of course KWGN serves Colorado not North Carolina. Sadly I believe those days may be coming to end soon with that recent merger between KWGN and KDVR FOX 31.