Which affiliates have maintained their networks the longest?

[Tim from Springfield IL]

An addendum to the pre-1950 list: WOC-TV / KWQC Davenport IA: NBC since sign-on in 1949.

And although this example is post-'49: the Quad Cities' WHBF-4 Rock Island, IL has been CBS since their July 1, 1950 sign-on. And same with the QC ABC affiliate WQAD-8 Moline, IL, even though it didn't sign on until Aug. 1, 1963 (after the contentious move of the channel 8 allocation from Peoria to Moline).

Until last October the nearby Peoria/Bloomington market could boast of having all of their Big Three affiliates with the same network since 1958:

--WEEK (originally on 43, moved to 25 in 1964) has been primary NBC since signing on Feb. 1, 1953
--WMBD-31 has been nothing but CBS ever since their Jan. 1, 1958 sign-on
--What is now WHOI-19 (formerly WTVH/WIRL/WRAU) had been mostly CBS until WMBD signed on in '58, then ABC before Quincy Newspapers yanked the ABC affiliation off 19.1 and moved it onto WEEK subchannel 25.2 late last summer.

The "Big Two" of Quincy/Hannibal have had the same primary affiliation since Day One for both stations in 1953: KHQA-7.1 CBS (ABC on 7.2--previously KTVO was the default ABC affiliate for most of Q/H); WGEM-10.1 NBC (CW 10.2, Fox 10.3)

And in Champaign/Decatur/Springfield, the only Big Three station that has maintained the same affiliation since sign-on is WCIA-3 Champaign (CBS since sign-on Nov. 14, 1953--also had a secondary NBC afilliation in its early years). Our markets ABC and NBC affiliates (now WICS-20 Springfield/WICD-15 Champaign and WAND, respectively) had their "big switch" on Labor Day 2005, but before that had been with their original networks since their sign-ons (WICS/WICD originally NBC, WAND originally ABC and had the WTVP calls from 1953-66).

 

[KeithE4]

Not quite. KGUN-TV was originally KDWI-TV (1956-57), and KOLD-TV was originally KOPO-TV (1953-57).

Oops! I knew about Channel 9 originally being KDWI-TV, but I thought it was changed to KGUN before it went on the air. I'd forgotten about Channel 13 originally being KOPO.

 

[KeithE4]

...the next stop would be WTVW/WMAL-TV/WJLA in Washington, which was primary CBS when it signed on in 1947 but was primary ABC by 1948 when DC became a four-station market.

1947? I thought CBS and ABC both started feeding shows to affiliates in the spring of 1948. Did CBS do some experimental network transmissions in '47, and was then-WTVW one of the stations they tested with?

 

[RyanHoward]

In my area, WPVI, Ch. 6(ABC all the way since 1949) is the only station that had the same net since its initial sign-on.

 

[BD Sullivan]

In Cleveland, WEWS began as the CBS affiliate, but has been an ABC affiliate since 1954. The NBC affiliate originally began as KYW before becoming WKYC in 1965 as part of the Westinghouse shifts of the Philly and Cleveland affiliates. They've been NBC-based since 1948. WJW, which was originally WXEL and evolved into WJKW for a time (in the 70s-80s) became the CBS affiliate in 1954 and then switched to Fox in 1994.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Sacramento KCRA 3 NBC affiliate since 1955.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

I know that Seattle's KING-TV has been NBC affiliated since 1958. Impressive, but I believe others have maintained a longer affiliation. Obviously, the network owned stations in NY and Chicago have a longer history. What other current stations have maintained their original network affiliations to today?

KGO-TV San Francisco ABC O&O since 1949
KPIX-TV San Francisco Associated Broadcasters, Group W, and CBS O&O has had three different ownerships but kept the CBS affiliation since the beginning in 1948.

WXYZ-TV Detroit ABC Affiliate Since 1948 had two owners in its history from 1948-1986 under ABC O&O and from 1986-Present as a Scripps station.

 

[onairb2014]

KPIX was a split CBS/Dumont affiliate in the early days.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

KPIX was a split CBS/Dumont affiliate in the early days.

True too though.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

KGO-TV San Francisco ABC O&O since 1949
KPIX-TV San Francisco Associated Broadcasters, Group W, and CBS O&O has had three different ownerships but kept the CBS affiliation since the beginning in 1948.

WXYZ-TV Detroit ABC Affiliate Since 1948 had two owners in its history from 1948-1986 under ABC O&O and from 1986-Present as a Scripps station.

KQED-TV 9 San Francisco Public Television since sign on from 1954-1970 as a NET affiliate

From 1970-Present as a PBS Member station.