[phrelin]

From Variety:

As the CW preps for what could be its make-or-break season, Tribune Broadcasting has thrown a wrench into the net's branding efforts.

Over the past few weeks, Tribune's station group has scrubbed the network's name off most of its 13 CW affils. Instead, the company, whose stations are CW's most crucial affils in top markets, is introducing new station identities without the CW moniker and is de-emphasizing the network affiliation on its station websites.

In Houston, Tribune even changed the station's call letters, from KHCW to KAIH, removing the CW's name in the process (that station, once known as "CW39," now just calls itself "Channel 39"). In Dallas, what had been known as "CW33" is now being called "The 33." Tribune's Washington station, which had referred to itself as "CW50," is now "DC50."

I guess those of us who don't have The CW station in HD shouldn't get our hopes up.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

Personally I don't think the CW was ever strong enough that branding its stations ever made a difference. Affiliates with news shows and other highly-rated properties like Wheel and Jeopardy may be able to repeat the term "NBC4" enough to make a difference, but CW has not had that level of popularity in most markets.

 

[Drew2k]

Until April 2007. NY's channel 11 was owned by Tribune. The channel went from WPIX to PIX, to WB11 to CW11, and as of today, is still CW11 under private owner Sam Zell. I wonder what the guy will decide to do ...

 

[Stuart Sweet]

By comparison, KTLA (Tribune), which was branded "WB5" for a while then KTLA5CW, doesn't have any CW branding at all on their web site that I can see...

 

[Stewart Vernon]

We have a local station that went from independent to FOX22, then WB22, and now CW22. I think those naming conventions are always a dangerous thing personally.

Neither the WB nor UPN were particularly strong entities. Each had a handful (or less) of good shows... so even keeping the "best of the best" and combining to CW didn't really make for a strong contender.

I think the CW could make a go of it, but it doesn't seem like the folks running the show really have that as a high priority... so I'll personally be surprised if it lasts too much longer, especially as those "best of the best" from the old WB/UPN have been slowly winding down.

 

[dettxw]

Dawn Ostroff is doing her damn best to kill The CW what with crap shows like 90210 and Gossip Girls, while good stuff like Supernatural and Smallville are treated as afterthoughts. I'm going to boycott everything but Thursday nights.

Local KOCB, former #1 WB station, is still going by the CW34.

 

[Doug Brott]

When KNTV acquired the NBC affiliate here in SF in 2001, they branded themselves NBC3 .. This dispite the fact that over-the-air they are Channel 11. The 3 came from being on Cable Channel 3.

Well, with DIRECTV's accurate mapping, the channel is (and always has been) available on DIRECTV Channel 11 here in the Bay Area. The channel wised up after about a year and started calling itself NBC11 :shrug: So it's not just the CW that pulls these games.

 

[GaryPotter]

Both UPN and WB were never really networks in the sense we think of them. They were, in effect, just independent stations with something of a primetime schedule. For the most part, they made their money on syndicated dramas and sitcoms, as well as off-network reruns and talk shows. The death of the first-run syndication market really hurt them a lot.

 

[Nick]

The CW - Signs of Pending Doom?

That would be 'impending' doom.

 

[illuminations25]

Dawn Ostroff is doing her damn best to kill The CW what with crap shows like 90210 and Gossip Girls, while good stuff like Supernatural and Smallville are treated as afterthoughts. I'm going to boycott everything but Thursday nights.

Local KOCB, former #1 WB station, is still going by the CW34.

Now, now, it might be wise to preface that with "IMHO."

There are those of us that like our Gossip Girl and 90210.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

That would be 'impending' doom.

Maybe he meant "pending doom" like in "patent pending" where you have applied for the patent and are awaiting the reply... Maybe the CW has applied for doom and that doom is pending

 

[joshjr]

Now, now, it might be wise to preface that with "IMHO."

There are those of us that like our Gossip Girl and 90210.

Me and my wife both watch One Tree Hill.

 

[LarryFlowers]

The results are in for Monday...

The CW may get a reprieve.. "Gossip Girl" and One Tree Hill scored big on Monday night, increasing their ratings by 6% over last years season openers, and nearly 12% in CW's key demographic... Now it's up to the new 90210.

With Smallville in it's final season... they need some hits!

 

[Drew2k]

Don't forget Supernatural - it has a following, although a small one by the Big Four standards ...

 

[jacksonm30354]

I don't know that the CW would fold even if they lost the Tribune stations... the MyNetworkTV affiliates in those markets might not hesitate to switch to CW.

 

[tftc22]

The CW, My Network TV, and the old UPN and WB stations have never become popular because they never really spent the money to become a "real" station. Even if they have great shows, it doesn't matter because they can't pull in the ratings. What they need to do is spend quite a bit of money to get national professional sports rights or rights to large award shows like the Emmys. Until then, most people won't know they exist. I never heard anyone talk much about Fox until they got NFL Sunday football. Until then, it was the Big 3 and then Fox. That was especially exaggerated for me because where I lived the local Fox refused to carry Fox NFL Sunday. Needless to say, people weren't too happy. (The affiliate was later replaced with a slightly more distant affiliate after the station became completely independent). So, IMHO they can never really make the big bucks until they put up the big bucks to get noticed.

 

[phrelin]

That would be 'impending' doom.

Actually it was intended to be a pun. From Dictionary.com:

pend·ing
1. while awaiting; until: pending his return.
2. in the period before the decision or conclusion of; during: pending the negotiations.
-adjective
3. remaining undecided; awaiting decision or settlement; unfinished: pending business; pending questions; pending litigation.
4. about to take place; impending.

im·pend·ing
1. about to happen; imminent: their impending marriage.
2. imminently threatening or menacing: an impending storm.
3. Archaic. overhanging.

"Pending" doom as in awaiting to see how good or bad this seasons is. If it's bad, it will likely become "impending" doom.

 

[joshjr]

The CW, My Network TV, and the old UPN and WB stations have never become popular because they never really spent the money to become a "real" station. Even if they have great shows, it doesn't matter because they can't pull in the ratings. What they need to do is spend quite a bit of money to get national professional sports rights or rights to large award shows like the Emmys. Until then, most people won't know they exist. I never heard anyone talk much about Fox until they got NFL Sunday football. Until then, it was the Big 3 and then Fox. That was especially exaggerated for me because where I lived the local Fox refused to carry Fox NFL Sunday. Needless to say, people weren't too happy. (The affiliate was later replaced with a slightly more distant affiliate after the station became completely independent). So, IMHO they can never really make the big bucks until they put up the big bucks to get noticed.

The CW from Tulsa has been showing the preseason games for the KC Chiefs. That is a boost for them considering there are alot of Chiefs fans in this area.

 

[MikeW]

KWBA 58 is the CW affiliate in Tucson (they didn't bother dropping WB when the "change" occurred).

Here, it is "The CW Tucson". It doesn't look pretty on an address bar.

www.thecwtucson.com

The station was just bought out by "The Journal Group". They own the local ABC affiliate (KGUN-9). If you type www.kwba.com, you end up on KGUN's web site.

More about the failure of this station from Wikipedia...

On March 18, 2008, Journal Broadcast Group announced plans to buy KWBA from Cascade for undisclosed terms, creating a duopoly with Journal-owned ABC affiliate KGUN-TV (Channel 9) [1]. On 3 June of that year, the Federal Communications Commission issued a failing station waiver [2] which allowed Journal to buy KWBA, which blamed the loss of broadcast Arizona Diamondbacks baseball rights and continued financial losses as the reason for the sale. In the waiver, Journal said it would launch a newscast produced by KGUN on the station. The acquisition was completed on 23 July.

 

[GaryPotter]

The CW from Tulsa has been showing the preseason games for the KC Chiefs. That is a boost for them considering there are alot of Chiefs fans in this area.

That's a local thing. A lot of local CW stations have the rights to air local sports. We're talking about something on the national scale.

And one that subject, the FCC really needs to reinstate the "no duopoly" rule and eliminate the ridiculous 3 hours a week E/I requirement. That would do wonders to revitalize the broadcast TV industry.