WCWF
FCC | |
---|---|
Facility ID | 73042 |
ERP | 700 kW |
HAAT | 360 m (1,181 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 44°24′32″N 87°59′31″W / 44.40889°N 87.99194°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | cw14online |
WCWF (channel 14) is a
History
The station launched on February 22, 1984, as
On June 2, 1999, Paxson sold WPXG to
On January 24, 2006, the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner and CBS Corporation announced that the two companies would shut down The WB and UPN and combine the networks' respective programming to create a new "fifth" network called The CW.[6][7] Due to ACME's ownership by former WB executive Jamie Kellner, WIWB's pursuit of the CW affiliation was assumed to be a formality. Indeed, on March 9, 2006, ACME Communications affiliated most of their stations with The CW, including WIWB.[8] The station officially joined the network upon its September 18, 2006, launch. Prior to that date, it temporarily carried not only WB programs, but also shows from UPN after WACY-TV dropped UPN before that network's closure to join MyNetworkTV. At the time, ACME decided not to change the callsigns of any of their WB-to-CW affiliates to avert any further confusion from the launch of the two new networks.
On June 4, 2010,
In April 2011, the FCC approved the ownership transfer of WCWF from ACME to LIN TV, also applying the requested failing station waiver.[13] Additionally, the FCC denied a petition from Time Warner Cable, the dominant cable provider in Northeast Wisconsin; the FCC dismissed as speculative TWC's claims that higher retransmission fees for WCWF, when paired with those for WLUK, would result from LIN TV's purchase of the station, and that LIN's collective retransmission plans for both stations did not violate FCC rules.[14] The sale of WCWF to LIN was consummated on May 20, 2011.[15]
Almost immediately after taking control of WIWB, LIN TV would make changes at the station, starting with relocating its operations from the Parkview Plaza
On March 21, 2014, LIN Media entered into an agreement to merge with Media General in a $1.6 billion deal. Because Media General already owned ABC affiliate WBAY-TV (which was acquired in 2013 as part of Media General's merger with Young Broadcasting), the companies were required to sell either WLUK or WBAY to another station owner in order to comply with FCC ownership rules as well as planned changes to those rules regarding same-market television stations which would prohibit sharing agreements.[17][18][19]
On August 20, 2014, Media General announced that it would keep WBAY and sell WLUK and WCWF, along with
Programming
WCWF is used as a "shadow station" for WLUK programming preempted due to extended breaking news or severe weather coverage, or network programming (mainly sports events) that overruns into or is scheduled to preempt regular programs; for example, 9 p.m. newscasts on WLUK that are preempted for Fox Sports broadcasts will air on WCWF (in prior years, WLUK leased access on a Time Warner Cable channel for its preempted newscasts).[25]
Sports programming
Beginning in 2016, the station acquired local rights to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state basketball and hockey championships as part of Quincy Media's statewide network of stations, taking over from longtime partner WACY-TV. Since March 2016, WCWF has aired two NBA on ABC games during the first weekend in March in lieu of WBAY, which instead carries its annual telethon for local cerebral palsy research and medical care.
In the summer of 2018, the station began to carry weekend home games for the
Locally-produced content
From December 2008 to June 2010, WIWB featured Daily Buzz inserts called "Buzzed Into
Existing local content on WCWF, in addition to the occasional WLUK news broadcast, includes a Sunday morning airing of the
Also added in 2011 was the position of "CW 14 Star", who represents the station on-air, online, and at community events. Maria Parmigiani was selected as the first "Star" during the first quarter of 2011, earning the job after an audition process, an appearance on WLUK's Good Day Wisconsin, and an online voting process.[28] Parmigiani was succeeded by Katie Phernetton in 2013 after a similar audition and selection process.[29]
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's ATSC 1.0 channels are carried on the
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | ATSC 1.0 host |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14.1 | 1080i | 16:9 |
WCWF-CW | The CW | WLUK-TV |
14.2 | 480i | Comet | Comet | WFRV-TV | |
14.3 | Charge! | Charge! | WBAY-TV | ||
14.4 | Nest | The Nest | WACY-TV | ||
14.5 | DABL | Dabl[34] |
Analog-to-digital conversion
On December 12, 2008, the station replaced its digital transmitter antenna due to a wavering signal and recommended that viewers perform a channel rescan to restore the WIWB's digital signal if they lost reception. WCWF (as WIWB) shut down its analog signal, over
As part of the
In mid-November 2011, the station experienced major problems with its transmitter and LIN's technical staff had to take the station off the air for several days to repair the problem. As there was no backup
ATSC 3.0 lighthouse
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
2.1 | 720p | 16:9 |
WBAY | ABC (WBAY-TV) |
5.1 | 1080p | WFRV | CBS (WFRV-TV) | |
11.1 | 720p | WLUK | Fox (WLUK-TV) | |
14.1 | 1080p | WCWF | The CW | |
26.1 | WGBA | NBC (WGBA-TV) |
WCWF originally planned to start ATSC 3.0 transmissions on October 27, 2021, to serve as the host of the 1080p 3.0 signals of the market's commercial stations. With this, its subchannels are disbursed in ATSC 1.0 form in their existing quality among other Green Bay stations. The transition was later delayed at the last minute to January 25, 2022, several days after a hacking incident which affected Sinclair's operations nationwide.[39]
See also
References
- ^ FCC History Cards for WSCO (WCWF). Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WCWF". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Public Notice Comment on File# BALCT-19861114KF from the fcc.gov website
- ^ "M&I takes the cash to Amoco stations", "Everybody's Business" column from The Business Journal of Milwaukee, May 30, 1997
- ^ "SEC Info".
- CNNMoney.com, January 24, 2006.
- ^ UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network, The New York Times, January 24, 2006.
- ^ Source: 3/9/2006 press release by ACME Communications posted on NASDAQ GlobeNewsWire
- ^ "LIN And Acme In 3 New SSA Deals". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. June 4, 2010.
- ^ Malone, Michael (September 2, 2010). "LIN Buys Pair of Acme Stations". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media.
- ^ "WLUK parent exercising option to purchase WIWB". FoxCitiesTV. September 3, 2010.
- ^ Jessell, Harry A.; Arthur Greenwald (September 21, 2010). "LIN Seeks OK for Dayton, Green Bay Duops". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media.
- ^ "FCC Letter DA 11-646" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. April 8, 2011.
- ^ Eggerton, John (April 12, 2011). "FCC Grants Sale of ACME Stations, Denies Time Warner Cable Petitions". Multichannel News. NewBay Media.
- ^ "Extension of Consummation". Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WIWB changing call letters, adding syndicated HD programming". September 21, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010.
- ^ TV Station Mega Merger: Media General, LIN Set $1.6 Billion Deal from Variety (March 21, 2014)
- ^ Media General acquiring LIN Media for $1.6 billion, Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2014.
- ^ Media Gen/LIN To Sell/Swap In Five Markets, TVNewsCheck, March 21, 2014.
- ^ "Media General, LIN Sell Stations In 5 Markets". TVNewsCheck. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Source: Press release from Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (8/20/2014)
- ^ Staff (June 23, 2014). "Media General Buying WHTM For $83.4M". TV News Check. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Media General Completes Acquisition of WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, PA". www.businesswire.com. September 2, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes on Certain Station Acquisitions and Divestitures with Media General Archived December 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Press Release, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Retrieved December 19, 2014
- ^ Warren Gerds column from Green Bay Press-Gazette, October 12, 2010
- ^ "Prep football scene includes new weekly show," from Green Bay Press-Gazette, August 15, 2011
- ^ "CW 14 Focus | Public Service, Local Community Outreach Program | CW 14 Online". Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ "Presenting the CW 14 Star!" from cw14online, March 2, 2011
- ^ "Announcing the next CW 14 Star!," from cw14online, March 27, 2013
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WLUK
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WFRV
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WBAY
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WACY
- ^ "TV Schedule, Where to Watch, Watch Live | DABL".
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ "UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WCWF
- ^ Ellis, Jon (October 26, 2021). "Next Gen TV To Launch Green Bay, First in Upper Midwest (later title: Green Bay Next Gen TV Launch Delayed 3 Months)". NorthPine. Retrieved October 8, 2021.