Tribune Broadcasting
The Tribune Broadcasting Company is a group of radio and television stations located throughout the United States which are owned and operated by the Tribune Company, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois and named for the flagship Chicago Tribune newspaper.
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[edit] History
Tribune Broadcasting originated with the June 1924 purchase of radio station WDAP by the newspaper Chicago Tribune. The new owners changed the station's call letters to WGN, to match the Tribune 's slogan, "World's Greatest Newspaper." WGN Radio would launch a television station in Chicago, in April 1948. Two months later, the Tribune 's then-sibling newspaper in New York City, the New York Daily News, established its own television station, WPIX.
During the next six decades Tribune Broadcasting (known originally as WGN, Incorporated, and from 1966 to 1981 as WGN Continental Broadcasting Company) would acquire radio and television stations throughout the United States. WGN-TV and WPIX are the only stations Tribune has owned since their inceptions. Tribune also operated several local cable television systems from 1977 to 1985.
Tribune Broadcasting now has 23 television stations located in 19 markets (including four duopolies), and the cable/satellite version of WGN-TV, known as WGN America. In Chicago, Tribune also operates Chicagoland's Television (CLTV), a cable-only news channel, and has a controlling interest in Food Network. WGN Radio is the company's sole remaining radio station, and serves as the flagship station for a regional distribution service known as the Tribune Radio Network. ([1]) Its primary features are farm reports from longtime WGN agriculture broadcaster Orion Samuelson, and broadcasts of Chicago Cubs games.
From January 1995 to September 2006, Tribune Broadcasting was a partner in The WB Television Network, along with the Warner Bros. division of Time Warner. Tribune had an initial 12.5 percent ownership of the network at its beginning and later increased its stake to 22 percent, and most of Tribune's television properties were WB affiliates. On January 24, 2006, Warner Brothers announced that the WB network would merge with the CBS-owned United Paramount Network, forming a new programming service named The CW Television Network. All but three of Tribune's WB affiliates became affiliates of The CW on September 18, 2006, by ten-year agreements (the exceptions were in Philadelphia, Seattle, and Atlanta, due to CW affiliating with CBS-owned stations in those markets). Tribune does not have an ownership interest in CW, and in 2008 its CW stations ended network references in favor of stronger local references. Tribune has no plans to do so with its Fox and MyNetworkTV affiliates.
In April 2007, Tribune's broadcasting interests were included in the sale of the entire company to Chicago investor Sam Zell, who planned take the publicly-traded company private. The deal was completed on December 20, 2007. ([2])
On December 21, 2007, Tribune and Local TV announced plans to collaborate in the formation of an as yet unnamed "broadcast management company". This new arrangement also manages a group of stations acquired by Local TV from the Fox Broadcasting Company during the third quarter of 2008.[1]
On December 8, 2008 Tribune announced that it is voluntarily restructuring its debt obligations under the protection of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court. The company will continue to operate its media businesses during the restructuring, including publishing its newspapers and managing its television stations and interactive properties without interruption, and has sufficient cash to do so.[2]
On February 4, 2009 Tribune Broadcasting announced it is combining both WGN-TV's news department and Chicagoland Television into a single news operation.[3]
On August 30, 2010, Tribune announced the formation of Antenna TV, a new digital subchannel network that would feature a variety of classic television programming and movies, including programming from Sony Pictures Television and D.L. Taffner. The new service began broadcasting on January 1, 2011.[4]
[edit] Tribune Entertainment
Tribune Entertainment was Tribune Broadcasting's television production and syndication division. Initiated during the mid-1980s, this subsidiary terminated in December 2007.
[edit] Tribune-owned stations
[edit] Television stations
Stations are listed alphabetically by state and city of license.
Note: Two boldface asterisks appearing after a station's call letters (**) indicates a station that was built and signed-on by Tribune.
| City of license/Market | Station | Channel TV (DT) |
Owned Since | Primary affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | KTLA | 5 (31) | 1985 | CW |
| Sacramento - Stockton - Modesto | KTXL | 40 (40) | 1997 | Fox |
| San Diego | KSWB-TV | 69 (19) | 1996 | Fox |
| Denver | KWGN-TV | 2 (34) | 1966 | The CW |
| Hartford - New Haven, CT | WTIC-TV | 61 (31) | 1997 | Fox |
| Waterbury, Connecticut | WCCT-TV | 20 (20) | 2001 | The CW |
| Washington, D.C. | WDCW | 50 (50) | 1999 | The CW |
| Miami - Fort Lauderdale | WSFL-TV | 39 (19) | 1997 | The CW |
| Chicago | WGN-TV ** | 9 (19) | 1948 | The CW |
| Bloomington, Indiana | WTTV | 4 (48) | 2002 | The CW |
| Indianapolis | WXIN | 59 (45) | 1997 | Fox |
| Kokomo, Indiana | WTTK (satellite of WTTV) |
29 (29) | 2002 | The CW |
| New Orleans | WGNO | 26 (26) | 1983 | ABC |
| WNOL-TV | 38 (15) | 1999 | The CW | |
| Grand Rapids - Battle Creek - Kalamazoo, MI |
WXMI | 17 (19) | 1998 | Fox |
| St. Louis | KPLR-TV | 11 (26) | 2003 | The CW |
| New York City | WPIX ** | 11 (11) | 1948 | The CW |
| Salem - Portland, OR | KRCW-TV | 32 (33) | 2003 | The CW |
| Philadelphia | WPHL-TV | 17 (17) | 1992 | MyNetworkTV |
| York - Harrisburg - Lancaster - Lebanon, PA |
WPMT | 43 (47) | 1997 | Fox |
| Dallas - Fort Worth | KDAF | 33 (32) | 1997 | The CW |
| Houston | KIAH | 39 (38) | 1995 | The CW |
| Tacoma - Seattle | KCPQ | 13 (13) | 1999 | Fox |
| KZJO | 22 (25) | 1998 | MyNetworkTV |
[edit] Radio station
| AM Station |
| City of License/Market | Station/ Frequency |
Owned Since | Current Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | WGN-720 | 1924 | Talk |
[edit] Former Tribune-owned stations
Stations are arranged by state and city of license.
[edit] Television stations
| City of license/Market | Station | Channel TV / DT |
Years owned | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | WGNX (now WGCL-TV) |
46 / 19 | 1983–1999 | CBS affiliate owned by Meredith Corporation |
| WATL | 36 / 25 | 1999–2006 | MyNetworkTV affiliate owned by Gannett Company | |
| Cambridge - Boston, MA | WLVI-TV | 56 / 41 | 1994–2006 | CW affiliate owned by Sunbeam Television |
| Duluth, MN - Superior, WI | KDAL-TV (now KDLH) |
3 / 33 | 1960–1978 | CBS affiliate owned by Malara Broadcasting (operated under LMA by Granite Broadcasting) |
| Schenectady - Albany - Troy, NY | WEWB/WCWN | 45 / 43 | 1999–2006 | CW affiliate owned by Freedom Communications (sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group pending) |
[edit] Radio stations
| AM Stations | FM Stations |
| City of License/Market | Station/ Frequency |
Years owned | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | KGNR-1320 (now KCTC) |
1975-1996 | owned by Entercom Communications |
| KCTC-96.1 (now KYMX) |
1975-1996 | owned by CBS Radio | |
| Denver – Boulder | KEZW-1430 | owned by Entercom Communications | |
| KKHK-99.5 (now KQMT) |
owned by Entercom Communications | ||
| KOSI-101.1 | owned by Entercom Communications | ||
| Bridgeport, Connecticut | WICC-600 | 1967-1989 | owned by Cumulus Media |
| Chicago | WFMT-98.7 | 1968-1970 | owned by Window to the World Communications |
| Duluth, MN - Superior, WI | KDAL-610 | 1960-1981 | owned by Midwest Communications |
| New York City | WPIX-FM/WQCD-101.9 (now WEMP) |
1963-1997 | owned by Merlin Media LLC |
[edit] References
- ^ "Tribune and Local TV to Form Broadcast Management Company" (Press release). Tribune Company. 2007-12-20. http://www.tribune.com/pressroom/releases/2007/12212007.html. Retrieved 2007-12-21. "Tribune Company and Local TV have entered into a letter of intent to create a third-party broadcast management company which will provide shared services to all of the stations Local TV and Tribune Company own, respectively."
- ^ "Tribune Company to Voluntarily Restructure Debt Under Chapter 11" (Press release). Tribune Company. 2008-12-08. http://www.tribune.com/pressroom/releases/2008/12082008.html. Retrieved 2008-12-08. "Tribune Company to Voluntarily Restructure Debt Under Chapter 11. Publishing, Interactive and Broadcasting Businesses to Continue Operations. Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field Not Part of Chapter 11 Filing; Monetization Efforts to Continue"
- ^ Tribune Broadcasting Combines WGN, CLTV, Mediaweek, February 4, 2009
- ^ Tribune Launching Classic TV Multicast Network, Broadcasting & Cable, August 30, 2010.
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