Tribune and CW at an impasse over OTT ambitions

[TheRolyPoly 1847]

So this means the following Stations will probably have to do something about their affiliations however some of them may end up switching or staying:

 

KXNW, KWGN, WCCT, WSFL, WGN, WNOL, WPIX, KPLR, KRCW, KAUT, WPHL KIAH, KDAF, and KJOE (JoeTV).

 

* KZJO

 

Unfortunately, KZJO will more likely stick with MyTV since Seattle's CW, KSTW 11, is owned by CBS, therefore securing the CW affiliation for years to come and giving a 0% chance for a CW/MyTV swap in Seattle.

[TVNewsLover 727]

So this means the following Stations will probably have to do something about their affiliations however some of them may end up switching or staying:

 

KXNW, KWGN, WCCT, WSFL, WGN, WNOL, WPIX, KPLR, KRCW, KAUT, WPHL KIAH, KDAF, and KJOE (JoeTV).

WPHL is a MyNet Tribune station. WPSG is the CW affiliate (and also an O&O). So no changes likely in Philly. Same with KZJO (which is who I assume you mean), as KSTW is a CW O&O in Seattle.

[broadcastfan9751 136]

And Fox could also do the same thing for KDFI, KTXH, and WDCA as well (all of them are in markets where Tribune owns a CW affiliate)

 

That might be The CW's only option in those markets, unless they are OK with being on a subchannel in a Top 10 market. Also, while CBS owns KTXA in Dallas, KTXA has a lot of sports broadcasts that may cause a problem if The CW moved there.

[atlnews2 557]

So this means the following Stations will probably have to do something about their affiliations however some of them may end up switching or staying:

 

KXNW, KWGN, WCCT, WSFL, WGN, WNOL, WPIX, KPLR, KRCW, KAUT, WPHL KIAH, KDAF, and KJOE (JoeTV).

 

KXNW is a dual MyNetworkTV and Antenna TV station (and in all likelihood will be sold off in the spectrum auction). I don't see anything changing for that station.

[ABC 7 Denver 1554]

And Fox could also do the same thing for KDFI, KTXH, and WDCA as well (all of them are in markets where Tribune owns a CW affiliate)

 

Not in Denver though. Though CBS has their highest earning O&O in Denver, they don't own a secondary output. So will the affiliation move to Tegna's MyNetworkTV affiliate or indie station KCDO. Does CBS have a reason to buy up KCDO? I think to better compete against KUSA they do.

[The Frog 393]

what would they replace the 10 hours of CW with?

20 hours. CW runs Tribune's Bill Cunningham in daytime, and five hours of E/I on Saturday mornings.

[bgiesing 46]

what would they replace the 10 hours of CW with?

 

20 hours. CW runs Tribune's Bill Cunningham in daytime, and five hours of E/I on Saturday mornings.

 

Well either way, if KPLR got the MyNetTV affiliation, that should fill most of the hours. leaving room for their current News programs (they could even add more). Otherwise, they could go back to being an Independent which some consider was their peak.

[CircleSeven 1944]

I pray to the day Channel 9 goes back to Independent, so they can air all of their of their sporting games on 9, instead of airing some on 50 (use to be 26 before that news-share agreement with 7).

[T.L. Hughes 751]

So this means the following Stations will probably have to do something about their affiliations however some of them may end up switching or staying:

 

KXNW, KWGN, WCCT, WSFL, WGN, WNOL, WPIX, KPLR, KRCW, KAUT, WPHL KIAH, KDAF, and KJOE (JoeTV).

KAUT is an independent station, and Tribune's only one currently. Should Tribune and The CW reach a new deal, it wouldn't joim the network in any event, since Sinclair re-upped its agreement for that group's CW affiliates, so the network will stay on KOCB either way.

[compubit 670]

Why would hypothetically CW want to stay with Sunbeam? Why would CBS not want the network it owns part of on its own station?

Following the NBC Boston/WHDH saga, I thought I read that Ed Ansin plans to offer WLVI in the spectrum auction (unless he gets an offer he can't refuse for the station's signal...)

 

J

[broadcastfan9751 136]

Following the NBC Boston/WHDH saga, I thought I read that Ed Ansin plans to offer WLVI in the spectrum auction (unless he gets an offer he can't refuse for the station's signal...)

 

J

 

WLVI could still channel share with WHDH after the auction.

[scrabbleship 427]

WLVI could still channel share with WHDH after the auction.

 

Given how syndicated programming has never been a priority for Sunbeam, I don't know how they could pull it off. They barely have enough programming for one station let alone two with a minimal amount of network stuff.

[The Frog 393]

An update from TVN's interview with Les:

 

What’s the latest in your standoff with Tribune over renewing the CW affiliation?

It’s still a standoff. Put it this way, it’s not great. That’s all I can say.

Do you have a Plan B in case you can’t reach an agreement with them?

Yes, we do.

What is the Plan B?

I am not going to talk about it.

Something else I know you don’t want to talk about is the incentive auction because of the FCC's quiet period.

It’s not that I don’t want to. I can’t. All I can say is, yes, our hat is in the ring and that’s all I can say.

But generally speaking, a lot of CW affiliates may be on the block. Any concern about what happens if half your CW affiliates disappear? You have to have some contingency for that.

I don’t expect half our affiliates to disappear.

Or even a lot of them?

That’s right, correct.

 

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/93671/moonves-as-cbs-prospers-so-will-affiliates/page/4

[mardek1995 200]

An update from TVN's interview with Les:

 

 

 

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/93671/moonves-as-cbs-prospers-so-will-affiliates/page/4

Though Moonves won't tell what Plan B is, I can guess what it'll involve. CBS yanks the CW affiliation from most of Tribune's CW affiliates, and in NYC, LA, DFW, and Miami, CBS' independent stations will become CW O&O stations. The issue is in the markets where CBS doesn't have a duopoly or own stations, which is the main reason why CBS/Time Warner and Tribune are at an impasse.

[Rusty Muck 4167]

Though Moonves won't tell what Plan B is, I can guess what it'll involve. CBS yanks the CW affiliation from most of Tribune's CW affiliates, and in NYC, LA, DFW, and Miami, CBS' independent stations will become CW O&O stations. The issue is in the markets where CBS doesn't have a duopoly or own stations, which is the main reason why CBS/Time Warner and Tribune are at an impasse.

I disagree on NYC and LA.

 

WLNY isn't a NYC station and officially, it isn't part of a duopoly with WCBS-TV because of market cap issues (again, CBS petitioned the FCC not to recognize WLNY as an NYC signal so that they could purchase 101.9 FM in 2012). That won't be resolved until CBS spins off their radio division into a separate unit, but such a spinoff might take over a year to take place.

 

As for KCAL... why would CBS strip KCAL of their biggest market identifier - counter-programming with news in prime time? I find it very difficult to see CBS giving that up in a market that consumes television news at practically every hour of the day.

 

If anything, CBS will move the CW affiliation onto WBFS and KXTA (and WSBK, if they don't renew with WLVI), sign a multi-market pact with Fox for WWOR, KCOP, WDCA and WPWR, and approach other MyNet affiliates in the remaining markets with Tribune-owned CW affiliates.

 

Probably the only real question mark will be St. Louis, where MyTV wound up on KMOX 4.2 due to limited options in the market. It wouldn't surprise me to see CBS ink a deal with Meredith to move the CW onto the same subchannel, or with S!nclair for a KDNL subchannel.

[mrschimpf 2060]

Pretty sure that this involves a multi-market affiliation pact with

Probably the only real question mark will be St. Louis, where MyTV wound up on KMOX 4.2 due to limited options in the market. It wouldn't surprise me to see CBS ink a deal with Meredith to move the CW onto the same subchannel, or with S!nclair for a KDNL subchannel.

 

Not even 4.2 on KMOV, but 4.3. It's almost an afterthought that seemed to be done to get Entertainment Studios, NBCU and 20th's D-list content on the air in some form in the market. I doubt anyone even really pays attention to that station at all, and getting the CW would be a major step up for it. It's always been so strange how limited a market St. Louis has been and nobody has had the guts to move in a signal from another Downstate Illinois market in.

 

Then again, KDNL could handle two 720p's just fine, and they'd be fine dumping GetTV's lease on 30.2.

[nomadcowatbk 144]

Not even 4.2 on KMOV, but 4.3. It's almost an afterthought that seemed to be done to get Entertainment Studios, NBCU and 20th's D-list content on the air in some form in the market. I doubt anyone even really pays attention to that station at all, and getting the CW would be a major step up for it. It's always been so strange how limited a market St. Louis has been and nobody has had the guts to move in a signal from another Downstate Illinois market in.

 

Then again, KDNL could handle two 720p's just fine, and they'd be fine dumping GetTV's lease on 30.2.

 

If KPLR drops CW and MNTV isn't available, what do they fill primetime with?

[TVNewsLover 727]

If KPLR drops CW and MNTV isn't available, what do they fill primetime with?

ABC programming

[nomadcowatbk 144]

ABC programming

 

doesn't ABC have a long term deal with KDNL, and wouldn't ABC moving to KPLR put both the KPLR/KTVI duoply both in the top 4?

[TVNewsLover 727]

doesn't ABC have a long term deal with KDNL, and wouldn't ABC moving to KPLR put both the KPLR/KTVI duoply both in the top 4?

Maybe to both questions. I don't know. It was just wishful thinking on my part, hence the big smiley face.

[channel2 869]

KDNL is an ABC affiliate until 2019 or 2020.

[bhratbrat 423]

KDNL is an affiliate until 2019 but if KPLR became an ABC affiliate, it wouldnt necessariy break the top 4. The other part of that is you have to take a look at First Coast News and they still have an ABC/NBC affiliates that are two separate stations.

[mrschimpf 2060]

The sad reality is that this isn't 1998 anymore when they only had Pensacola and Charleston, WV; Sinclair is now ABC's top affiliate group, and they're stuck with KDNL in order to keep SBG's business. Barring then inexplicably throwing them into the auction, a massive technical failure or someone at ABC corporate having some terrible secret about David Smith to wriggle them out of the deal, it's more worth it to keep the network on KDNL and keep SBG happy, lacking news content, Maury and all.

[Samantha 2878]

The sad reality is that this isn't 1998 anymore when they only had Pensacola and Charleston, WV; Sinclair is now ABC's top affiliate group, and they're stuck with KDNL in order to keep SBG's business. Barring then inexplicably throwing them into the auction, a massive technical failure or someone at ABC corporate having some terrible secret about David Smith to wriggle them out of the deal, it's more worth it to keep the network on KDNL and keep SBG happy, lacking news content, Maury and all.

 

"If you anger us over St. Louis... watch us leave you in Seattle, DC and Portland!"

 

ABC won't be taking that risk.

[A3N 996]

"If you anger us over St. Louis... watch us leave you in Seattle, DC and Portland!"

 

ABC won't be taking that risk.

I doubt that will scare ABC. Tribune could easily take the ABC affiliation in Portland and DC if they offered the right amount of money... Seattle might be a tricky one, but if sh*t hits the fan, there's always KSTW. I'm sure that CBS would be more than willing to part with it to anyone that offers them a nice chunk of change.