The CW Signs 27 More Affiliates

By Jim Benson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/16/2006 6:00:00 PM

The CW, which has secured affiliation agreements in 19 of the top 20 and 26 of the top 30 markets, struck agreements with Pappas Telecasting for WTWB Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, N.C.; KFRE Fresno-Visalia, Calif.; KPWB Des Moines-Ames, Iowa; KXVO Omaha, Neb.; KWBL Lincoln and Hastings-Kearney, Neb.; KREN Reno, Nev.; WLGA Columbus, Ga.; KWUB Yuma-El Centro, Ariz.; and KWPL (cable) North Platte, Neb.

The stations are in the 47th, 56th, 73rd, 75th, 103rd, 112th, 127th, 170th and 209th markets, respectively, representing 2.6% of total U.S. TV households. WLGA is the sole UPN affiliate, with the other eight now affiliated with The WB. 

None of the Pappas deals involve CW Plus (cover markets 100 and below), but the individually cleared markets in the bottom markets were cleared as part of an overall deal with CW Plus.

Other stations signing on:

* WSWB Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pa., owned by KB Prime Media LLC and operated by Pegasus Broadcast Television

* WKYT (and WYMT) Lexington-Hazard, Ky., owned by Gray Television Inc.

* KWCV Wichita-Hutchinson, Kan., owned by Banks Broadcasting Inc.

* WTO5  Toledo, Ohio, owned by Block Communications

* WB4 Tri-Cities, Tenn.-Va., owned by BlueStone TV Holdings Inc.

* WAZE Evansville, Ind., owned by South Central Communications Corporation

* KCEB Tyler-Longview, Texas, owned by Dimension Broadcasting

* KWSD (and KWSD) Sioux Falls, S.D., owned by Rapid Broadcasting Company

* WAGT Augusta, Ga., owned by Schurz Communications Inc.

* KLWB Lafayette, La., owned by Dimension Broadcasting

* KESQ Palm Springs, Calif., owned by News-Press & Gazette Broadcasting Company

* KBCA Alexandria, La., owned by Dimension Broadcasting

* KWBH Rapid City, S.D., owned by Rapid Broadcasting Company

* KTVZ Bend, Ore., owned by News-Press & Gazette Broadcasting Company

* WBJO St. Joseph, Mo., owned by News-Press & Gazette Cable Inc.

* WSJP San Juan, PR, owned by Storefront TV LLC

*WCVI U.S. Virgin Islands, owned by Virgin Blue Inc.

The stations are in the 54th, 63rd, 65th, 67th, 70th, 91st, 100th, 111th, 114th, 115th, 124th, 153rd, 176th, 177th, 196th and 201st markets, respectively, representing 4.01% of total U.S. TV households. (Nielsen does not assign a DMA rank or percentage of total U.S. TV households to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.)

WSWB, WBSF, KWCV, WTO5, WB4, WAZE, KCEB, KWSD, KLWB, KESQ, KBCA and KWBH are currently affiliates of The WB. WKYT (and WYMT) and WCVI are UPN affiliates. WSJP is currently a dual UPN-WB affiliate. WAGT and KTVZ are the digital channels of the NBC affiliates in Augusta and Bend.