WCWN - History

History

WCWN originated as an independent station on December 3, 1984 under the call letters WUSV, after its owner, Union Street Video. However, it made little headway against the market's original independent, WXXA-TV. As with most independent stations in mid-sized markets during that period, it had difficulties from the outset in terms of getting programming with only afternoon cartoons and some reruns getting respectable ratings. The Capital District was just barely large enough at the time to support two independent stations, and there wasn't enough programming to go around. It didn't help matters that New York City's WPIX was available on cable, as had been the case for more than a decade.

When WXXA joined Fox as a charter affiliate, WUSV had some difficulty filling the void, especially since WXXA was still essentially programmed as an independent. Due to continuing financial difficulties, Union Street Video finally gave up in 1987 and sold the station in a fire sale to WMHT Educational Telecommunications. Under WMHT's ownership, channel 45 became a secondary PBS station under the calls WMHX. It was still licensed as a commercial station, but operated as a noncommercial broadcaster--much like Buffalo's WNED-TV operated for many years.

This arrangement lasted until 1991 when, due to financial difficulties, WMHX was taken off-the-air. Two years later, the station returned to the air as WMHQ, carrying a large amount of instructional programming alongside repeats and double runs from WMHT. Further financial difficulties at WMHT led to WMHQ being put up for sale in the late 1990s.

Despite WMHT's financial difficulties, WMHQ's commercial license was still very valuable. After a sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group, which intended to make the station a dual UPN/WB affiliate, fell through, Tribune Broadcasting bought the station in 1999 for $18.5 million. WMHQ's final day of programming was September 5, 1999; after its nightly midnight sign-off, channel 45 returned to the air at 6:00 a.m. the next morning as WB affiliate WEWB-TV, branded on-air as "WB 45". The station became the first and so far only network-owned station in the Capital District, since Tribune had a minority stake in The WB. Prior to WEWB's relaunch, WPIX had been the default WB affiliate for the Capital District. WPIX remained available to cable viewers in Albany until 2002, but was blacked out during WB programming as well as syndicated programming shown exclusively on Albany stations (due to syndication exclusivity law).

From the station's relaunch as WEWB until December 2006, master control of the channel was located at sister station WB affiliate WLVI-TV in Boston. However, local offices were at Corporate Woods in Albany. WLVI's meteorologists maintained WCWN's weather page. In 2004, WEWB's digital signal signed on-the-air and began broadcasting on UHF channel 43. In 2005, the "WB 45" name was succeeded by "Capital Region's WB" at the tail end of a period in which most of Tribune's WB affiliates (minus its VHF and "heritage" stations) were re-branded in the same format.

Eleven years after the births of UPN and The WB on January 24, 2006, it was announced by CBS and Time Warner that The WB would merge with its rival network, UPN, to form The CW. As part of the deal, the newly formed network signed a 10-year affiliation deal with 16 of Tribune's WB stations, including WEWB. In preparation, the station's call letters changed to the current WCWN on May 10. In July 2006, commercials for The CW as well as syndicated fall programming had the station rebranding as "The Capital Region's CW" effective with the network's launch on September 18.

On June 19, 2006, Tribune announced it would sell WCWN to Freedom Communications, owner of CBS affiliate WRGB, for $17 million dollars. The purchase faced review from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for much of 2006, since the Capital District has only seven full-power stations--not enough to legally permit a duopoly. However, the FCC granted Freedom a "failed station" waiver for the station's purchase on November 22, clearing the way for Freedom to close on the station on December 6. At that point, master control of WCWN moved from WLVI to WRGB's facilities in Niskayuna, the station's administrative offices were closed, and Freedom began to maintain WCWN's website. The purchase gave the Capital District its first television duopoly. For a short period of time, this essentially gave WRGB control of three stations as it continued its pre-existing joint sales agreement (JSA) with MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYA until February 2007.

Freedom announced on November 2, 2011 that it would bow out of television and sell its stations, including WCWN, to Sinclair Broadcast Group, marking the company's second attempt at acquiring channel 45. Since Freedom had acquired WCWN through a "failed station" waiver, Sinclair requested a similar waiver for the purchase; this was granted on March 13, 2012, as part of the FCC's approval of the transaction. The group deal closed on April 2, 2012.