WCWG
Encyclopedia
WCWG is the CW
affiliate licensed to Lexington, North Carolina
, and serves the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, North Carolina
(Piedmont Triad
) television market. The station is owned by New World TV Group. Its transmitter is located in Randleman, North Carolina
.
The station was sold to Pappas in the summer of 1995. Initially the station kept the religious format, but it soon became a WB
affiliate, and added WB programming to its lineup immediately after the sale was finalized. In the spring of 1996, it changed its call letters to WBFX. Religious programming was reduced to 5-7am and 9am-noon in the spring of 1996, and ran syndicated cartoons 7-9am, westerns in the early afternoon, cartoons until 5pm, some more westerns in the evening, WB shows and older movies in prime time, and drama shows and old movies late nights.
That summer, the station made an agreement with WGHP
, the market's Fox station, to add Fox Kids programming to the lineup which would be dropped from WGHP after barely a year of airing it. Also more recent off-network sitcoms were added to the mix, and more religious shows disappeared from the schedule. Call letters changed to WTWB-TV in 2000.
WTWB dropped Fox Kids at the end of 2001 (which Fox had canceled nationally but kept running repeats on Saturday mornings for stations that wanted to air it). In the fall of 2002, Fox began a new Saturday Morning kids block called 4Kids TV
, but opted not to carry it on WGHP. As a result, Fox's children programming did not air in the Triad.
In January 2006, The WB and UPN
announced that they would merge into a new network, The CW. The news of the merger could change the course of programming for WTWB. On March 2, 2006, UPN affiliate WMYV
(the former WUPN-TV) was announced as an affiliate of My Network TV. Two weeks later on March 17, 2006, WTWB was confirmed as the market's CW Network outlet. On August 11, 2006, the call sign was changed to WCWG to reflect the affiliation.
On January 16, 2009, it was announced that several Pappas stations, including WCWG, would be sold to New World TV Group, after the sale received United States bankruptcy court
approval.
In May 2010, WCWG began a secondary affiliation with Spanish language network Estrella TV
as its first North Carolina affiliate. Estrella TV programming is currently broadcast 24 hours a day over digital subchannel 20.3.
Digital channels>
Channel
Name
Programming
20.1
WCWG
Main WCWG-TV programming / The CW
20.2
WCWG-D2
Black Network Television (BNT)/AMGTV
20.3
WCWG-D3
Estrella TV
20.4
WCWG-D4
Infomercials, E/I
programming, and country music.
Video Mix TV, a localized music channel driven by viewer requests joining the WCWG lineup after ten years of operation in the south Florida market, was carried on the 20.2 sub-channel from June 1, 2009 until December 26, 2010.http://www.wcwg20.com/Global/story.asp?S=12315883&nav=menu620_4_2 As of December 27 of that year, 20.2 became the home of Black Network Television, an African American-oriented service with emphasis on the local community.http://www.wcwg20.com/Global/story.asp?S=13603122 BNT's programming is supplemented with syndicated programs and offerings from the AMGTV
network.
, WCWG is available on Main Street Broadband in Siler City
, which is part of the Raleigh
DMA
.
In Virginia
, WCWG is available on DirecTV
in Grayson County
, which is part of the Roanoke
DMA.
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate licensed to Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,953. It is located in central North Carolina, twenty miles south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 52 ...
, and serves the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, North Carolina
High Point, North Carolina
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina....
(Piedmont Triad
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad, or Triad, is a north-central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group or "triad" of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the...
) television market. The station is owned by New World TV Group. Its transmitter is located in Randleman, North Carolina
Randleman, North Carolina
Randleman is a city in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,557 at the 2000 census. It is the home of NASCAR's Petty family, the Richard Petty Museum, and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.-Geography:...
.
History
The station signed on in 1986 as WEJC and aired a religious educational format from Lexington, NC. WEJC stood for "We Exalt Jesus Christ". Due to hard times in Christian broadcasting following the Jim Bakker & Jimmy Swaggart scandals starting in 1987, the station was reduced to minimum staffing and operations from the transmitter building near Randleman, NC. During this time, approximately half of the programming was Home Shopping Club and half was religious programming. In 1990, they opened up an office and studio in Greensboro, NC, and eventually resumed local studio production and eliminated most of the HSN programming. The station was affiliated with the Christian Television Network from the time it began until it was sold in 1995.The station was sold to Pappas in the summer of 1995. Initially the station kept the religious format, but it soon became a WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
affiliate, and added WB programming to its lineup immediately after the sale was finalized. In the spring of 1996, it changed its call letters to WBFX. Religious programming was reduced to 5-7am and 9am-noon in the spring of 1996, and ran syndicated cartoons 7-9am, westerns in the early afternoon, cartoons until 5pm, some more westerns in the evening, WB shows and older movies in prime time, and drama shows and old movies late nights.
That summer, the station made an agreement with WGHP
WGHP
WGHP, channel 8, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, North Carolina designated market area...
, the market's Fox station, to add Fox Kids programming to the lineup which would be dropped from WGHP after barely a year of airing it. Also more recent off-network sitcoms were added to the mix, and more religious shows disappeared from the schedule. Call letters changed to WTWB-TV in 2000.
WTWB dropped Fox Kids at the end of 2001 (which Fox had canceled nationally but kept running repeats on Saturday mornings for stations that wanted to air it). In the fall of 2002, Fox began a new Saturday Morning kids block called 4Kids TV
4Kids TV
4Kids TV was a Saturday morning television programming block on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The block was part of the Fox Network schedule...
, but opted not to carry it on WGHP. As a result, Fox's children programming did not air in the Triad.
In January 2006, The WB and UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
announced that they would merge into a new network, The CW. The news of the merger could change the course of programming for WTWB. On March 2, 2006, UPN affiliate WMYV
WMYV
WMYV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that is licensed to Greensboro. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter in Randleman along I-73/U.S. 220...
(the former WUPN-TV) was announced as an affiliate of My Network TV. Two weeks later on March 17, 2006, WTWB was confirmed as the market's CW Network outlet. On August 11, 2006, the call sign was changed to WCWG to reflect the affiliation.
On January 16, 2009, it was announced that several Pappas stations, including WCWG, would be sold to New World TV Group, after the sale received United States bankruptcy court
United States bankruptcy court
United States bankruptcy courts are courts created under Article I of the United States Constitution. They function as units of the district courts and have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal district courts have original and exclusive jurisdiction over all cases arising...
approval.
In May 2010, WCWG began a secondary affiliation with Spanish language network Estrella TV
Estrella TV
Estrella TV is a Spanish-language television network owned by Liberman Broadcasting. The network launched September 14, 2009.-Affiliates:-Former Affiliates:-Controversy:...
as its first North Carolina affiliate. Estrella TV programming is currently broadcast 24 hours a day over digital subchannel 20.3.
Digital television
WCWG's digital signal is multiplexed. As of September 2010, not all WCWG subchannels are carried on all local cable systems.AMGTV
AMGTV is an American family-oriented television network, featuring programming including sitcoms, lifestyle programs, sports, films and more...
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
programming, and country music.
Video Mix TV, a localized music channel driven by viewer requests joining the WCWG lineup after ten years of operation in the south Florida market, was carried on the 20.2 sub-channel from June 1, 2009 until December 26, 2010.http://www.wcwg20.com/Global/story.asp?S=12315883&nav=menu620_4_2 As of December 27 of that year, 20.2 became the home of Black Network Television, an African American-oriented service with emphasis on the local community.http://www.wcwg20.com/Global/story.asp?S=13603122 BNT's programming is supplemented with syndicated programs and offerings from the AMGTV
AMGTV
AMGTV is an American family-oriented television network, featuring programming including sitcoms, lifestyle programs, sports, films and more...
network.
Out-of-market cable and DirecTV coverage
In North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, WCWG is available on Main Street Broadband in Siler City
Siler City, North Carolina
Siler City is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population is right at 8,747 within corporate limits and 14,005 within corporate limits and ETJ...
, which is part of the Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
DMA
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
.
In Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, WCWG is available on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
in Grayson County
Grayson County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,917 people, 7,259 households, and 5,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile . There were 9,123 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, which is part of the Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
DMA.