WWHO
Encyclopedia
WWHO is the Columbus, Ohio
television affiliate for The CW Television Network
. The station is licensed to Chillicothe
, though it operates out of a facility in Columbus with its transmitter located in Williamsport
, halfway between Columbus and Chillicothe. WWHO is owned and operated by LIN TV Corporation.
WWHO broadcasts at 1,000,000 watts, the maximum allowed for a digital TV station by the Federal Communications Commission
. WWHO operates on channel 46.
WWHO also served briefly as the default The CW affiliate (on cable) for the Zanesville, Ohio
media market from March 2008 thru early July 2008, when that market's cable-only The CW affiliate, CW Plus, was temporarily replaced. The CW Plus has since been reinstated to the Zanesville cable line-up. WWHO-HD is still available on cable in the Zanesville market.
signed on in 1984. It operated a Columbus translator on W17AI channel 17 (now WDEM, which is still owned by Triplett) until 1992, when WWAT was added to many cable
providers in the Columbus market due to cable must-carry
legislation. The station was sold for $2 million in 1994 to Fant Broadcasting and changed its calls to WWHO. At the same time, the on-air name "Who-53" was adopted. At the same time, the station entered a Local marketing agreement
with WCMH-TV
(then owned by the Outlet Company
), which included producing a nightly 10 PM newscast (the first such in the Columbus market) using WCMH's facilities and resources.
The station remained an independent station until the launch of the The WB Television Network
on January 11, 1995. WWHO (then "WB 53") remained a The WB affiliate until the Paramount Stations Group (a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures
, whose parent company is Viacom
) agreed to acquire the station in 1997, along with sister station WLWC
in Providence and sell Hartford's NBC affiliate WVIT
to NBC in return. At that time the station became a secondary UPN
affiliate, as UPN programming was moved from WTTE, primarily a Fox
affiliate, to WWHO. Not long after, WWHO switched its primary affiliation to UPN (as "UPN 53" initially, then identifying as "UPN Columbus," without a channel number) and The WB was reduced to secondary status. On February 10, 2005, it was announced that the Viacom Television Stations Group (the successor to the Paramount Stations Group
as a result of Viacom merging with CBS
in 1999) was selling WWHO and WNDY-TV
(in the Indianapolis
market) to LIN Television for $85 million.
On February 10, 2005, LIN Television announced its intention to bring 10 p.m. news, which had disappeared from WWHO following its acquisition by Paramount Stations Group, back to the station. This half-hour newscast was produced by WBNS-TV
, and debuted on September 1, 2005, concurrent with a rebranding of the station as "UPN 53 WWHO." Unlike WCMH in previous years, WBNS chose to use its own station branding on the newscast rather than WWHO's, including WBNS's normal "10TV News HD" graphics beginning in 2007 (despite the fact WWHO's newscast was not broadcast in HD until mid-2008).
The rebrand proved to be short-lived, as UPN and The WB merged to form The CW in 2006. At that time, WWHO was the obvious choice as the Columbus affiliate for the new network, as it already carried both The WB and UPN programming; however, WWHO was not listed among the charter affiliates for the merged network. This led to a brief period of speculation as to where The CW programming would be seen in the Columbus market should WWHO not sign on. The only other viable candidate was WSFJ-TV
, a religious-oriented station that would have likely preempted much of The CW's racier programming. UPN had affiliated with a religious-oriented station in St. Louis, KNLC
, in 1997, but yanked its programming in 1999 due to rampant preemptions and moved it to KPLR
. The WB had similar problems with WBNA
, its original affiliate in Louisville
from 1995 to 1999. (There were a number of small Class A or low-power stations in town, such as WGCT-CA
and WDEM-CD, but they did not fall under cable television "must carry" regulations and their terrestrial signals often barely covered the city of Columbus itself.)
LIN initially had some hesitancy about the network's business model. However, on April 16, 2006; LIN agreed to affiliate its four The WB and UPN affiliates, including WWHO, with The CW. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6325651.html?display=Breaking+News, making WWHO the largest The CW affiliate owned by LIN Television.
Before WWHO announced its affiliation with The CW, there was a chance that the station might become an affiliate of My Network TV. However, this option ended when LIN TV announced its affiliation deal with MNTV, and WWHO was not on the list. It was rumored that WTTE might have picked up MNTV as a secondary affiliation. However, this possible secondary affiliation did not happen as WSYX
, the area's ABC
affiliate (and sister station to WTTE), launched a new digital subchannel featuring programming from My Network TV in September of that year.
On July 31, approximately one month before The CW officially debuted, WWHO rebranded with a new logo and slogan, "The CW on WWHO-TV." Once more, the station's channel number was de-emphasized.
On December 31, 2008, WBNS ceased production of WWHO's 10 PM newscast. Currently, there is no regularly scheduled news programming on WWHO.
WWHO was one of only two full-power television stations in the Columbus market (the other being WTTE
) that honored the original DTV transition date
of February 17, 2009. At 11:59 PM on that date, WWHO ceased broadcasting its analog
signal over UHF channel 53, and can currently be seen over-the-air only on digital
channel 46, using PSIP to display its virtual channel number as 53. For approximately two weeks after the official shutoff, an information card could be seen on channel 53 directing viewers to WWHO's new location, as well as contact information regarding the DTV switchover. Analog channel 53 is now dark.
In November 2011, it was reported that the Sinclair Broadcast Group
, the owner of WSYX and who also effectively owns WTTE, was in talks to purchase WWHO from LIN for an estimated $7 million. This deal, if approved, would give Sinclair control of four of the six largest network affiliations in the Ohio capital.
In addition to The CW Network programming, WWHO airs the nationally syndicated morning news program "The Daily Buzz
". The station dropped the program in mid-summer 2005, following disputes with the program's syndicator. But in the fall of 2010, the show made a return to mornings on the station.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
television affiliate for The CW Television Network
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...
. The station is licensed to Chillicothe
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
, though it operates out of a facility in Columbus with its transmitter located in Williamsport
Williamsport, Ohio
Williamsport is a village in Pickaway County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,002 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Williamsport is located at ....
, halfway between Columbus and Chillicothe. WWHO is owned and operated by LIN TV Corporation.
WWHO broadcasts at 1,000,000 watts, the maximum allowed for a digital TV station by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. WWHO operates on channel 46.
WWHO also served briefly as the default The CW affiliate (on cable) for the Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
media market from March 2008 thru early July 2008, when that market's cable-only The CW affiliate, CW Plus, was temporarily replaced. The CW Plus has since been reinstated to the Zanesville cable line-up. WWHO-HD is still available on cable in the Zanesville market.
History
WWHO began operating on August 31, 1987 as independent station WWAT, named after its owner, Wendell A. Triplett. It was the first general-entertainment independent station in Columbus since WTTEWTTE
WTTE is the Fox-affiliated television station for Columbus, Ohio. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on Stimmel Road. The station can be seen on Insight, Time Warner, and WOW! channel 8. For high definition digital cable, it is offered on Insight...
signed on in 1984. It operated a Columbus translator on W17AI channel 17 (now WDEM, which is still owned by Triplett) until 1992, when WWAT was added to many cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
providers in the Columbus market due to cable must-carry
Must-carry
In cable television, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally-licensed television stations must be carried on a cable provider's system.- Canada :...
legislation. The station was sold for $2 million in 1994 to Fant Broadcasting and changed its calls to WWHO. At the same time, the on-air name "Who-53" was adopted. At the same time, the station entered a Local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
with WCMH-TV
WCMH-TV
WCMH-TV, channel 4, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, affiliated with the NBC television network and owned by Media General. The station's studios and transmitter are located in Columbus. NBC-4 broadcasts from its studio and office complex near the Ohio State University on Olentangy River...
(then owned by the Outlet Company
The Outlet Company
The Outlet Company was a corporation based in Providence, Rhode Island, which owned holdings in both retail and broadcasting. The centerpieces of the group was its flagship Providence store and WJAR radio and television, also in Providence....
), which included producing a nightly 10 PM newscast (the first such in the Columbus market) using WCMH's facilities and resources.
The station remained an independent station until the launch of the The WB Television Network
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...
on January 11, 1995. WWHO (then "WB 53") remained a The WB affiliate until the Paramount Stations Group (a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, whose parent company is Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
) agreed to acquire the station in 1997, along with sister station WLWC
WLWC
WLWC is the CW-affiliated television station licensed to New Bedford but which operates out of Providence and acts largely as a Rhode Island station despite its licensing. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter in the Ashley Heights section of East...
in Providence and sell Hartford's NBC affiliate WVIT
WVIT
WVIT, virtual channel 30, is the NBC owned and operated television station for the state of Connecticut, licensed to New Britain. WVIT has its offices and studios located in West Hartford, and transmitter based in Farmington, Connecticut....
to NBC in return. At that time the station became a secondary 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...
affiliate, as UPN programming was moved from WTTE, primarily a Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate, to WWHO. Not long after, WWHO switched its primary affiliation to UPN (as "UPN 53" initially, then identifying as "UPN Columbus," without a channel number) and The WB was reduced to secondary status. On February 10, 2005, it was announced that the Viacom Television Stations Group (the successor to the Paramount Stations Group
Paramount Stations Group
Paramount Stations Group was a television broadcasting company that was renamed from the TVX Broadcast Group in 1991 after Paramount Pictures gained full ownership of the group. At the time, it owned several Fox affiliates and independent stations...
as a result of Viacom merging with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1999) was selling WWHO and WNDY-TV
WNDY-TV
WNDY-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Indiana licensed to Marion. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in White River Township north of Strawtown. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Bright House Networks channel 10...
(in the Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
market) to LIN Television for $85 million.
On February 10, 2005, LIN Television announced its intention to bring 10 p.m. news, which had disappeared from WWHO following its acquisition by Paramount Stations Group, back to the station. This half-hour newscast was produced by WBNS-TV
WBNS-TV
WBNS-TV, channel 10, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The station is an affiliate of the CBS Television Network and is owned by the Dispatch Broadcast Group, a subsidiary of the Columbus Dispatch, along with WBNS radio...
, and debuted on September 1, 2005, concurrent with a rebranding of the station as "UPN 53 WWHO." Unlike WCMH in previous years, WBNS chose to use its own station branding on the newscast rather than WWHO's, including WBNS's normal "10TV News HD" graphics beginning in 2007 (despite the fact WWHO's newscast was not broadcast in HD until mid-2008).
The rebrand proved to be short-lived, as UPN and The WB merged to form The CW in 2006. At that time, WWHO was the obvious choice as the Columbus affiliate for the new network, as it already carried both The WB and UPN programming; however, WWHO was not listed among the charter affiliates for the merged network. This led to a brief period of speculation as to where The CW programming would be seen in the Columbus market should WWHO not sign on. The only other viable candidate was WSFJ-TV
WSFJ-TV
WSFJ-TV is a Trinity Broadcasting Network-owned and operated television station in Columbus, Ohio, licensed to Newark. It broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 24.-History:...
, a religious-oriented station that would have likely preempted much of The CW's racier programming. UPN had affiliated with a religious-oriented station in St. Louis, KNLC
KNLC
KNLC is a religious television station in St. Louis, Missouri. Owned and operated by the New Life Evangelistic Center, the call letters KNLC reflect New Life Evangelistic Center...
, in 1997, but yanked its programming in 1999 due to rampant preemptions and moved it to KPLR
KPLR-TV
KPLR-TV, channel 11, is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KPLR is owned by the Tribune Company, and is an affiliate of The CW Television Network. The station's studios are located in Maryland Heights, Missouri, in Northwest St. Louis County KPLR-TV, channel 11, is a television station...
. The WB had similar problems with WBNA
WBNA
WBNA is an affiliate of the Ion Television network, located in Louisville, Kentucky and broadcasting over digital channel 8. WBNA is owned by Evangel World Prayer Center, an Assemblies of God megachurch in Louisville...
, its original affiliate in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
from 1995 to 1999. (There were a number of small Class A or low-power stations in town, such as WGCT-CA
WGCT-CA
WGCT-CA is an independent television station located in Columbus, Ohio. It is owned by the Central Ohio Association of Christian Broadcasters, who also own WOCB-CA channel 39 in Marion and WXCB-CA channel 42 in Delaware, Ohio....
and WDEM-CD, but they did not fall under cable television "must carry" regulations and their terrestrial signals often barely covered the city of Columbus itself.)
LIN initially had some hesitancy about the network's business model. However, on April 16, 2006; LIN agreed to affiliate its four The WB and UPN affiliates, including WWHO, with The CW. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6325651.html?display=Breaking+News, making WWHO the largest The CW affiliate owned by LIN Television.
Before WWHO announced its affiliation with The CW, there was a chance that the station might become an affiliate of My Network TV. However, this option ended when LIN TV announced its affiliation deal with MNTV, and WWHO was not on the list. It was rumored that WTTE might have picked up MNTV as a secondary affiliation. However, this possible secondary affiliation did not happen as WSYX
WSYX
WSYX, channel 6, is an ABC-affiliated television station located in Columbus, Ohio. WSYX is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which also operates Fox affiliate WTTE through a local marketing agreement...
, the area's ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate (and sister station to WTTE), launched a new digital subchannel featuring programming from My Network TV in September of that year.
On July 31, approximately one month before The CW officially debuted, WWHO rebranded with a new logo and slogan, "The CW on WWHO-TV." Once more, the station's channel number was de-emphasized.
On December 31, 2008, WBNS ceased production of WWHO's 10 PM newscast. Currently, there is no regularly scheduled news programming on WWHO.
WWHO was one of only two full-power television stations in the Columbus market (the other being WTTE
WTTE
WTTE is the Fox-affiliated television station for Columbus, Ohio. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on Stimmel Road. The station can be seen on Insight, Time Warner, and WOW! channel 8. For high definition digital cable, it is offered on Insight...
) that honored the original DTV transition date
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
of February 17, 2009. At 11:59 PM on that date, WWHO ceased broadcasting its analog
Analog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
signal over UHF channel 53, and can currently be seen over-the-air only on digital
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
channel 46, using PSIP to display its virtual channel number as 53. For approximately two weeks after the official shutoff, an information card could be seen on channel 53 directing viewers to WWHO's new location, as well as contact information regarding the DTV switchover. Analog channel 53 is now dark.
In November 2011, it was reported that the Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
, the owner of WSYX and who also effectively owns WTTE, was in talks to purchase WWHO from LIN for an estimated $7 million. This deal, if approved, would give Sinclair control of four of the six largest network affiliations in the Ohio capital.
Programming
- The People's CourtThe People's CourtThe People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....
- Divorce CourtDivorce CourtDivorce Court is a judge show about cases which only involve divorcing couples. Out of the shows currently airing in the court-themed genre, Divorce Court is the oldest...
In addition to The CW Network programming, WWHO airs the nationally syndicated morning news program "The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
". The station dropped the program in mid-summer 2005, following disputes with the program's syndicator. But in the fall of 2010, the show made a return to mornings on the station.