LIN Television has signed a deal with The CW for four of its stations to carry the new network. The affiliates are WWHO Columbus, Ohio; WNLO Buffalo, N.Y., KNVA Austin, Texas, and WBPG Mobile, Ala.
The stations represent 2.4% of U.S. households and bring The CW’s total distribution to 81% of the country. WWHO and WNLO are currently UPN affiliates. KNVA and WBPG are affiliated with The WB. LIN TV operates KNVA under a local marketing agreement.
“After careful consideration," said Gary Chapman, chairman, president and CEO, LIN TV Corp., in a statement, "we believe that The CW's strong, sharply focused, highly promotable and highly saleable programming, its seasoned and well-regarded executive team, and LIN TV's industry-leading operating capabilities together make these affiliations with The CW the right choice for our four stations, for our viewers, for our advertisers and for our shareholders."
The CW, co-owned by CBS and Time Warner, will launch this fall with programming from The WB and UPN, which are both shutting down.
