Nexstar Media Group said stations it owns in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Tampa, Florida, will become affiliates of The CW starting September 1.
Nexstar bought control of The CW from Warner Bros. Discovery and CBS parent Paramount Global, and CBS announced it planned to drop the network at all eight The CW affiliates it owns.
CBS also owns The CW affiliates in Atlanta, Seattle, Detroit, Sacramento and Pittsburgh. Nexstar vowed The CW would continue to reach 100% of U.S. TV households. CEO Perry Sook said he expected a bidding war among stations seeking The CW affiliation in some markets.
The CW’s new affiliates are WPHL Philadelphia; KRON San Francisco; and WTTA Tampa. All of those stations are currently affiliates of Fox’s MyNetworkTV and will continue to carry MyNetwork on digital broadcast channels.
“The addition of these Nexstar-owned stations as affiliates will bring the number of Nexstar and partner-owned CW stations to 40, covering 38% of U.S. TV households — equivalent to or greater than the local owned-and-operated station presence of any of the other major network owners,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said. “Adding The CW’s programming to them will offer advertisers a variety of new linear and digital opportunities to reach millions of viewers.”
The stations will carry The CW’s primetime programming, live sports and events.
“These stations in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Tampa have deep relationships with their viewers, advertisers, and the communities they serve; they are a great addition to the CW family and will help us better shape the future of the network,” The CW president Dennis Miller said.
