2006 United States broadcast television realignment

The CW Television Network
	File:The CW logo.svg Logo used since 2015
Company type	Joint venture
Industry	Broadcasting
Founded	September 18, 2006; 20 years ago
Headquarters	United States
Area served	United States
Key people	(not specified)
Products	Television network programming
Owner	CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment (jointly)
Website	www.cwtv.com

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article 2006 United States broadcast television realignment, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 28 November 2025

In January 2006, the United States' two secondary television networks, UPN and The WB, declared they would discontinue operations on September 15 and 17, respectively, merging to form a new collaborative "fifth" network called The CW. Concurrently, Fox Television Stations, which owned several UPN affiliates that were unable to join The CW, partnered with MyNetworkTV, a fresh "sixth" network operated by News Corporation’s Fox Entertainment Group at the time.

Background

Launched in January 1995, both The WB and UPN sought to emulate the success of the Fox Broadcasting Company, which had established itself as a major network through early triumphs like The Simpsons and securing NFL broadcast rights. The WB primarily targeted teenagers and young adults, whereas UPN aimed at a broader demographic of adults aged 18–49.

These networks were collaborations between prominent Hollywood studios and independent station proprietors: The WB was jointly owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment (under Time Warner) and the Tribune Company; UPN was created by Chris-Craft Industries in alliance with Paramount Pictures. Tribune affiliated most of its independent stations with The WB, while Chris-Craft and Paramount aligned their stations with UPN.

Although both networks produced some moderate successes such as Star Trek: Voyager, Charmed, and Gilmore Girls, neither reached the prominence of Fox or the traditional "Big Three" (ABC, CBS, NBC). By early 2006, financial struggles were evident; The WB had recently achieved profitability, but UPN had never been profitable, incurring losses of $800 million over its first five years.

Ownership changes further complicated UPN’s situation. Following Paramount’s parent company merger with Viacom in 1994, Viacom acquired a 50% stake in UPN in 1996 and later purchased CBS in 2000. This acquisition led the FCC to remove restrictions on station duopolies. Chris-Craft legally challenged Viacom’s CBS merger but was unsuccessful; it subsequently sold its UPN shares to Viacom for $5 million in 2000. Consequently, UPN lacked owned-and-operated flagship stations in major markets like New York City and Los Angeles.

Likewise, The WB never possessed a fully owned-and-operated station; minority stakeholder Tribune managed key charter stations while Time Warner maintained majority ownership (up to 77.5%). Although Time Warner acquired Atlanta’s independent WTBS through its Turner Broadcasting merger, it did not convert it into a WB owned-and-operated outlet.

In August 2000, Chris-Craft divested most of its UPN-affiliated stations to News Corporation’s Fox Television Stations. Fox initially supported UPN but refrained from committing firmly. In September 2003, Fox extended affiliation agreements for nine UPN stations through 2006. On December 31, 2005, Viacom split into two entities: a new Viacom retaining film and cable assets, and CBS Corporation holding broadcast properties including ownership of UPN.

The new "fifth" and "sixth" networks

On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Time Warner revealed plans to cease operations of UPN and The WB that autumn, launching a jointly owned "fifth" network in their place. This new entity, named The CW Television Network (with "CW" derived from "CBS" and "Warner Bros."), featured a programming slate largely composed of popular shows from both predecessor networks.

The CW secured decade-long affiliation deals with sixteen WB affiliates owned by Tribune Broadcasting and eleven CBS-owned UPN stations, covering all of the top thirteen markets and reaching approximately 48% of American households. Its scheduling adopted The WB’s expansive format: prime time programming Monday through Friday, Sunday blocks, daytime weekday slots, plus Saturday morning children’s shows.

Most Tribune-owned stations transitioned into CW affiliates, leaving Fox Television Stations—the second largest group of UPN affiliates—without primetime network content. As a result, Fox launched its own network named MyNetworkTV on February 22, 2006. This service targeted former UPN and WB affiliates by providing two hours of primetime programming each night and was also offered to other stations needing to fill programming gaps created by The CW’s debut.

Stations

Following The CW's network launch announcement, ten-year affiliation contracts were finalized with Tribune Company and CBS Television Stations. Tribune pledged 16 stations—among them key outlets like WGN-TV (Chicago), KTLA (Los Angeles), and WPIX (New York City)—all formerly aligned with The WB. Meanwhile, CBS committed 11 UPN stations, including WPSG (Philadelphia), KBCW (San Francisco), and WUPA (Atlanta). Collectively, these agreements covered 48% of American households. Tribune relinquished its 22.5% stake in The WB to avoid closure expenses and chose not to take an ownership role in The CW.

Eventually, The CW and MyNetworkTV collectively served 95% of U.S. television households. In markets where both networks overlapped, only a single station affiliated with either network, prioritizing the stronger WB or UPN affiliates. Since The CW launched concurrently with the cessation of The WB and UPN, it negotiated fresh affiliations, leading to some markets featuring new CW or MyNetworkTV stations different from previous WB or UPN broadcasters. For instance, KMTF in Helena, Montana became a CW affiliate, while KFBT in Las Vegas also joined The CW. In Honolulu, The CW debuted on a digital subchannel of Fox affiliate KHON-TV in December 2006. Additionally, the network partnered with digital subchannels of Big Four affiliates across various regions.

To serve Nielsen markets ranked 100 and below, The CW Plus was introduced, delivering a master programming schedule combining syndicated shows with CW content. This service mirrors the former WB 100+ Station Group model and provides distribution via both cable and broadcast platforms, including digital subchannels.

By March 1, 2006, five stations outside the primary CBS and Tribune groups had signed affiliation agreements with The CW. By May 18, 2006, a total of 174 stations had joined either The CW or MyNetworkTV affiliations, reaching an audience of 105 million households and covering 95.3% of the United States population, excluding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Key station groups that affiliated numerous stations with The CW included Pappas Telecasting Companies, ACME Communications, and Sinclair Broadcast Group; meanwhile, groups such as Hearst Television, Clear Channel Communications, and Belo Corporation signed deals for select stations. Sinclair's agreements proceeded despite apprehensions regarding reverse compensation requests from both networks.

Although WGN-TV Chicago became an original CW affiliate, its national feed—WGN America—never aired CW programming officially due to sufficient local affiliate coverage nationwide. Previously, WGN America broadcast WB content from 1995 until national WB coverage was established in 1999.

Several affiliates altered their call signs to reflect their new network partnerships—for example: KPWB-TV (Des Moines) changed to KCWI; WNPA-TV (Pittsburgh) became WPCW; WJWB (Jacksonville) switched to WCWJ; WHCP (Portsmouth) adopted WQCW; WEWB (Albany) rebranded as WCWN; KWCV (Wichita) became KSCW-DT; WBDC (Washington D.C.) changed to WDCW; KBHK (San Francisco) updated to KBCW; KHWB (Houston) transitioned to KHCW. Some stations retained their original call letters such as WUPA in Atlanta. Between February and August 2006, all UPN and WB branding was removed from MyNetworkTV and CW stations.

Thanks to the use of "instant duopoly" digital subchannels and the elimination of secondary affiliations or problematic scheduling slots, both networks launched with broader national distribution than either UPN or The WB had at their respective beginnings. By 2005, UPN reached only 86% of the population with significant gaps in major markets—resulting in diluted ratings and scheduling challenges for shows like Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Stations involved in the realignment by market
Market	Station	Affiliation before switch	Affiliation after switch	Current affiliation
Abilene–Sweetwater	KTXS-DT2	n/a	The CW	The CW
Abilene–Sweetwater	KXVA-DT2	UPN	MyNetworkTV	MyNetworkTV
Aguadilla–San Juan	WSJP-LD	UPN / WB	The CW	Fox
Albany, GA	WSWG-DT2	n/a	MyNetworkTV	MeTV
Albany, GA	WSWG-DT3	n/a	The CW	MyNetworkTV
Albany–Schenectady–Troy	WCWN	WB	The CW	The CW
Albany–Schenectady–Troy	WNYA	UPN	MyNetworkTV	MyNetworkTV
Albuquerque–Santa Fe	KWBQ	WB	The CW	The CW
	KRWB	WB	The CW	The CW
	KASY-TV	UPN	MyNetworkTV	MyNetworkTV
Alexandria	KBCA	WB	The CW	Heroes & Icons
	WNTZ-TV	Fox	Fox / MyNetworkTV	Fox / MyNetworkTV
	KALB-DT3	n/a	The CW	The CW
Amarillo	KVII-DT2	WB	The CW	The CW
	KVIH-DT2	WB	The CW	The CW
	KCPN-LP	UPN	MyNetworkTV	MyNetworkTV
Anchorage	KAUU	UPN	MyNetworkTV	CBS
Anchorage	KYUR-DT2	n/a	The CW	The CW

(Additional market station details omitted for brevity.)

Parallels to the 1994 Realignment

The shutdown of The WB and UPN marked the first significant closure of major television networks since the DuMont Television Network ceased operations in 1956. The establishment of The CW, combined with the introduction of MyNetworkTV and the expansion of digital subchannels, represented the most substantial reshuffling in broadcast television since the 1994 Fox/New World Communications agreement. Unlike the upheaval seen in the mid-1990s, The CW's debut caused minimal audience disruption because only a small number of Big Four affiliates altered their primary network affiliations; merely two stations transitioned from Fox to MyNetworkTV:

In Jackson, Mississippi, Fox affiliate WUFX exchanged affiliations with WDBD before affiliating with MyNetworkTV, while WRBJ, formerly a UPN station, became part of The CW.
In the Fort Smith–Fayetteville region of Arkansas, low-power Fox stations KPBI-CA and KPBI switched to MyNetworkTV; none of these or UPN affiliate KFDF-CA joined The CW, which later became available through cable and digital subchannels. Equity Broadcasting, owner of these outlets, chose not to affiliate with The CW and eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2009.

In several markets, Big Four affiliates incorporated The CW or MyNetworkTV as secondary or digital subchannel partners even when independent stations remained operational.

Effects on Network Affiliations

In areas where WB and UPN each had separate affiliates, one station was excluded from the merger; many such stations opted for MyNetworkTV affiliation, including most Fox stations acquired through Chris-Craft’s 2001 purchase. Tribune-owned stations such as WPHL (Philadelphia), WATL (Atlanta), and KTWB (Seattle) also joined MyNetworkTV, reflecting Tribune’s commitment to Fox-originated programming blocks. Initially, CBS resisted MyNetworkTV affiliations, designating its former UPN affiliates in Dallas/Fort Worth (KTXA), Boston (WSBK-TV), Miami (WBFS-TV), New Orleans (WUPL), and West Palm Beach (WTCN-CA) as independents; however, four eventually aligned with MyNetworkTV.

Stations that were excluded from The CW affiliation and did not join MyNetworkTV typically returned to independent status. For instance, former Viacom-owned UPN stations WSBK and KTXA became independents due to market limitations. This led to a brief period in September 2006 when programming from WB, UPN, and MyNetworkTV overlapped within Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and San Francisco markets. Notably, MyNetworkTV partnered with established independents like WZMY in Boston and KDFI in Dallas, while KRON-TV in San Francisco joined MyNetworkTV as KBWB reverted to an independent format.

Four former UPN affiliates transitioned to “Big Four” networks:

WJKT (Jackson, Tennessee) and a digital subchannel of WBOC-TV (Salisbury, Maryland) switched to Fox.
WLQP-LP (Lima, Ohio) became an ABC affiliate.
WSWG (Valdosta, Georgia) joined CBS while carrying MyNetworkTV on a digital subchannel.

Other stations aligned with smaller networks such as Retro Television Network; some ceased operations due to absence of network affiliation or difficulties securing cable carriage. For example, CBS’s WHIO-TV discontinued its UPN17 cable channel in Dayton by late 2006.

Several markets encountered problems obtaining basic cable carriage for The CW on digital subchannels—including Cincinnati, Honolulu, Charleston (South Carolina), El Paso, Corpus Christi, Palm Springs, and Lima.

In Cincinnati, WBQC-LP shifted UPN content to early morning slots to emphasize other programming. A proposed acquisition involving Granite Broadcasting’s KBWB and WDWB fell through after The CW affiliated with different stations; Granite subsequently filed lawsuits against CBS and Time Warner over this failed transaction. In New Orleans, CBS initiated legal action against Belo Corporation regarding disputes over WUPL’s affiliation following Hurricane Katrina disruptions that complicated duopoly arrangements with WWL-TV.

The Conclusion of UPN and The WB

UPN discontinued its broadcasts on September 15, 2006, concluding with an episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown!. Nevertheless, Fox-owned UPN stations had already dropped the network as of August 31 to prepare for the launch of MyNetworkTV on September 5, leaving those markets without UPN service during its final two weeks. As a result, SmackDown was aired on several Tribune-owned CW stations, such as WPIX, KTLA, and WGN, in accordance with an existing WWE agreement.

The WB wrapped up operations on September 17 with a special event titled The Night of Favorites and Farewells, a five-hour programming block that showcased pilot episodes from prominent series including Felicity, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Dawson's Creek. Commercials during this event spotlighted previous marketing efforts, syndication partnerships, and television series available on DVD. Despite these efforts, the final WB broadcast experienced low viewership due to competition from NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Following its inception, The CW generally held the fifth position in Nielsen ratings and occasionally trailed behind the Spanish-language network Univision. Although it featured popular shows like Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and Arrow, uncertainty about its prospects led Tribune to rebrand its CW affiliates to minimize the network's presence. Pappas Telecasting attributed The CW’s weak ratings as a contributing factor in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. In 2008, The CW outsourced its Sunday five-hour programming block to Media Rights Capital (MRC), discontinued Sunday night shows in 2009, and only resumed limited Sunday programming in 2018.

Over time, The CW’s audience metrics improved significantly, notably surpassing NBC in the critical 18–49 age category for one evening on November 21, 2013. This growth was fueled by series such as the American revival of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The Flash, and Jane the Virgin. By the 2014–15 television season, The CW achieved its highest average total viewership since 2007–08, reaching 2.15 million viewers.

MyNetworkTV initially faced challenges with its telenovela format and pivoted toward unscripted content and films by 2007. By 2009, it had transitioned into a syndication service primarily airing reruns; its final original program, SmackDown, moved to Syfy and USA Network in 2010.

Following Nexstar Media Group’s acquisition of Tribune Media in 2019—after a failed merger attempt with Sinclair—Nexstar took over The CW’s operations on August 15, 2022, eventually securing a 75% ownership share by October 3 of that year. Former stakeholders Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery maintained minor holdings of 12.5% each. On May 5, 2023, Paramount exercised its option to disaffiliate all eight of its CW stations.

By September 1, Nexstar had restored CW affiliations to their MyNetworkTV outlets in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Tampa–St. Petersburg while establishing long-term affiliation agreements with Hearst Television, Gray Television, and Sinclair Broadcast Group. Concurrently, WKBD-TV in Detroit agreed to rejoin The CW starting September 1, 2024, alongside new affiliate WBFS-TV in Miami—both markets where former CW affiliates were owned by E. W. Scripps Company, which planned to end its association with The CW.

This development came after Mission Broadcasting’s unsuccessful attempt to acquire WADL (TV), which had been intended as Detroit’s permanent CW station; however, owner Kevin Adell ended WADL’s contract with The CW after only two months.

On June 2, 2025, it was announced that WUPA in Atlanta would transition into a CBS owned-and-operated station effective August 16, 2025, replacing WANF, which will become an independent station thereafter.

References