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{{Infobox broadcast {{Infobox broadcast
| call_letters = WPMY | call_letters = WPMY
| city = | city =
| station_logo = ] | station_logo = ]
| station_slogan = My Town, My Network! | station_slogan = ''My Town, My Network!''
| station_branding = MyPittsburghTV | station_branding = MyPittsburghTV
| digital = 42 (])<br>]: 22 (]) | digital = 42 (])<br>]: 22 (])
| subchannels = 22.1 ] | subchannels = 22.1 ]
| other_chs = | other_chs =
| affiliations = ] | affiliations = ]
| airdate = September 26, 1978<ref>The ''Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook'' says September 26, while the ''Television and Cable Factbook'' says September 29.</ref>
| network =
| founded = | location = ]
| callsign_meaning = '''P'''ittsburgh '''MY'''NetworkTV
| airdate = September 26, 1978<ref>The ''Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook'' says September 26, while the ''Television and Cable Factbook'' says September 29.</ref>
| former_callsigns = WPTT-TV (1978–1998)<br>WCWB (1998–2006)
| location = ]
| former_channel_numbers = '''Analog''':<br>22 (1978-2009)
| callsign_meaning = '''P'''ittsburgh '''MY'''NetworkTV
| owner = ]
| former_callsigns = WPTT-TV (1978-1998)<br>WCWB (1998-2006)
| licensee = WCWB Licensee, LLC
| former_channel_numbers = '''Analog''':<br>22 (1978-2009)
| sister_stations = ]
| owner = ]
| former_affiliations = ] (1978–1995)<br>] (1995–1998)<br>] (1998–2006)
| licensee = WCWB Licensee, LLC
| effective_radiated_power = 1 ]
| sister_stations = ]
| HAAT = 314.9 m
| former_affiliations = independent (1978-1995)<br>] (1995-1998)<br>] (1998-2006)
| facility_id = 73907
| effective_radiated_power = 1 ]
| coordinates = {{coord|40|29|42.5|N|80|0|16.2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| HAAT = 314.9 m
| licensing_authority = ]
| class =
| homepage =
| facility_id = 73907
| coordinates = {{coord|40|29|42.5|N|80|0|16.2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}|
licensing_authority = ]
| homepage =
}} }}


'''WPMY''' is the ]-affiliated ] for ] that is licensed to ]. It broadcasts a ] digital signal on ] channel 42 from a transmitter located in ]. Owned by ], WPMY is the sister station of ] affiliate ], which it shares studios with. Syndicated programming on the station includes '']'' and '']''. WPMY has been affiliated with MyNetworkTV since September 2006. '''WPMY''', ] 22 (] ] channel 42), is a ]-] ] located in ], ], ]. The station is owned by the ], as part of a ] with ] affiliate ] (channel 53). The two stations share studios located on Ivory Avenue in the city's ] section, WPMY's transmitter is located in ]. Syndicated programming on the station includes '']'' and '']''.


==Digital television== ==Digital television==
=== Digital channels === ===Digital channels===
{| class="wikitable" {| class="wikitable"
|- |-
! ]
! Channel
! ] ! ]
! ] ! ]
! PSIP Short Name ! ]
! Programming<ref></ref>
! Programming
|- |-
| 22.1 || ] || ] || WPMY-DT || Main WPMY programming / MyNetworkTV | 22.1 || ] || ] || WPMY-DT || Main WPMY programming / MyNetworkTV
|- |-
| 22.2 ||] || ] || CoolTV || Dark | 22.2 || ] || ] || CoolTV || Dark
|} |}


Line 49: Line 46:


===Analog-to-digital conversion=== ===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WPMY signed off its analog signal as part of the ] on February 17, 2009,<ref name="Analog to Digital">http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-138A2.pdf</ref> even though the deadline had been extended to June 12.<ref>http://pbrtv.com/blog/entry_902.php</ref> WPMY was one of three stations in the Pittsburgh market to still use the original signoff date, alongside sister station ] and ]-owned ]. Both WPMY and WPGH kept their analog signals up for some time afterwards airing the ] nightlight loop about the DTV transition as part of the ] before signing off completely March 19. WPMY shut down its analog signal, over ] channel 22, on February 17, 2009, the original date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to ] under federal mandate (the deadline was later extended to June 12). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 47.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-03-24}}</ref> Through the use of ], digital television receivers display the station's ] as its former UHF analog channel 69, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition. WPMY was one of three stations in the Pittsburgh market to discontinue normal programming on their analog signals on the original signoff date, alongside sister station ] and then-]-owned ]. As part of the ],<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|format=PDF|date=June 12, 2009|accessdate=June 4, 2012}}</ref> WPMY and WPGH kept their analog signals on the air until March 19 to inform viewers of the ] through a loop of ]s from the ].


==Early history== ==History==
===Early success=== ===Early success===
Rising out of the ashes of the former WENS-TV, this station signed on the air on September 26, 1978, as '''WPTT''', (which stood for '''P'''ittsburgh '''T'''wenty '''T'''wo, the UHF channel on which it broadcasts) the market's second commercial ] and its fourth ] station (after ]). It was owned by the Commercial Radio Institute (which later became known as ]). It started out running a number of popular off-network sitcoms from the 1950s and 60s, off-network dramas and westerns, very old movies and network programming pre-empted by ], ] and WIIC (now ]). For a time the station WPTT aired the children's television program '']'', which featured old-time cartoons as part of the program. Rising out of the ashes of the former WENS-TV, WPMY first signed on the air on September 26, 1978, as '''WPTT''' (which stood for <u>P</u>ittsburgh <u>T</u>wenty <u>T</u>wo, in reference the UHF channel on which it broadcast), the market's second commercial ] and its fourth ] station (after ]). It was owned by the Commercial Radio Institute (which later became known as ]). It started out running a number of popular off-network sitcoms from the 1950s and 1960s, off-network dramas and westerns, very old movies and network programming pre-empted by ] (channel 4), ] (channel 2) and WIIC (channel 11, now ]). For a time, WPTT aired the children's television program '']'', which featured older cartoon shorts.


WPTT also originated more of its own local programming with ''Prize Bowling'', which originally began as '']'' on ] network competitor ] for many years until host Nick Perry ]. The succeeding host was not received well by viewers, and ended up being canceled. WPTT took the opportunity to fill the void in the market with ''Prize Bowling'', first hosted by Pittsburgh radio legend Roger Willoughby-Ray and then by ] announcer ]. The show's success was modest at best, and was canceled after two years. Other programs of varying degrees of success were ''The Ghost Host'', ''Eddie's Digest'', and '']''. WPTT also originated more of its own local programming with ''Prize Bowling'', which originally began as '']'' on ] network competitor WTAE-TV for many years until host Nick Perry ]. The succeeding host was not received well by viewers, and ended up being canceled. WPTT took the opportunity to fill the void in the market with ''Prize Bowling'', first hosted by Pittsburgh radio legend Roger Willoughby-Ray and then by ] announcer ]. The show's success was modest at best, and was canceled after two years. Other programs of varying degrees of success were ''The Ghost Host'', ''Eddie's Digest'' and '']''.


The station also aired a newscast in the early 1980s, a rarity at this time for stations not affiliated with the then-major networks (], ] and ]). This newscast was known simply as ''WPTT News'', and in the opening segment, the letters "news" were formed from a ] indicating the four ]. This opening segment, featuring then-anchorman Kevin Evans, appeared briefly (and was audible) in the movie '']'' during a scene where ]' character returns home and turns on the television. The presentation was relatively low-budget, with the anchor simply reading copy, with no field video shots other than the weather read over a stock video shot denoting the conditions outside. The station also aired a newscast in the early 1980s, a rarity at this time for stations not affiliated with the then-major networks (], ] and ]). This newscast was known simply as ''WPTT News'', and in the opening segment, the letters "news" were formed from a ] indicating the four ]. This opening segment, featuring then-anchorman Kevin Evans, appeared briefly (and was audible) in the movie '']'' during a scene where ]' character returns home and turns on the television. The presentation was relatively low-budget, with the anchor simply reading copy, with no field video shots other than the weather read over a stock video shot denoting the conditions outside.


==The 80's and Early 90's== ==The 1980s and early 1990s==
WPGH, which had hitherto been a rather low-budget operation, was purchased by ] in 1978, and became more aggressive with its programming strategy. Despite having a highly powerful signal that offered double the coverage of WPGH's (5 million watts visual, compared to WPGH's 2.345 million), WPTT became unable to acquire newer shows, and ended up with programming that no other stations wanted. Still, the shows run on WPTT were not exactly low-budget, including such classic series as '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']'', among others. The station's ratings were very low, and it was considered as an "also-ran". For many years, WPTT languished as just another local independent channel, airing reruns of TV shows, many of which were past their prime. In 1986, Sinclair made an offer to buy WPGH and sell WPTT to ], but were outbid by ]. After that, WPTT added some more recent shows like '']'', '']'', '']'', and more recent cartoons and movies. By the late 1980's, both WPGH, which was again sold, and WPTT were losing money. WPTT did begin running Home Shopping Network programming daily between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. WPGH, which had hitherto been a rather low-budget operation, was purchased by the ] in 1978, and became more aggressive with its programming strategy. Despite having a highly powerful signal that offered double the coverage of WPGH's (5 million watts visual, compared to WPGH's 2.345 million), WPTT became unable to acquire newer shows, and ended up with programming that no other stations wanted. Still, the shows run on WPTT were not exactly low-budget, including such classic series as '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']''. The station's ratings were very low, and it was considered as an "also-ran" in the market. For many years, WPTT languished as just another local independent station, airing reruns of television shows, many of which were past their prime. In 1986, Sinclair made an offer to buy WPGH and sell WPTT to the ], but were outbid by ]. After that, WPTT added some more recent shows like '']'', '']'' and '']'', and more recent cartoons and movies. By the late 1980s, both WPGH, which was again sold, and WPTT were losing money. WPTT began running Home Shopping Network programming nightly between 1 and 6 a.m.


In 1990, WPTT and Pittsburgh's News Corporation (not affiliated with ]) entered into an agreement to produce a 10:00 p.m. newscast to air on WPTT which was to begin in the summer of 1991, and would feature a team of ] news anchors. Also, after going through three owners, WPGH was put up for sale again. Sinclair put in a bid for the station in 1991 and won. However, the group struggled to obtain financing. As part of a deal, the group sold WPTT to its operation manager Eddie Edwards (who had been with WPTT since its launch in 1978, and had become best known as host of the station's locally-produced public affairs program ''Eddie's Digest'', targeted towards local African-Americans). Soon after, the planned newscast with WPTT was put on hold with an option to either produce it for WPGH, reinstate the plans with WPTT, or cancel it. It was eventually canceled. WPTT also made a deal to increase affiliation hours with Home Shopping Network to at least 15 hours a day with the option of running the programming the entire day. Rumors abounded that WPTT would be running HSN programming most, if not the entire day, once the sale was completed. It was already established that some of WPTT's first run syndicated shows would go to WPGH, such as '']''. In 1990, WPTT and Pittsburgh's News Corporation (not affiliated with the ] that owned Fox until 2013) entered into an agreement to produce a 10:00 p.m. newscast to air on WPTT which was to begin in the summer of 1991, and would feature news anchors from WTAE. After going through three owners, WPGH was put up for sale again; Sinclair placed a bid for the station in 1991 and won, however, the group struggled to obtain financing. As part of a deal, the group sold WPTT to its operations manager Eddie Edwards (who had been with WPTT since its launch in 1978, and had become best known as host of the station's locally-produced public affairs program ''Eddie's Digest'', targeted towards local African-Americans). Soon after, the planned newscast with WPTT was put on hold with an option to either produce it for WPGH, reinstate the plans with WPTT, or cancel it; it was eventually canceled. WPTT also made a deal to increase Home Shopping Network programming hours to at least 15 hours a day with the option of running the programming the entire day. Rumors abounded that WPTT would be running HSN programming for most of, if not the entire day, once the sale was completed. It was already established that some of WPTT's first-run syndicated shows would go to WPGH, such as '']''.


The sales closed on August 29, 1991 with Sinclair acquiring WPGH from ] in the fall of that year. Rights to cash programming from WPTT's schedule was moved to WPGH while barter shows were returned to syndicators (it was thought that WPTT might wind up with some low budget children's shows to run a couple hours a day). But Eddie Edwards acquired WPTT without programming and began to run Home Shopping Network programming 24/7 on WPTT in September, which led to the station being dropped from the area's cable systems. Staffs from both WPGH and WPTT experienced layoffs. Some of WPTT's ex-employees did go to WPGH while others stayed at WPTT, and many others were laid off. WPGH kept a decent amount of their own employees taking some from both stations. Edwards then made a deal with Sinclair to buy time on his station from 3 p.m. to midnight, and get the cable systems to reinstate WPTT on their lineups. The sales closed on August 29, 1991 with Sinclair acquiring WPGH from ] in the fall of that year. Rights to cash programming from WPTT's schedule were moved to WPGH, while barter shows were returned to syndication distributors (it was thought that WPTT might wind up with some low-budget children's shows to run a couple hours a day). But Eddie Edwards acquired WPTT without programming and began to run Home Shopping Network programming 24 hours a day on WPTT in September, which led to the station being dropped from the market's cable systems. Staffs from both WPGH and WPTT experienced layoffs. Some of WPTT's ex-employees went to WPGH while others stayed at WPTT, and many others were laid off. WPGH kept a decent amount of their own employees, taking some from both stations. Edwards then made a deal with Sinclair to buy time on his station from 3 p.m. to midnight (effectively creating one of the first ]s, which Sinclair would use heavily in its later station acquisitions), and get area cable providers to reinstate WPTT on their lineups.


The deal took effect on January 6, 1992 with WPTT airing cartoons, sitcoms, movies and dramas from Sinclair which had no room to air on WPGH. Sinclair's air time on the station expanded in 1993 to begin at noon. In the fall of 1995, WPTT began to run WPGH programming from 6 a.m. to Midnight and picked up the '']'' cartoon block, which had been dropped by KDKA-TV when that station began running CBS' entire lineup. The deal took effect on January 6, 1992 with WPTT airing cartoons, sitcoms, movies and dramas that Sinclair had no room to air on WPGH. Sinclair's air time on the station expanded in 1993 to begin at noon. In the fall of 1995, WPTT began to run WPGH programming from 6 a.m. to midnight and picked up ] cartoon block, which had been dropped by KDKA-TV when that station began running CBS' entire lineup.


==Network affiliation== ==Network affiliation==
===UPN=== ===UPN===
WPTT affiliated with ] in early 1995, becoming UPN 22. Sinclair's air time on the station increased later that year to begin at 6 a.m. as well and by 1997, WPTT and WPGH moved together into one building. WPTT affiliated with ] when the network launched on January 16, 1995, and changed its on-air branding to "UPN 22". Sinclair's air time on the station increased later that year to begin at 6 a.m. as well; by 1997, WPTT and WPGH consolidated their operations into one building.


===The WB=== ===The WB===
] ]
WPTT dropped the UPN affiliation in 1998 (which moved to ]) and affiliated with ] instead. The station also changed its call sign to '''WCWB'''('''C ''', or '''See''', the '''WB''') to reflect its new affiliation. The WCWB calls had previously been on the ] affiliate in ], currently ]; the WPTT calls were later on 1360 AM in Pittsburgh before changing to ] in 2008. WPTT dropped its UPN affiliation in 1998 (which moved to ], channel 19) and affiliated with ] as part of a wide-ranging affiliation deal that saw Sinclair Broadcast Group's owned and managed UPN affiliates and independent stations switch to the network.<ref>, '']'', July 21, 1997. Retrieved June 8, 2013 from HighBeam Research.</ref> The station also changed its call sign to '''WCWB''' (for "<u>C</u>, or <u>See</u>, the <u>WB</u>") to reflect its new affiliation. The WCWB calls had previously been used by the ] affiliate in ] (now ]); the WPTT calls were later used by a radio station on 1360 AM in Pittsburgh, which later changed its callsign to ] in 2008.


Sinclair finally bought back WCWB from Eddie Edwards in 2000 after the ] (FCC) relaxed its rule, allowing one company to own two television stations in the same market. WPGH is the senior partner in the duopoly because of its Fox affiliation and because it was established earlier. Sinclair finally bought back WCWB from Eddie Edwards in 2000, after the ] (FCC) relaxed its media ownership rules to allow one company to own two television stations in the same market, provided the market has at least eight full-power stations and that neither of the two stations involved in the duopoly is among the four highest-rated. WPGH is the senior partner in the duopoly because of its Fox affiliation and because of its longer establishment.


As a WB affiliate, WCWB aired cartoons from Kids WB, off-network sitcoms, reality shows, court shows, talk shows and movies, as well as WB prime time programming. After the CW launched, WPMY kept the syndicated programs along with MyNetwork TV's two prime time programs, but Kids WB moved to WPCW. WPMY now airs infomercials and syndicated children's programming where Kids WB had previously aired. As a WB affiliate, WCWB aired off-network sitcoms, reality shows, court shows, talk shows and movies, in addition to WB primetime programming and cartoons from ]. After channel 22 affiliated with MyNetworkTV, WPMY kept the syndicated programs, but Kids' WB programming moved to WPCW as the block became part of The CW's lineup. WPMY now airs infomercials and syndicated children's programming in the timeslots formerly occupied by the Kids' WB Saturday morning lineup.


===MyNetwork TV=== ===MyNetworkTV===
On January 24, 2006, ] and ] announced that The WB and UPN would be shut down and replaced by ], a new network featuring programming from both networks.<ref>, ], January 24, 2006.</ref><ref>, '']'', January 24, 2006.</ref> Through an affiliation agreement with 11 UPN affiliates owned by CBS, UPN ] WNPA was named the Pittsburgh affiliate of The CW, and later changed its call letters to ].
On January 24, 2006, it was announced that The WB and UPN would merge into a new network, ]. As a result of this merger, ] (the former WNPA, and a former UPN O&O) became the CW affiliate, and on September 5, Channel 22 began carrying the Monday-through-Saturday MyNetwork TV block from Fox. On April 17, WCWB changed its call letters to '''WPMY''' to reflect this (plugs for MyNetwork TV and ] now use the WPMY calls). On August 14, 2006, WPMY rebranded itself as '''My Pittsburgh TV''' to promote MyNetwork TV, also different cable companies, carry WPMY on different channels. (The official moniker is "My Pittsburgh TV", even though the logo reads like "My TV Pittsburgh".) Unlike many other former WB affiliates switching to MyNetwork TV, WPMY continued to air The WB's primetime schedule in the late night hours until September 18, 2006, when The CW launched.


The station no longer uses the "22" moniker in any form on the station except for FCC-mandated ] purposes. With ] being the dominant cable provider in the Pittsburgh region (] also has systems in ], ], & ] counties, and a very small portion of ]) the station is commonly on channel 10 on Comcast systems, and thus WPMY is often advertised on-air as "Comcast channel 10", somewhat taking a ] route. WCWB, meanwhile, later decided to affiliate with ], another new network owned by News Corporation's ] and ] divisions. On April 17, WCWB changed its call letters to '''WPMY''' to reflect the new affiliation. On August 14, 2006, WPMY rebranded itself as '''MyPittsburghTV''', the channel 22 reference was excluded from the new brand as cable providers in the market carry WPMY on different channels (the official brand name is "My Pittsburgh TV", although the logo has it appear to read as "My TV Pittsburgh"). The station no longer uses the "22" moniker in any form on the station except for FCC-mandated ] purposes. With ] being the dominant cable provider in the Pittsburgh region (] also has systems in ], ] and ] counties, and a very small portion of ]) the station is commonly on channel 10 on Comcast systems, and thus WPMY is often advertised on-air as "Comcast channel 10", somewhat taking a ] route. Channel 22 officially joined MyNetworkTV when it launched on September 5, 2006. Unlike many other former WB affiliates switching to MyNetworkTV, WPMY continued to air The WB's primetime schedule in the late night hours until September 18, 2006, when The CW launched.

==References==
{{Reflist}}


{{Portal|Pittsburgh|Television}} {{Portal|Pittsburgh|Television}}
==External links== ==External links==
* - Official Website * - Official website
*{{TVQ|WPMY}} *{{TVQ|WPMY}}
*{{BIA|WPMY|TV|TV}} *{{BIA|WPMY|TV|TV}}
Line 94: Line 94:
* *
* ,Midday Matinee * ,Midday Matinee

==References==
{{Reflist}}


{{Pittsburgh TV}} {{Pittsburgh TV}}

Revision as of 21:18, 25 August 2013

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WPMY, virtual channel 22 (UHF digital channel 42), is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, as part of a duopoly with Fox affiliate WPGH-TV (channel 53). The two stations share studios located on Ivory Avenue in the city's Summer Hill section, WPMY's transmitter is located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Syndicated programming on the station includes The Steve Wilkos Show and The Wendy Williams Show.

Digital television

Digital channels

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming
22.1 720p 16:9 WPMY-DT Main WPMY programming / MyNetworkTV
22.2 480i 4:3 CoolTV Dark

Until the end of 2006, WPMY featured The Tube music video channel on a digital subchannel.

Analog-to-digital conversion

WPMY shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 22, on February 17, 2009, the original date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (the deadline was later extended to June 12). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 47. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 69, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition. WPMY was one of three stations in the Pittsburgh market to discontinue normal programming on their analog signals on the original signoff date, alongside sister station WPGH-TV and then-WQED-owned WQEX. As part of the SAFER Act, WPMY and WPGH kept their analog signals on the air until March 19 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters.

History

Early success

Rising out of the ashes of the former WENS-TV, WPMY first signed on the air on September 26, 1978, as WPTT (which stood for Pittsburgh Twenty Two, in reference the UHF channel on which it broadcast), the market's second commercial independent station and its fourth UHF station (after WPGH-TV). It was owned by the Commercial Radio Institute (which later became known as Sinclair Broadcast Group). It started out running a number of popular off-network sitcoms from the 1950s and 1960s, off-network dramas and westerns, very old movies and network programming pre-empted by WTAE-TV (channel 4), KDKA-TV (channel 2) and WIIC (channel 11, now WPXI-TV). For a time, WPTT aired the children's television program Captain Pitt, which featured older cartoon shorts.

WPTT also originated more of its own local programming with Prize Bowling, which originally began as Bowling for Dollars on ABC network competitor WTAE-TV for many years until host Nick Perry was jailed for a lottery broadcast scam. The succeeding host was not received well by viewers, and ended up being canceled. WPTT took the opportunity to fill the void in the market with Prize Bowling, first hosted by Pittsburgh radio legend Roger Willoughby-Ray and then by Pittsburgh Steelers announcer Jack Fleming. The show's success was modest at best, and was canceled after two years. Other programs of varying degrees of success were The Ghost Host, Eddie's Digest and Studio Wrestling.

The station also aired a newscast in the early 1980s, a rarity at this time for stations not affiliated with the then-major networks (ABC, CBS and NBC). This newscast was known simply as WPTT News, and in the opening segment, the letters "news" were formed from a compass indicating the four cardinal directions. This opening segment, featuring then-anchorman Kevin Evans, appeared briefly (and was audible) in the movie Flashdance during a scene where Jennifer Beals' character returns home and turns on the television. The presentation was relatively low-budget, with the anchor simply reading copy, with no field video shots other than the weather read over a stock video shot denoting the conditions outside.

The 1980s and early 1990s

WPGH, which had hitherto been a rather low-budget operation, was purchased by the Meredith Corporation in 1978, and became more aggressive with its programming strategy. Despite having a highly powerful signal that offered double the coverage of WPGH's (5 million watts visual, compared to WPGH's 2.345 million), WPTT became unable to acquire newer shows, and ended up with programming that no other stations wanted. Still, the shows run on WPTT were not exactly low-budget, including such classic series as I Love Lucy, Star Trek, Leave It To Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show and Hogan's Heroes. The station's ratings were very low, and it was considered as an "also-ran" in the market. For many years, WPTT languished as just another local independent station, airing reruns of television shows, many of which were past their prime. In 1986, Sinclair made an offer to buy WPGH and sell WPTT to the Home Shopping Network, but were outbid by Lorimar-Telepictures. After that, WPTT added some more recent shows like All In The Family, Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, and more recent cartoons and movies. By the late 1980s, both WPGH, which was again sold, and WPTT were losing money. WPTT began running Home Shopping Network programming nightly between 1 and 6 a.m.

In 1990, WPTT and Pittsburgh's News Corporation (not affiliated with the News Corporation that owned Fox until 2013) entered into an agreement to produce a 10:00 p.m. newscast to air on WPTT which was to begin in the summer of 1991, and would feature news anchors from WTAE. After going through three owners, WPGH was put up for sale again; Sinclair placed a bid for the station in 1991 and won, however, the group struggled to obtain financing. As part of a deal, the group sold WPTT to its operations manager Eddie Edwards (who had been with WPTT since its launch in 1978, and had become best known as host of the station's locally-produced public affairs program Eddie's Digest, targeted towards local African-Americans). Soon after, the planned newscast with WPTT was put on hold with an option to either produce it for WPGH, reinstate the plans with WPTT, or cancel it; it was eventually canceled. WPTT also made a deal to increase Home Shopping Network programming hours to at least 15 hours a day with the option of running the programming the entire day. Rumors abounded that WPTT would be running HSN programming for most of, if not the entire day, once the sale was completed. It was already established that some of WPTT's first-run syndicated shows would go to WPGH, such as The Arsenio Hall Show.

The sales closed on August 29, 1991 with Sinclair acquiring WPGH from Renaissance Broadcasting in the fall of that year. Rights to cash programming from WPTT's schedule were moved to WPGH, while barter shows were returned to syndication distributors (it was thought that WPTT might wind up with some low-budget children's shows to run a couple hours a day). But Eddie Edwards acquired WPTT without programming and began to run Home Shopping Network programming 24 hours a day on WPTT in September, which led to the station being dropped from the market's cable systems. Staffs from both WPGH and WPTT experienced layoffs. Some of WPTT's ex-employees went to WPGH while others stayed at WPTT, and many others were laid off. WPGH kept a decent amount of their own employees, taking some from both stations. Edwards then made a deal with Sinclair to buy time on his station from 3 p.m. to midnight (effectively creating one of the first local marketing agreements, which Sinclair would use heavily in its later station acquisitions), and get area cable providers to reinstate WPTT on their lineups.

The deal took effect on January 6, 1992 with WPTT airing cartoons, sitcoms, movies and dramas that Sinclair had no room to air on WPGH. Sinclair's air time on the station expanded in 1993 to begin at noon. In the fall of 1995, WPTT began to run WPGH programming from 6 a.m. to midnight and picked up The Disney Afternoon cartoon block, which had been dropped by KDKA-TV when that station began running CBS' entire lineup.

Network affiliation

UPN

WPTT affiliated with UPN when the network launched on January 16, 1995, and changed its on-air branding to "UPN 22". Sinclair's air time on the station increased later that year to begin at 6 a.m. as well; by 1997, WPTT and WPGH consolidated their operations into one building.

The WB

File:Wcwb-logo.png
WPMY's previous "WB 22" logo.

WPTT dropped its UPN affiliation in 1998 (which moved to WNPA-TV, channel 19) and affiliated with The WB as part of a wide-ranging affiliation deal that saw Sinclair Broadcast Group's owned and managed UPN affiliates and independent stations switch to the network. The station also changed its call sign to WCWB (for "C, or See, the WB") to reflect its new affiliation. The WCWB calls had previously been used by the NBC affiliate in Macon, Georgia (now WMGT-TV); the WPTT calls were later used by a radio station on 1360 AM in Pittsburgh, which later changed its callsign to WMNY in 2008.

Sinclair finally bought back WCWB from Eddie Edwards in 2000, after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) relaxed its media ownership rules to allow one company to own two television stations in the same market, provided the market has at least eight full-power stations and that neither of the two stations involved in the duopoly is among the four highest-rated. WPGH is the senior partner in the duopoly because of its Fox affiliation and because of its longer establishment.

As a WB affiliate, WCWB aired off-network sitcoms, reality shows, court shows, talk shows and movies, in addition to WB primetime programming and cartoons from Kids' WB. After channel 22 affiliated with MyNetworkTV, WPMY kept the syndicated programs, but Kids' WB programming moved to WPCW as the block became part of The CW's lineup. WPMY now airs infomercials and syndicated children's programming in the timeslots formerly occupied by the Kids' WB Saturday morning lineup.

MyNetworkTV

On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Time Warner announced that The WB and UPN would be shut down and replaced by The CW, a new network featuring programming from both networks. Through an affiliation agreement with 11 UPN affiliates owned by CBS, UPN owned-and-operation station WNPA was named the Pittsburgh affiliate of The CW, and later changed its call letters to WPCW.

WCWB, meanwhile, later decided to affiliate with MyNetworkTV, another new network owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group and 20th Television divisions. On April 17, WCWB changed its call letters to WPMY to reflect the new affiliation. On August 14, 2006, WPMY rebranded itself as MyPittsburghTV, the channel 22 reference was excluded from the new brand as cable providers in the market carry WPMY on different channels (the official brand name is "My Pittsburgh TV", although the logo has it appear to read as "My TV Pittsburgh"). The station no longer uses the "22" moniker in any form on the station except for FCC-mandated station identification purposes. With Comcast being the dominant cable provider in the Pittsburgh region (Armstrong Cable also has systems in Armstrong, Butler and Indiana counties, and a very small portion of Lawrence County) the station is commonly on channel 10 on Comcast systems, and thus WPMY is often advertised on-air as "Comcast channel 10", somewhat taking a virtual channel route. Channel 22 officially joined MyNetworkTV when it launched on September 5, 2006. Unlike many other former WB affiliates switching to MyNetworkTV, WPMY continued to air The WB's primetime schedule in the late night hours until September 18, 2006, when The CW launched.

References

  1. RabbitEars TV Query for WPMY
  2. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  3. "UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  4. WB woos and wins Sinclair, Broadcasting & Cable, July 21, 1997. Retrieved June 8, 2013 from HighBeam Research.
  5. 'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September, CNNMoney.com, January 24, 2006.
  6. UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network, The New York Times, January 24, 2006.

External links

Broadcast television in the Allegheny Valley region
This region includes the following cities: Pittsburgh, PA
Morgantown, WV
Oakland, MD
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television
Full power
KDKA-TV 2 (.1 CBS, .2 Start, .3 Dabl, .4 Fave, .5 Catchy)
WTAE-TV 4 (.1 ABC, .2 Cozi, .3 Story)
WPXI 11 (.1 NBC, .2 MeTV, .3 Laff, .4 PCNC)
WQED 13 (.1 PBS, .2 Create, .3 World, .4 Showcase, .5 Kids)
WINP-TV 16 (.1 Ion, .2 Bounce, .3 Court, .4 Mystery, .5 Ion+, .6 JTV, .7 Scripps)
WPKD 19 (.1 Ind., .2 H&I, .3 Grit, .4 Movies!, .5 Grio)
WPNT 22 (.1 CW/MNTV, .2 Nest, .3 Comet, .4 TBD)
WNPB-TV 24 (.1 PBS/WVPB, .2 World, .3 PBS Kids)
WGPT 36 (.1 PBS/MPT/Create, .2 MPT2, .3 PBS Kids, .4 NHK)
WPCB-TV 40 (.1 CTVN, .2 Court, .3 Bounce, .4 Quest, .5 Get, .6 Pittsburgh's Faith & Family Channel)
WPGH-TV 53 (.1 Fox, .2 ANT, .3 Charge!)
Low power
WPBA-LD 12 (.1 Rev'n, .2 Action, .3 FAM, .4 Ace, .5 Right Now TV, .6 YTA, .7 Ind., .8 Fun Roads, .10 Wx, .11 Am. Voice)
WWLM-CD 20 / WMVH-CD 26 (.1 Ads, .2 Am. Crimes, .3 Oxygen, .4 L&C, .5 LC, .6 The365, .7 Outlaw)
WWKH-CD 26 (.1 Ads, .2 Am. Crimes, .3 Oxygen, .4 The365, .5 Ads, .6 Outlaw, .7 Defy)
WIIC-LD 31 (.1 NTD America)
WBYD-CD 39 (.1/.3 HQ, .2 Fun Roads, .4 Ace, .5 OAN Plus, .6 AWE, .7 Ads)
WWAT-CD 45 / WPTG-CD 69 (.1 REW, .2 NTD America, .3 Retro, .4/.8 Dark, .5 Crime, .6 Heartland, .7 TCN, .10 Canella, .11 LC, .12 JTV)
WJMB-CD 60 (.1 Am. Crimes, .2 Oxygen, .3 Salem News, .4 The365, .5 Ads, .6 Defy, .7 Outlaw)
WKHU-CD 60 (.1 Am. Crimes, .2 Oxygen, .3 Defy, .4 The365, .5 Outlaw, .6 MtrSpt1, .7 Ads)
WOSC-CD 61 (.1 MeToons, .2 Binge, .3 Buzzr, .4 SBN, .5 AWE, .6 QVC, .7 Newsmax 2, .8 OAN Plus, .9 Am. Voice, .11 QVC2, .12 HSN2)
WPDN-LD 65 (.1 Daystar, .2 DS Español, .3 Reflections)
ATSC 3.0
WPNT (4.1 ABC, 22.1 CW/MNTV, 53.1 Fox, 53.10 T2)
Cable
SportsNet Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Cable News Channel
Pennsylvania Cable Network
Streaming
CBS News Pittsburgh
Very Pittsburgh
WPXI NOW
Defunct
WENS 16
WQVC-CD 28
WBOA-CD 29
WLLS-LP 49
WPCP-CD 59
WEPA-CD 59 / WNNB-CD 66
W63AU 63
See also
Erie TV
Johnstown/Altoona/State College (Happy Valley)
Maryland TV
West Virginia TV
Youngstown TV
MyNetworkTV affiliates licensed to and serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Primary*
Secondary**
(*) – indicates station is in one of Pennsylvania's primary TV markets
(**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of Pennsylvania
See also
ABC
CBS
CW
Fox
Ion
MyNetworkTV
NBC
PBS
Other stations in Pennsylvania
Sinclair Broadcast Group
Broadcast
TV stations
Sorted by primary channel network affiliations
ABC
CBS
The CW
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MyNetworkTV
Spanish
Azteca
WWHB-CD
Univision
KEUV-LD
KUCO-LD
KUNP
KUNW-CD / KVVK-CD / KORX-CA
UniMás
KKTF-LD
Other
stations
Antenna TV
KXVU-LD
WYME-CD
Comet
KTES-LD
Dabl
KBTV-TV
KFXA
KMEG
KMTW
KMYS
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WNAB
WRGT-TV
WWMB
Catchy Comedy
WVAH-TV
TBD
KENV-DT
KXVO
WDCO-CD / WIAV-CD
WHOI
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WUTB
Ind.
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KOCB
Defunct
Channels
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networks
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Programming
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Full Measure w/ Sharyl Attkisson
The National Desk
Defunct
Circa News
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Ring of Honor Wrestling
Acquisitions
  • Operated by Sinclair under an LMA.
  • Formerly separately licensed as WCGV-TV and merged with WVTV's spectrum, but remains on its former channel number as a separate station
  • Joint Venture
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