The CW is an American
television network, which launched on September 18, 2006, as a programming and management consolidation of its two predecessors
The WB (majority-owned by
Time Warner) and
UPN (owned at the time of that network's shutdown by
CBS Corporation), both of which began broadcasting in January 1995.
The network currently has over-the-air coverage on thirty-six
owned-and-operated stations and 192
affiliates available on analog, low-power or digital broadcast signals (primarily covering the 100 largest
Nielsen-designated markets with moderate over-the-air coverage in smaller markets);[1][2][3] and 17 additional local affiliates distributed exclusively through
cable television providers. Counting only its broadcast affiliates, The CW covers 99.80% of all households in the United States with at least one television set.
The following article is a listing of CW-affiliated
television stations, arranged alphabetically by state and territory, and based on the station's
city of license and followed in parentheses by the
Designated Market Area if differing from the city of license. There are links to and articles on most of the stations, describing their histories, local programming and technical information, such as broadcast frequencies.
For broadcast affiliates, the station's advertised channel number follows the call letters. In most cases, this is the station's
virtual channel (
PSIP) number.
Stations listed in boldface are owned and operated (or operated through an
LMA) by the CW's majority owner
Nexstar Media Group. Stations listed with the
superscript identification CW+ are broadcast or cable affiliates of
The CW Plus, a programming service distributed mainly to areas ranked among the 110 smallest U.S. television markets, which alongside CW network programming, carries
syndicated and
brokered programs acquired and scheduled by the network.
^WISH-TV became a CW affiliate on January 1, 2015, as a result of Tribune Broadcasting (which in August 2014, acquired the
CBS affiliation for
WTTV, which initially planned to move the CW affiliation from its main channel to its second digital subchannel, after a dispute between WISH and CBS during contract renewal negotiations over sharing of
retransmission consent payments) selling the CW affiliation rights for the Indianapolis market to new WISH owner
Media General (WTTV-DT2 instead serves as an
independent station as a result).
^WCCB became a CW affiliate and Charlotte's original CW affiliate
WJZY became a
Foxowned-and-operated station on July 1, 2013, in a network swap caused by
Fox Television Stations' earlier purchase of WJZY and sister
MyNetworkTV affiliate
WMYT-TV (which was completed on April 17). The CW announced that longtime Fox affiliate WCCB as its replacement Charlotte affiliate on April 18, with Fox Television Stations retaining the CW affiliation on WJZY in the interim until its existing contract with the network ended.
^On October 1, 2014, WTVG assumed operations of
Toledo 5 from
Block Communications, owner of the
Buckeye CableSystem (which carried the channel exclusively and now carries the successor subchannel, branded as "CW13").
1 These stations carry the CW on a digital subchannel, which is available to viewers of
digital television. Most of these digital subchannels should also be available in their respective markets through local cable and satellite television providers, depending on provider availability of the affiliate.
2 Local affiliate operates as cable-only channel.
3 Local affiliate previously operated as a broadcast and/or cable-only channel as part of
The WB 100+ Station Group.
4 Local affiliate previously operated as a cable-only channel as part of The WB 100+ Station Group and/or The CW Plus.
5 Local affiliate previously operated as a cable-only channel that was not associated with The WB 100+ Station Group or The CW Plus.
6 These stations serve as a primary affiliate of The CW and as a secondary affiliate of MyNetworkTV.
7 In areas of the United States where CW programming is not available on the provider through a local affiliate, WDCW is available to
DirecTV subscribers on channel 385.
8 KCWE is available to cable subscribers in parts of the St. Joseph market, as are the other Kansas City network affiliates.
9 KXVO is available to DirecTV subscribers in the St. Joseph market.