KLCW-TV

KLCW-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Wolfforth, Texas, and serving the Lubbock area. The station operates as an affiliate of The CW through the CW Plus distribution system, which combines a national network feed with locally inserted programming, advertising, and station branding. Its broadcast identity has generally been presented to viewers as Lubbock CW. The station’s history is closely connected with the changing U.S. television-network landscape of the mid-2000s. Before becoming a full-power broadcast outlet, the service associated with channel 22 was operated as a local cable station under the KWBZ name by KCBD-TV, Lubbock’s NBC affiliate. At the time, the channel 22 broadcast position was occupied by KUPT, a UPN affiliate. In January 2006, KUPT moved to channel 14, while the WB affiliation was shifted to channel 22. KWBZ then became a full-power affiliate of The WB through the WB 100+ Station Group. The WB and UPN were subsequently combined by their respective corporate owners, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Corporation, to create The CW. That network launched in September 2006. In preparation for the transition, the station adopted the KLCW-TV call sign on June 30, 2006, and rebranded around the Lubbock CW identity. The station continued to receive network programming through The CW Plus, with local commercial and promotional elements handled in the Lubbock market. KLCW-TV was owned for many years by Ramar Communications, a regional broadcaster that also operated other Lubbock-area stations. On October 19, 2020, Ramar announced an agreement to sell KLCW-TV and related low-power stations to Gray Television, now known as Gray Media. The transaction was completed on December 31, 2020. The acquisition placed KLCW-TV alongside Gray’s KCBD, the local NBC affiliate, while a separate transaction transferred KJTV-TV to SagamoreHill Broadcasting. Gray provides services to KJTV under a shared-services arrangement. KLCW-TV shares studio facilities with other Lubbock television operations at the 98th Street and University Avenue complex in south Lubbock. Its transmitter is also located at the studio site. The station’s role is primarily that of a local broadcast outlet: it distributes CW network entertainment and other scheduled programming, supports local advertising sales, and serves viewers across the Lubbock television market. Its analog-to-digital transition followed the Federal Communications Commission’s flash-cut framework because the station received an original construction permit after the digital allotment plan had been finalized. The station began digital broadcasting on UHF channel 43 while retaining virtual channel 22.

KLCW-TV’s immediate predecessor history begins with a local cable television service associated with KCBD-TV, the Lubbock NBC affiliate. Before 2006, the service operated under the KWBZ name and was not yet functioning as the full-power broadcast affiliate now identified with channel 22. At that time, KUPT occupied channel 22 as a UPN affiliate. A major realignment occurred on January 1, 2006, when KUPT moved to channel 14 in Lubbock. The WB affiliation moved to channel 22, where KWBZ-TV became a full-power affiliate through The WB 100+ Station Group. The WB 100+ model was designed to provide WB programming to smaller and mid-sized markets through local cable or broadcast outlets, often with market-specific advertising and station operations. The station’s network identity changed again during the national merger of The WB and UPN. On January 24, 2006, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Corporation announced that the two networks would be combined into a new service named The CW. The new network launched on September 18, 2006. KWBZ-TV joined the new network, and on June 30, 2006, it adopted the KLCW-TV call letters. Its public-facing branding became Lubbock CW, while its network distribution continued through The CW Plus. The CW Plus feed allowed the station to carry network programming and locally inserted advertising and promotional material. For much of the station’s early full-power history, KLCW-TV was owned by Ramar Communications. Ramar operated a group of broadcast outlets in the Lubbock market and was also associated with other local stations, including KJTV-TV and several low-power services. KLCW-TV’s operations were therefore part of a broader regional television structure rather than an independent single-station business. On October 19, 2020, Ramar announced a station-ownership restructuring involving several of its Lubbock properties. Gray Television agreed to acquire KLCW-TV and accompanying low-power stations, while SagamoreHill Broadcasting agreed to acquire KJTV-TV in a separate transaction. Gray’s purchase of KLCW-TV was completed on December 31, 2020. Following the closing, KLCW-TV became part of the Gray station group and operated alongside KCBD. Gray also entered into a shared-services relationship involving KJTV-TV. The station is licensed to Wolfforth but serves the wider Lubbock television market. KLCW-TV shares studios at 98th Street and University Avenue in south Lubbock with other local broadcast operations, and its transmitter is located at the same general site. Its principal function is to deliver CW programming over the air and through local distribution systems, while providing locally sold advertising and market-specific station elements. KLCW-TV’s technical history also reflects the U.S. transition from analog to digital broadcasting. Because it received an original construction permit after the Federal Communications Commission finalized the digital television allotment plan in 1997, it did not receive a separate companion digital channel in the same manner as many older stations. Instead, it used a flash-cut approach: the analog service was to be shut down and digital broadcasting initiated on the designated digital facility. By September 2008, the station’s digital signal was operating on UHF channel 43, with virtual channel 22 preserving its established viewer identity.

• 2020

  Gray Television announced acquisition

  [1]KLCW-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Gray Television announced an agreement to acquire KLCW-TV and associated low-power stations from Ramar Communications.

• 2020

  Acquisition completed

  [1]KLCW-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The transfer of KLCW-TV to Gray Television closed on December 31.

• 2008

  Digital signal operated on UHF channel 43

  [1]KLCW-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station’s digital service began broadcasting on its pre-transition UHF channel 43 while retaining virtual channel 22.

• 2006

  KUPT moved from channel 22

  [1]KLCW-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KUPT moved to channel 14 in Lubbock, allowing the WB service associated with KWBZ to occupy channel 22 as a full-power outlet.

• 2006

  KWBZ-TV became a WB affiliate

  [1]KLCW-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KWBZ-TV began operating as a full-power affiliate of The WB through the WB 100+ Station Group.

• 2006

  Call sign changed to KLCW-TV

  [1]KLCW-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted the KLCW-TV call letters on June 30 as part of its transition toward The CW.

• 2006

  The CW launched

  [1]KLCW-TVen.wikipedia.org

  When The CW launched on September 18, KLCW-TV became its Lubbock-area affiliate and used the Lubbock CW identity.

A local, free-to-air entertainment television outlet for the Lubbock market, combining The CW’s national programming with CW Plus distribution and locally sold advertising.

• Local television station · 2006

  Lubbock CW

  The station’s principal consumer-facing brand, Lubbock CW identifies KLCW-TV as the Lubbock-area outlet for The CW. It combines nationally distributed CW programming with local station identification, advertising, promotional elements, and market-specific scheduling or inserts delivered through the CW Plus structure.

• Television network affiliation · 2006

  CW Plus service

  KLCW-TV distributes The CW through the CW Plus arrangement, a service intended for markets where a local affiliate carries the network feed along with locally inserted commercial and station material. The offering gives viewers access to CW programming while allowing the station to maintain a distinct local presence.

• Over-the-air digital television · 2008

  Digital channel 22

  KLCW-TV’s digital broadcast service uses virtual channel 22, maintaining continuity with the station’s historic channel identity. Its digital transmission operated on UHF channel 43 during the U.S. digital television transition.

• 2020

  Sale of KLCW-TV to Gray TelevisionM&A

  Background

  Ramar Communications reorganized ownership of its Lubbock-area television assets through separate transactions involving Gray Television and SagamoreHill Broadcasting.

  Action taken

  Gray Television agreed to acquire KLCW-TV and associated low-power stations. The transaction closed on December 31, 2020.

  Aftermath

  KLCW-TV joined Gray’s Lubbock station group alongside KCBD, while KJTV-TV was acquired by SagamoreHill and became subject to a Gray shared-services arrangement.

  Reported purchase price for KLCW-TV and accompanying low-power stations. $10 million transaction value (Announced October 19, 2020; completed December 31, 2020)

  Source

• 2006

  Transition from The WB to The CWStrategy

  Background

  The WB and UPN were merged into The CW, requiring local affiliates and affiliated distribution services to change network identities.

  Action taken

  KLCW-TV adopted new call letters and the Lubbock CW branding while becoming a CW Plus affiliate.

  Aftermath

  The station continued serving the Lubbock market as the local CW outlet.

  Source

1. 1KLCW-TVen.wikipedia.org