WCWG

WCWG is a full-power television station serving the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, including Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. Although the station is licensed to Lexington, its current operational base is shared with NBC affiliate WXII-TV in Winston-Salem. WCWG broadcasts The CW programming and uses a channel-sharing arrangement in which its signal is transmitted through WXII-TV's spectrum from an antenna on Sauratown Mountain in Stokes County. The station began broadcasting on October 30, 1985, under the call sign WEJC. Its original identity was explicitly religious, with the call letters standing for “We Exalt Jesus Christ.” Owned by Koinonia Broadcasting, the station initially operated as an independent outlet carrying Baptist- and Reformed-oriented religious education. During the late 1980s, however, the economics and public perception of Christian broadcasting deteriorated, and the station entered a period of limited staffing and reduced operations. Its schedule was divided roughly between religious programming and Home Shopping Club content. In 1990, WEJC moved operations to a facility on Guilford College Road in Greensboro and gradually restored local production while reducing its dependence on shopping programming. It was affiliated with the broader evangelical Christian Television Network until March 1996. Koinonia sold the station to Pappas Telecasting in 1995. Under Pappas, the station moved away from its religious identity and became a WB affiliate. Its call sign changed to WBFX in March 1996, and religious programs were largely confined to morning periods. The schedule expanded to include syndicated sitcoms, cartoons, westerns, older films and WB network programming. Later in 1996, the station also began carrying Fox Kids programming that had previously aired on WGHP, reflecting Fox's then-changing policies on the placement of its children's block. In August 2000, the station adopted the call sign WTWB-TV, reflecting its “Triad WB” identity. It discontinued Fox Kids in 2001. When The WB and UPN were combined into The CW, WTWB was selected as the Piedmont Triad market's CW affiliate in March 2006. The station adopted the call sign WCWG in August of that year, with the letters referring to CW and Greensboro. Ownership subsequently changed several times. Pappas announced a sale of WCWG to New World TV Group during its 2009 bankruptcy proceedings; that group later became associated with the Titan Broadcasting name. Lockwood Broadcast Group agreed to acquire the station in 2013, completing the transaction in September. WCWG later participated in the FCC's broadcast incentive auction, selling its spectrum and choosing to continue through a channel-sharing arrangement with WXII-TV. The spectrum transition led to the removal of the Escape and Laff services from its lineup in July 2017. Hearst Television, owner of WXII-TV, acquired WCWG outright for $3.3 million in a transaction announced in October 2017 and completed in February 2018. The Hearst relationship also reshaped WCWG's local news presence. Beginning in July 2017, a WXII-produced 10 p.m. newscast moved to WCWG from a MeTV subchannel and expanded to a one-hour weeknight program, while weekend editions remained 30 minutes. In August 2017, WCWG also added a two-hour extension of WXII's morning newscast. Today, WCWG functions as a CW-branded broadcast outlet integrated into Hearst Television's Piedmont Triad operations rather than as a fully independent news producer.

WCWG began service on October 30, 1985, as WEJC, an independent religious station licensed to Lexington, North Carolina. Its original programming emphasized Baptist and Reformed Christian teaching, and the call letters represented “We Exalt Jesus Christ.” Koinonia Broadcasting operated the station from studios near Interstate 85 Business in Lexington. The station struggled to maintain a commercially viable schedule during a difficult period for Christian broadcasting. After high-profile scandals involving television evangelists damaged the sector's reputation in the late 1980s, WEJC reduced staffing and operated for a time from its transmitter facility near Randleman. Its schedule combined religious programming with Home Shopping Club material. In 1990, the station moved to a new facility on Guilford College Road in Greensboro. The relocation supported a gradual return to local studio production and a reduction in shopping content. WEJC affiliated with the Christian Television Network, a broader evangelical service, until March 1996. Koinonia sold the station to Pappas Telecasting in 1995. Pappas quickly repositioned it as a general-entertainment outlet and WB affiliate. The call sign changed to WBFX on March 14, 1996. Religious programming was reduced to selected morning blocks, while the remainder of the schedule incorporated syndicated cartoons, sitcoms, westerns, classic films and programming from The WB. Later in 1996, WBFX began carrying Fox Kids programming under an arrangement with WGHP. Fox's affiliation policies allowed some stations to transfer the children's block to another outlet rather than continue carrying it themselves. WBFX therefore became an important secondary home for that programming in the market. The station's identity continued moving away from its original religious format as it added more syndicated entertainment. In August 2000, it adopted the call sign WTWB-TV, referencing its role as the Triad's WB station. Fox Kids was dropped in March 2001. The WB and UPN announced plans in January 2006 to combine their programming into The CW. WTWB was confirmed as the Piedmont Triad's CW outlet in March, and the station changed its call sign to WCWG on August 10, 2006. The new identity linked the station to The CW and the Greensboro-centered regional market. WCWG remained a local broadcast outlet while relying on network and syndicated content for much of its schedule. The station's ownership changed during the financial difficulties affecting Pappas Telecasting. In 2009, Pappas announced that WCWG was among the stations to be sold to New World TV Group following bankruptcy-court approval. The acquiring group later became associated with Titan Broadcasting. Lockwood Broadcast Group announced a purchase from Titan in April 2013 and completed it on September 23 of that year. A major technical and ownership transition followed the FCC's broadcast incentive auction. WCWG sold its spectrum for $105,731,122 and elected to continue broadcasting through a post-auction channel-sharing arrangement. It partnered with WXII-TV, the Hearst-owned NBC station serving the same region. The stations now transmit through WXII's spectrum from Sauratown Mountain. A related shared-services agreement gave Hearst responsibility for additional operational functions. As part of the transition, WCWG discontinued the Escape and Laff services from its lineup on July 31, 2017. The WXII relationship also expanded WCWG's news schedule. On July 31, 2017, a WXII-produced 10 p.m. newscast moved to WCWG from a MeTV subchannel. The weeknight edition was expanded to an hour, while weekend editions remained half an hour. On August 28, 2017, WCWG added a two-hour extension of WXII's morning program. Hearst announced a $3.3 million purchase of WCWG on October 4, 2017, and completed the transaction on February 16, 2018. WCWG consequently became part of the Hearst Television station group and a sister station to WXII-TV. WCWG has also carried several digital multicast services. Video Mix TV occupied a secondary digital channel from 2009 to 2010, followed by Black Network Television. Escape replaced that service in 2015. Estrella TV was carried on another subchannel beginning in 2010, later replaced by Laff in 2015, while Bounce TV was added in 2012. The station ended analog transmission on June 12, 2009, as part of the national digital television transition, retaining virtual channel 20 on its digital UHF facility.

• 2018

  Hearst Television ownership begins

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  Hearst completes its direct acquisition of WCWG.

• 2017

  Spectrum sale and channel sharing

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  WCWG completes its post-auction transition to a channel-sharing arrangement with WXII-TV.

• 2013

  Lockwood acquisition closes

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  Lockwood Broadcast Group completes its purchase of WCWG from Titan Broadcasting.

• 2009

  Analog transmission ends

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  WCWG shuts down its analog signal as part of the United States digital television transition.

• 2006

  CW affiliation and WCWG identity begin

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  WTWB is selected as the market's CW affiliate and changes its call sign to WCWG.

• 2000

  Call sign changes to WTWB-TV

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopts the Triad-focused WTWB-TV identity.

• 1996

  Station becomes WBFX and joins The WB

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  The station changes its call sign to WBFX and adds WB programming while reducing religious content.

• 1995

  Pappas Telecasting acquires the station

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  Koinonia sells the station to Pappas Telecasting, which begins its transition toward general entertainment.

• 1990

  Operations move to Greensboro

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  The station relocates its studios to Guilford College Road in Greensboro and resumes more local production.

• 1985

  Station launches as WEJC

  [1]WCWGen.wikipedia.org

  WEJC begins broadcasting as an independent religious station licensed to Lexington, North Carolina.

A locally licensed, network-affiliated broadcast station serving the Piedmont Triad, positioned around CW entertainment programming and complementary local news supplied through its Hearst Television relationship with WXII-TV.

• Network television service · 2006

  CW programming

  WCWG's principal programming proposition is its over-the-air carriage of The CW in the Piedmont Triad. The affiliation supplies the station with scripted entertainment, reality programming and other network content, while the station supplements the schedule with syndicated programming and local news. The CW identity replaced the station's earlier WB identity in 2006 and remains central to its current brand.

• Broadcast news · 2017

  Local news programming

  Through its shared-services relationship with WXII-TV, WCWG carries WXII-produced local news. The arrangement includes a 10 p.m. newscast, expanded to one hour on weeknights in 2017, and a two-hour extension of WXII's morning program. This gives WCWG a local-information offering without maintaining a fully separate newsroom.

• Multicast television · 2009

  Digital multicast services

  WCWG has used its digital capacity for several secondary services over time, including Video Mix TV, Black Network Television, Escape, Estrella TV, Laff and Bounce TV. These arrangements have changed as network affiliations and the station's post-auction technical configuration evolved.

• 2017

  Sell spectrum and share a channel with WXII-TVStrategy

  Background

  The FCC incentive auction created an opportunity for television stations to monetize spectrum while continuing service through technical arrangements.

  Action taken

  WCWG sold its spectrum and entered a post-auction channel-sharing agreement with WXII-TV.

  Aftermath

  WCWG continued operating on virtual channel 20 through WXII's transmission facilities, while some multicast services were removed.

  Spectrum auction proceeds. $105,731,122 (2017 FCC incentive auction)

  Source

• 2017

  Sell WCWG to Hearst TelevisionM&A

  Background

  WCWG's channel-sharing and shared-services relationship with Hearst-owned WXII-TV created operational ties between the stations.

  Action taken

  Hearst announced an agreement to purchase WCWG outright for $3.3 million.

  Aftermath

  The transaction closed in February 2018, making WCWG a Hearst Television station and a sister station to WXII-TV.

  Acquisition price. $3.3 million (Announced October 2017; completed February 2018)

  Source

• 2006

  Adopt the CW affiliationStrategy

  Background

  The WB and UPN were being replaced by the combined CW network, creating a new affiliation structure in the Piedmont Triad.

  Action taken

  WTWB was selected as the area's CW station and changed its call sign to WCWG.

  Aftermath

  The station moved from a WB identity to a CW identity that it continues to use.

  Source

1. 1WCWGen.wikipedia.org