WSTR-TV

WSTR-TV is a commercial television station serving Cincinnati, Ohio, on virtual channel 64. The station is commonly branded Star 64 or STAR64 and is primarily programmed as an independent outlet while maintaining a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and operates alongside WKRC-TV, Cincinnati's CBS and CW affiliate. The two stations share studios on Highland Avenue in the Mount Auburn section of Cincinnati, while WSTR's principal transmission facilities are located at Star Tower in the city's College Hill neighborhood. The station began broadcasting on January 28, 1980, as WBTI. Its original business model combined conventional, advertising-supported entertainment programming during the day with subscription television at night. Through the ON TV service, viewers with decoders could receive movies, sports, live events, and other premium programming. WBTI also carried a limited package of Cincinnati Reds home games, at a time when the club permitted relatively few home games to be televised locally. The subscription model initially attracted substantial interest, but growing cable penetration and the arrival of competing interactive cable services weakened its prospects. ON TV programming was progressively reduced and ended in Cincinnati in 1985. Following the withdrawal from subscription television, the station adopted the WIII call sign and relaunched as a full-time general-entertainment independent. Financial problems soon followed. In 1986, disputes among owners, unpaid programming obligations, and insufficient working capital led to litigation, the appointment of a receiver, and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding. The station later stabilized under new investment, expanded its syndicated programming, improved its technical facilities, and changed its call sign to WSTR-TV in 1990. The Star 64 identity was introduced at the same time. A major transmitter and tower upgrade in 1991 increased the station's power and established the Star Tower facility in College Hill. WSTR became a charter UPN affiliate in 1995. After Sinclair acquired the station in 1996, it moved from UPN to The WB in January 1998 as part of Sinclair's broader affiliation strategy. When The WB and UPN were replaced by The CW and MyNetworkTV in 2006, WSTR joined MyNetworkTV and began carrying its programming on September 5 of that year. In 2009, the station returned to the Star 64 branding while retaining visual elements associated with MyNetworkTV. Sinclair acquired WKRC-TV in 2012 but transferred WSTR's license to Deerfield Media to address ownership-limit issues. Sinclair nevertheless continued to operate WSTR under a local marketing agreement, providing advertising sales, technical support, promotion, and other services. Sinclair announced an agreement to acquire WSTR outright in July 2025, and the transaction was completed on August 18, 2025, creating a legal duopoly with WKRC-TV. Local news has been an important part of the station's programming strategy. WSTR launched a 10 p.m. newscast in December 2003 using Sinclair's News Central format, which combined local presentation with centrally produced national material. After that format was discontinued in 2006, news programming was supplied through arrangements with WKRC-TV. Local WKRC-produced programming returned to WSTR in 2014, including a 10 p.m. newscast and a morning-news block. WSTR also carried FC Cincinnati matches from 2016 through 2022 when those games were not selected for national television. The station completed its transition from analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009, and became Cincinnati's host station for ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, on September 14, 2021. Under reciprocal arrangements with the market's other major commercial stations, WSTR's ATSC 3.0 facility carries the other stations' programming in the newer standard, while WSTR and other services remain available through ATSC 1.0 signals hosted on partner transmitters. Its current identity combines local Cincinnati distribution, syndicated and network entertainment, sports availability, shared local news, and an advanced digital-transmission role.

The Federal Communications Commission awarded Buford Television of Ohio, Inc. a construction permit for Cincinnati's channel 64 on June 30, 1977. The resulting station, WBTI, began broadcasting on January 28, 1980. It operated from studios on Fishwick Drive in Bond Hill and initially transmitted from Chickasaw Street with one million watts of power. WBTI was created as a hybrid commercial and subscription television operation. Its daytime schedule consisted mainly of advertiser-supported general entertainment, including older syndicated programs. During evening hours, the signal was scrambled for ON TV, a subscription service offering movies, sports, live events, and other premium programming to households equipped with decoding equipment. The station also carried a small package of Cincinnati Reds home games. Buford envisioned a wider subscription-television expansion, but the business faced increasingly strong competition from cable systems. ON TV expanded its schedule in 1982, reducing WBTI's conventional programming to weekday mornings. By 1983, most of the broadcast day consisted of ON TV content, apart from limited religious programming. The launch of QUBE cable service in Cincinnati and the broader growth of cable television damaged the subscription model. United Cable, which had acquired most of Buford's subscription-television operations, wrote down the unit in 1983 and began seeking buyers. Local ON TV subscriptions fell sharply, and the service ended in Cincinnati on June 1, 1985. In November 1984, United sold a controlling interest in WBTI to Channel 64 Joint Venture. On January 1, 1985, the station adopted the WIII call sign and the slogan The Eyes of Cincinnati, moving toward a general-entertainment independent format while retaining subscription programming overnight. The remaining ON TV operation soon disappeared, but WIII struggled financially. In 1986, litigation among the owners, unpaid suppliers, and a severe shortage of cash nearly forced the station off the air. A receiver was appointed, and the station entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Programming contracts were terminated or renegotiated while possible buyers were considered. United Cable eventually obtained control and resold the station to a group of investors. The outlet gradually improved its ratings, reduced programming costs, and restored investment in syndicated content. In November 1989, United sold WIII to Cincinnati TV 64 Limited Partnership, associated with Andrew Banks and Royce Yudkoff. Their initials formed ABRY, the name later used for ABRY Communications. The new owners strengthened the schedule with newer sitcoms and films and upgraded the station's equipment. On September 15, 1990, WIII became WSTR-TV and adopted the Star 64 identity. In 1991, the station increased transmitter power from one million to five million watts and moved to a new tower and transmitter complex in College Hill known as Star Tower. WSTR joined UPN as a charter affiliate on January 16, 1995. Sinclair acquired WSTR in 1996 for a reported $22 million. In 1997, Sinclair reached an affiliation arrangement with The WB, and WSTR moved from UPN to The WB in January 1998. The 2006 replacement of The WB and UPN created two new network structures: The CW and MyNetworkTV. Sinclair initially aligned WSTR with MyNetworkTV, which began airing on the station on September 5, 2006. In 2009, WSTR restored the Star 64 brand and dropped the explicit MyNetworkTV branding from its on-air identity while continuing the affiliation. WSTR entered local news production in December 2003 with a 10 p.m. program using Sinclair's News Central approach. The format was discontinued nationally in early 2006, after which WKRC-TV supplied a newscast under a news-sharing arrangement. WKRC later reclaimed the program for its CW outlet, but local news returned to WSTR in 2014 after Sinclair and WKRC came under common operation. The arrangement included a 10 p.m. newscast and a morning-news hour, with another morning hour added in 2015. Sinclair purchased WKRC-TV in 2012 and transferred the WSTR license to Deerfield Media while retaining operational control through a local marketing agreement. WSTR carried FC Cincinnati matches from 2016 through 2022 when national television did not select them. Its analog service ended on February 17, 2009. On September 14, 2021, WSTR became Cincinnati's ATSC 3.0 host station, distributing the market's major commercial services in NextGen TV format while reciprocal partner facilities preserved ATSC 1.0 availability. Sinclair announced the direct acquisition of WSTR in July 2025 and completed the purchase on August 18, 2025.

• 2025

  Sinclair completes direct acquisition

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Sinclair completed its acquisition of WSTR, establishing direct common ownership with WKRC-TV.

• 2021

  Launches ATSC 3.0 hosting operation

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSTR became Cincinnati's principal commercial NextGen TV host while partner stations carried its services in ATSC 1.0.

• 2016

  Begins carrying FC Cincinnati matches

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSTR became a local television outlet for FC Cincinnati games not selected for national coverage.

• 2014

  WKRC-produced local news returns

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Shared operation with WKRC restored a 10 p.m. newscast and morning programming on WSTR.

• 2012

  License transferred to Deerfield Media

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Following Sinclair's acquisition of WKRC-TV, WSTR's license was assigned to Deerfield Media while Sinclair continued operating it.

• 2009

  Returns to Star 64 branding

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station dropped the MyNetworkTV-oriented on-air brand and revived Star 64.

• 2006

  Joins MyNetworkTV

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSTR carried MyNetworkTV from the network's September launch.

• 2003

  Launches local evening news

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSTR began a dedicated 10 p.m. newscast using Sinclair's News Central format.

• 1998

  Switches to The WB

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSTR moved from UPN to The WB under Sinclair's affiliation strategy.

• 1996

  Sinclair acquires WSTR

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Sinclair Communications purchased the station from ABRY-related ownership.

• 1995

  Becomes charter UPN affiliate

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSTR joined the United Paramount Network at its launch.

• 1991

  Star Tower transmission facility opens

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  A new College Hill tower and transmitter increased the station's power to five million watts.

• 1990

  Star 64 identity introduced

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station changed its call sign from WIII to WSTR-TV and adopted the Star 64 brand.

• 1985

  Station becomes WIII and ends subscription television

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station relaunched as a general-entertainment independent under the WIII call sign; ON TV service ended locally later that year.

• 1980

  WBTI begins broadcasting

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station signed on as WBTI with a hybrid commercial and ON TV subscription schedule.

• 1977

  FCC grants channel 64 construction permit

  [1]WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC authorized Buford Television of Ohio to build a new television station on Cincinnati's channel 64.

A Cincinnati-focused commercial broadcast station combining independent entertainment programming, MyNetworkTV content, locally produced news, selected sports coverage, and NextGen TV distribution.

• Broadcast television brand · 1990

  Star 64

  Star 64 is WSTR-TV's principal consumer-facing identity. Introduced in 1990 after the station changed its call sign to WSTR-TV, the brand positions the outlet as a Cincinnati general-entertainment station rather than as a narrowly defined network service. It has remained the station's recognizable identity through changes involving UPN, The WB, and MyNetworkTV.

• Television network affiliation · 2006

  MyNetworkTV programming

  WSTR has carried MyNetworkTV programming since the network launched in September 2006. Although the station later emphasized the Star 64 name in its on-air presentation, MyNetworkTV remains a secondary network relationship within a schedule otherwise characterized as primarily independent.

• News broadcasting · 2003

  Local news

  WSTR's local news offering has been produced through successive models. It first used Sinclair's News Central format in 2003, then relied on news-sharing arrangements, and since 2014 has carried WKRC-produced programming including a late-evening newscast and morning-news segments. The service extends WKRC's newsroom output to the Star 64 audience.

• Digital television transmission · 2021

  ATSC 3.0 transmission service

  Since September 2021, WSTR has served as Cincinnati's commercial ATSC 3.0 host station. Its NextGen TV facility carries services from the market's major commercial broadcasters, while reciprocal partner transmitters preserve ATSC 1.0 distribution. This makes the station an infrastructure platform as well as a programming outlet.

• Sports broadcasting · 2016

  FC Cincinnati broadcasts

  From 2016 through 2022, WSTR served as a television home for FC Cincinnati matches that were not selected for national distribution, giving the club additional local reach during its early professional development.

• 2025

  Bring WSTR's license back under Sinclair ownershipM&A

  Background

  WSTR had operated under Sinclair control through a Deerfield Media license arrangement since Sinclair acquired WKRC-TV in 2012.

  Action taken

  Sinclair announced a direct acquisition of WSTR in July and completed the transaction on August 18, 2025.

  Aftermath

  WSTR became directly owned by Sinclair alongside WKRC-TV, forming a legal duopoly in the Cincinnati market.

  Source

• 2021

  Deploy ATSC 3.0 host transmissionProduct launch

  Background

  Cincinnati broadcasters developed reciprocal arrangements to introduce NextGen TV without abandoning market-wide ATSC 1.0 availability.

  Action taken

  WSTR shut down its regular ATSC 1.0 transmission and became the market's principal commercial ATSC 3.0 host station.

  Aftermath

  WSTR's facility began distributing multiple Cincinnati commercial services in the newer digital standard, while partner transmitters continued ATSC 1.0 carriage.

  Source

• 2006

  Choose MyNetworkTV after the UPN–WB transitionStrategy

  Background

  The announced creation of The CW left former UPN and WB stations competing for affiliation arrangements in Cincinnati.

  Action taken

  Sinclair aligned WSTR with MyNetworkTV, which began airing on the station in September 2006.

  Aftermath

  WSTR retained a network relationship while operating primarily as an entertainment station and later restored the Star 64 brand.

  Source

• 1990

  Rebrand as Star 64Strategy

  Background

  New ownership sought to improve the station's programming position and market identity after years of financial instability.

  Action taken

  The WIII call sign was replaced with WSTR-TV and the station adopted the Star 64 brand alongside a substantially revised schedule.

  Aftermath

  The identity became the station's enduring consumer brand and was later restored after a period of network-focused branding.

  Source

• 1985

  End subscription television and return to independent programmingStrategy

  Background

  ON TV subscriptions had declined as cable competition expanded, leaving the station's hybrid business model increasingly difficult to sustain.

  Action taken

  WSTR's predecessor reduced ON TV to overnight hours and then ended the service, adopting a full-time general-entertainment independent schedule.

  Aftermath

  The station moved forward under the WIII identity, although financial difficulties continued until subsequent ownership and programming changes stabilized operations.

  Source

1. 1WSTR-TVen.wikipedia.org