Nexstar shifts affiliations, drops CBS in six markets
Cities include Albuquerque, Birmingham
Editor’s Notes: This post was updated on July 24 to clarify the channel position of each new CBS station and again on August 2 as The CW won’t move to WIAT until September 1.
The city of Williston, N.D. was mistakenly mispelled as Williamson. T Dog Media apologizes for the error.
In news that was first reported by The Desk, Nexstar Media Group renewed its CBS affiliations in 36 markets, but is parting ways with the network in six others, with CBS landing on digital subchannels in each.
The Nexstar CBS renewals include two downstate stations – the top-rated WCIA Champaign and WMBD Peoria, with others including WNCN Raleigh-Durham, and WFRV Green Bay, Wis.
But Nexstar is cutting ties with CBS in six markets on August 1, and in some cases, replacing the affiliation with The CW, which it acquired a controlling stake of in 2022, while CBS signed four Hearst stations and two Forum Communications outlets as replacements:
Albuquerque: KRQE is replacing CBS with Fox, since they already had the affiliation on a dot-two channel, with ABC affiliate KOAT taking the CBS network on its 7.4 channel, as rumors of the move was tipped on FTV Live on Monday. Previous Fox affiliates in Albuquerque were the former KGSW-TV and KASA, which is now owned by Telemundo/NBCUniversal. KRQE’s move to Fox is notable given the Dallas Cowboys have a strong fan base in Albuquerque, and the network carries a majority of their games.
Birmingham, Ala.: Nexstar’s WIAT – which signed on as a CBS affiliate as WBMG-TV in 1965, is becoming a CW affiliate September 1, shifting away from Sinclair’s WTTO. CBS is moving to Hearst’s WTVM 13.4 channel on August 1, while NBC remains on 13.1. This is a reunion of sorts, as WVTM aired both NBC and CBS programming in the 1960s when it was known as WAPI-TV, even sticking with the dual affiliation after WBMG signed on, lasting until 1970. The last major affiliation switch took place here 30 years ago as part of the Fox-New World deal.
Spartanburg, S.C.: WSPA will also become a CW affiliate with CBS moving to Hearst’s WYFF, Channel 4.3. Located in the Greenville-Spartansburg-Ashville (N.C.) market, WSPA had been a CBS affiliate since 1956. CW programming had run on Nexstar’s WYCW on Channel 62; it’s not known what would replace it.
Jackson, Miss.: WJTV is also becoming a CW affiliate, regulating CBS to a dot-four channel of Hearst ABC affiliate WAPT (16.4). WJTV had been a CBS affiliate since it signed on in 1953, while WAPT signed in in 1970.
In addition, Forum Communications’ satellite stations – KBMY Bismarck, N.D. and KMCY Minot, N.D., will add CBS programming to its channels – both currently carry programming from True Crime Network, and are semi-satellites of ABC Affiliate WDAY Fargo, N.D. (Bismarck and Minot share the same TV market.) In Rapid City, S.D., Forum’s KNBN will also take CBS programming. In all three markets, the CBS affilaitions were owned by Nexstar’s “KX Television” group, consisting of KXMB Bismarck, KXMC Minot, and KMXD Williston, N.D.
“We are pleased to have entered into several new CBS Television Network affiliation agreements, including extending our long-standing partnership with Nexstar, expanding our relationship with Hearst Television and welcoming Forum Communications Company into the CBS family,” the network told The Desk via e-mail. “CBS has an unwavering commitment to our audience, and we are excited to continue to deliver our leading sports, news and entertainment programming to viewers across the country.”
There’s been tensions between Nexstar and the broadcast networks as the Irving, Tex. is buying rival broadcaster Tegna, but is currently on hold by the courts, stating they have too much leverage when it comes to numerous issues, including retransmission content funds, pre-emptions, and “reverse” compensation.
To fill the time in lieu of CBS programming, Nexstar will air more newscasts and locally-produced “community programming” – similar to what you currently see on its Chicago station, WGN-TV. Last year, WPLG Miami ended its 60-plus years relationship with ABC and became a news-intensive independent with network programming shifting to WSVN’s dot-two channel – the same WSVN who pioneered the news-intensive independent format in 1989 after losing its longtime NBC affiliation to WTVJ, which the network bought two years earlier. Now, Nexstar is looking to replicate that model in the markets where it decided to drop CBS.
Despite its lower costs, the replacement programming would be hard-pressed to match the ratings CBS brings, as it has the top-rated daytime and primetime schedules, and premier sports programming such as the NFL, The Masters, and NCAA March Madness. Or maybe, it was the cost of providing such programming through “reverse compensation” that drove Nexstar away in those six markets in the first place.
Outside of Albuquerque the other 5 can’t put much news on as those are very small market maybe there midsize markets but still news most of the day is overkill in my opinion, since it isn’t LA, NYC, Chi, Detroit, PHX etc, where news never sleeps LMAO. WLNS is the oldest CBS TV station in all of Michigan since WJBK dropped CBS for FOX in the New World deals in 1994 in Detroit and guessing WWMT is the second oldest CBS station in Michigan.
Only place CBS that CBS could’ve gone in Lansing would’ve been Gray as they own WILX & WSYM FOX47 which they swapped with Scripps for and few other TV stations. As Mission owns ABC & The CW which is a shell for Nexstar. I see many TV station groups that will drop a few Big 4 TV networks when they come up for renewal in my opinion but not all the stations. I see Sinclair dropped ABC in St. Louis KDNL for Gray on subchannel guessing it will be one of their diginets that takes over KDNL’s main channel in my opinion.
As Nexstar & Sinclair has renewals coming up with ABC at the end of the year which I don’t see Nexstar giving up ABC in West Michigan with WOTV and sometime in the near future could make it a sole ABC station when Nexstar buys TEGNA as I see the courts approving the deal with some more selling in my opinion in the overlap markets.
Actually, the subchannels of KBMY-KMCY in the Bismarck-Minot-Williston-Dickinson market carry True Crime Network(17.2 and 14.2), not MyNetworkTV(that’s 17.3 and 14.3 in combo with WDAYXtra). KXMA-Dickinson already carries KXMB-Bismarck on a subchannel(with the CW as the main channel 2.1), so that city will really have no change, but the other three will. The question for the area will be if in those three cities that True Crime Network might just move to become the subchannel of KXMB, KXMC, and KXMD since the CW will move to be the main channel(12.1, 13.1, 11.1). True Crime Network is already part of Nexstar since they bought Tegna who runs TCN. And yes, it is WILLISTON not Williamson. I know, I’ve lived in North Dakota all my life and currently call Bismarck home. I’d say if there are people who are going to be up in arms about this, it is the sports fans and the soap fans.