| Wichita, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| Branding | KSCW (general) Eyewitness News (during KWCH-produced newscasts) |
| Slogan | TV to Talk About (general) Expect More (newscasts) |
| Channels | Digital: 12 (VHF) Virtual: 33 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | (see article) |
| Translators | 33 (UHF) KSCW-LD Wichita |
| Affiliations | The CW |
| Owner | Schurz Communications (Sunflower Broadcasting, Inc.) |
| First air date | August 5, 1999 |
| Call letters' meaning | KanSas CW |
| Sister station(s) | KWCH, KBSH-DT, KBSD-DT, KBSL-DT, KDCU-DT |
| Former callsigns | KWCV (1999-2006) KSCW (2006-2009) |
| Former channel number(s) | 33 (UHF analog, 1999-2009) 31 (UHF digital) 19 (UHF digital) |
| Former affiliations | The WB (1999-2006) |
| Transmitter power | 66.4 kW |
| Height | 449.3 m |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | 72348 |
| Website | kansascw.com |
KSCW-DT is the CW-affiliated television station for Wichita, Kansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 or virtual channel 33 through PSIP. The station can also be seen on Cox channel 5 and in high definition on digital channel 2005. Owned by Sunflower Broadcasting, Inc., KSCW is sister to CBS affiliate KWCH-DT and the two outlets share studios on East 37th Street North in Northeastern Wichita.
Syndicated programming on the station includes Entertainment Tonight, How I Met Your Mother, Judge Judy, and TMZ among others. KSCW can be seen over-the-air on a low-powered digital fill-in translator on UHF channel 33 (its previous analog signal allotment) from a transmitter at its studios.
Contents |
KSCW-DT broadcasts on digital channel 12.
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KSCW-HD | Main KSCW programming / The CW |
The station became digital exclusive on February 19, 2009 and moved its digital signal from channel 31 to the pre-transition frequency of KWCH's digital signal (channel 19) as that outlet moved its digital signal to its former analog allotment on channel 12. This move was made in order to allow a new station, Univision affiliate KDCU-DT (owned by Entravision but operated by Schurz through a joint sales agreement), to begin operations on KSCW's former pre-transition channel 31 frequency. Seven months later, KSCW and KWCH swapped frequencies but retained existing virtual channel numbers as seen through PSIP. On January 21, 2011, the FCC granted KSCW a construction permit for a fill-in digital translator on its former analog allotment. [1] The translator primarily serves the immediate part of the city. On January 26, the FCC approved another construction permit to increase the effective radiated power to 66.4 kW on the station's main digital signal. [2]
The station signed-on August 5, 1999 as WB affiliate KWCV. It aired an analog signal on UHF channel 33 and was known on-air as "Kansas' WB". Prior to the station's launch, there was no affiliate with the network in Wichita; WB programming could only be viewed in the Wichita market through Chicago-based cable superstation WGN, which carried the network's programming nationwide from its January 1995 launch until the summer of 1999. KWCV was originally owned-and-operated by Banks Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The newly combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initials of corporate parents "C"BS (the parent company of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros. unit of Time Warner.
On February 22, News Corporation announced it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. That new service, which would be sister to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming Independent as well as to compete against The CW. On March 21 not long after the affiliation announcements, KWCV received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change its call letters to the current KSCW in order to reflect its upcoming affiliation change.[3] On September 5, former UPN affiliate KMTW became the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Wichita area. The WB/UPN merger officially took effect on September 18 at which point KSCW became the CW outlet for the market. On that date, the station's branding became "Kansas CW".
In March 2007, Banks Broadcasting announced the pending sale of the station to Schurz Communications (owner of KWCH).[4] The sale closed on July 20, 2007 after which the FCC granted Schurz a "failing station" waiver for KSCW. This was necessary because the Wichita DMA has only seven "unique" full-power television stations. All the full-power stations outside the immediate metro area are all satellites of their Wichita-based parents and the FCC considers the parent and all of its satellites together as one unit. That number of unique full-power stations is normally not enough to legally support a duopoly because Banks Broadcasting tried and failed to find a buyer for KSCW who did not need the "failing station" waiver.
Several months after Schurz closed on its purchase of this station, it launched a new website powered by the Local Media Network division of World Now. Previously, the web address was operated by Broadcast Interactive Media. Schurz began the process of transitioning the websites of its media properties to the Tribune Interactive platform in Summer 2010 with KWCH and KSCW being the first two using the relaunched Tribune-run platform in late-June. As a result of the two stations being operated together, KSCW may now carry CBS network programming should it be preempted by KWCH in the event of a local special or an emergency such as severe weather.
KWCH currently produces a two-hour extension of its weekday morning show on this station. Known as Eyewitness News This Morning on KSCW, the broadcast offers a local alternative to the national weekday morning programs seen on the big three networks. In October 2008, KWCH became the first outlet in Wichita to upgrade newscasts to high definition and the KSCW show was included in the upgrade. Although not initially included in the change, KWCH added HD weather forecast segments in March 2009. At some point in time, that station added a thirty minute newscast on Sunday nights at 7 p.m. to KSCW known as Eyewitness News Weekend.
On September 12, 2011, KWCH began producing half-hour newscasts weekdays at 4 and seven nights a week at 9 p.m. on KSCW; the latter production will directly compete temporarily with another half-hour newscast seen every night on Fox affiliate KSAS-TV.[5] The addition of the 4 p.m. newscast makes KSCW one of the few CW affiliates not owned by Tribune Broadcasting to carry a late afternoon newscast, and will keep a newscast in that timeslot in the Wichita market, as ABC affiliate KAKE discontinued its 4 p.m. newscast that same month.
KWCH has been producing local news on KSAS-TV (owned by Newport Television) through a news share agreement since January of 2004, but the news share arrangement will expire at the end of 2011. In theory, KWCH could simultaneously broadcast two newscasts at 9 because KSAS' show originates from a secondary set (designed by FX Group) at KWCH's facility. After the outsourced broadcasts are discontinued, NBC affiliate KSNW will take over the production of the KSAS newscasts. From 1997 until 1999, KSNW produced the first nightly newscast at 9 on KSAS but the effort was cancelled due to poor ratings performance.[6]
Anchors
KSCW Storm Team
Sports team
Reporters
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