WCMB-TV

WCMB-TV (Digital and virtual channel 9) is the affiliate of The CW Television Network licensed to Erie, Pennsylvania , with studios and transmitter in Summit Township, sharing studios with sister radio outlet, WCMB-FM. WCMB is currently owned by Lake Shore Broadcasting and Quebecor Media. The main subchannel on 9.1 serves as an affiliate of The CBS Corporation/Time Warner joint venture network The CW, while 9.2 carries Fox Entertainment Group's MyNetworkTV, 9.3 carries Fremantle's game show subchannel network Buzzr, 9.4 carries Weigel Broadcasting's MeTV, and 9.5 carries Katz Broadcasting's Escape. The station is also available on cable on channel 9 in the Erie market and is also carried in Conneaut county, Ohio, part of the Cleveland market. The station signed on in 2016. Channel 9.1 is one of the few CW affiliates located in a small market that is on a main subchannel and is not part of The CW Plus station group.
== History ==
=== Mission Broadcasting ownership/LMA with Nexstar Broadcasting/MyNetworkTV affiliation ===
Virtual channel 9 was once the home of the WLEP-LD subchannels, with their digital channel having been on UHF channel 43, which operated from 2011 to 2015. 9.1 was affiliated with Luken Communications' Retro TV (branded RTV from 2009 to 2013), 9.2 carried PBJ, and 9.3 carried Tuff TV during the day and classic movies from the 1930s to 1950s at night. LocusPoint Networks purchased the station in July 2014 with the intention to auction off the channel in the upcoming UHF spectrum auction then signed it off the air for good in February 2015.
3 days after WLEP went off the air, Mission Broadcasting applied for a full power license for the vacant digital VHF channel 9 frequency in Erie. Mission had wanted the physical and virtual channel 9 frequency in Erie for some time, but it was unavailable due to the previous station's existence. The FCC granted the license on October 1, 2015. The station started test transmissions in December. During the interim, Nexstar Broadcasting, which agreed to operate the station under LMA as they already have been doing with one sister sister station, reached a deal with Fox Television Stations, Inc. to air the MyNetworkTV syndication service, which had previously only been available in Erie on cable via Cleveland's WCDL and on Dish via superstations WWOR out of New York City and WSBK out of Boston, on 9.1. They subsequently reached deals with Tribune Broadcasting and FremantleMedia North America to air Antenna TV on 9.2 and Buzzr on 9.3, respectively, both of which were not available in Erie prior to the station's launch. The station launched under the call letters WABM on January 25, 2016 at 12pm. The station used the first three hours to air preview shows from all three subchannels. From 12 to 1, the station aired Law & Order: SVU, representing the main channel, from 1 to 2, the station aired back to back reruns of All in the Family, representing the Antenna TV subchannel, from 2 to 3, the station aired back to back reruns of Match Game '78 starring Gene Rayburn, representing the Buzzr subchannel. On July 3, 2016, 9.4 signed on as an affiliate of the FOX Family digital multicast network. From the time the station launched unti September 4, 2016, WABM simulcast the newscast from their direct sister station, while airing a repeat of their LMA sister. Nexstar announced on July 1, 2016 that WABM will launch its own newscast in the Fall of that year, later announcing September 5, 2016 as the launch date, originally slated to air at 6:30pm. On August 29, a week before the newscast's launch, Nexstar changed the time slot to 7pm, as they felt putting it at 6:30 against the networks' evening newscasts would hurt its chances of being noticed and obtaining any ratings. The new newscast launched as scheduled on September 5 at 7pm. The company ceased the newscasts from the sister stations. On July 27, 2016, WABM added the -TV suffix to its call letters and updated its logo. Even though the station did not use the "My" branding that other affiliates of MyNetworkTV use during it's days as a sole MyNetworkTV affiliate, it utilized the syndication service's logo within the stylized 9 on the station logo. The lack of usage of the "My" branding was to avoid confusion with rival cross town station WTWF, which is affiliated with the similarly named network MyTV and uses the on-air branding "myTV 68." WCMB currently uses MyNetworkTV branding for subchannel 9.2, branded as "MyNetworkTV Erie."
=== Sale to Lake Shore Broadcasting ===
On January 13, 2017, almost a year after signing on, Mission Broadcasting announced that they were looking into putting WABM-TV up for sale sometime during the year. Tribune Broadcasting and Fox Television Stations, Inc. expressed interest in the station (Had the former purchased the station, it would have ended up back under Nexstar's ownership on September 19, 2019, when Nexstar's purchase of Tribune was finalized). However, Mission agreed to sell the station to upstart company Lake Shore Broadcasting on January 15, 2017, just two days after announcing they would sell the station. The sale closed on March 31, 2017. On that same date,  channel 9 secured the broadcast rights to the long running syndicated game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune under a 3 season contract, creating a rare situation where a CW or MyNetworkTV affiliate airs both shows. Both shows moved to channel 9 on September 11, 2017, in an effort by Lake Shore Broadcasting to help The CW become a major network on a par with ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. They are part of a two hour block of game shows, with Jeopardy! airing at 6pm, Wheel at 6:30pm, and a double run of Family Feud at 7pm. The 7pm newscast moved to 10pm at that point. WCMB posted its highest nielsen ratings in the 6pm hour since signing on in 2016 after the two game shows premiered on the station, including Saturday, when reruns from the previous season air, with Family Feud giving the 7pm hour a slight ratings boost for the station.
=== The CW affiliation ===
On April 21, 2017, Lake Shore Broadcasting and The CW Network, LLC (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Time Warner, each owning a 50% interest) announced that they have reached a deal for channel 9 to become Erie's CW affiliate, originally scheduled to take effect in September 2017. The CW had not been available in Erie prior to the affiliation deal, with the only access to select shows being available on the online streaming services Hulu and Netflix. For almost 5 months afterwards, MyNetworkTV programming remained on the station as a secondary affiliation, airing from 10pm to 12am Monday through Friday. Lake Shore Broadcasting was able to get the affiliation deal expedited on April 22, 2017, and began to air CW programming on April 24. The logo was given an update. The MyNetworkTV logo within the stylized 9 was replaced by a dot, and The CW's logo was placed to the left of the 9.  Given that The CW was not available in the Erie market in any form (cable companies in the area refused to carry CW affiliates from nearby markets, WTWN out of Buffalo, New York, WXEL out of Cleveland, Ohio, and CW O&O WFJD out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, denying access to the network within the market, although these stations are picked up over the air in parts of the market, depending on location within the market. This was due to stations within Erie claiming Syndicated Exclusivity (SyndEx) on a number of non-CW syndicated programs that aired on those three stations; cable companies in Erie did not want to deal with the burden of blacking out those programs; Erie cable systems were able to carry the aforementioned WCDL without blackouts because that station was always able to obtain full signal rights to its programming since SyndEx was reinstated in 1990, when WCDL was an Independent station), it was expected that CBS and Time Warner (the companies who own The CW) would agree to grant WABM the rights to air the network's programming at an earlier date. MyNetworkTV programming was originally slated to move to 11pm to 1am in September. On June 24, 2017, Lake Shore Broadcasting announced that subchannel 9.2's affiliation with Antenna TV would not be renewed in September; NBC affiliate WJCH assumed the Antenna TV affiliation on September 11, 2017, placing it on subchannel 14.3. MyNetworkTV moved to 9.2 at that point, moving back to its intended timeslot, 8pm to 10pm, while other dayparts feature other syndicated programming, including previous season reruns of shows that air in first run on the main channel. The main subchannel's secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV ended on September 9, 2017 at midnight. WCMB airs all of The CW's programming in pattern, with the exception of reruns of The Jerry Springer Show, which airs at noon instead of its intended timeslot, 3pm, due to the station's pre-existing obligation to air The Wendy Williams Show in the 3pm time slot. On their first night as a CW affiliate, the 7pm newscast was mostly devoted to their new affiliation as a kickoff show. Stars from CW shows made appearances on the newscast before cutting to and after returning from commercial breaks live from the lot at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, California and CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California to welcome channel 9 to the CW family. Beginning with that evening's airing of Supergirl, the main channel upgraded its picture resolution from 720p to 1080i, the resolution that all CW programming airs in. WABM opted not to carry The CW Plus, due to still having been under contract to air MyNetworkTV programming plus its desire to air its own schedule of syndicated programming outside of network hours; The CW Plus would've made this impossible, as the service is a prepared national feed supplied by the network with syndicated programming already on the schedule. It was later revealed that the affiliation was offered to channel 9 by the network after the station finalized the deal with CW half-sister company CBS Television Distribution to air Jeopardy! and Wheel. On February 1, 2018, WCMB dropped Fox Family from subchannel 9.4 and replaced it with MeTV, a classic rerun-based digital multicast network, bringing classic TV reruns back to the WCMB subchannels for the first time since Antenna TV departed 9.2. On that same date, WCMB signed on 9.5, affiliated with Escape.
=== Call letter change ===
On June 26, 2017, channel 9 changed their call letters from WABM-TV to WCMB-TV, to reflect the upcoming changes in affiliation for their 9.1 and 9.2 subchannels.
=== Syndicated programming ===
In addition to network programming from The CW, WCMB-TV airs syndicated programming, including Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, various versions of Law & Order, The People's Court, and Divorce Court. On November 5, 2019, WCMB added reruns of the A&E original program LivePD, under the title "Best of LivePD." The reruns are a joint production of A&E and WCMB owner Lake Shore Broadcasting, with plans to syndicate the reruns in the future.
== Radio sister stations ==
WCMB-TV has two sister radio stations, one based in Erie, the other based in New Jersey as a semi-satellite station of the Erie radio station. Classic Rock station WCMB-FM is based in a studio downstairs from WCMB-TV. Semi-satellite station WAPT-FM is licensed to and based in Asbury Park, New Jersey. WAPT simulcasts the signal of WCMB-FM to the Jersey Shore, with a few exceptions. Advertisements for local Erie area businesses and cross promotion of WCMB-TV is replaced on WAPT with advertisements for local businesses in Monmouth and Ocean Counties in New Jersey. Both stations are mentioned in top of the hour legal IDs.
== Digital Subchannels ==
Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP Short Name	Programming
9.1 	1080i	16:9 	WCMB-TV 	Main WCMB-TV programming/The CW
9.2 	720p 	16:9 	MNTVErie 	MyNetworkTV
9.3 	480i 	4:3 	BUZZR 	Buzzr
9.4 	480i 	4:3 	MeTV 	MeTV
9.5 	480i 	4:3 	Escape 	Escape
From July 3, 2016 to February 1, 2018, 9.4 was affiliated with Fox Family. It was replaced by MeTV. At that same time, 9.5 signed on carrying Escape
== WCMB-TV schedule (main subchannel, 9.1) ==
 	S 	M 	T 	W 	T 	F 	S 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
12am 	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit		 	 	 	 	 	 	
12:30am	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit	Law & Order Special Victims Unit		 	 	 	 	 	 	
1am 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
1:30am 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
2am 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
2:30am 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
3am 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
3:30am 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 	Best of LivePD 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
4am 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
4am 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
4am 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 		Religious programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming
5:30am 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 	Paid Programming 		Religious programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming
6am 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		Religious programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming
6:30am 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		Religious programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming	Paid Programming
7am 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
7:30am 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	E/I Programming 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
8am 	Paid Programming 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
8:30am 	Paid Programming 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
9am 	Paid Programming 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
9:30am 	Paid Programming 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	Maury 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
10am 	Paid Programming 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
10:30am	Paid Programming 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
11am 	Paid Programming 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
11:30am	Paid Programming 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	Steve Wilkos Show 	One Magnificent Morning 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
12pm 	Family Guy 	The Jerry Springer Show 	The Jerry Springer Show 	The Jerry Springer Show 	The Jerry Springer Show 	The Jerry Springer Show 	Family Guy 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
12:30pm	American Dad 	The Jerry Springer Show 	The Jerry Springer Show 	The Jerry Springer Show 	The Jerry Springer Show 	The Jerry Springer Show 	American Dad 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
1pm 	The Simpsons 	Divorce Court 	Divorce Court 	Divorce Court 	Divorce Court 	Divorce Court 	The Simpsons 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
1:30pm 	The Cleveland Show 	The People's Court 	The People's Court 	The People's Court 	The People's Court 	The People's Court 	The Cleveland Show 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
2pm 	My Fair Nancy 	Funny You Should Ask 	Funny You Should Ask 	Funny You Should Ask 	Funny You Should Ask 	Funny You Should Ask 	The Nanny 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
2:30pm 	My Fair Nancy 	25 Words or Less 	25 Words or Less 	25 Words or Less 	25 Words or Less 	25 Words or Less 	The Nanny 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
3pm 	Mama’s Family 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Jeffersons 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
3:30pm 	Mama’s Family 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Wendy Williams Show 	The Jeffersons 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
4pm 	Family Matters 	Judge Judy 	Judge Judy 	Judge Judy 	Judge Judy 	Judge Judy 	Law & Order 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
4:30pm 	Family Matters 	Jude Jerry 	Jude Jerry 	Jude Jerry 	Jude Jerry 	Jude Jerry 	Law & Order 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
5pm 	The Nanny 	Family Guy 	Family Guy 	Family Guy 	Family Guy 	Family Guy 	Bones 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
5:30pm 	The Nanny 	American Dad 	American Dad 	American Dad 	American Dad 	American Dad 	Bones 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
6pm 	Law & Order 	Jeopardy! 	Jeopardy! 	Jeopardy! 	Jeopardy! 	Jeopardy! 	Jeopardy! 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
6:30pm 	Law & Order 	Wheel of Fortune 	Wheel of Fortune 	Wheel of Fortune 	Wheel of Fortune 	Wheel of Fortune 	Wheel of Fortune 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
7pm 	NFL This Week 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
7:30pm 	NFL This Week 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 	Family Feud 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
8pm 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	Mama’s Family 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
8:30pm 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	Mama’s Family 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
9pm 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	Mama’s Family 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
9:30pm 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	The CW Programming 	Mama’s Family 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
10pm 	Family Guy 	The CW 9 News at 10 	The CW 9 News at 10 	The CW 9 News at 10 	The CW 9 News at 10 	The CW 9 News at 10 	Family Guy 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
10:30pm	The Simpsons 	The CW 9 News at 10 	The CW 9 News at 10 	The CW 9 News at 10 	The CW 9 News at 10 	The CW 9 News at 10 	American Dad 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
11pm 	Forensic Files 	The Simpsons 	The Simpsons 	The Simpsons 	The Simpsons 	The Simpsons 	Forensic Files 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
11:30pm	Forensic Files 	The Cleveland Show 	The Cleveland Show 	The Cleveland Show 	The Cleveland Show 	The Cleveland Show 	Forensic Filies 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
== Confusion between WLEP-LD and WCMB-TV ==
WCMB-TV is not related in any way to the defunct WLEP-LD. WCMB's physical digital channel is located on a different frequency, and WCMB is a full power station, while WLEP was a low power station. WCMB's license is a new, separate construction permit issued after the demise of WLEP.
== Past logos==
== Gallery ==
WABM Supergirl promo.jpg|CW promo for Supergirl, as aired on WABM the day before the station officially assumed their CW affiliation
MNTVonCW9.jpg|Promo for WCMB's airing of MyNetworkTV on a secondary basis after the station affiliated with the CW, moving MNTV to secondary status on the station, when the main subchannel still aired MyNetworkTV programming. The syndication service moved to 9.2 on September 11, 2017
JeopardyWheelCW9 promo.png|Promo for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune
WCMBDT4.png|Ident for digital subchannel 9.4, affiliated with MeTV
Category:Channel 9
Category:Erie
Category:Pennsylvania
Category:Television channels and stations established in 2016
Category:Lake Shore Broadcasting
Category:CW network affiliates
Category:Former MyNetworkTV affiliates
Category:Quebecor Media