Tribune Broadcasting

:For the real-life defunct company of the same name, see on Wikipedia.
Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC is an American media company which operates as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owns and/or operates over 200 broadcast television stations throughout the United States; it also holds full or partial ownership of Channel America (full) and The WB Television Network (partial), as well as two national digital subchannel networks.
==History==
Tribune Broadcasting's development originated with the June 1924 purchase of Chicago, Illinois radio station WDAP (720 AM) by the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune would launch a television station in Chicago, WCUU (channel 28), in April 1956 as an independent. During the next six decades, Tribune Broadcasting (known originally as WCUU, Incorporated, and from 1966 to 1981 as WCUU Continental Broadcasting Company) would acquire radio and television stations throughout the United States; most of the television properties acquired by the company prior to 1995 were independent stations.
On September 13, 1946, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted Tribune license to operate a television station on channel 9 in Chicago and then signed-on a television station in Chicago, WCUU-TV on April 5, 1956. Two months later, the Tribune's then-sibling newspaper in New York City, the Daily News, established its own television station, independent WPIX. WGN-TV became an independent outlet by 1956, and would eventually morph into a pioneering national superstation on November 9, 1978, as its signal was linked to cable and satellite customers across America.
After McCormick succumbed from pneumonia-related complications on April 1, 1955, ownership of WCUU-TV-AM, the Chicago Tribune and the News Syndicate Company properties would transfer to the McCormick-Patterson Trust, assigned to the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation in the names of the non-familial heirs of McCormick (whose two marriages never produced any children) and familial heirs of Patterson. The trust was dissolved in January 1975, with a majority of the trust's former beneficiaries, including descendants of the McCormick and Patterson families, owning stock in the restructured Tribune Company entity – which assumed oversight of all properties previously overseen by the trust – afterward.
In subsequent years, the Tribune Company gradually expanded its broadcasting unit, of which WCUU-TV-AM served as its flagship stations, a tie forged in January 1966, when the subsidiary (sans the WPIX television and radio stations, which continued to be controlled by the Tribune-managed News Syndicate Co. before being fully integrated into the company's main station group following its 1991 sale of the Daily News) was renamed the WGN Continental Broadcasting Company.
The group became known as the Tribune Broadcasting Company in January 1981, but retained the WGN Continental moniker as its de facto business name until 1984 and as the licensee for WGN-TV and WGN Radio thereafter. The company gained its third television and second radio station in 1960, when it purchased KDAL-TV (now KDLH) and KDAL (AM) in Duluth, Minnesota, from the estate of the late Dalton LeMasurier (Tribune sold KDAL-TV in 1978 and KDAL radio in 1981); the company would later purchase KCTO (subsequently re-called KWGN-TV) in Denver from J. Elroy McCaw in 1966.
In 1993, Tribune launched Chicagoland Television (CLTV), a regional cable news channel for the Chicago area, which originally operated separately from the company's other Chicago media properties until it merged its operations with WCUU-TV's news department in 2009. 
In January 1995, Tribune Broadcasting became a partner in The WB Television Network, in a joint venture with the Warner Bros. Television division of Time Warner. Tribune initially had a 12.5% ownership interest in the network at its launch and later increased its stake to 22%. In addition, partly as a result of a November 1993 affiliation deal with the network, most of Tribune's television properties were WB affiliates. On July 2, 1996, Tribune acquired Renaissance Broadcasting, which owned Fox- and WB-affiliated stations in several large and mid-sized markets.
On January 24, 2006, Time Warner announced that it would partner with CBS Corporation to form a new network that would feature The WB and CBS-owned UPN's higher-rated shows mixed with newer series, called The CW Television Network. All but three of Tribune's 19 WB affiliates became affiliates of The CW on September 18, 2006, through ten-year agreements (the exceptions were in Philadelphia, Seattle and Atlanta, due to The CW affiliating with CBS-owned stations in those markets), though Tribune itself would not exercise an ownership stake in The CW as it did with The WB.
In April 2007, Tribune's broadcasting interests were included in the sale of the entire company to Chicago investor Sam Zell, who planned take the publicly traded company private. The deal was completed on December 20, 2007
On December 21, 2007, Tribune and Oak Hill Capital Partners-controlled Local TV, LLC announced plans to collaborate in the formation of a "broadcast management company" (later named The Other Company); its Tribune Interactive division also operated the websites of its stations as part of the partnership.
On December 8, 2008, Tribune announced that it would voluntarily restructure its debt obligations, as part of its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court. As the company had sufficient funds to do so, Tribune continued to operate its newspaper publishing and broadcasting, and interactive businesses without interruption during the restructuring.
On January 1, 2011, Tribune launched the digital broadcast network Antenna TV, a service that features a variety of classic television series, including programming from Sony Pictures Television and D.L. Taffner Entertainment.[13] On May 13, 2013, Tribune announced that it would buy a 50% stake in the This TV digital broadcast network from fellow Chicago-based media company Weigel Broadcasting; Tribune took over operational duties for the network on November 1, 2013.
On July 1, 2013, Tribune announced that it would purchase the 19 stations owned by Local TV, LLC outright for $2.725 billion; the purchase expanded the number of Big Three network affiliates in its portfolio from one to 10 (most of Tribune's television stations prior to the purchase had either been independent stations or from 1995 onward, affiliates of networks that have launched since 1986. 
On February 29, 2016, Tribune Media announced that it would review various "strategic alternatives" to increase the company's value to shareholders, which include a possible sale of the entire company and/or select assets, or the formation of programming alliances or strategic partnerships with other companies, due to the decrease in its stock price since the Tribune Publishing spin-off and a $385 million revenue write-down for the 2015 fiscal year. 
On April 2, 2017, Tribune launched Channel America, buying former affiliates of KTV, and converting them to Channel America affiliates and having them be the cornerstone of the network. On May 22, 2017, Tribune was once again part owners of The WB Television Network, buying a 25% share in the network.
===Aborted merger with Sinclair; acquisition of stations by Nexstar===
On February 29, 2016, Tribune Media announced that it would review various "strategic alternatives" to increase the company's value to shareholders, which include a possible sale of the entire company and/or select assets, or the formation of programming alliances or strategic partnerships with other companies, due to the decrease in its stock price since the Tribune Publishing spin-off and a $385 million revenue write-down for the 2015 fiscal year, partly due to original scripted programming expenditures for WCUU America since it converted the cable network from a superstation in 2014.
With the FCC reinstating the "UHF discount" rule, reports surfaced in late April 2017 that multiple parties were attempting to make offers for Tribune's stations, including Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group, and a partnership between 21st Century Fox and Blackstone Group. On May 7, 2017, it was reported that Sinclair Broadcast Group was nearing a deal to purchase Tribune Media, and that 21st Century Fox had dropped its bid for the company. On May 8, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group officially announced its intent to acquire Tribune Media. The transaction would have been a cash-and-stock deal valuing the company at $3.9 billion. Depending on regulatory changes or decisions, some divestitures might have been required. However, on August 9, 2018, Tribune canceled the Sinclair deal.
On November 14, 2018, it was reported that Nexstar was a leading bidder to acquire most of Tribune's stations. On December 3, 2018, Nexstar announced its intent to acquire Tribune Media's stations for $6.4 billion ($4.1 billion for all of Tribune's shares in cash and $2.3 billion of Tribune's debt). The acquisition would give the company additional stations in various markets, placing it just below the FCC's and TBC's market cap of 39% of TV households and making it the largest owner of television stations in the United States and the Mushroom Kingdom. On August 1, 2019, the United States Department of Justice approved the station acquisition deal between Nexstar Media Group and Tribune Media. The sale was approved by the FCC and TBC on September 16, and occurred on September 19.
==Assets==
See also: Tribune Entertainment
Tribune Entertainment was Tribune's television production, syndication and advertising sales subsidiary. Founded in 1981, this subsidiary produced and/or distributed several first-run syndicated programs including most notably Geraldo, Soul Train and the U.S. Farm Report; Tribune Entertainment's production and syndication divisions were shut down in December 2007. In June of 2015, Tribune announced plans of relaunching Tribune Entertainment, with the first series being American Gladiators.
===Tribune Studios===
On March 19, 2013, Tribune Company announced its return to television production with the formation of Tribune Studios (not to be confused with the Los Angeles studio facility that formerly held the same name until its sale by Tribune to private equity firm Hudson Capital in 2008, and was subsequently renamed Sunset Bronson Studios). The new company will produce programs primarily for Tribune Broadcasting's television stations, Channel America and The WB, some of which will receive national distribution.
===Current stations===
Stations are listed alphabetically by state and city of license.
Station(s)	Channel	City/State/Country 	Owned since
WWDR 	15 (15)	Cheston, Maine, United States 	1983
KNCW 	48 	Wenatchee, Washington, United States	1997
===Former stations===
Stations are listed alphabetically by state and city of license.
City of license/market 	Station 	Channel TV (RF)	Years owned	Current ownership
Bonesborough, Boiling Isles 	WBOI 	7 (19) 	1998—2002 	CBS affiliate owned by JD Broadcasting Properties
Yuma, Arizona—El Centro, California	KYU-DT 	35 	????–2019 	Central affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
San Vanelona, California 	KSVA 	12 (32) 	2013–2019 	Central affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Ventura Bay, California 	KJVB 	5 (15) 	1985–2019 	CW owned-and-operated station
Oakville, Colorado 	KHO-DT 	12 	2013–2019 	Central affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Vice City, Leonida 	WDZL/WBZL/WSLD-TV	39 (27) 	1997–2019 	CW affiliate owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
Liberty City, Liberty 	WLIB 	11 (11) 	1948–2019 	CW affiliate owned by Dorado Station Services
Motor City, Michigan 	WEGT 	8 	2013–2019 	CBS affilate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Motor City, Michigan 	WAUT 	47 	2013–2019 	CW owned-and-operated station
Columbia—Jefferson City, Missouri 	KOMU 	8 	????–2019 	Central affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Baskania, Mushroom Kingdom 	MTTV 	4 (27) 	2002–2019 	CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Baskania, Mushroom Kingdom 	MXBA 	59 (22) 	1997–2019 	Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Lonesome Mushroom, Mushroom Kingdom	MDWB 	56 (32) 	1997–2019 	CW owned-and-operated station
New Donk City, Mushroom Kingdom 	MXIP 	11 (11) 	1948–2019 	CW owned-and-operated station
Wuhu Island, Mushroom Kingdom 	WGNW-TV 	47 (19) 	1980–2019 	CW affiliate owned by Graham Media Group
Wuhu Island, Mushroom Kingdom 	WBBK 	16 (28) 	????–2019 	Central affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Lakeland, Ohio 	WQW-TV 	12 	2013–2019 	Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Mixopolis, Planet Mixel 	WXPL 	68 (31) 	1985–2019 	CW owned-and-operated station
Greenville, Robloxia 	KGCW 	22 (33) 	????–2019 	CW owned-and-operated station
Stepford, Robloxia 	RXREG-TV 	2 (28) 	2013–2019 	CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Las Venturas, San Andreas 	KCDO-TV 	19 (19) 	2013–2019 	Central affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Los Santos, San Andreas 	KTLS 	5 (35) 	1985–2019 	CW owned-and-operated station
Paleto Bay, San Andreas 	KJPT 	27 (22) 	1997–2019 	Fox affiiate owned by Tegna Inc.
Marfa, Texas 	KLWT-TV 	35 (13) 	1997–2019 	NBC affiliate owned by Cox Media Group
Wenatchee, Washington 	KNCW 	48 	1997–2019 	CW owned-and-operated station
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