WGN-TV

WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 (UHF digital channel 19), is an independent television station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, United States. WGN-TV was the second commercial television station to sign on in both the Chicago market and the state of Illinois, behind WBKB-TV, which began experimental operations in 1940 (as W9XBK) and began commercial operations as an independent station on September 6, 1946; and was one of three television stations and the only non-network-owned station to sign on in Chicago during 1948: ABC would launch WENR-TV (channel 7, now WLS-TV) on September 17 and NBC would launch WNBQ (channel 5, now WMAQ-TV) on October 8.

Soon, other companies decided to copy Turner's idea and applied for satellite uplinks to distribute other stations; WGN-TV in Chicago, KTVU in Oakland-San Francisco, and WPIX and WOR-TV in New York City would begin to be distributed nationally during the late 1970s and early 1980s (in the case of KTVU, it would revert to being a regional superstation by the early part of the latter decade).

The former "superstation" feed, WGN America, was converted by Tribune into a conventional basic cable network in December 2014, at which time it removed all WGN-TV-produced local programs from its schedule and began to be carried on cable providers within the Chicago market (including Xfinity, U-verse, WOW!

WGN America was originally established on November 9, 1978, when United Video Inc. began redistributing the signal of WGN-TV (channel 9) in Chicago, Illinois—which, alongside WGN America, Chicago-based local cable news channel Chicagoland Television (CLTV) and news/talk/sports radio station WGN (720 AM), was among the flagship broadcasting properties of Tribune Media (formerly known as the Tribune Company prior to the August 2014 spin-off of its publishing division) until the closure of Nexstar's acquisition of Tribune in September 2019—to cable and satellite subscribers throughout the United States.

On September 13, 1946, WGN Incorporated—a subsidiary of the Chicago Tribune Company, headed at the time by Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune and owner of local radio stations WGN (720 AM) and WGNB (98.7 FM; frequency now occupied by WFMT)—submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a construction permit to build and license to operate a television station on VHF channel 9.

Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are named), it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region.

WGN-TV's second digital subchannel serves as an owned-and-operated station of Nexstar's national classic television multicast network Antenna TV, which is headquartered at the WGN-TV studios.

While Tribune-owned stations such as WGN-TV in Chicago, WPIX in New York City and KTLA in Los Angeles (along with most of the ACME stations) aired programming from The WB, they did not fit the standard definition of an owned-and-operated station.

Like concept progenitor WTBS in Atlanta, WGN-TV—which, alongside WGN radio and CLTV, was among the flagship broadcasting properties of Tribune Media (formerly known as the Tribune Company until August 2014) until the company's purchase by Nexstar was completed in September 2019—was a pioneering superstation; on November 8, 1978, it became the second U.S. television station to be made available via satellite transmission to cable and direct-broadcast satellite subscribers nationwide.

Other microwave firms were also developed to relay independent television stations to cable systems, including H&B Microwave (a subsidiary of H&B Communications Corp., a major provider of CATV service and microwave relays throughout the U.S.), which began retransmitting the signal of WGN-TV (channel 9) in Chicago to subscribers of the Dubuque TV-FM Cable Company in Dubuque, Iowa; WGN's signal soon began to be imported via microwave to other CATV systems throughout the Midwest.

Owned by the Nexstar Media Group, it is a sister property to news/talk/sports radio station WGN (720 AM) and local cable news channel Chicagoland Television (CLTV).

The channel has formerly owned by Tribune Media (through its Tribune Broadcasting subsidiary) since its debut; it was one of three flagship media properties owned by the company, alongside radio station WGN (720 AM) and CLTV's news partners, independent station WGN-TV (channel 9) until 2019 after Nexstar Media Group acquired Tribune Media.

WGN-TV was the second commercial television station to sign on in both the Chicago market and the state of Illinois, behind WBKB-TV, which began experimental operations in 1940 (as W9XBK) and began commercial operations as an independent station on September 6, 1946; and was one of three television stations and the only non-network-owned station to sign on in Chicago during 1948: ABC would launch WENR-TV (channel 7, now WLS-TV) on September 17 and NBC would launch WNBQ (channel 5, now WMAQ-TV) on October 8.

It was the third television station to sign on in the Chicago market behind WGN-TV (channel 9), which debuted six months earlier in April, and WBKB (channel 4), which changed from an experimental station to a commercial operation in September 1946.

WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 (UHF digital channel 19), is an independent television station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, United States.

A number of statues also honor recent local heroes such as Michael Jordan (by Amrany and Rotblatt-Amrany), Stan Mikita, and Bobby Hull outside of the United Center; Harry Caray (by Amrany and Cella) outside Wrigley field, Jack Brickhouse (by McKenna) next to the WGN studios, and Irv Kupcinet at the Wabash Avenue Bridge.

Like concept progenitor WTBS in Atlanta, WGN-TV—which, alongside WGN radio and CLTV, was among the flagship broadcasting properties of Tribune Media (formerly known as the Tribune Company until August 2014) until the company's purchase by Nexstar was completed in September 2019—was a pioneering superstation; on November 8, 1978, it became the second U.S. television station to be made available via satellite transmission to cable and direct-broadcast satellite subscribers nationwide.

Tribune entered the television industry then in its infancy, in 1948, with the establishment of WGN-TV in Chicago in April and WPIX in New York City in June of that year.

Several DuMont programs were produced from the station's facilities during the late 1940s and the first half of the 1950s, including The Al Morgan Show, Chicago Symphony, Chicagoland Mystery Players, Music From Chicago, The Music Show, They Stand Accused (the first televised courtroom drama program), This is Music, Windy City Jamboree and Down You Go.

Chicagoland Mystery Players was a live television series first shown on local station WGN-TV in Chicago starting in 1949, then picked up by the DuMont Television Network and first aired on the network September 11, 1949.

Several DuMont programs were produced from the station's facilities during the late 1940s and the first half of the 1950s, including The Al Morgan Show, Chicago Symphony, Chicagoland Mystery Players, Music From Chicago, The Music Show, They Stand Accused (the first televised courtroom drama program), This is Music, Windy City Jamboree and Down You Go.

The show was a musical program broadcast live from WGN-TV in Chicago, featuring the vocal talents of Mike Douglas, Henri Noel, Eleanor Warner, Jackie Van, and (in 1954) Dolores Peterson.

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 Tribune would launch a television station in Chicago, WGN-TV (channel 9), in April 1948 as a dual affiliate of CBS and the DuMont Television Network (which it would remain so until 1953, when CBS acquired WBBM-TV and moved its affiliation there).

Tribune's later television purchases included those of WANX-TV (subsequently re-called WGNX, now WGCL-TV) in Atlanta (in 1983); KTLA in Los Angeles (in 1985); WPHL-TV in Philadelphia (in 1992); WLVI-TV in Boston (owned from 1994 to 2006); KHTV (now KIAH) in Houston (in 1995); KTTY (now KSWB-TV) in San Diego (in 1996); KCPQ and KTWB-TV (now KZJO) in Seattle (in 1998 and 1999, respectively); and WBDC-TV (now WDCW) in Washington, D.C. (in 1999).

Although not as widespread in national carriage as its Chicago sister station WGN-TV, KTLA is available as a superstation throughout North America via DirecTV and Dish Network (the latter service available only to grandfathered subscribers that had purchased its a la carte superstation tier before Dish halted sales of the package to new subscribers in September 2013), as well as on cable providers in select cities within the southwestern United States and throughout Canada.

As a consequence of the deal, CBS moved the remainder of its programming to the rechristened WBBM-TV on April 1; this left Channel 9 exclusively affiliated with the faltering DuMont.

In April 1948, WBKB began sharing the market's CBS affiliation with WGN-TV (channel 9), after that station signed on.

Like concept progenitor WTBS in Atlanta, WGN-TV—which, alongside WGN radio and CLTV, was among the flagship broadcasting properties of Tribune Media (formerly known as the Tribune Company until August 2014) until the company's purchase by Nexstar was completed in September 2019—was a pioneering superstation; on November 8, 1978, it became the second U.S. television station to be made available via satellite transmission to cable and direct-broadcast satellite subscribers nationwide.

The station, and Turner's innovation, pioneered the distribution of broadcast television stations via satellite transmission to pay television subscribers nationwide, leading United Video Inc. and Eastern Microwave Inc., respectively, to uplink fellow independent stations WGN-TV in Chicago and WOR-TV in New York City (now MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated station WWOR-TV in Secaucus, New Jersey) to satellite for distribution as national superstations by the spring of 1979.

The station became a network affiliate on September 26, 1948, when it began carrying programming from the DuMont Television Network; CBS programming was subsequently added to its schedule on December 1 of that year.

In 1953, CBS bought pioneer television station WBKB in Chicago, which had been signed on by former investor Paramount Pictures (and would become a sister company to CBS again decades later) as a commercial station in 1946, and changed that station's call sign to WBBM-TV, moving the CBS affiliation away from WGN-TV.

Several DuMont programs were produced from the station's facilities during the late 1940s and the first half of the 1950s, including The Al Morgan Show, Chicago Symphony, Chicagoland Mystery Players, Music From Chicago, The Music Show, They Stand Accused (the first televised courtroom drama program), This is Music, Windy City Jamboree and Down You Go.

The series was recorded in a courtroom presided over by attorney Charles Johnston and broadcast live from Chicago's WGN-TV, with jurors chosen from the studio audience.

It was also the seventh commercial station to sign on in the Midwest, the 19th such station to sign on in the United States, and the first of the two television stations that were founded by the Tribune Company to debut: the News Syndicate Company – a Tribune-controlled subsidiary of the New York Daily News that was operated by descendants of the newspaper's late founder and McCormick's cousin, Joseph Medill Patterson – would sign on independent station WPIX (now a CW affiliate) in New York City on June 15, 1948.

In 1978, WPIX was uplinked to satellite and became a superstation that was distributed to cable providers throughout the U.S. (many providers carried WPIX's signal until the early 1990s, when most systems outside of the Northeastern United States began replacing WPIX with the superstation feed of WGN-TV, though the station continues to be distributed through Dish Network domestically (which since it halted sales of the package to new subscribers in September 2013, is available only to grandfathered subscribers of its a la carte superstation tier) and on most cable and satellite providers throughout Canada).

The station became a network affiliate on September 26, 1948, when it began carrying programming from the DuMont Television Network; CBS programming was subsequently added to its schedule on December 1 of that year.

WGN-TV (channel 9) in Chicago and WABD in New York were able to share programs through a live coaxial cable feed when WDTV signed on in Pittsburgh, because the station completed the East Coast-to-Midwest chain, allowing stations in both regions to air the same program simultaneously, which is still the standard for US TV.

Six other stations – including KDAF in Dallas–Fort Worth and WDZL (now WSFL-TV) in Miami – were added through its purchase of Renaissance Broadcasting in July 1996, and two more were added through its November 1999 acquisition of the Quincy Jones- and Tribune-owned consortium Qwest Broadcasting (forcing the sale of WGNX to the Meredith Corporation in order to acquire Qwest's Atlanta property, WATL).

Founded by Maxwell Electronics Corporation (owned by Carroll Maxwell, who also served as its general manager), the station aired a mix of syndicated and locally produced programming, among which included the public affairs program Dallas Speaks (hosted by Jim Underwood, who previously worked at CBS affiliate KRLD-TV (channel 4, now KDFW) as a reporter), and children's programs Bozo's Big Top (a localized version of the Bozo the Clown franchise, which would eventually become synonymous with the version aired by KDAF's present-day Chicago sister station WGN-TV from 1966 to 2001 after it became a national superstation) and Colonel Pembroke's Funtime.

Several DuMont programs were produced from the station's facilities during the late 1940s and the first half of the 1950s, including The Al Morgan Show, Chicago Symphony, Chicagoland Mystery Players, Music From Chicago, The Music Show, They Stand Accused (the first televised courtroom drama program), This is Music, Windy City Jamboree and Down You Go.

The show aired live from the Rainbow Gardens nightclub in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday nights from 8pm to 10 pm ET, using the facilities of DuMont affiliate WGN-TV.

On cable, WGN-TV is available locally on Comcast Xfinity channels 9 (SD) and 192 (HD), WOW! channels 9 (SD) and 206 (HD), RCN channels 9 (SD) and 609 (HD), and AT&T U-verse channels 9 (SD) and 1009 (HD).

Tribune's later television purchases included those of WANX-TV (subsequently re-called WGNX, now WGCL-TV) in Atlanta (in 1983); KTLA in Los Angeles (in 1985); WPHL-TV in Philadelphia (in 1992); WLVI-TV in Boston (owned from 1994 to 2006); KHTV (now KIAH) in Houston (in 1995); KTTY (now KSWB-TV) in San Diego (in 1996); KCPQ and KTWB-TV (now KZJO) in Seattle (in 1998 and 1999, respectively); and WBDC-TV (now WDCW) in Washington, D.C. (in 1999).

Chicago-based Tribune Broadcasting acquired Channel 46 in late 1983, after which its call letters were changed once again on March 15, 1984, this time to WGNX; the new callsign reflected a connection with Tribune's Chicago flagship station, WGN-TV (whose own callsign refers to the slogan of the Chicago Tribune, "World's Greatest Newspaper").

WGN-TV was the second commercial television station to sign on in both the Chicago market and the state of Illinois, behind WBKB-TV, which began experimental operations in 1940 (as W9XBK) and began commercial operations as an independent station on September 6, 1946; and was one of three television stations and the only non-network-owned station to sign on in Chicago during 1948: ABC would launch WENR-TV (channel 7, now WLS-TV) on September 17 and NBC would launch WNBQ (channel 5, now WMAQ-TV) on October 8.

The "lifeline" programming provided on analog UHF channel 23 included WMAQ's weekday and Saturday morning, weeknight 6:00 p.m. and weekend 5:00 p.m. newscasts, along with WGN-TV (channel 9)'s 9:00 p.m. newscast.

Several DuMont programs were produced from the station's facilities during the late 1940s and the first half of the 1950s, including The Al Morgan Show, Chicago Symphony, Chicagoland Mystery Players, Music From Chicago, The Music Show, They Stand Accused (the first televised courtroom drama program), This is Music, Windy City Jamboree and Down You Go.

Unlike most DuMont offerings which were broadcast from the network's studios in New York City, the series was broadcast from WGN-TV in Chicago.