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| Channels for KWBQ | |
| Channels for KRWB-TV | |
| Branding | New Mexico's CW |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner | Mission Broadcasting, Inc. |
| Operator | Nexstar Media Group |
| KRQE,KASY-TV | |
| History | |
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First air date |
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| Technical information[1][2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
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| ERP |
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Transmitter coordinates | |
| Translator | K24CT-DAlamogordo |
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| Website | www |
KWBQ (channel 19) is atelevision station licensed toSanta Fe, New Mexico, United States, serving theAlbuquerque area as ade factoowned-and-operated station ofThe CW. The station's transmitter is located atopSandia Crest. KWBQ is owned byMission Broadcasting alongsideMyNetworkTV affiliateKASY-TV (channel 50). The two stations share studios with dualCBS/Fox affiliateKRQE (channel 13) on Broadcast Plaza in Albuquerque.Nexstar Media Group, which owns KRQE and holds a majority stake in The CW, providesmaster control, technical, engineering and accounting services for KWBQ and KASY-TV through ashared services agreement (SSA), though the two stations are otherwise operated separately from KRQE as Mission handles programming, advertising sales andretransmission consent negotiations.
KRWB-TV (channel 21) inRoswell operates as asatellite of KWBQ, extending its signal across southeastern New Mexico. This station's transmitter is located nearHagerman. KRWB is a straightsimulcast of KWBQ; on-air references to KRWB are limited toFederal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated hourlystation identifications during programming. Besides the transmitter, KRWB does not maintain any physical presence in Roswell. Unlike its parent station, KRWB does not carry any of KWBQ'ssubchannels, but does carry KASY-TV on its second subchannel.
KWBQ commenced operations on March 5, 1999, as an affiliate ofThe WB, bringing that network's programming back to the market two years after then-UPN affiliate KASY-TV dropped its secondary affiliation with the network after a two-year run in 1997. The station was originally branded as "WB19" at sign-on, before it was later changed to "New Mexico's WB" in 2002.ACME Communications would purchase KASY from Ramar Communications in June 1999, a deal that resulted in the formation of Albuquerque's first majortelevision duopoly and the termination of KASY'slocal marketing agreement withLee Enterprises (then-owners ofCBS affiliateKRQE). In February 2003, KWBQ signed on Roswell-licensed satellite station KRWB-TV on UHF channel 21 to extend KWBQ's broadcast signal into southeastern New Mexico. This partially filled a gap that was created in January 2002 when the network'sEl Paso affiliate,KKWB, switched its affiliation toTeleFutura; as a result, the network's programming would only be available on cable in the El Paso market viaLos AngelessuperstationKTLA for the remainder of its run.
On January 24, 2006,Time Warner'sWarner Bros. Entertainment unit andCBS Corporation announced that the two companies would merge the operations of The WB and UPN, which the companies respectively owned, into ajoint venture calledThe CW Television Network.[3] On March 9 of that year, ACME Communications signed an affiliation agreement with the network for KWBQ and its KRWB satellite to join The CW upon the network's September 18 launch, while KASY would join another new service, theFox Entertainment Group-ownedMyNetworkTV, upon its September 5, 2006, launch. The deals made ACME the third station group, afterCapitol Broadcasting Company (WJZY-WMYT-TV inCharlotte) andWeigel Broadcasting (WCWW-LP-WMYS-LP inSouth Bend) to have duopolies affiliated with both The CW and MyNetworkTV. In September 2006, KWBQ and KRWB were rebranded as "New Mexico's CW" to reflect their new affiliation. At that time, the station created a new mascot dubbed "The CW Guy" (designed basically as ananthropomorphic television with arms and legs and The CW's logo on its screen) to serve as a promotional tool at local station events; "The CW Guy" served as a replacement for The WB's former mascotMichigan J. Frog.
On June 4, 2010, ACME announced it would enter into ashared services agreement (SSA) withLIN Media; as a result, LIN's own duopoly ofKASA-TV and KRQE would provide technical, engineering and accounting services for KWBQ and KASY, with the mutual operating costs shared in order to help reduce overall costs for ACME.[4]
On September 10, 2012, ACME announced a proposed sale of KWBQ and KRWB-TV, as well as KASY-TV, to Tamer Media, a company founded by broadcast industry veteran John S. Viall, Jr. The $17.3 million sale, which theFCC approved on November 21,[5] and was completed on December 11, gave Tamer Media its first TV properties, while ACME exited from the station ownership business (the three stations were the last portions of ACME's TV station portfolio). The stations' shared services agreement with LIN Media would continue under new ownership.[6][7]
On March 21, 2014,Media General announced that it would purchase LIN Media and its stations, including KRQE, KASA-TV, and the SSA with KWBQ/KRWB-TV and KASY-TV, in a $1.6 billion merger.[8] The merger was completed on December 19.[9] Just over a year later, on January 27, 2016, it was announced that theNexstar Broadcasting Group would buy Media General for $4.6 billion.[10] The sale was completed on January 17, 2017.[11]
On August 7, 2020, it was announced that Mission Broadcasting would acquire KWBQ and its satellites and KASY-TV from Tamer Media.[12][13] The sale was completed on November 16.[14]
Starting in April 2015, KWBQ began to simulcast KRQE's morning newscast, including the later Fox New Mexico half of the show, from 4:30 to 9 a.m. It airs the Fox New Mexico (KRQE-DT2) programNew Mexico Living from 10 to 11 a.m.
The stations' signals aremultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KWBQ-TV | The CW |
| 19.2 | 480i | Grit | Grit | |
| 19.3 | Laff | Laff | ||
| 19.4 | Ion | Ion Television | ||
| 19.5 | Rewind | Rewind TV | ||
| 50.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KASY-TV | MyNetworkTV (KASY-TV) |
| 50.2 | 480i | Mystery | Ion Mystery (KASY-TV) |
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KRWB-HD | The CW |
| 21.2 | 720p | KASY-HD | MyNetworkTV (KASY-TV) |
KWBQ has not carried any subchannels in past years but on January 11, 2016, the station added the action/western channelGrit and comedy channelLaff fromKatz Broadcasting.[17] Laff further adds to KWBQ's identity as a station for comedy while Grit and Ion add some programming diversity to the signal. KWBQ further addedIon Television to 19.4 on January 18, 2017, due to the January 2017 sale of KASA-TV to Ramar Communications, as well as the switch inFox affiliation over to KRQE.[18] On September 1, 2021, KWBQ added Nexstar-owned Rewind TV as a fifth subchannel.[19]
Both stations ended regular programming on their analog signals on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate.[20]
As part of theSAFER Act,[21] KWBQ kept its analog signal on the air until June 26 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop ofpublic service announcements from theNational Association of Broadcasters.
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** Owned by third parties but operated by Nexstar through various agreements. | ||
