| ATSC 3.0 station | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Channels | |
| Branding | 22 The Point |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WPGH-TV | |
| History | |
| Founded | December 2, 1974 (1974-12-02) |
First air date | September 26, 1978 (47 years ago) (1978-09-26)[a] |
Former call signs |
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Former channel numbers |
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Call sign meaning | "The Point"; convergence of theOhio,Allegheny andMonongahela rivers[2] |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 73907 |
| ERP | 721kW |
| HAAT | 312 m (1,024 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 40°29′43″N80°0′16″W / 40.49528°N 80.00444°W /40.49528; -80.00444 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | 22thepoint |
WPNT (channel 22) is atelevision station inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated withThe CW andMyNetworkTV. It is owned bySinclair Broadcast Group alongsideFox affiliateWPGH-TV (channel 53). The two stations share studios on Ivory Avenue in the city'sSummer Hill section, where WPNT's transmitter is also located.
The channel 22 allocation dates back to the 1950s, and was initially acquired by public interest groups as a "backup" plan if the groups were not able to acquire the channel 13 allocation forpublic television. The groups were in a battle with locally basedWestinghouse Electric Corporation (owners ofKDKA radio), who wanted the channel 13 allocation for the proposed KDKA-TV. However, as Westinghouse later gave the groups their blessing to use channel 13 for what would becomeWQED (Westinghouse bought WDTV from strugglingDuMont and transformed that station intoKDKA-TV instead), WQED was now stuck with two TV licenses but found use in possibly using channel 22 for educational programs it did not have time to air.
WQED planned to use its proposed WQEX on channel 22, but as fate would have it WENS-TV (channel 16) lost its tower inReserve Township in a storm on March 11, 1955, leading to a channel sharing agreement with WQED until the tower could be fixed. As WENS-TV was already in a battle for survival competing for the channel 11 license that it would ultimately lose, WQED was able to acquire WENS-TV's assets after that station signed off in 1957 and use itsconstruction permit for channel 22 to relaunch WENS-TV as WQEX on channel 16 instead. (That station is nowWINP-TV.) Its channel 22 license and some intellectual property from WENS-TV would eventually be sold to the Commercial Radio Institute (which later becameSinclair Broadcast Group) for the current channel 22, outbiddingCornerstone Television, who ended up with the channel 40 license to launchWPCB-TV.
Rising out of the ashes of WENS-TV, channel 22 finally signed on the air on September 26, 1978, as WPTT-TV (which stood for Pittsburgh Twenty-Two, referencing the UHF channel on which it broadcast), the market's second commercialindependent station and its fourth UHF station (afterWPGH-TV). It started out running a number of popular off-networksitcoms from the 1950s and 1960s, off-networkdramas andwesterns, very oldmovies and network programming preempted byWTAE-TV (channel 4), KDKA-TV (channel 2) and WIIC-TV (channel 11, nowWPXI). For a time, WPTT-TV aired the children's television programCaptain Pitt, which featured oldercartoon shorts.
WPTT-TV also originated more of its own local programming withPrize Bowling, which originally began asBowling for Dollars onABC network competitor WTAE-TV for many years until host Nick Perrywas jailed for a lottery broadcast scam. The succeeding host was not received well by viewers, and the show ended up being canceled. WPTT-TV took the opportunity to fill the void in the market withPrize Bowling, first hosted by Pittsburgh radio legend Roger Willoughby-Ray and then byPittsburgh Steelers announcerJack Fleming. The show's success was modest at best, and was canceled after two years. Other programs of varying degrees of success wereThe Ghost Host,Eddie's Digest andStudio Wrestling.
The station also aired a newscast in the early 1980s, a rarity at this time for stations not affiliated with the then-major networks (ABC,CBS andNBC). This newscast was calledWPTT News, and in the opening segment, the letters "news" were formed from acompass indicating the fourcardinal directions. This opening segment, featuring then-anchorman Kevin Evans, appeared briefly (and was audible) in the movieFlashdance during a scene whereJennifer Beals' character returns home and turns on the television. The presentation was relatively low-budget, with the anchor simply reading copy, with no field video shots other than the weather read over a stock video shot denoting the conditions outside, and was not a factor in taking ratings away from then-market laggard WIIC-TV, much less solid runner-up WTAE-TV and then-locally-ownedGroup W powerhouse KDKA-TV. As sister stationsWBFF inBaltimore did not air newscasts until 1991 andWTTE inColumbus, Ohio, would not air any newscasts from its 1984 sign-on until Sinclair purchased ABC affiliateWSYX in 1996, this marked Sinclair's first foray intolocal news, a genre it would becomemuch more involved in from the mid-1990s on.
WPGH-TV, which had hitherto been a rather low-budget operation, was purchased by theMeredith Corporation in 1978, and became more aggressive with its programming strategy. Despite having a highly powerful signal that offered double the coverage of WPGH-TV's (5 millionwatts visual, compared to WPGH-TV's 2.345 million), WPTT-TV became unable to acquire newer shows, and ended up with programming that no other stations wanted. Still, the shows run on WPTT-TV were not exactly low-budget. The station's ratings were very low, and it was considered as an "also-ran" in the market. For many years, WPTT-TV languished as just another local independent station, airing reruns of television shows, many of which were past their prime. In 1986, Sinclair made an offer to buy WPGH-TV, combine programming assets onto Channel 22, keep channel 22, and sell weaker signaled Channel 53 to theHome Shopping Network, but were outbid byLorimar-Telepictures. After that, WPTT-TV added some more recent shows, cartoons, and movies. By the late 1980s, both WPGH-TV, which was again sold, and WPTT-TV were losing money. WPTT-TV began running Home Shopping Network programming nightly between 1 and 6 a.m.
In 1990, WPTT-TV and Pittsburgh's News Corporation (not affiliated with theNews Corporation that owned Fox until 2013) entered into an agreement to produce a 10 p.m. newscast to air on WPTT-TV which was to begin in the summer of 1991, and would feature news anchors from WTAE-TV. After going through three owners, WPGH-TV was put up for sale again; Sinclair placed a bid for the station in 1991 and won; however, the group struggled to obtain financing. As part of a deal, the group sold WPTT-TV to its operations manager Eddie Edwards (who had been with WPTT-TV since its launch in 1978, and had become best known as host of the station's locally produced public affairs programEddie's Digest, targeted towards local African-Americans). Soon after, the planned newscast with WPTT-TV was put on hold with an option to either produce it for WPGH-TV, reinstate the plans with WPTT-TV, or cancel it; it was eventually canceled. WPTT-TV also made a deal to increase Home Shopping Network programming hours to at least 15 hours a day with the option of running the programming the entire day. Rumors abounded that WPTT-TV would be running HSN programming for most of, if not the entire day, once the sale was completed. It was already established that some of WPTT-TV's first-run syndicated shows would go to WPGH-TV.[citation needed]
The sales closed on August 29, 1991, with Sinclair acquiring WPGH-TV fromRenaissance Broadcasting in the fall of that year. Rights to cash programming from WPTT-TV's schedule were moved to WPGH-TV, while barter shows were returned to syndication distributors (it was thought that WPTT-TV might wind up with some low-budget children's shows to run a couple hours a day). But Eddie Edwards acquired WPTT-TV without programming and began to run Home Shopping Network programming 24 hours a day on WPTT-TV in September, which led to the station being dropped from the market's cable systems. Staffs from both WPGH-TV and WPTT-TV experiencedlayoffs. Some of WPTT-TV's ex-employees went to WPGH-TV while others stayed at WPTT-TV, and many others were laid off. WPGH-TV kept a decent number of its own staff, taking some from both stations. Edwards then made a deal with Sinclair to buy time on his station from 3 p.m. to midnight (effectively creating one of the firstlocal marketing agreements, which Sinclair would use heavily in its later station acquisitions), and get area cable providers to reinstate WPTT-TV on their lineups.
The deal took effect on January 6, 1992, with WPTT-TV airing cartoons, sitcoms, movies and dramas that Sinclair had no room to air on WPGH-TV. Sinclair's air time on the station expanded in 1993 to begin at noon. In the fall of 1995, WPTT-TV began to run WPGH-TV programming from 6 a.m. to midnight and picked upThe Disney Afternoon cartoon block, which had been dropped by KDKA-TV when that station began running CBS' entire lineup.
WPTT-TV affiliated withUPN when the network launched on January 16, 1995, and changed its on-air branding to "UPN 22". Sinclair's air time on the station increased later that year to begin at 6 a.m. as well; by 1997, WPTT-TV and WPGH-TV consolidated their operations into one building.
WPTT-TV dropped its UPN affiliation on January 15, 1998 (which moved toWNPA-TV, channel 19) and affiliated withThe WB as part of a wide-ranging affiliation deal that saw Sinclair Broadcast Group's owned and managed UPN affiliates and independent stations switch to the network.[4] The station also changed its call sign to WCWB (for "C, or See, The WB") on January 13, two days before the switch, to reflect its new affiliation. The WCWB calls had previously been used by the NBC affiliate inMacon, Georgia (nowWMGT-TV); the WPTT calls were later used by a radio station on 1360 AM in Pittsburgh, which later changed its callsign toWMNY in 2008. Prior to the Sinclair deal, WB programming was available to Pittsburgh on low-power stationsWNPA-TV (channel 19) andWBPA-LP (channel 29) and on cable systems viathe superstation feed ofWGN-TV in Chicago.
Sinclair finally bought back WCWB from Eddie Edwards in 2000, after theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) relaxed its media ownership rules to allow one company to own two television stations in the same market, provided the market has at least eight full-power stations and that one or both stations involved in the duopoly are not among the four highest-rated. WPGH-TV is the senior partner in the duopoly because of its Fox affiliation and because of its longer establishment.
WCWB was airing theAction Pack programming block in 2000.[5]
On January 24, 2006,CBS Corporation andTime Warner announced that The WB and UPN would be shut down and replaced byThe CW, a new network featuring programming from both networks.[6][7] Through an affiliation agreement with 11 UPN affiliates owned by CBS, UPNowned-and-operated station WNPA was named the Pittsburgh affiliate of The CW, and later changed its call letters toWPCW.
WCWB, meanwhile, later decided to affiliate withMyNetworkTV, another new network owned by News Corporation'sFox Entertainment Group and20th Television divisions. On April 17, WCWB changed its call letters to WPMY to reflect the new affiliation while keeping the "Pittsburgh's WB22" until the WB's end.[8] On August 14, 2006, WPMY rebranded itself as MyPittsburghTV; the channel 22 reference was excluded from the new brand as cable providers in the market carry WPMY on different channels (the official brand name is "My Pittsburgh TV", although the logo has it appear to read as "My TV Pittsburgh"). The station withdrew from using their channel number in most promotional forms outside of sign-on/sign-off disclosures for FCC purposes, as the station instead used itsComcast channel 10 for advertising purposes with them andArmstrong Cable having the station in that slot; both systems cover the majority of the Pittsburgh market. Channel 22 officially joined MyNetworkTV when it launched on September 5, 2006. Unlike many other former WB affiliates switching to MyNetworkTV (and despite WNPA being CBS-owned), WPMY continued to air The WB's prime time schedule in the late night hours until September 18, 2006, when The CW launched.
On May 19, 2015, WPMY quietly changed its call letters to WPNT for the landmark"Point"confluence of theOhio,Allegheny andMonongahela rivers in downtown Pittsburgh, which previously appeared in the market nearly three decades earlier on FM 92.9, nowWLTJ. Coincidentally, WLTJ also shares its transmitter facilities with WPGH-TV and WPNT.
On September 1, 2015, WPNT changed its on-air branding to 22 The Point (to further the branding, the station's logo utilized an exclamation point). WPNT began to focus more on local programming, particularly sports programming, including a weeklyhigh school football package on Friday nights, while remaining a MyNetworkTV affiliate. No subchannels were planned at the time.[2] As part of the changes, WPNT hired sports personalityMark Madden for a two-hoursports talk show every weeknight[9] and continued to air games from thePittsburgh Penguins' minor league affiliate, theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, while adding the featuredPennsylvania State Athletic Conference Saturday game.[2] Madden's program was cancelled on July 1, 2016.[10]
On January 8, 2016, Sinclair announced thatAmerican Sports Network would launch as a dedicated, digital multicast network under the American Sports Network name with 10 stations including WPNT on January 11, 2016.[11] However, the station continued to airDuquesne Dukesmen's and women's basketball,Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey, and the annualArizona Bowlcollege football game on the main channel in addition to the ASN subfeed. ASN becameStadium in August 2017 and ceased syndication.
In August 2016, WPNT began to re-air WPGH newscasts produced by WPXI.[12]
Sports programming currently airing on WPNT includes the aforementioned package of high school football games, plus localhigh school basketball and programming fromThe CW Sports, including a handful ofPittsburgh Panthers football and basketball games through its contract with theAtlantic Coast Conference.
On August 31, 2023,Nexstar Media Group, majority owners ofThe CW, announced that it extended its affiliation partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group. As part of the deal, it was also announced that WPNT would be taking The CW affiliation effective September 1, with MyNetworkTV moving to late nights, followingWPKD-TV going independent.[13] Prior to taking the affiliation full-time, WPNT had already served as a partial affiliate airingCW Sports programming rejected by CBS such asLIV Golf coverage.[14][15]
The station's ATSC 1.0 channels are carried on themultiplexed signals of two other Pittsburgh TV stations:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | ATSC 1.0 host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WPNT CW |
| WPGH-TV |
| 22.2 | 480i | TheNest | The Nest | WTAE-TV | |
| 22.3 | Comet | Comet | |||
| 22.4 | TBD | True Crime Network |
Until the end of 2006, WPNT featuredThe Tube music video channel on adigital subchannel.
WPNT ended regular programming on its analog signal, overUHF channel 22, on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were totransition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (the deadline was later extended to June 12). The station's digital signal continued to broadcast on its pre-transition UHF channel 42, usingvirtual channel 22.[17] WPNT was one of three stations in the Pittsburgh market to discontinue normal programming on their analog signals on the original signoff date, alongside sister stationWPGH-TV and then-WQED-ownedWQEX.
As part of theSAFER Act,[18] WPNT and WPGH kept their analog signals on the air until March 19 to inform viewers of thedigital television transition through a loop ofpublic service announcements from theNational Association of Broadcasters.
| Channel | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | WTAE | ABC (WTAE-TV) |
| 22.1 | WPNT | The CW /MyNetworkTV |
| 53.1 | WPGH | Fox (WPGH-TV) |
| 53.10 | T2 | T2 |
| 53.11 | PBTV | Pickleballtv |
| 53.20 | GMLOOP | GameLoop[19] |
| 53.21 | ROXi | ROXi |
On June 16, 2020, WPNT discontinued ATSC 1.0 broadcasting and became one of the first stations in the country (and the first in thenortheast United States) to begin broadcasting inATSC 3.0.[21][22] The ATSC 3.0 signal includes four unique channels which require an internet connection to access: T2, aFAST spinoff of Sinclair-ownedTennis Channel mapped at 53.10; PickleballTV, a sister channel to T2 focusing onpickleball mapped at 53.11; GameLoop, an interactivevideo game-focused channel that has playable versions of games such asPac-Man andTetris mapped at 53.20; andROXi, an interactivemusic service mapped at 53.21.[23][24]
Effective Monday, Channel 22 will change its call letters from WCWB to WPMY to reflect its upcoming affiliation with My Network TV, a new network that launches in the fall.
Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the Commonwealth ofPennsylvania | ||
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Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Pennsylvania | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
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| Spanish | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
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Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state ofWest Virginia | ||
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Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of West Virginia | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Religious | ||
| Spanish | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
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Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Maryland | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS | ||
| Spanish | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
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** Owned by third parties and operated by Sinclair through various operating agreements. *** Owned by Sinclair and operated byMarquee Broadcasting. JV Joint venture. | ||||||||||||||||||
