Northwest Cable News

Last updated
Northwest Cable News
Country United States
Broadcast area Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana (Northwest; other areas), Alaska (Juneau, Dutch Harbor, Sitka, Fairbanks, Hydaburg, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Anchorage and Nome), Northern California
Headquarters Seattle, Washington
Programming
Language(s) English
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Ownership
Owner Tegna Media
Sister channelsSeattle, WA: KING-TV, KONG
Portland, OR: KGW
Spokane, WA: KREM, KSKN
Boise, ID: KTVB
History
LaunchedDecember 18, 1995;29 years ago (1995-12-18)
ClosedJanuary 6, 2017;8 years ago (2017-01-06)
(21 years, 19 days)

Northwest Cable News (NWCN) was an American cable news television channel owned by Tegna Media. The channel, which launched on December 18, 1995, provided 24-hour rolling news coverage focused primarily on the Pacific Northwest region of the United States (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and northwest Montana). The channel was headquartered out of the studio facilities of Tegna-owned NBC affiliate KING-TV (channel 5) in downtown Seattle. The channel was available to 2.9 million residents (through both cable television and over-the-air) within the region, and, to a lesser extent, Alaska, Northern California, and other areas of Montana.

Contents

Some of the network's programming was carried on a sister broadcast station KTVB in Boise, during the overnight hours. From August 28, 2009 to January 20, 2015, it was also aired over the air on their DT3 subchannel, as well as Cable One. It was previously on Cable One until 2003; it was re-added on February 12, 2010. On January 20, 2015, a corporate mandate where Gannett became a charter carrier of the Justice Network meant that it was replaced on KTVB-DT3, and it was carried on Dish Network from April 26, 2011 to February 29, 2016, when it was removed per a mutual decision between the two parties.

On October 28, 2016, Northwest Cable News announced that the channel would shut down on January 6, 2017. Approximately 20 employees were affected, and Tegna offered some of them positions at other Tegna stations. [1] The final program to air on NWCN was a farewell show "Saying Goodbye to NWCN" (which showcase the network's history and many memories on the channel) at 6:00 p.m. PST. After the credits roll, NWCN officially sign off for the final time at around 6:59 p.m. following a final turn off of the lights in the network's master control operations, resulting in the channel fading to dark.

Programming

The network incorporated news content purposed from four Tegna-owned stations in the northwestern United States – NBC-affiliated stations KING-TV in Seattle, KGW in Portland, KTVB in Boise and CBS affiliate KREM in Spokane. In addition, the channel maintained content sharing agreements with several other stations.

In addition to rolling news and weather coverage throughout the day, Northwest Cable News produced the nightly sports highlight and discussion program Northwest Sports Tonight (weeknights at 9:00 p.m.) and the call-in shows Gardening with Ciscoe LIVE (which aired Friday evenings at 6:00 p.m.) and Northwest Sports Tonight Game Day (which aired evenings after Seattle Seahawks games during the NFL season). The channel also aired rebroadcasts of sister station KING-TV's lifestyle program Evening each evening at 10:00 p.m. Three other KING-TV programs, Gardening with Ciscoe (a pre-recorded program which the live NWCN program was spun off from), Northwest Backroads and The 5th Quarter (which aired during the NFL season), were also rebroadcast on the channel on weekends. In addition, the channel aired the KGW-produced Sunday evening discussion program Straight Talk. In February 2011, NWCN switched their format from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio. At the time of the channel's shutdown, NWCN was the last news station in the Tegna portfolio that did not air their newscasts in HD (although some of its content has been aired in HD digitally online). [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Notable former staff

Related Research Articles

WGME-TV is a television station in Portland, Maine, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to Waterville-licensed Fox affiliate WPFO under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns WPFO as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The two stations share studios on Northport Drive in the North Deering section of Portland; WGME-TV's transmitter is located on Brown Hill west of Raymond. The station also maintains regional studios in the Lewiston–Auburn area, and the state capital in Augusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBNS-TV</span> TV station in Columbus, Ohio

WBNS-TV is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside the company's sole radio properties, WBNS and WBNS-FM (97.1). The stations share studios on Twin Rivers Drive west of Downtown Columbus, where WBNS-TV's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KING-TV</span> TV station in Seattle

KING-TV is a television station in Seattle, Washington, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Everett-licensed KONG, an independent station. The two stations share studios at the Home Plate Center in the SoDo district of Seattle; KING-TV's transmitter is located in the city's Queen Anne neighborhood.

KTVB is a television station in Boise, Idaho, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on West Fairview Avenue in Boise, and its transmitter is located on Deer Point in unincorporated Boise County. It is rebroadcast by KTFT-LD in Twin Falls, which airs KTVB programming with local advertising for the Magic Valley area from its transmitter on Flat Top Butte near Jerome, Idaho, and maintains a local sales office in Twin Falls.

KGW is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Jefferson Street in southwestern Portland, and its transmitter is located in the city's Sylvan-Highlands section. KGW also served as the Portland bureau for co-owned regional news channel Northwest Cable News before it shut down on January 6, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGRZ</span> TV station in Buffalo, New York

WGRZ is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo, and its transmitter is located on Warner Hill Road in South Wales, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKTV</span> NBC/CBS affiliate in Utica, New York

WKTV is a television station in Utica, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC and CBS. Owned by Heartland Media, the station has studios on Smith Hill Road in Deerfield, and its transmitter is located in the Eatonville section of Fairfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KABB</span> TV station in San Antonio

KABB is a television station in San Antonio, Texas, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside dual NBC/CW affiliate WOAI-TV ; Sinclair also provides certain services to Kerrville-licensed Dabl affiliate KMYS under joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Deerfield Media. The three stations share studios between Babcock Road and Sovereign Drive in northwest San Antonio; KABB's transmitter is located in northwest Wilson County.

WWL-TV is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Slidell-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WUPL. The two stations share studios on Rampart Street in the historic French Quarter district; WWL-TV's transmitter is located on Cooper Road in Terrytown, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KAIT</span> TV station in Jonesboro, Arkansas

KAIT is a television station in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States, affiliated with ABC, NBC, and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Media alongside Telemundo affiliate KJTB-LD and KJBW-LD. The three stations share studios on New Haven Church Road north of Jonesboro; KAIT's transmitter is located in Egypt, Arkansas.

KREM is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside CW affiliate KSKN. The two stations share studios on South Regal Street in the Southgate neighborhood of Spokane; KREM's transmitter is on Krell Hill to the southeast, covering eastern Washington state and northern Idaho.

KAYU-TV is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with Fox and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Imagicomm Communications, the station has studios on South Regal Street in Spokane, and its transmitter is on Krell Hill southeast of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBIR-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee

WBIR-TV is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Bill Williams Avenue in Knoxville's Belle Morris section, and its transmitter is located on Sharp's Ridge in North Knoxville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLFI-TV</span> TV station in Lafayette, Indiana

WLFI-TV is a television station in Lafayette, Indiana, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Allen Media Broadcasting, the station maintains studios on Yeager Road in West Lafayette; its transmitter is located on County Road 700 in rural northwestern Clinton County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVG</span> TV station in Toledo, Ohio

WTVG is a television station in Toledo, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC and The CW. Owned by Gray Media, the station maintains studios on Dorr Street in Toledo, and its transmitter is located on Stadium Road in Oregon, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTA</span> TV station in Fort Wayne, Indiana

WPTA is a television station in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, affiliated with ABC, NBC, and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Media alongside CW+ affiliate WISE-TV. The two stations share studios on Butler Road in Northwest Fort Wayne, where WPTA's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHBS</span> TV station in Fort Smith, Arkansas

KHBS and KHOG-TV are television stations licensed respectively to Fort Smith and Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States, serving as the ABC and CW Plus affiliates for the Arkansas River Valley and Northwest Arkansas. Owned by Hearst Television and jointly branded as "40/29", the two stations maintain studios on Ajax Avenue in Rogers. KHBS' transmitter is located on Cavanal Hill in northwestern Le Flore County, Oklahoma, while KHOG-TV's transmitter is based near Ed Edwards Road in rural northeastern Washington County, Arkansas, just southeast of the Fayetteville city limits.

KXII is a television station licensed to Sherman, Texas, United States, serving the Sherman, Texas–Ada, Oklahoma market as an affiliate of CBS, MyNetworkTV, and Fox. It is owned by Gray Media alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate KAQI-LD. The two stations share studios on Texoma Parkway in northeastern Sherman, with an additional studio on South Commerce Street and Elks Boulevard in southwestern Ardmore, Oklahoma. KXII's transmitter is located along US 377 in rural northeastern Marshall County, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTEN</span> TV station in Ada, Oklahoma

KTEN is a television station licensed to Ada, Oklahoma, United States, serving the Sherman, Texas–Ada, Oklahoma market as an affiliate of NBC, The CW Plus, and ABC. The station is owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group, and maintains primary studios on High Point Circle in northwestern Denison, Texas, with secondary studios at the Ardmore Energy Center on Merrick Drive in northwestern Ardmore. Its transmitter is located along State Highway 7 in rural northeastern Johnston County, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NewsWatch 15</span> Cable TV channel in New Orleans, Louisiana

NewsWatch on Channel 15 is an American regional cable television channel serving New Orleans, Louisiana. The channel is owned as a joint venture between Tegna and local cable provider Cox Communications. NewsWatch 15's operations are based out of the studio facility shared by Tegna-owned CBS affiliate WWL-TV and MyNetworkTV affiliate WUPL, located on Rampart Street in the city's historic French Quarter district. The regional cable news channel's branding is derived from its channel slot in the New Orleans area on Cox Communications channel 15.

References

  1. Connelly, Joel (2016-10-28). "Tegna pulls the plug on Northwest Cable News". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
  2. "We just made the switch! NorthWest Cable News is now broadcasting in 16:9 aspect ratio!". facebook.com/NWCN. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  3. "New design coming to KREM 2 newscasts". krem.com. 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  4. "KING 5's new look". radiodiscussions.com. 2014-06-08. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  5. "KTVB unveils new look in full 1080 HD". ktvb.com. 2014-09-28. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  6. "KGW has a new graphics look! Want to learn more about it? Click below and Joe Donlon (KGW-TV) will walk you through it". facebook.com/KGW. 2014-07-22. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2015-03-07.