The CW has shared fall premiere dates, including game shows Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit premiering October 3. Raven-Symoné hosts Scrabble and LeVar Burton hosts Trivial Pursuit. 

The fourth and final season of Superman & Lois begins with a two-hour premiere Monday, October 7. 

Unscripted western The Wranglers debuts Monday, October 14.  With eight episodes, the show is set at Montana’s Circle Bar Dude Ranch. “Fans love the drama of the bunkhouse on the scripted hit Yellowstone, and now we’re bringing it to life in this series,“ The CW head of unscripted programming Heather Olander said when the series was announced. “Audiences will instantly fall in love with the hard-working and passionate cowboys and cowgirls that work the ranch as their stories of romance, friendship and conflict unfold.”

Scrabble is produced by Hasbro Entertainment, The CW, Mattel Television Studios and Lionsgate Alternative Television. Gabriel Marano, David Garfinkle and Michelle Mendelovitz are executive producers.

Trivial Pursuit is produced by Hasbro Entertainment, The CW and Lionsgate Alternative Television. Gabriel Marano, John De Mol, Matt Walton and Matt Pritchard, and David Garfinkle are executive producers. 

In an interview earlier this year, Dennis Miller, The CW president, said the game shows work for the network because known intellectual property stands out a lot better than a new commodity. “In a noisy, fragmented television landscape, you need things where audiences already know what they're going to walk into,“ he said. “Those were obviously two well-known games from Hasbro and Mattel.” 

Nexstar Media Group said stations it owns in five more markets will become affiliates of The CW, the Nexstar-owned network, starting in September and October.

The CW will be carried on digital subchannels of WJBF, Augusta, Georgia; KARD, Monroe, Louisiana; KFDX, Wichita Falls, Texas; WTWO, Terre Haute, Indiana; and WFXV, Utica, New York.

On each station, The CW replaces a digital multicast network owned by E.W. Scripps, either Ion, Bounce or Laff. Scripps announced earlier this year that it would be dropping CW affiliates in several markets.

The CW previously had affiliates in each of those markets.

Nexstar has said that having The CW on its owned station creates economic benefits for the company.

“The addition of these affiliates will bring the number of Nexstar- and partner-owned CW stations to 54, covering more than 45% of U.S. TV households,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. 

“As The CW’s No. 1 affiliate group, Nexstar is very pleased to be airing the network’s programming on these stations this fall, especially with NASCAR Xfinity series racing and the WWE’s NXT joining a very robust lineup of sports programming, including LIV Golf and ACC college football and basketball, and Pac-12 football,” Alford said. “Adding The CW’s programming to these stations will offer advertisers a variety of new linear and digital opportunities to reach millions of viewers.” 

The CW Network and Gray Media said they renewed the affiliation agreements covering 38 of Gray’s local television stations.

The Gray stations reach about 12 million TV households, representing about 10% of the U.S.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Last month, the CW’s owner Nexstar Media Group and Paramount Global reached an affiliation deal that gave the CW coverage in Detroit and Miami.

CBS had previously moved to turn its The CW affiliates into independent stations.

Earlier in the year, the E.W. Scripps Co. said it would be dropping the CW affiliations in its markets.

Nexstar has been moving TheCW affiliations to stations it owns as part of its plan to wring profits from the networks.

In the second quarter, Nexstar said it cut the losses generated by the CW by $33 million 

The CW continued to fill out its affiliate lineup ahead of the start of the fall season, naming three new stations that will be carrying its entertainment and sports programming.

The new affiliates are KTTU Tucson, Arizona, owned by Tegna; KCOY Santa Barbara, California, owned by VistaWest Media; and KSCC Corpus Christi, Texas, owned by Sinclair.

The new Tucson affiliate will be the local home for the 2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop, to be broadcast by The CW.

On Wednesday, the CW announced a deal with Paramount Global that will make its WKBD Detroit and WFBS Miami The CW afflilates in those markets effective September 1.

The CW has had to juggle affiliates because of earlier decisions by Paramount’s CBS News and Stations unit and the E.W. Scripps Co. to turn their CW affiliates into independent stations.

The CW has found new affiliates in Detroit and Miami and one looks a lot like its old affiliate in Detroit.

Nexstar, which acquired control of The CW from Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022, said it signed a new affiliation deal with Paramount’s CBS News and Stations that not only renews the agreements with the 40 CBS affiliates Nexstar owns, but makes Paramount-owned stations WKBD Detroit and WBFS Miami affiliates of The CW, effective September 1.

WKBD had been The CW affiliate before a recent round of corporate musical chairs that played out in Detroit and other markets.

The agreement solves a problem that was developing for Nexstar in ensuring The CW was carried in every local market.

The merry-go-round started when Paramount, which retained a 12.5% stake in the The CW, decided to turn its eight CW affiliates — including WKBD — into independent stations last year. 

E.W Scripps Co.-owned stations including WMYD Detroit and WSFL Miami, became The CW affiliates, but in April it was announced those stations would be dropping the network.

Nexstar was able to replace many of the Paramount and Scripps affiliates with stations it owns or manages, but the situation in Detroit and Miami seemed to be going down to the wire because few full-powered stations were available.

WADL, Detroit, owned by Adell Broadcasting, nearly became the CW affiliate in Motor City, but an agreement for WADL to be acquired by Mission Broadcasting for $75 million in a deal that would have been financed by Nexstar, which would also run the station under management agreements. The deal was terminated after the Federal Communications Commission approved the acquisition but imposed conditions that would have prevented Nexstar from controlling the stations.

Nexstar manages Mission stations in several markets.

Kevin Adell, CEO of Adell Broadcasting, said last week he was still discussing a potential deal with the CW.

Financial terms of Nexstar’s deal with Paramount were not disclosed. 

Paramount said that WBFS and WKBD would be carrying The CW’s news, primetime entertainment, live sports and special event programming.

Nexstar’s new CBS affiliation deal also covers two stations owned by Mission Broadcasting that are managed by Nexstar.

The 42 CBS affiliates that Nexstar runs reach nearly 19 million television households or about 15% of the U.S. audience.

Two months after his deal to sell WADL Detroit for $75 million and have it become a CW affiliate was terminated, Kevin Adell of Adell Broadcasting is getting into sports.

WADL has made a deal with Gray Television to air a live broadcast of the Harlem Globetrotters taking on the American Dream on August 18, Adell told Broadcasting+Cable. 

Gray’s Raycom Sports unit is producing the telecast, which will appear on Gray stations in about 90 markets. Gray confirmed WADL would be airing the Globetrotter event.

Adell has also been talking to senior executives at the Detroit Pistons of the NBA about carrying Pistons games locally if the bankrupt Diamond Sports Group, which runs the Bally Sports regional sports networks, folds.

Adell agreed to sell WADL to Mission Broadcasting in 2023. Mission’s bid was financed in part by Nexstar Media Group, which owns The CW. Nexstar planned to run WADL under a series of management agreements and make the station into The CW affiliate in Detroit.

The deal fell through when the FCC put conditions on the deal that would have prevented Nexstar from financing the deal or managing the stations. In a previous ruling, the FCC ordered Mission to sell WPIX New York, because a similar arrangement with Nexstar gave Nexstar de facto control over WPIX.

That control would put Nexstar over the television station ownership cap, according to the FCC, which also fined Nexstar and Mission. 

With the breakdown of the regional sports network business, a number of leagues and teams are putting local games on broadcast stations, looking to reach more potential fans.

Sports makes sense because “that’s where the eyeballs are” in linear TV, Adell said.

If Pistons games become available, Gray would be a good partner because Raycom could produce the games. While Gray doesn’t own a station in Detroit, it has other stations in Michigan that could provide additional carriage for Pistons games.

Since the deal with Mission fell apart, Adell has been getting ready to program the station as an independent, added the first-run The Jason Show from Fox and Access Daily from NBCUniversal, plus off-net series like Suits, Chicago P.D., and Bob Hearts Abishola.

The station could operate with or without The CW affiliation, Adell said.

“I have had conversations with The CW since the Mission deal was terminated, but nothing concrete yet,” he said. “My position is pretty clear. I have got to get paid.”

In many situations, stations pay programming fees to networks as part of their affiliation agreements. But in Detroit, there are only seven full-power stations that could air The CW’s sports portfolio in high definition. 

That may give Adell leverage because the deal with The CW’s current affiliate, E.W. Scripps-owned WMYD, expires at the end of August and Nexstar has few good alternatives if it wants The CW to be on the air in Detroit, a big market and an influential one because of the presence of the auto industry.

“Everyone says content is king, but without distribution, you’re just kidding yourself,” Adell said, who built WADL after getting a construction permit from the FCC 34 years ago.

Bill Belichick, the legendary head coach who led the New England Patriots to eight Super Bowl wins, is joining Inside the NFL, which starts its second season on The CW August 30.

Belichick will serve as an analyst, appearing with Ryan Clark, Chad Johnson and Chris Long.

“Bill Belichick joining Inside the NFL is a true game-changer for this storied franchise and The CW,” said CW Network president Dennis Miller. “Not only is he one of the most accomplished coaches in NFL history, but his knowledge and passion for football is truly unmatched. Fans will now get the chance to hear his insights and better understand the nuances of the game from the master himself. We cannot wait for Bill, Ryan, Chad and Chris to deliver a championship-caliber show all season long.”

The CW has been adding sports programming since it was acquired by Nexstar Media Group.

Belichick left the Patriots after last season. 

“I’m thrilled to join my new team at NFL Films and to work on such a historic television franchise,” said Bill Belichick. “I’ve always appreciated Inside the NFL’s depth of analysis, and I hope to bring the same detailed insight to The CW by talking real football with real pros — Ryan, Chris and Chad — this coming season.”

Inside the NFL is entering its 48th season. It appears every Friday night featuring analysis and game action captured by NFL Films cameras and microphones.  The show debuted on HBO in 1977 and moved to Showtime in 2008, then Paramount Plus in 2021.

“Over the years, NFL Films and Coach Belichick have enjoyed a long and collaborative relationship,“ NFL Films senior producer and showrunner Steve Menzel said. “Adding his football mind to an already impressive roster on Inside the NFL presents an incredible creative opportunity.” 

The CW has shared its fall premiere dates, which includes Inside The NFL back on Friday, August 30, with Ryan Clark hosting. The new season also offers the debut of game shows Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, and return of drama Superman & Lois for its final season. 

College football starts on the network with a Pac-12 doubleheader on Saturday, August 31. The Portland State Vikings play the Washington State Cougars, before the Idaho State Bengals take on the Oregon State Beavers. 

Season four of the Jesus Christ drama The Chosen debuts Sunday, September 1. 

Season 13 of Whose Line Is It Anyway? kicks off Friday, September 6. 

The NASCAR Infinity Series makes its CW debut with a live race from Bristol Motor Speedway Friday, September 20.  

WWE NXT starts on the CW Tuesday, October 1, showcasing the next generation of WWE Superstars. 

Drama Sullivan’s Crossing starts season two Wednesday, October 2. Morgan Kohan and Chad Michael Murray are in the cast. New drama Joan debuts that same night. Sophie Turner plays a notorious jewel thief. 

Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit are on Monday, October 7. Raven-Symoné hosts Scrabble and LeVar Burton hosts Trivial Pursuit.

The final season of Superman & Lois premieres Thursday, October 17. It is a two-hour episode. 

The Librarians: The Next Chapter debuts Thursday, October 24. 

Comedy Children Ruin Everything starts season four Wednesday, November 13. 

The Big Bakeover, which sees host Nancy Birtwhistle travel across America in an attempt to save struggling bakeries, premieres on The CW Friday, June 14. Birtwhistle won season five of The Great British Bake Off in 2014.

Erik Curtis is the master carpenter helping Birtwhistle rehabilitate the ailing bakeries.  He has appeared in Instant Dream Home on Netflix. 

The premiere, with the title “Sugarbox Donuts,” sees Birtwhistle assist a second-generation donut maker who escaped the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s. According to The CW, “she reimagines and revamps recipes, renovates storefronts and puts passionate pastry makers on a path to success.”

Velvet Hammer Media produces the show. It is executive produced by Rebecca Quinn, Jennifer O’Connell and Tim Warren. 

Birtwhistle is from Hull in the U.K. Her books include Clean & Green: 101 Hints and Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Home and The Green Budget Guide: 101 Planet and Money Saving Tips, Ideas and Recipes.

The Great British Bake Off, referred to as The Great British Baking Show in the U.S., streams on Netflix. 

The CW has ordered a seventh season of hit drama All American. There will be 13 episodes and they premiere in 2025. 

The CW also ordered season 11 of magic competition series Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and a fourth season of Jesus Christ drama The Chosen. The latter debuts September 1. 

“A strong fall is going to lead into an even stronger 2025 on The CW as new seasons of All American, Penn & Teller: Fool Us and The Chosen join NASCAR Xfinity Series, WWE NXT, ACC football and basketball, Pac-12 football, Wild Cards, Superman & Lois, The Librarians, Inside the NFL, Sullivan’s Crossing and much more,” said Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment, The CW. “Through six seasons, All American remains a top performer for The CW as the network’s most-watched series across all linear and digital platforms. Penn & Teller: Fool Us continues to be appointment television for families over a decade into its run. And we are thrilled to continue our partnership with The Chosen and bring the latest season of this groundbreaking drama exclusively to broadcast audiences across the country.”

The season six finale of All American is set for July 15. 

Each episode of Penn & Teller: Fool Us sees aspiring magicians perform their best trick to try and fool the magic-making duo. 

The Chosen is set against the backdrop of Jewish oppression in first-century Israel. There are seven seasons. 

The CW said it will broadcast the 2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop Last year, The CW aired the game when it was called Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl.

The 2024 game will air live from Arizona Stadium in Tucson on December 28.

“As we continue to bring high-adrenaline sports content to The CW, we are excited to welcome the Arizona Bowl back to our air this December,” said Dennis Miller, president of The CW Network. “With the star power of Snoop Dogg fueling the excitement, we are looking forward to capturing even more viewers this year in what promises to be an action-packed football matchup.”

The 2023 Arizona Bowl drew 1.1 million total viewers, making it one of the CW’s top three telecasts of the past two years in total viewers and adults 18-49.

“I am fired up that The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop will be broadcast live on The CW Network,” Snoop Dogg said. “The CW is in almost every home in America making it the perfect place for fans to catch our Bowl.”

Mission Broadcasting has sent a letter to Adell Broadcasting terminating Mission’s agreement to purchase WADL Detroit for $75 million.

The Federal Communications Commission approved the WADL license transfer, but imposed a number of conditions that made the deal unpalatable to Adell and to Nexstar Media Group, which helped finance the deal and would have run the station under a series of management agreements.

The FCC imposed its conditions after ordering Mission to sell WPIX New York, because it would be under the “de facto control” of Nexstar under a similar set of agreements.

Also Read: Owner of WADL Detroit Urges Mission To Close Station Purchase

“The FCC order expressly prohibits Mission from entering into certain of the sharing agreements and mandates material modifications to certain of the sharing agreements,” Mission CEO Dennis Thatcher said in the letter. “The FCC order likewise constitutes an order that prohibits the consummation of the sales of the purchase asset contemplated by the purchase agreement because it imposes conditions on consummation that were not contemplated.”

Mission also issues a statement regarding WADL. 

"Mission is very disappointed that Detroit’s television viewers will not receive the high-quality programming and public service that Mission’s ownership of WADL would have brought to the market. However, Mission felt compelled to take this action taking into account the Media Bureau’s recent decision to 'approve' Mission’s purchase only if Mission complied with a number of conditions which fundamentally rewrote the terms of the transaction. In light of the termination of the purchase agreement, Mission is also notifying the FCC today that it rejects the agency’s conditions and will not close the transaction."

Mission would have made WADL a The CW affiliate. Terminating the deal leaves Nexstar without a Detroit affiliate for its CW network next season. 

Mission cited a clause in its purchase agreement with Adell that says the deal can be terminated if conditions were placed on FCC approval.

But Adell Broadcasting CEO Kevin Adell, who built WADL, said he believes Mission broke the agreement.

“I think they violated the contract because they didn’t use their best effort” to get the deal past the FCC, Adell said.

He added that when he talked to Mission president Dennis Thatcher, Perry Sook, CEO of Nexstar and former Nexstar president Tom Carter, “They never told me the severity of their problem with the FCC,” Adell said. “So before I signed the contract it was really fraudulent inducement.”

Adell did not say whether he planned to sue Mission or Nexstar.

“I had a deal to sell the station for $75 million,” he said. “I wasted a year of my time and legal fees. I'm kind of tired of Perry Sook.”

Adell said that Nexstar and Mission still have two problems now that the deal to acquire WADL has fallen through.

The first is finding an affiliate for The CW in Detroit, which has been at several stations, including WADL, in the past few years.

Adell said there are no full-power stations left in the market for The CW to turn to. Being on a digital multicast channel is no good because those aren’t rated by Nielsen, which makes it hard to sell advertising. Also, the sports that Nexstar has acquired for The CW won’t look good in standard definition on a digital channel.

“I believe the need is still there,“ Adell said. “He needs the station and he needs to clear Detroit by August 31.” 

If Nexstar still thinks it can find a way to buy WADL, “the price isn’t going to be $75 million,” he said. 

The other problem for Nexstar and Mission is that the conditions the FCC put on the acquisition have disappeared because the deal was terminated.

Those conditions will make it difficult for Mission to buy more stations and have Nexstar run them. 

“Any time Mission goes to buy a station down the road, those six conditions are going to come up,” Adell said.

The conditions might also threaten the “sidecar” stations Mission already owns that are managed by Nexstar, he added.

The CW drama Walker will not see a fifth season on the network. Inspired by the ‘90s crime drama Walker, Texas Ranger, the show premiered in 2021. Jared Padalecki plays Cordell Walker, a widower who returns home to Austin, Texas, after being undercover for nearly a year, and resumes his role as father. 

“We want to thank the entire cast, crew, writers, directors and producers of Walker for their hard work and dedication over four incredible seasons,” the network said in a statement. “We also want to give a special thanks to star and executive producer Jared Padalecki, who has been a member of The CW family for over 20 years and was integral to some of the biggest hits on the network.”

Padalecki played Sam Winchester on The CW hit Supernatural.  

Anna Fricke is showrunner and executive producer. Besides Fricke and Padalecki, Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, Steve Robin and Russel Friend also executive produce the show. 

Spinoff Walker: Independence went for one season. 

LeVar Burton will host the new game show Trivial Pursuit on The CW, while Raven-Symoné will host Scrabble. 

The CW shared its 2024-2025 schedule, which goes seven nights a week and has rookie gamers Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble on Mondays. Burton has been in Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Symoné has been in Raven's Home and That's So Raven. 

Tuesdays have WWE NXT. 

Wednesdays offers season two of drama Sullivan’s Crossing and new limited series Joan, with Sophie Turner as  a notorious jewel thief. 

Thursdays have the final season of Superman & Lois and The Librarians: The Next Chapter. The Next Chapter has Callum McGowan as a Librarian from the past who time traveled to the present, and is stuck. 

Fridays have season 13 of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Inside the NFL, with Ryan Clark hosting. 

Sports are on for Saturdays, including ACC and PAC-12 football and NASCAR Xfinity Series. 

Sundays are movie nights, including I Am documentaries. 

“The fall 2024 season is another leap forward in the bold transformation of The CW Network, as we continue building a media brand with broadcast at its core,” said Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment, The CW. “The CW is currently enjoying three consecutive quarters of growth and we are looking forward to a fall schedule that is stronger than ever, starting with a brand-new game night featuring Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble — two games families have enjoyed for decades and hosted by fan favorites LeVar Burton and Raven-Symoné. We have new seasons of returning hit scripted series Sullivan’s Crossing and Superman & Lois, whose final season is weekly can’t-miss event television. Our scripted lineup continues to grow with Joan, starring the brilliant Sophie Turner, and The Librarians: The Next Chapter.”

The midseason will have the drama Good Cop/Bad Cop, with Leighton Meester, and the David Thewlis drama Sherlock & Daughter. 

Dramas Walker and All American do not appear on the schedule. 

Schwartz added, “We’ll also have more live sports than ever before with the addition of WWE NXT, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Pac-12 football alongside second seasons of LIV Golf, Inside the NFL, ACC football and ACC basketball. Anchored by 500 hours of sports in 2025, we continue to get bigger and broader while reaching and growing our audience across broadcast, streaming and local.”

Nexstar Media Group reported higher first-quarter earnings and said that it cut losses at The CW by $50 million year-over-year.

Net income rose to $175 million, or $5.16 per share, from $111 million, or $2.97 a share, a year ago.

Revenue rose 2% to $1.3 billion.

Distribution revenue increased 4.5% to $761 million. Advertising revenue was down 1% to $512 million.

“Nexstar is off to a strong start in 2024, delivering the highest first-quarter net revenues in the company’s history and once again outpacing consensus expectations for adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow,” Nexstar chairman and CEO Perry Sook said.

“As the industry’s largest local broadcaster with the most-watched broadcast television programming, Nexstar’s value to our distribution and advertising partners is demonstrated by our continued strong financial performance, including all-time quarterly high distribution revenue,” Sook said. “We continue to make progress at The CW, reducing operating losses by $50 million year-over-year and kicking off the 2023/2024 broadcast season by delivering two sequential quarters of primetime audience improvement.

“Looking ahead, we remain confident that Nexstar will deliver another strong year of financial results and expect to build momentum through 2024, given the anticipated record-level of political spending this presidential election cycle,” Sook said.

If upfront advertisers are looking for reach, Nexstar Media Group believes its base of local stations gives it a unique way to achieve that goal.

Michael Strober, chief revenue officer at Nexstar, told Broadcasting+Cable that even advertisers interested in the sports programming that Nexstar has added to The CW Network, can benefit from a national-local approach.

“If you care about college football, we have ACC football and you can buy that on The CW,” Strober said.  “Then you can extend that reach across all of the Nexstar affiliates on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, who all carry college football every week,” he said.

So while some debate the merits of linear versus streaming, Nexstar is offering a better way for advertisers to get closer to their customers.

“You can still be involved in the same content and you can get it on linear television. We can light up certain geographic areas if you have a big store opening or you want to do something out of an auto dealership,” he said.

Nexstar calls its national plus local approach total audience. That calls for a different measurement system, and Strober says Nexstar is recommending Comscore as the single source for measuring both local and national.

Comscore uses the same methodology for its local measurement as for its nation ratings, which means you can add up local viewers and national viewers.

Sports are among the most popular properties with advertisers, and Nexstar’s addition of LIV golf, ACC football and basketball, WWE NXT wrestling and NASCAR racing are bringing new advertisers to The CW.

Strober notes that The CW will have over 500 hours of sports programming by 2025, up from zero before Nexstar bought the network.

That’s helped add more than 25 new advertisers to the CW across 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.

Nexstar is also building a data-driven video product and is looking to do more live, in-market activations. It is working with EDO and Innovid to show how effective advertising on Nexstar is.

The best practices Nexstar develops for its national business will be available in local markets, Strober said.

Nexstar’s upfront slogan is “We got Next,” a play not only on the parent company’s name, but a reference to the up and comers who appear on the network, from the Xfinity drivers who will become tomorrow NASCAR stars, the NXT wrestlers who will graduate to the main event and the college athletes bound for the NFL and the NBA.

Nexstar has also remade The CW primetime lineup, broadening its audience from the target audience of young adults the CW’s superhero programming was designed for.

Also Read: The CW President Dennis Miller Talks Up Net’s Reboot and What’s Coming Next

Also in the Nexstar portfolio of up-and-comers is NewsNation, the cable channel, and The Hill, the online politics site.

Strober noted that NewsNation got the last Republican primary debate. It was simulcast on NewsNation and The CW and drew 4 million viewers, raising the network’s profile. It recently appeared in a Saturday Night Live sketch and in the final episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

“Our tagline is News for All America,” he said. “We also refer to our viewers as the moderate majority.”

Strober said NewsNation is in the market with election packages for advertisers who want to sponsor debates, election night and other political coverage on a network that’s not polarizing.

How will the market develop? Strober says it’s still pretty early, but some things appear clear.

“The linear market will be down because the supply is getting smaller,” he said. “We know that sports is something that people are going to want to continue to support and invest in, and luckily we have that.”

For Nexstar, “It’s really about bringing more and more new advertisers to the networks. It doesn’t take a lot to move the needle and I think we’re being very responsible in asking advertisers to get on board with us,” he said. “I think we have a compelling story. We are adding new capabilities and we have a growth story. We’re bringing them the things they want.”

All American: Homecoming starts season three on The CW Monday, July 8, while season two of 61st Street kicks off Monday, July 22. 

All American: Homecoming is a spinoff of All American, which ends its sixth season July 15. Two episodes have been added to season six, giving it a total of 15. All American will lead into All American: Homecoming for two weeks, then Homecoming moves into its regular time slot, Monday at 8 p.m., on July 22. 

All American: Homecoming is a young adult drama set against the backdrop of the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) experience at Bringston University. Simone (Geffri Maya), a tennis player from Beverly Hills, and her friends navigate the highs and lows at the prestigious HBCU. 

Camille Hyde, Sylvester Powell and Cory Hardrict are also in the cast. 

61st Street is a thriller set in the Chicago criminal justice system. After Officer Logan kills an innocent man, attorney Franklin Roberts agrees to represent him in hopes of putting Logan’s corrupt department on trial. But this alliance threatens to turn Franklin’s community — and family — against him.  

Courtney B. Vance, Aunjanue Ellis and Andrene Ward-Hammond are in the cast of 61st Street. 

61st Street had one season on AMC and was canceled, with The CW picking it up. 

Nexstar Media Group, which owns The CW, said the network’s affiliation will be moving to Nexstar-owned WGN Chicago.

Nexstar had previously said that two other Nexstar owned stations — WVBT Norfolk, Virginia, and KLFY Lafayette, Louisiana — will also carry CW programming starting Sept. 1. 

WVBT is a Fox affiliate. The CW will be on digital channel 43.2, replacing Cozi TV. KLFY is a CBS affiliate and The CW will be on channel 10.2.

“The addition of these Nexstar-owned stations as affiliates — two of which are among the country’s Top 50 largest markets, highlighted by Chicago at No. 3 — will bring the number of Nexstar-owned CW stations to 42, covering more than 36% of U.S. TV households,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said. “Adding The CW’s programming to them will offer advertisers a variety of new linear and digital opportunities to reach millions of viewers.” 

Nexstar is able to generate additional revenue and profits in markets where it owns The CW affiliates. Since acquiring a majority stake in the network, Nexstar has changed its programming strategy and added sports programming in weekend time slots.

The CW affiliate in Chicago had been WCIU, owned by Weigel Broadcasting.

“It’s good for us and good for the network,“ Weigel vice chairman Neal Sabin said. “We wish them well.”

The CW affiliations will be shuffling in other markets as well. Affiliation agreements with stations owned by the E.W. Scripps Co. are not being renewed in seven markets including Norfolk and Lafayette.

The other markets where Scripps’s CW affiliations are ending are Detroit; Miami; Tucson, Arizona; Corpus Christi, Texas; and San Luis Obispo, California.

Mission Broadcasting, which works closely with Nexstar, agreed to buy WADL in Detroit and was expected to make that station a The CW affiliate. But the Federal Communications Commission put conditions on the sale and it is not clear if the transaction will be completed. 

DirecTV Stream said it added eight more The CW affiliates to its lineup on Thursday.

The stations are in markets including Boston, Cleveland, Phoenix and San Diego. They are being added as part of an agreement reached between The CW and DirecTV last fall.

With the additions, DirecTV Stream is carrying more broadcast stations than ever, the pay TV provider said.

Also Read: The CW President Dennis Miller Talks Up Net’s Reboot and What’s Coming Next (Q&A)

DirecTV already carries The CW stations controlled by network owner Nexstar Media Group. It also carries most of Sinclair’s CW affiliates.  

DirecTV has been involved in legal disputes with Nexstar and has stated a policy of not paying retransmission fees to stations that are not affiliated with one of the Big Four networks — ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox.

The stations added by DirecTV Stream are:

• WLVI Boston, owned by Sunbeam Television-owned WHDH.
• WCCB Charlotte, owned by Bahakel Communications.
• WKRC-D2 Cincinnati, owned by Sinclair.
• WUAB Cleveland, owned by Gray Television.
• WCCT Hartford-New Haven, Connecticut, owned by Tegna.
• KAZT Phoenix, owned by KAZT LLC (managed by Nexstar).
• KFMB-D2 San Diego, owned by Tegna.
• KUNS, Seattle-Tacoma, owned by Sinclair.

Dennis Miller took over as president of The CW in October 2022, after the network was acquired by Nexstar Media Group. He quickly set about refashioning The CW by bringing in more live sports, decreasing the number of scripted series that are exclusive to the network and deploying a coproduction model that sees series air on The CW and another network in a different country. Those include Wild Cards, about a cop and a con woman working together, and Sullivan’s Crossing, about a woman who leaves the big city to live on the campground run by her estranged father. Both also air in Canada. 

Miller spoke with Broadcasting+Cable about his eventful first 18 months atop The CW, including the network’s shift away from the younger demo it once targeted, and what is next. Here’s an edited transcript of that conversation.

B+C: The CW has bet big on sports — LIV Golf, ACC football and basketball, NASCAR. What’s next in terms of sports?

Dennis Miller: I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities on the edge. A variety of folks are acquiring and/or licensing sports assets right now, and some probably have more than they can really handle. I think a lot of the leagues and the IP holders — the schools, the athletes themselves — are saying, ‘Hey, I want broad reach.’ So notwithstanding that the deep-pocketed streamers in many cases can write pretty sizable checks to acquire things, I think a lot of the IP holders want to be seen in 100% of the country because they’re reaching out to attract alumni, to grow their endowments, grow their sports programs. I think a lot of the traditional incumbents are going to create opportunities where we can insert ourselves. 

We've got a pretty full slate. We’ve got 500 hours [of sports content annually] as of 2025. And the only place we’d really like to find something would be Sunday afternoons, because that is relatively open for us right now, other than some golf tournaments. 

B+C: How is LIV Golf doing this season?

DM: It’s up about 25%. I think the addition of John Rahm was very helpful. They have a number of players who are in The Masters coming up [April 11-14]. And as soon as you get near The Masters, you have this gravitational pull and everyone gets focused: Now that [NCAA] basketball’s over, it’s gonna be all Masters all the time. 

LIV has been doing more promotion with the golfers. When we have U.S.-based events, we obviously do much better because time zone-wise, they comport with how people like to watch golf. 

LIV opened up all sports for us. As soon as we announced that deal, the phone started ringing — ‘Oh, I see you guys are doing sports.’ That begat the ACC conversation and the Inside the NFL conversation and all the other stuff that we've added.

B+C: How did Inside the NFL do in its first season?

DM: In the beginning, it was probably a little softer than we had hoped. Since it skews fairly male in a broadcast schedule that was fairly balanced, it took a little while to find its way. We don't have a flywheel like the other networks do, where they can promote from their sporting events on Saturday and Sunday into Tuesday. So in the beginning it was trying to find its sea legs. 

They were also testing out different people to host, seeing how Ryan [Clark] was going to do. Now we’re in a place where we know how to reach out to the audience, how to find the audience. We ended up making a deal with two other parties — the NFL Network, where it runs at midnight after us, and on Netflix. So we’ve had three outlets to start creating some awareness amongst the various parties as to where to find it. 

I’d say the first year was a little softer than we had originally hoped, but now that we’ve got a lot more sports to surround it with, especially on weekends, we're pretty hopeful going into the new season.

B+C: Is Ryan Clark coming back as the host?

DM: Absolutely. His credibility as an analyst allows us to get a lot of other people to participate in the show and do cameos and all the extracurricular stuff. He’s kind of got the Good Housekeeping seal in the NFL broadcasting world.

B+C: During the TCA Winter Press Tour, president of entertainment Brad Schwartz stressed that the Canadian scripted shows on The CW aren’t ‘imported,’ they’re typically coproductions. Will that be a big part of the primetime model going forward? 

DM: I think Canada will be one part of the model. Brad’s done a lot of work there and reminds me frequently that he’s Canadian and loves hockey. Obviously, the tax advantages, the lack of accents, the easy ability to move back and forth, between crews and getting talent up to Vancouver and Toronto, makes it very attractive. 

What you're seeing now in places like Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, Bulgaria, big tax advantages, great scenery and high-quality crews. Previously, you weren’t able to pull enough money out of the international market to make some of these coproductions viable, but I think that’s changed dramatically. So there’s a situation where we can be the domestic home for broadcast for a couple of runs. We don't have any streaming business, and who knew that would be a wonderful place to be in today's world? So we can partner with someone who has international capabilities, who may or may not have a streaming capability here, and be a piece of that puzzle.

 B+C: What among the coproductions is working out well?

DM: We’re very happy with Wild Cards [coproduced with CBC Television]. It was just kind of the right show. We were moving away from some of the young-adult stuff because broadcast skews older and young adults typically are bingeing when they want to watch something, as opposed to waiting until Wednesday at 8 p.m. to find their show. So as they moved out of broadcast, it was like, what kind of shows are going to work for audiences that will be good lead-ins to the 10 o’clock news on our affiliates? Wild Cards was the first show where we said, ‘OK, we’ve got an attractive cast, we’ve got a fun, light-hearted show that people can tune into without having to know all the backstory.’ 

We got lucky, because It's a little bit of magic in this business. There was great chemistry between the two leads [Vanessa Morgan and Giacomo Gianniotti].

B+C: How many seasons do you see All American going?

DM: It’s kicked off to a really nice start. [Season six began April 1.] We’re going to watch this one closely. That’s up to Warner and ourselves and the cast. It’s had a really nice run. We've got a very interesting storyline that runs through this season.

I would imagine, after five or six airings and we see how it does, both on broadcast and digital, we will come to a determination. 

B+C: Brad at TCA had mentioned The CW taking on the blue-sky motif in scripted that other networks like USA Network had abandoned. Is that an accurate description of the network’s scripted shows?

DM: Very. Jeff Wachtel is doing one of the shows for us, and he ran USA, and Heather Olander, who works with us [head of unscripted programming], was at USA, too. 

That kind of comfort food that’s breezy and positive and easy to pop into and out of — if you look at how viewers are coming to broadcast now and what’s working out there, the more complicated plot lines, the darker stuff, is obviously the domain of streamers, and there’s some amazing content out there. We often have people who've made shows for streamers or even the streamers themselves talking to us, saying, would we be interested in a second run here? Some of this stuff for sure. But a lot of it just wouldn’t work in broadcast, which demands too much of an audience to show up at a particular point in time and pull into a show where they understand what’s going on with the characters. 

The more we’re doing this, and it’s early days, we're seeing that the kind of entertainment that people can easily find, relate to, enjoy the actors and actresses and not have to be so deeply engaged that they can lean back — broadcast seems to work very well. 

B+C: Sherlock Holmes is a character that we’ve read and seen for decades. What stands out about the CW project Sherlock & Daughter?

DM: One, we’ve got some terrific casting that we were able to secure at the very last minute. We like the production team that's involved and we wanted to take a more whimsical approach here. And in a world with so much noise, you better find some IP that people at least say, ‘Oh, OK at least I have a general idea that I'll be with this colorful sleuth trying to uncover a mystery here.’ We've wanted to stick with things that were premarketed.

B+C: How’s Brad Schwartz working out? 

DM: I couldn’t be happier. He’s so passionate about whatever asset that he’s working with. I had the good fortune of working with him at what was TV Guide [Network] and then turned into Pop TV. I knew who I was getting into business with. I wanted someone who was well-liked in the creative community, who had a lot of marketing chops. I knew we needed to be scrappy, that we would have limited marketing budgets, that we had to rebrand The CW because it was really a beloved brand amongst its constituents there, but the world had changed. So how do you go through a rebranding exercise? 

Brad checked all those boxes and was a known commodity. We’re a good yin and yang.

B+C: You got Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble game shows in the works. Why are those right for The CW?

DM: Once again, preexisting IP. In a noisy, fragmented television landscape, you need things where audiences already know what they're going to walk into. Those were obviously two well-known games from Hasbro and Mattel. We were able to make a deal with eOne right while it was selling to Lionsgate there. And we’re very close with the Lionsgate folks — I used to work there and we trust them completely in their ability to produce good shows. So it was really quality IP that was already well-known to consumers. 

B+C: Are you looking for more game shows?

DM: We'll see how these do. There’s not a lot of well-known titles that are still available, but we snoop around over in Europe and elsewhere.

B+C: How do you describe The CW brand in 2024?

DM: Obviously we’re broadcast-centric, which isn’t really a brand definition, but because of the ownership — Nexstar has 30-plus CW affiliates, so we wanted to make sure that the value of those continues to grow and not just [have them] be a set of rerun broadcasters. 

Blue sky and friendly and comforting are all words that we want to be able to provide the consumer. We want to be sports-centric. Sports and news drives a lot of what’s working in broadcast. 

As this thing unfolds and we see how audiences respond, we’ll put the fuel on the stuff that works and we’ll fail fast on things that don’t. 

Underdog’s probably a good word because The CW was always one of the smaller broadcast networks compared to the Big Four. And if you look at the sports that we've picked up, whether it's LIV taking on the PGA or NXT leading into WWE or Xfinity [NASCAR] leading into the Cup, you're seeing a trend of the next generation of sports talent here. We're not playing for the NFL. I think underdog’s a really good definition of who we are. 

B+C: Nexstar owns NewsNation. Will there be more NewsNation content on The CW?

DM: I think so. With Crime Nation, we were able to tap into their broadcasters. Dan Abrams was all over the Curb Your Enthusiasm finale, which was very interesting. They’ve got this great newsgathering capability. You’ve got talent like [Elizabeth] Vargas and [Chris] Cuomo and Abrams that people already know and have done lots of different kinds of docs and specials here. 

In the beginning we wanted to get The CW turned around, get the right people in place. But I think you’ll see a lot of smart collaborations, and us doing more and more where it works.

B+C: What do you hear from [Nexstar chairman/CEO] Perry Sook about The CW?

DM: A lot. I think it’s one of the three or four initiatives in the company that he is highly focused on. I remember as a board member, when we were discussing acquiring The CW, and I came to understand what the previous regime was delivering for affiliates, because it really was not broadcast-centric at the time. So I had a front-row seat to what the strategic decision was to get involved with The CW. From Perry's vantage point it was, ‘Hey, I want to play offense and defense here. I want to make sure that we have the kind of product that broadcasters want first and foremost.’ And so sports became a very important part. 

He’s very involved. He watches the programming. He was just out for a couple days for strategy meetings about where we go from here, what's working, what's not working, are there other sports that we can add? He constantly uses as a refrain Moneyball to say, how do we identify IP, sports and otherwise, and that we do the deals on a financially sound basis? We have the backdrop of the RSNs not doing it on a financially sound basis. And when they imploded, that created opportunity for us to be talking to a lot of the teams and leagues.

He didn’t start with one station and get to be the biggest broadcaster without paying attention to the details. So I hear from Perry a lot. It’s a treat to be working with a founder. There's not a lot of founder-driven companies left in the business today. 

B+C: What’s your take on broadcasting in general? 

DM: When I went into the venture capital business and left the television business, because I'd been in cable with Turner and I'd been overseeing Sony’s TV business for a number of years, I would not have said, 20 years ago, ‘Oh my God, local broadcast will be fine.’ But as I learned, first being on the Nexstar board, and saw how that business was run and the unique place that local fits into the American psyche, I was like, ‘OK, this isn't really going anywhere.’ 

It may have been a 50% margin business and it’s now a 35% margin business. But I can't believe how resilient this has been. People want to see the people and events and things that happen around them. They care about their local sports, they care about their favorite teams, they care about what’s happening in the news around them.

Nobody knew that you could deliver news product at this level and still find significant audiences, and you can do it at three or four stations in a market and still have very significant audiences. 

With Perry leading the charge on retrans, the second revenue stream that really propped up broadcasting in a significant way, the MVPDs have seen the power of having local in their mix of offerings and not just being a kind of single-purpose product. 

I was very surprised when I got to The CW and started talking to the station groups, ours and Tegna, Sinclair, Scripps and others, trying to understand what they were looking for. I was like, huh, not getting an SVOD proved to be a very good strategy of staying out of that huge money suck that has been that business.

The business still has really good margins. The company has low leverage, really good cash flow and then add political to it — this really messed up political climate that we’re in that’s so polarized creates huge dollars. Those factors mean that we’re not going anywhere. That 100% reach is going to be a big advantage and that focus on local matters to consumers.  

The CW will be the exclusive broadcast home for the final eight races of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series this fall. Coverage begins Friday, September 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway and goes through Saturday, November 9 at Phoenix Raceway. 

NBC Sports produces the races. The races were initially set to run on USA Network. 

“As The CW prepares to be the new broadcast home of the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025, we want to thank our partners at the league and at NBC Sports for welcoming the network into the NASCAR broadcast family and for the early opportunity to showcase these thrilling final eight Xfinity Series races of the season,” The CW president Dennis Miller said. “We can’t wait to give racing fans an early preview of all the exciting action the NASCAR Xfinity Series has to offer on The CW and we look forward to establishing the network as a new destination for live motorsports.”

The CW will be the exclusive home to the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2025 to 2031. The series features up-and-coming drivers alongside NASCAR’s boldface names. 

When it becomes the exclusive home next year, The CW will broadcast 33 live NASCAR Xfinity Series races annually, along with practice and qualifying events each weekend. NASCAR Productions will produce the events in collaboration with The CW.

This fall’s events on The CW include the one at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee September 20, a race at Kansas Speedway September 28, one at Talladega Superspeedway October 5, Charlotte Roval October 12, Las Vegas Motor Speedway October 19, Homestead-Miami Speedway October 26, Martinsville Speedway November 2 and the championship at Phoenix Raceway November 9. 

“We have incredible media partners who collaborate at an exceptional level to showcase the excitement of live NASCAR racing,” Brian Herbst, NASCAR senior VP, media and productions, said. “We’re looking forward to having The CW get a head start as the home of the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the help of NBC Sports and continuing to deliver our fans thrilling on-track action.”

Rick Allen is lead race announcer and Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte are the analysts. NBC Sports VP of motorsports Jeff Behnke oversees production. 

Peacock will step into the wrestling ring this weekend to offer exclusive coverage of the WWE’s live flagship event, WrestleMania XL.

The live, two-night event launches April 6, and will feature many of the WWE’s marquee superstars, including veteran grappler and actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson — who will compete in the squared ring for the first time in eight years —along with Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, according to the WWE.   

Peacock has exclusively live streamed each WrestleMania since 2021 when it secured rights to content from the now defunct WWE Network. That deal expires in 2026. 

The WWE, which in 2023 was acquired by Endeavor Group Holdings and merged with the UFC mixed-martial arts franchise under Endeavor's TKO Group Holdings company, recently secured long-term distribution deals for several of its other television properties. 

This past September, USA Network signed a five-year deal to air the WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown series beginning this October, while last November The CW secured distribution rights to the WWE’s NXT weekly series. 

Also, Netflix will exclusively stream the WWE’s long-running Monday Night Raw weekly series in 2025 as part of a 10-year, $5 billion deal with TKO Group Holdings reached this past January. 

The CW, Roku Originals and Australian streaming service Stan have teamed up on the scripted show Good Cop/Bad Cop, with Leighton Meester, Luke Cook and Clancy Brown in the cast. The CW calls the show a “procedural dramedy” and eight episodes have been ordered. 

Created by John Quaintance, Good Cop/Bad Cop is set to premiere next year. It will stream on The Roku Channel in the U.S. and Stan in Australia.

“It is really exciting to collaborate with Roku and Stan on this great new series starring Leighton Meester, who we are honored to welcome home to The CW, where she launched her career and made Gossip Girl one of the network’s most iconic and successful dramas of all time,” said Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment, The CW. “Writer John Quaintance and executive producer Jeff Wachtel have created a fun and funny drama full of clever storytelling and irresistible characters that we are confident will resonate with audiences worldwide. With Jeff’s track record of launching shows like Suits, Dawson’s Creek and Psych, we are thrilled for him to bring his hit-making magic to The CW.”

Meester and Cook play a sister-and-brother detective team that “must contend with colorful residents, a serious lack of resources, and their very complicated dynamic with each other and with their police chief, Big Hank (Clancy Brown), who happens to be their father,” according to The CW. 

Produced by Wachtel’s Future Shack Entertainment and Jungle Entertainment, the series is slated to begin production later this spring in Queensland, Australia. 

Quaintance, Wachtel, Trent O’Donnell and Chloe Rickard are the executive producers.  

Nexstar Media Group, which acquired a 75% stake in the money-losing The CW Network in 2022, is looking to put The CW affiliations on more of its own stations.

Speaking on Nexstar’s fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday, Nexstar president and chief operating officer Mike Biard said that the company’s CW-affiliated stations are the most profitable of its network-affiliated stations, both in terms of margin and gross dollars.

“We are laser-focused on fortifying the performance for the long term by acquiring more CW affiliations for Nexstar stations and focusing our programming investments in content that matters to the broadcast viewer, including live sports,” Board said.

Last year, Nexstar moved The CW affiliations to its own stations in markets including Philadelphia, San Francisco and Tampa, Florida.  

Nexstar also acquired KUSI in San Diego for $35 million. At the time the company said the transaction would be “accretive to Nexstar’s operating results when The CW Network affiliation becomes available in the market.” KFMB is the current The CW affiliate in San Diego, airing the network on a digital channel.

Nexstar reported that in the fourth quarter, The CW lost $50 million on an adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) basis, a $14 million improvement from the previous year.

“We made significant headway in 2023 on our path to profitability” at The CW, said Perry Sook. “First, we further streamlined the network operations, improving cash flow by almost $90 million versus 2022, which was under prior ownership for three-fourths of the year. We also implemented a compelling programming lineup including a diversified mix of entertainment, unscripted programming, sports and events.”

But Sook noted that The CW might not get into the black by the fourth quarter of 2025, as was previously forecasted. “Whether that’s exactly Q4 of 2025 or with the writer's strike that kind of moves into the first part of 2026,“ he said. “I think is irrelevant. We are adding value, creating value there with the growth in audience, beating our competitors head to head upon occasion. I mean, those are all things that we hope to do.”

Nexstar Media Group’s profits fell in the fourth quarter on a weak ad market and a loss at the CW Network.

Net income fell 44% to $100 million, or $3.32 a share, from $178 million, or $5.30 a share, a year ago.

Revenue fell 12.3% to $1.3 billion

The CW network, of which Nexstar owns a 75% stake, had a loss of $50 million on an adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) basis, compared to a $64 million loss in the third quarter

The CW generated $55 million in revenue in Q4, down from $66 million.

Television advertising revenue fell 35.5% to $479 million. The big drop was mostly due to the lack of significant political advertising in a non-election year, but core advertising revenue (excluding political spending) was down 5.9% to $449 million.

Distribution revenue rose 14.3% to $704 million.

Digital revenue fell 5.4% to $106 million.

For 2024, Nexstar said it expects adjusted EBITDA to be between $2.085 billion and $2.195 billion. 

“Nexstar’s fourth-quarter financial results outperformed consensus expectations in key financial metrics,” said CEO Perry Sook.

“The power of the broadcast model and its ability to reach the largest audience of any medium with important news, sports and entertainment content is as strong as ever, reflected by the record audience delivery for NFL and Super Bowl, Grammys and other live sports and event programming,” Sook said. “As we move into 2024, an election year, we look forward to once again demonstrating the value of broadcast television to candidates and campaigns looking to communicate to the electorate through political advertising on television.”

James Goldston, former ABC News president, is behind Crime Nation, a true-crime anthology series that debuted on The CW February 20. The network ordered 10 episodes. 

Goldston was the president of ABC News from 2014 to 2021. From the U.K., his career began at BBC News. He joined ABC News in 2004 as a senior producer of primetime specials and investigative reports and was soon promoted to executive producer of Nightline, a position he held until 2011. He was also senior executive producer at Good Morning America and senior VP for content and development at ABC News before becoming president. 

Goldston stepped down in early 2021. In 2022, he and a production team edited footage from the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which became evidence in the House committee’s public hearings. 

Now president of Candle True Stories, part of Candle Media, Goldston is doing what he calls his “first love,” which is storytelling. Each episode of Crime Nation features one story, including the Gilgo Beach murders and the killing of Gabby Petito. 

Goldston spoke to B+C Multichannel News about whether he misses running a network news organization, what makes the U.S. a unique crime nation, and which case has stuck with him the most. An edited transcript follows. 

B+C: What makes a crime story right for the show?

JG: We look for those cases where you think you might know a story, but there are new layers and new information coming out that enables you to reassess what it is that you know about them. We’re always trying to shine a new light on cases, bring new information to the fore, to see what happens when that bright light of the media goes away and what happens with these cases afterwards. 

Each one of these is essentially done as its own two-hour-long documentary. So we need those stories that will really sustain for those two hours, where we can continually be bringing new information to the viewer to keep them intrigued and keep them learning.

B+C: Is there one crime that you just keep coming back to in your head?

JG: One of the first ones we’re doing, and this one’s particularly interesting because we’re learning new things about it all the time, is the Gilgo Beach case [which involved serial killings, mainly of sex workers, in Long Island, New York]. It was a cold case for so long, and people had all kinds of perceptions about that case. There’s a trial upcoming and we’re learning a lot more about the alleged perpetrator and also the victims and the lives that they led. 

B+C: How does America stand out in terms of being a crime nation? 

JG: The title is designed to be read on two levels. Obviously, we are a nation that is consumed by crime and the coverage of crime. But part of the reason for calling it Crime Nation is to reflect that culture and that national obsession with becoming involved in the process of solving crime as well, and the way that plays out over TikTok, Facebook, Reddit and every possible social media [platform] out there. There are communities all over the country coming together, fascinated by these crimes, with a genuine desire to see justice.

B+C: Do you find it hard to be immersed in crime so much? 

JG: For sure. Some of these stories are very dark and very difficult. There are definitely times when one needs a good walk in the fresh air to cleanse one’s soul.

B+C: Do you miss running a network news organization?

JG: I don’t. I feel extremely fortunate to have run ABC News for almost eight years and to have worked at ABC News for almost 20 years. 

Storytelling is my first love and I’m now the president of Candle True Stories. We’re part of Candle Media, the Kevin Mayer-Tom Stagg group that houses Hello Sunshine and Moonbug and a great number of media entities. I feel like I’ve gone back to my love of storytelling. I’m getting to do it in a slightly different form, which is actually very exciting. Last year I again did that in a slightly different form with the January 6th hearings, another way of bringing that knowledge of storytelling into a different form.

I’m fascinated by the art of storytelling and telling stories for different audiences and helping hopefully bring some understanding, and entertaining them at the same time.

B+C: Any influences on Crime Nation, whether it’s another crime show, a podcast, a film, a book?

JG: For many years I oversaw 20/20 and all of our crime content at ABC News. But the podcast revolution has really led into how true crime is covered, from Serial onwards, and particularly in the [Alex] Murdaugh [murder] case, which we cover in one of the episodes. And through the really excellent storytelling that’s been applied to some of these cases through the streaming revolution — we’ve tried to learn from all of those sources. 

There’s an incredible amount of great, innovative storytelling happening. We try to draw from all of those innovations. 

PASADENA, Calf. — The CW leadership took the stage at the TCA Winter Press Tour here, defining the network’s brand for the reporters in the crowd. Entertainment president Brad Schwartz said he wants the press to “stop writing Big Four networks and start writing Big Five networks,” but acknowledged it will take some work. “We’re the underdog competing against titans,” he added. 

Schwartz called The CW “a big-tent brand,” with scripted and unscripted programming, and a growing batch of sports in the network portfolio, including LIV Golf, ACC football and basketball, NASCAR and sports shows such as 100 Days to Indy and Inside the NFL. 

Also Read: More Coverage of the TCA Winter Press Tour

On the scripted front, Schwartz talked up Sullivan’s Crossing and Wild Cards, both which have roots in Canada. He said he dislikes it when The CW’s shows from Canada, including Son of a Critch and Children Ruin Everything, are referred to as imports, as they are typically coproductions. 

In terms of homegrown fare, All American returns April 1 and Walker is back April 3. All American: Homecoming will start when All American concludes, likely this summer. 

The final season of Superman & Lois, Schwartz said, “is going to blow your mind” when it debuts this year. 

Original Sherlock & Daughter is scheduled for a 2025 premiere. Schwartz called it a “reimagining of the classic franchise.”

Schwartz said other networks, including USA Network, had abandoned the “blue-sky” drama motif and CW shows such as Sullivan’s Crossing and Wild Cards fit that bill. 

On the unscripted front, he mentioned Crime Nation, from James Goldston, former ABC News president. “A different ripped-from-the-headlines true crime story” each week, Schwartz said. “Gripping, can’t-turn-the-channel kind of stuff.” Crime Nation debuts February 20. 

New unscripted stuff includes the FBoy Island spinoff Lovers and Liars, which prompted Schwartz to note, “Women play the dating game much better than men.” That premieres April 11. 

Sally Ann Salsano is behind Police 24/7, which Schwartz said “feels like a Dick Wolf procedural, with “more story and emotion” than a typical unscripted show. Showing police both on the job and at home with family, it begins April 30. 

Game shows Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble are spun from “incredibly well-known IP,” said Schwartz. Production on them begins in the spring. 

Dennis Miller, The CW president, said Schwartz “was my only and first choice to come join me in this adventure we were in to turn a network around.”

Asked about LIV Golf, Miller said the partnership was “really opportunistic for both sides” and led to other sports opportunities coming to The CW. 

Said Schwartz, “I think you’ll see more sports, not less sports, in the future.”

The CW has picked up the drama Sherlock & Daughter, with David Thewlis as the legendary detective. The network also ordered game shows based on Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble. 

The CW is presenting its shows at the TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, California, February 15.  

“The CW continues to expand its original programming lineup with quality scripted and unscripted series, based on IP that everyone knows, that encourage co-viewing across generations of fans,” The CW president of entertainment Brad Schwartz said. “Sherlock & Daughter brings Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award winner and SAG, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated David Thewlis to the network as the renowned detective Sherlock Holmes. The entire cast and creative team have done a magnificent job putting a new twist on the classic character. And because we also need things only a Sherlock can solve, we are looking forward to welcoming two great game shows to The CW in Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble, which will bring primetime game night to the whole family.”

Sherlock & Daughter puts Sherlock Holmes out of his comfort zone, unable to investigate a sinister case without risking the lives of his closest friends. Enter young American Amelia (Blu Hunt). After her mother’s murder, she learns her missing father may be the famed detective. Despite wildly different backgrounds and attitudes, the pair must work together to solve a global conspiracy, solve her mother’s murder, and find out for sure if she really is Sherlock’s daughter. 

Dougray Scott plays Sherlock’s nemesis Moriarty. Thewlis played Varga in season three of Fargo and is in the Big Mouth voice cast. 

From Starlings Television Distribution, Albion Television and StoryFirst, Sherlock & Daughter is led by showrunner and executive producer James Duff and is created, written and executive produced by Brendan Foley.  

Trivial Pursuit takes place on a giant version of the game board, as contestants battle over a range of question categories to win wedges and beat each other to the center. The victor goes against the clock to win the jackpot. 

The show is produced by Hasbro Entertainment, The CW and Lionsgate Alternative Television. Gabriel Marano, John De Mol, Matt Walton and Matt Pritchard, and David Garfinkle are executive producers. 

Scrabble sees wordsmiths add words to a giant Scrabble board in the center of the set, and win points. The show is produced by Hasbro Entertainment, The CW, Mattel Television Studios and Lionsgate Alternative Television. Gabriel Marano, David Garfinkle and Michelle Mendelovitz are executive producers.

Nexstar said it plans to hold a private upfront dinner for advertisers on April 11.

Last year, Nexstar used a similar approach as it rolled out a pitch that promoted its national assets, including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, Antenna TV and Rewind, as well as its expansive group of local TV stations.

The dinner will be held at The Peak in New York City.

Before Nexstar bought a majority interest in The CW, the network would hold upfront presentations on the Thursday morning of broadcast upfront week that showed off the attractive casts in its mostly young-skewing lineup and concluded with a musical performance. One year, the upfront featured Stevie Wonder.

Paramount is also holding a series of private upfront meetings with advertisers for a second year, but most other large media companies are holding big upfront extravaganzas in large venues like Radio City Music Hall.

Nexstar noted that it will be holding a separate upfront event for the press in May.

Nexstar Media Group said it signed a multiyear time brokerage agreement with Londen Media Group,  owner of KAZT Phoenix, which will become a The CW affiliate on February 1.

The CW programming has been airing on one of KNXV’s digital multicast channels.

Under Nexstar’s agreement with KAZT, Nexstar will provide the station with programming and other services, including management of sales, promotion, marketing and technical operations.

The deal means Nexstar will own or provide services to stations in 10 of the top 15 markets and 18 of the top 25.

“We’re pleased to enter into this agreement with KAZT, especially since Arizona will once again be a battleground state in this year’s Presidential election,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. 

“We’re looking forward to helping KAZT expand its service to Phoenix-area viewers and forge an even deeper connection to the community. We know that adding the live sports and entertainment programming of The CW Network will enable KAZT to establish new and meaningful relationships with a variety of advertising and marketing clients,” Alford said.

Chris Farley gets his close-up when the documentary I Am Chris Farley, part of the I Am Films documentary series on The CW, debuts Saturday, January 6. The film, first released in 2015, goes for two hours. 

The I Am series kicked off on The CW with I Am Burt Reynolds on Saturday, December 30. I Am Paul Walker, about the late Fast & Furious actor, happens Saturday, January 13. The CW will air I Am Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 15th, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

Chris Farley died in 1997 at age 33. He was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995 and his movie work includes Wayne’s World, Tommy Boy and Black Sheep. 

The I Am film, directed by Brent Hodge and Derik Murray, “tells the hilarious, touching and wildly entertaining story of legendary comedian and actor Chris Farley,” The CW said. “Beginning with his early days in Madison, Wisconsin, and at Marquette University, through his work at the legendary Second City, the biopic explores his rapid rise to the top of the comedy world on Saturday Night Live and in hit films like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, showcasing his most memorable characters and skits from television and film, paired with iconic photographs, home movies and family snapshots, to fully round out the story of this comedy legend.”

Other stars lined up for I Am documentaries on The CW include Alfred Hitchcock, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Richard Pryor. 

Networks have been creative in filling out their programming schedules amidst last year's strikes in Hollywood. The CW, for one, has licensed a number of scripted shows from Canada, including Son of a Critch, Children Ruin Everything and Sullivan's Crossing. Several I Am documentaries have aired on Crave in Canada. 

Nexstar Media Group and Fubo said they reached a new multiyear distribution agreement covering 89 Nexstar-owned TV stations and the company’s NewsNation cable network.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Fubo will be streaming 37 affiliates of The CW network, owned by Nexstar. Since acquiring control of The CW, Nexstar has been adding sports to the network’s lineup, increasing its appeal to the sports-focused Fubo.

The CW stations carry LIV Golf, college football and men’s basketball from the Atlantic Coast Conference and NASCAR auto racing.

Fubo will also be carrying 25 MyNetworkTV affiliates, 23 ABC affiliates and four independent stations owned by Nexstar.

The CW has acquired the Western series Ride, with Nancy Travis in the lead role. The show debuts Monday, January 22. There are 10 episodes. 

Ride was a Hallmark Channel original that debuted in March and was canceled. 

The CW calls Ride “a multigenerational family drama that follows the lives of the McMurrays, a tight-knit family that embarks on a journey of self-discovery on the heels of a tragic loss as they uncover a twisted web of secrets that threatens to tear the family and their Colorado town apart.”

The family runs a rodeo dynasty. 

Travis plays the matriarch, Isabel. Her credits include The Kominsky Method and Last Man Standing. Beau Mirchoff, Tiera Skovbye and Sara Garcia are also in the cast. 

The CW is getting creative in filling out its schedule with production hampered by the strikes in Hollywood. 

Ride is co-produced by Blink49 Studios and Seven24 Films, in partnership with Bell Media for CTV Drama Channel in Canada. The original script came from Rebecca Boss and Chris Masi, who are executive producers alongside Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Alex Zarowny. John Morayniss, Carolyn Newman and Virginia Rankin executive produce for Blink49 Studios; Greg Gugliotta and F.J. Denny do so for Nitelite Entertainment; Elana Barry and Josh Adler executive produce for Circle of Confusion; and Jordy Randall and Tom Cox do so for Seven24 Films. Paolo Barzman is director and executive producer. 

Nexstar stations in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Panama City, Florida will become affiliates of The CW starting January 1. Nexstar said its stations in those markets will carry the network on digital subchannels. 

In Grand Rapids, Nexstar owns WOOD and WOTV, which are NBC and ABC affiliates, and MyNetworkTV station WXSP. WOTV becomes the CW affiliate. Sinclair currently has The CW station WMMT. 

In Sioux Falls, Nexstar has KELO-KDLO, a CBS-MyNetworkTV affiliate that will add The CW. Gray Television has KSFY, an ABC-The CW affiliate. 

In Panama City, Nexstar owns ABC affiliate WMBB, which takes on The CW. Gray owns WJHG, which airs NBC and The CW. 

“The addition of CW programming to these Nexstar-owned stations will bring the number of Nexstar and partner-owned CW affiliates to 45, covering more than 39% of U.S. TV Households,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said. “As The CW’s No. 1 affiliate group, we are very pleased to be taking this step, especially as several new entertainment shows get set to premiere and ACC college basketball moves deeper into its season — WWE NXT in fall 2024 also will be a big hit. As a result, our CW-affiliated stations will be able to offer advertisers even more opportunities to reach viewers.”

Nexstar owns 75% of The CW.

“These stations are great additions to the CW family,” Dennis Miller, president of The CW Network, said. “Each station has a deep relationship with its viewers, advertisers, and the communities it serves, which is exactly what we look for in an affiliate — each will be a superb ambassador for our programming.”

In September, eight CW affiliates in the CBS group went independent. 

Wild Cards, a procedural drama with Vanessa Morgan and Giacomo Gianniotti leading the cast, premieres on The CW Wednesday, January 17. The show features crime with a hint of comedy, as a by-the-book cop named Cole works alongside a con woman named Max. Gianniotti plays Cole and Morgan portrays Max. 

Jason Priestley has joined the cast as George, Max’s father and a master confidence man who is in prison. Priestley played Brandon Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210. 

The show is a partnership between The CW and Canada’s CBC. Amidst the strikes in Hollywood, The CW has imported several Canadian programs, including Sullivan’s Crossing, Run the Burbs and Son of a Critch. 

From Blink49 Studios, Front Street Pictures and Piller/Segan in association with The CW for commissioning broadcaster CBC in Canada, Wild Cards is created by Michael Konyves. 

Wild Cards will be followed by the season three premiere of Family Law, which has Jewel Staite and Victor Garber in its cast. The show follows Abby (Staite) and her dysfunctional family as they help other dysfunctional families. 

Luke Camilleri and Zach Smadu are also in the cast. 

Susin Nielsen created Family Law, which is produced by Seven24 Films and Lark Productions for Corus Entertainment’s Global (Canada). 

NewsNation will host the fourth Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday, December 6, from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. Megyn Kelly, host of The Megyn Kelly Show on SiriusXM, will moderate alongside Elizabeth Vargas, anchor of Elizabeth Vargas Reports on NewsNation, and Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of The Washington Free Beacon. 

The debate will take place at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. 

It will air live on NewsNation, which is owned by Nexstar, and will be simulcast in the Eastern and Central time zones on The CW, also owned by Nexstar. Viewers in the Mountain and Pacific time zones can watch live on NewsNation or see it delayed on their CW television affiliate from 7-9 p.m. MT and 8-10 p.m. PT. The debate will be live-streamed on NewsNationNow.com and on Rumble, and will also air live on SiriusXM Triumph channel 111. 

“All of us at NewsNation are incredibly honored to be hosting a presidential primary debate and to be part of what will be another historic election season,” said Sean Compton, Nexstar’s president of networks. “We are also extremely pleased to have the opportunity to introduce more Americans to NewsNation, a 24-hour national news network committed to delivering outstanding journalism and first-rate political coverage and analysis.” 

Kelly has moderated five GOP primary debates, including the first in the 2016 election cycle, in August 2015, when she was with Fox News. Donald Trump was critical of her moderation, telling CNN days later, “There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”

NBC hosted the third debate November 8. Trump has not shown up for any of them. 

Michael Corn, president of news at NewsNation, said the network’s “mission is to provide fair and unbiased news coverage, and that’s the way we will approach this important debate. We take this responsibility very seriously and are proud to help inform and educate voters and to contribute to the democratic process.”

Kevin Adell, owner of Adell Broadcasting and WADL Detroit, served WMYD Detroit a cease and desist letter after WMYD agreed to succeed WADL as the market’s The CW affiliate. The letter was hand-delivered to WMYD, sister station of WXYZ and part of E.W. Scripps, on November 7. 

WADL stopped airing The CW on October 29 and WMYD, currently an independent known as TV20, is scheduled to launch The CW on November 13. WADL and WXYZ-WMYD are neighbors, on West 10 Mile Road north of Detroit. 

Adell Broadcasting agreed to sell WADL to Mission Broadcasting for $75 million in May. The FCC has not yet signed off on the acquisition. 

Nexstar owns the majority of The CW and manages the Mission stations. 

The letter, from Adell Broadcasting’s law firm, Bodman Attorneys & Counselors, states: “By agreeing to carry The CW not on market terms, you are interfering with and impacting WADL’s business relationships and expectancy with Mission. Agreeing to carry The CW implies an improper purpose and constitutes tortious interference under well-established Michigan law.”

Adell told B+C he did not have an affiliation agreement with The CW, but agreed to air the network as an “accommodation” as he awaited the FCC’s signoff on the sale. 

On November 8, Bodman served up another letter to WMYD, reminding the station, and Scripps, to “preserve all documents (paper and electronically stored information) and other evidence that are, or may be, relevant to the dispute between you and WADL regarding The CW Network.”

WXYZ-WMYD management did not comment. 

This week, Nexstar reported that third-quarter income was down, impacted by losses at The CW. 

Adell told B+C he plans to go beyond letters from lawyers in his battle with WMYD.

Nexstar Media Group reported lower third-quarter net income, impacted by losses at The CW network.

Net income fell to $25 million, or 71 cents a share, from $289 million or $7.45 a share a year ago.

The CW contributed a $ 60 million loss in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

Revenue in the period was down 10.8% year to year, to $1.132  billion.

Nexstar’s advertising revenue fell 22.5% to $410 million in a non-election year.

Core advertising revenue was down 2.3% to $391 million and political advertising was $19 million, compared to $129 million a year ago.

Distribution revenue was down 6.7% to $598 million, partly because of a carriage fee dispute with DirecTV that led to a lengthy blackout.

Digital revenues were up $15.1 million to $99 million.

“Third-quarter financial results primarily reflect the year-over-year decline in cyclical political advertising as well as the distribution revenue impact related to our successful negotiations with a distribution partner,” CEO Perry Sook said. “We expect the favorable terms of new distribution agreements reached year-to-date, in 2022 and other upcoming renewals, to drive strong, high-margin distribution revenue growth.”

Sook added that for 2024: “Nexstar will realize upside from presidential election year political advertising, reduced losses related to The CW Network and an improving economic environment. We have a clear set of objectives for creating the greatest long-term value for our shareholders and will continue to deploy cash in a manner that will deliver the highest returns.”
 

The CW Network said it made a deal with WWE to broadcast WWE NXT, which features up-and-coming wrestlers, starting in October 2024.

NXT currently runs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Comcast NBCUniversal’s USA Network.

NXT is the latest sports-related property to move to The CW since it was acquired by Nexstar Media Group. The CW said it will soon offer more than 500 hours of sports programming year-round, including LIV Golf, ACC college football and basketball and NASCAR Xfinity Series races.

Also Read: WWE’s 'Friday Night SmackDown' To Return to USA Network

“We are thrilled to welcome the WWE brand into the CW Sports portfolio as they play an integral role in our mission to bring live sporting events to the network year-round,” The CW president Dennis Miller said. “WWE NXT is a perfect fit for The CW thanks to its dynamic young talent featuring the hottest rising stars in the sport and exhilarating, unpredictable weekly events. The passion and engagement of WWE’s fanbase is unmatched, and we are eager to grow that audience as WWE NXT’s new home on broadcast television.”

Financial terms of the five-year deal were not disclosed.

“The CW has made impressive moves over the past year with its live sports programming schedule,” WWE president Nick Khan said. “It’s a truly exciting opportunity to expand NXT’s audience by bringing the show to broadcast television for the first time in NXT’s history.”

NXT has aired weekly since 2012. The show is popular with younger audiences, ranking No. 1 in cable primetime on Tuesday nights last quarter among adults 18-49 and 18-34. 

So far this year, NXT’s average viewership is up 30% among adults 18-49.

WWE wrestlers including Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch have come up through NXT.

The CW series Superman & Lois will conclude after season four, which is slated to air next year. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch play the duo. Season four will have 10 episodes. 

“Over the last three seasons, Superman & Lois redefined both the superhero genre and family drama as Tyler, Elizabeth and the entire cast effortlessly portrayed these classic characters with new layers of depth and complexity that had never before been explored in the Superman universe,” Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment, The CW, said. “We are grateful for the years of hard work and graceful storytelling from the show’s writers, producers, actors and crew, as well as our terrific partners at Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions. As Superman embarks on his final flight, the team is leaving us with an absolutely epic 10-episode must-watch-every-minute farewell to one of the most legendary CW families ever.”

The show is based on the characters from DC created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. 

“While we’re sad to say goodbye to Superman & Lois at the end of season four, we’re grateful for the time we’ve had with our amazing cast, crew, VFX teams, editors, musical geniuses and writers,” said executive producers and co-showrunners Todd Helbing and Brent Fletcher. “Since the day this show was first discussed, it was about family. And that’s what was created — on and off screen. We’d like to thank our partners at Berlanti Productions, DC, WB and The CW for their endless support and enthusiasm during this journey … and give a very special thank you to all the fans for tuning in. We’re thrilled about what we have in store in our final season, and can’t wait for everyone to watch as Superman, Lois and all our heroes face off against the biggest threat in the show’s history — Lex Luthor.”

Superman & Lois features the couple dealing with the stress of being parents, after years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters stirring things up on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out humankind. 

The show is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Helbing, Fletcher, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Geoff Johns.

The CW has ordered two scripted series to air as originals on the network. Wild Cards is a crime-solving drama with Vanessa Morgan of Riverdale and Giacomo Gianniotti of Grey’s Anatomy in the cast. Sight Unseen is about a detective forced to leave the job after losing her sight, with Dolly Lewis starring. 

Both are slated to premiere on The CW next year. Wild Cards will also air on CBC in Canada and Sight Unseen will air on CTV in Canada. 

“Wild Cards and Sight Unseen are two unique, binge-worthy shows that reflect The CW’s commitment to compelling, top-tier storytelling that will appeal to our loyal fans and attract a wide range of new viewers,” The CW head of scripted programming Liz Wise Lyall said. “We are thrilled to collaborate with our partners at Blink49 Studios, Front Street Pictures, Piller/Segan [Wild Cards] and Sisters Troubetzkoy Productions [Sight Unseen] to bring these dynamic series to life and highlight just how expansive The CW brand can be.”

Wild Cards follows the unlikely duo of a gruff cop and a clever con woman. Gianniotti plays the cop and Morgan is the scammer. Produced by Blink49 Studios and Front Street Pictures for commissioning broadcaster CBC in Canada, Wild Cards is created by Michael Konyves. 

Sight Unseen has Lewis as Tess, a homicide detective forced to quit the job after nearly killing her partner and being diagnosed as clinically blind. She is haunted by the unsolved cases she left behind, but develops a fresh perspective on criminal cases. 

Sight Unseen is produced by Blink49 Studios and Front Street Pictures in association with Sisters Troubetzkoy Productions for commissioning broadcaster Bell Media’s CTV in Canada.  

Amid the strikes in Hollywood, The CW has acquired a number of shows from other countries, most of them from Canada. 

Ryan Sharkey was been named senior VP of programming and content strategy at The CW. 

Formerly senior VP of content acquisitions at NBCUniversal, he will be based in New York and will spearhead growth at the network, The CW said, including its AVOD platform and FAST channel extensions.  

Sharkey “will lead the scheduling and acquisitions teams to optimize programming across all platforms including identifying co-productions and innovative strategies to create compelling content offerings,” according to the network. 

Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment, The CW, said: “As The CW explores new content that will resonate with viewers on both our linear and streaming channels, Ryan is the ideal candidate to lead our programming team. With Ryan’s vast experience in all areas of network scheduling and acquisitions, we’re confident he will set The CW up for immeasurable success.” 

Sharkey joined NBCUniversal in 2002. He started there as a financial analyst focused on budgets for CNBC, then USA Network and Syfy. 

“The CW is going through an exciting transformation, and I’m thrilled to join the team at this opportune time to grow the network and its digital platforms into a profitable destination for premier programming,” Sharkey said. “I look forward to leveraging my long-standing industry partnerships, financial background and creative dealmaking skills to enhance the intense work Brad and his team have put into this transition. Brad is an energizing creative force, and I can’t wait to partner with him.”

Keltie Knight and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton will host The 72nd Miss USA Pageant on The CW September 29. Radio personality Ellen K will be the announcer. 

Knight is E! News chief correspondent and has been on Entertainment Tonight and The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS. 

Bailon-Houghton is a host of E! News and co-hosted talk show The Real. She was the lead singer of R&B group 3LW. 

Judges on Miss USA are designer Nicole Miller, actress Vivica A. Fox, model Emina Cunmulaj Nazarian and beauty entrepreneur Patrick Starr. Commentary will come from Jordan Kimball and current Miss USA Morgan Romano.  

Miss Teen USA streams on The CW app and CWTV.com September 28. 

Both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA take place at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. 

The Miss USA pageant has been on NBC, Reelz, Fox and FYI in previous years before landing at The CW. 

The 72nd Miss USA Pageant is executive produced by Renato Basile of RB Entertainment Inc. Laylah Rose is president/CEO of Miss USA/Miss Teen USA. 

The 72nd Miss USA Pageant will be on The CW Friday, September 29, marking its return to broadcast TV. The telecast goes for two hours. 

Companion pageant Miss Teen USA, also on September 29, will stream on The CW’s app and on CWTV.com. 

The Miss USA host has not been named. 

“The Miss USA Pageant and Miss Teen USA Pageant are time-honored traditions. We are thrilled to be collaborating with [owner] Laylah Rose and [executive producer] Renato Basile for what is sure to be a night of exciting entertainment,” said Heather Olander, head of unscripted programming, The CW. 

Both events take place at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. The pageants bring together titleholders from each state as they compete to win Miss USA 2023 and Miss Teen USA 2023. 

Morgan Romano of North Carolina, Miss USA 2022, and Faron Medhi of Nebraska, Miss Teen USA 2022, will be in attendance to pass the crown to their successors. The new Miss USA will go on to represent the United States at the Miss Universe 2023 competition at the end of 2023. 

“I am incredibly excited about the collaboration with The CW for the broadcast of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. We are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to present viewers with a modern and progressive approach to a 70-year-old tradition, and we’re looking forward to the moment when this year’s deserving champions are crowned,” said Laylah Rose, president/CEO of the Miss USA & Teen USA Organization.

NBC used to air Miss USA, which was owned by Donald Trump, and cut its partnership after Trump made disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants. Trump sold the event in 2015, and Reelz picked up the telecast. The pageant then changed hands again and was broadcast by Fox for several years, shifting again to cable network FYI in 2020. 

“I am excited to be working side by side with the Miss USA/Miss Teen franchise and its new owner Laylah Rose. Bringing together our unique A-list teams is going to make for an exhilarating production,” RB Entertainnent executive producer Renato Basile said. 

As part of a longterm affiliation agreement between Sinclair and the Nexstar-owned CW network, 21 CW affiliates controlled by Sinclair are being restored to DirecTV Stream.

The local channels were taken down from the virtual pay TV service in July, as part of the ongoing retransmission renewal impasse between Nexstar Media Group and private-equity-controlled DirecTV. 

Since networks typically control vMVPD negotiations and not station owners, at least for now, Nexstar involved the 21 stations in a two-month-old DirecTV blackout that has spanned more than 200 local stations nationwide. (The full list of affected CW affiliates is below.)

Nexstar purchased a 75% stake in the CW a year ago, and Sinclair operates 21 of the network's affiliates nationwide. Some of those 21 stations are not owned by Sinclair, but controlled by the large broadcaster under management services agreements with Cunningham Broadcasting Corp., Deerfield Media, MPS Media and GoCome Media. 

“We’re certainly pleased that Sinclair seems to have seized the right to provide its viewers, and our customers, the programming they should have always retained in the first place," said a DirecTV rep in a statement to Next TV. 

Station owners, which have traditionally controlled broadcast retransmission fee negotiations with linear MVPDs, are seeking to have more control over relationships with virtual MVPDs, which have so far worked with the larger networks on retrans deals. 

Nexstar Media Group continued to firm up The CW’s affiliate lineup, making a deal with Sinclair to have KOMO Seattle and WPNT Pittsburgh carry the network’s programming as the season starts.

The new affiliations are part of a long-term agreement between Sinclair and The CW that covers 35 markets, including 10 markets where Sinclair provides sales and other services to The CW-affiliated stations.

Nexstar also announced that KAUT, one of the company’s owned-and-operated television stations serving Oklahoma City, will become an affiliate of The CW on September 1. KAUT replaces Sinclair’s KOCB in Oklahoma City.

In Seattle, KOMO replaces KSTW in The CW’s lineup. The CW will be carried on KOMO's digital channel 4.2. The station's main signal will continue to be an ABC affiliate. In Pittsburgh, WPNT replaces WPCW. 

KSTW and WPCW are owned by Paramount Global’s CBS News & Stations unit. After Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery sold their majority stake in the CW to Nexstar, Paramount elected to turn its CW affiliates in eight markets into independents.

Also Read: WPCH Atlanta To Become CW Affiliate In Deal With Gray TV

“We are pleased to be continuing our long relationship with The CW Network and look forward to bringing our stations in Seattle and Pittsburgh into the CW family,” Sinclair chief operating officer and president of local media Rob Weisbord said. “We thank our distribution team for securing the renewal of our affiliate agreement, which includes rights that allow us to negotiate with virtual MVPDs for The CW-affiliated stations.”

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“With The CW’s first-ever ACC college football game featuring the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Cincinnati Bearcats in primetime on September 9, we are pleased to be adding WPNT-TV in Pittsburgh and KOMO-TV in Seattle to our affiliate group,” The CW president Dennis Miller said. “We appreciate that Sinclair values their partnership with The CW as we remake the network with our significant investment in sports, combined with a smart entertainment programming strategy that will further expand viewership on a local and national level.”

Gray Television’s WPCH in Atlanta, known as Peachtree TV, will become a The CW affiliate starting September 2 under a new agreement between Gray and the Nexstar Media Group-owned network.

The CW programming now appears in Atlanta on WUPA, one of the CBS-owned stations that will become an independent station after CBS parent Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery sold their majority stake in the CW to Nexstar.

As part of The CW affiliation, WPCH will carry some Georgia Tech football and basketball games as part of the network’s deal with the Atlantic Coast Conference. 

The deal between The CW and Gray also cover affiliation agreements for 42 of Gray’s 55 CW affiliates. The other 13 CW affiliates are covered under previous agreements with the network.

Financial terms were not disclosed. 

“Gray Television has been a great partner of The CW from the beginning,” The CW president Dennis Miller said. “We look forward to sharing more success together as we transform and grow the network and add WPCH-TV to The CW’s expanding portfolio of affiliate partners. Atlanta is an important market for the CW, especially with ACC football and basketball debuting this fall and NASCAR’s Xfinity Series racing coming in 2025.”

All eight CW affiliates that are owned by CBS transition to independent stations starting Friday, September 1. KBCW San Francisco will change its call letters to KPYX and be branded as KPIX Plus, and WPCW Pittsburgh will change its call letters to WPKD and be branded as KDKA Plus. The stations’ new brands align with the call letters for their CBS sister stations, KPIX and KDKA. 

The other six stations will keep their current call letters and will be branded with the city where they are based and channel number (e.g. KSTW, Seattle11).

WPSG Philadelphia, WUPA Atlanta, KPIX Plus and KMAX Sacramento start 8 p.m. news September 1, and KDKA Plus premieres it in November. KPIX Plus will also have 9 p.m. news, and is airing The Morning Edition from CBS News Bay Area from 7 to 9 a.m. weekdays. 

Seven of the new independents will air 48 Hours in primetime beginning September 11, with KPIX Plus the exception thanks to its two hours of local news in prime. 

“We are excited to be in this unique position that allows us to reimagine our local brands and programming lineups at these eight stations,” Tom Canedo, president of CBS Stations, said. “We are beginning by opportunistically establishing local news beachheads in primetime in several markets. And the timing couldn’t be better for us as we look forward to the upcoming launch of 48 Hours in weekday syndication. These are the first brush strokes on a fresh canvas. We will continue to seek out opportunities to add even more local programming, including live sports and shows from across the Paramount Global brands in the months ahead.”

KDKA Plus began airing the Steel City High School Football Showcase last week, a 10-week series of games on Fridays starting at 7 p.m. The station also has college football on Saturdays featuring the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, which is comprised of nine area colleges. 

Nexstar stations in the Bay Area, Philadelphia and Tampa become CW affiliates September 1. 

Ryan Clark has been named host of Inside the NFL. The weekly show has moved to The CW and debuts Tuesday, September 5. Clark won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown. 

Clark will be joined by former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder, former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnston and former Rams defensive end Chris Long, son of Howie Long.  

“We are thrilled to welcome Ryan, Channing, Jay, Chad and Chris to The CW family as we prepare Inside the NFL for its broadcast television debut,” said Dennis Miller, president, The CW Network. “Not only do they all possess a deep understanding, knowledge and passion for the game, but they also bring a unique sense of humor and fun to the table. Plus, they are not afraid to voice their opinions on any topic. This season of Inside the NFL will be a must-watch for all football fans.”

Besides his work on Monday Night Countdown, Clark regularly appears on ESPN’s NFL Live, First Take, Get Up and SportsCenter. In January 2022, he launched “The Pivot Podcast” with Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. 

“Every day I showed up to work it was always about the next step… I dreamed of being a host, but not even in my wildest dreams did I think it would be the host of Inside the NFL,” said Clark. “I played against all the analysts who will be with me on Tuesday nights and always admired the way they approached the game of football. I’m excited to see that same passion poured into the new Inside the NFL now that we are all on the same team.”

Inside the NFL debuted on HBO in 1977. It moved to Showtime in 2008 and then Paramount Plus in 2021. 

“We are so proud that Inside the NFL has been loved and consumed by football fans for an incredible 47 years,” said Ross Ketover, senior executive, NFL Films. “Now having this show on broadcast television for the first time, with our new partners at The CW, everyone at NFL Films is unbelievably excited to refresh and reinvent this tentpole franchise.”   

An NFL Films production, Inside the NFL is executive produced by Ketover, Pat Kelleher and Keith Cossrow.

KRON San Francisco is premiering weekday news from 2-3 p.m. and 11-11:30 p.m. September 1, the same day the station becomes an affiliate of The CW. Nexstar Media Group owns KRON, currently a MyNetworkTV affiliate, and 75% of The CW. 

“The growth and development of The CW Network is an exciting new opportunity for

KRON,” Jim Rose, KRON VP and general manager, said. “This allows us to serve the Bay Area with diverse new programming and top-tier live sporting events while expanding our local news product into new time periods.”

KBCW San Francisco, which is owned by CBS, ceases being a The CW affiliate on September 1. All eight CW affiliates in the CBS-owned group are going independent. 

The new MyNetworkTV affiliate in the Bay Area has not been announced. 

Amidst the strikes in Hollywood, The CW is relying on scripted shows from Canada to fill out its schedule. It also has Inside the NFL, which previously ran on HBO, Showtime and Paramount Plus. 

“We are presenting a fall lineup that includes classic CW series like the smash multiplatform hit All American plus introducing new premium dramatic offerings such as 61st Street, Sullivan’s Crossing and The Spencer Sisters,” said Brad Schwartz, CW entertainment president. “We are proud to bring comedy back to The CW with some of the funniest and heartwarming family sitcoms on television with Son of a Critch, Run the Burbs, Children Ruin Everything and Everyone Else Burns.”

Nexstar acquired KRON when it bought the Media General group in 2016. 

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose is Nielsen’s No. 6 DMA. 

Nexstar stations in Philadelphia and Tampa are also becoming The CW affiliates September 1.