WWLP

WWLP is a television station serving the Springfield–Holyoke market in western Massachusetts. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 22 and is affiliated with NBC. Its second digital subchannel carries The CW through the network’s CW Plus service and is branded The CW Springfield. WWLP is owned by Nexstar Media Group and operates from Broadcast Center in the Sandy Hill section of Chicopee, while its main transmitter is located on Provin Mountain in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam. The station began broadcasting on March 17, 1953, founded by William L. Putnam and his Springfield Television company. It was originally assigned analog UHF channel 61 and became an NBC affiliate from its launch. At the time, it was among the earliest UHF television stations in the United States and was the oldest television station in Massachusetts outside the Boston area. Because Springfield was surrounded by markets whose VHF allocations were already occupied, the region developed as a UHF market. Early UHF reception limitations and the area’s mountainous terrain made coverage difficult, especially in the northern Pioneer Valley. WWLP addressed those limitations through satellite stations and later through digital transmission facilities. WWLP moved from channel 61 to analog channel 22 in July 1955. It subsequently operated full-time satellites, including WRLP in Greenfield and WJZB-TV in Worcester, to extend or supplement its reach. WRLP served northern parts of the Pioneer Valley from a transmitter in New Hampshire, while WJZB-TV provided a separate Worcester-area operation that was subject to restrictions intended to protect Boston-area broadcasters. Both satellites ultimately ceased operation, with WRLP leaving the air in 1978 and WJZB-TV ending operations earlier. Ownership changed several times after Putnam retired from broadcasting. Springfield Television was sold to Adams Communications in 1984. Adams later divested its stations, with WWLP moving to Brisette Broadcasting in 1991 and then becoming part of Benedek Broadcasting after a 1995 merger. LIN TV acquired WWLP in 2000. Media General purchased LIN Media, including WWLP and its low-power repeater WFXQ-CD, in a transaction completed in December 2014. Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced its acquisition of Media General in 2016, and WWLP subsequently became part of Nexstar Media Group. The station relocated its studios and offices to Chicopee around 2000. The facility was expanded to accommodate a regional master-control operation for LIN TV stations in the northeastern United States. It later served as Nexstar’s Northeast master-control hub. WWLP’s digital infrastructure also includes WFXQ-CD, a low-power digital repeater on channel 28 transmitting from the former Mount Tom Ski Area in Holyoke. The repeater is intended to improve over-the-air UHF access for viewers in the core Springfield area, where VHF reception can be challenging with modern digital antennas. WWLP has also played a role in local programming. Its long-running high-school quiz program As Schools Match Wits began in 1961 and became one of the longest-running programs of its type in American television. The station canceled the program in 2006 amid the cost and operational impact of new federal closed-captioning requirements, but it returned in 2007 on PBS member station WGBY-TV in a co-production with Westfield State College. WWLP’s services now combine local news, weather, syndicated programming, NBC network content, digital multicast programming, and CW programming. Its CW service evolved from WBQT, a cable-only affiliate of The WB 100+ service launched in 1998. Following the creation of The CW, the service became part of The CW Plus. WWLP added the service to its second digital subchannel in 2015, giving the market an over-the-air CW outlet and enabling locally produced programming, including a 10 p.m. newscast.

WWLP launched on March 17, 1953, under founder William L. Putnam and Springfield Television. It began as an NBC affiliate on UHF channel 61, during the early expansion of UHF television in the United States. Springfield’s position between Boston, Hartford–New Haven, and the Capital District meant that available VHF channels were already committed elsewhere. The market therefore depended heavily on UHF broadcasting, despite the reception disadvantages of the period. WWLP moved to channel 22 on July 2, 1955. Coverage was especially difficult in the northern Pioneer Valley because of mountainous terrain and the technical limitations of early UHF receivers. To improve service, Springfield Television established satellite operations. WRLP signed on in Greenfield in 1957 and transmitted from Gunn Mountain in Winchester, New Hampshire. In 1958, the company returned a defunct Worcester station to the air as a second WWLP satellite, though restrictions limited its schedule because Worcester was part of the Boston market. That station later became WJZB-TV and operated independently while continuing to carry some WWLP programming. WJZB-TV went dark in 1969, while WRLP ended operations in 1978. WWLP remained under Springfield Television until Putnam retired and sold the group to Adams Communications in 1984. Adams began dismantling the group in the late 1980s, and WWLP was sold to Brisette Broadcasting in 1991. Brisette merged with Benedek Broadcasting at the end of 1995. LIN TV acquired WWLP in 2000 through a station exchange involving Benedek. Around the same period, WWLP moved its studios and offices from the transmitter site on Provin Mountain to a new Broadcast Center in Chicopee. LIN expanded the Chicopee facility to support centralized master control and other operations for stations in its northeastern group. The station’s local-programming history includes As Schools Match Wits, a high-school quiz program that premiered in October 1961. Its longevity made it a notable part of WWLP’s community identity. The program was canceled in September 2006, in part because of the expense associated with federal closed-captioning requirements. It returned in January 2007 through WGBY-TV, with Westfield State College participating in production. WWLP’s digital development included a second subchannel and the low-power repeater WFXQ-CD. WWLP-DT2 initially carried a weather-radar feed in 2007, later affiliated with TheCoolTV in 2010, and went dark after that affiliation ended in July 2013. The subchannel’s next major role came from the market’s existing cable-only WB and CW service. WBQT had launched in September 1998 as a cable-only affiliate of The WB 100+. After The WB and UPN were replaced by The CW in 2006, the service became part of The CW Plus and was known locally under Pioneer Valley branding. In December 2014, Media General announced that WWLP-DT2 and the WFXQ-CD second channel would carry The CW. WWLP assumed promotional and advertising duties in January 2015, and the over-the-air CW service launched on WWLP-DT2. It was subsequently branded The CW Springfield and added a 10 p.m. newscast in April 2015. The arrangement expanded local access to CW programming beyond cable distribution. Media General completed its acquisition of LIN Media in December 2014. A proposed Media General acquisition of Meredith raised ownership-compliance issues because Meredith already owned Springfield station WGGB-TV, but that transaction was abandoned. Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced its acquisition of Media General in January 2016, bringing WWLP into the Nexstar group. The station continues to broadcast from Chicopee, transmit from Provin Mountain, operate WFXQ-CD, and serve as a major local television and network-programming outlet for western Massachusetts. The Chicopee facility also functions as Nexstar’s Northeast master-control hub.

1. 2016Nexstar announces Media General acquisition

   Nexstar announces its agreement to acquire Media General, placing WWLP under its ownership.

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2. 2015The CW Springfield launches

   WWLP-DT2 begins over-the-air CW service and later adds a local 10 p.m. newscast.

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3. 2014Media General completes LIN acquisition

   Media General completes its purchase of LIN Media, including WWLP and WFXQ-CD.

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4. 2000LIN TV acquires WWLP

   WWLP becomes part of LIN TV, while its Chicopee facility is developed for regional operations.

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5. 1984Springfield Television is sold

   Founder William L. Putnam retires and sells the station group to Adams Communications.

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6. 1961As Schools Match Wits premieres

   WWLP introduces its long-running high-school quiz program.

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7. 1957WRLP satellite launches

   A full-time satellite begins serving the northern Pioneer Valley from Greenfield and Winchester, New Hampshire.

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8. 1955Frequency changes to channel 22

   The station moves from analog channel 61 to channel 22.

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9. 1953WWLP signs on

   WWLP begins broadcasting from Springfield as an NBC affiliate on UHF channel 61.

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A regional broadcast television station combining NBC network affiliation with local news, weather, community programming, and a CW digital subchannel for western Massachusetts.

• WWLP NBC serviceBroadcast television1953

  WWLP’s primary service broadcasts NBC network programming alongside locally produced news, weather, public-affairs, and community content for the Springfield–Holyoke market. The service is transmitted from Provin Mountain and distributed through cable, satellite, and digital terrestrial television.

• The CW SpringfieldDigital multicast television2015

  The CW Springfield is WWLP’s second digital subchannel, carrying The CW through CW Plus. It developed from the market’s former cable-only WBQT service and provides CW programming, local promotion, and a locally produced late-evening newscast.

• WFXQ-CDLow-power digital repeater2006

  WFXQ-CD is WWLP’s low-power digital repeater on channel 28. Its transmitter at the former Mount Tom Ski Area in Holyoke helps provide UHF access to viewers who may experience difficulties receiving the main VHF digital signal with a conventional antenna.

• As Schools Match WitsLocal television program1961

  As Schools Match Wits is a high-school quiz program that premiered on WWLP in 1961. The station discontinued it in 2006 during the transition to new captioning requirements, and the program returned in 2007 on WGBY-TV with Westfield State College involvement.

• 2016Join the Nexstar station group through Media General acquisitionM&A

  Media General had acquired LIN Media and owned WWLP. Nexstar then pursued a broader acquisition of Media General.

  What changed. Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced an agreement to acquire Media General.

  Aftermath. WWLP became part of Nexstar Media Group, which also owns the majority interest in The CW.

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• 2014Move the CW service to WWLP’s digital platformStrategy

  The Springfield market’s CW programming had previously been distributed through a cable-only service known as WBQT and later through CW Plus. Media General sought an over-the-air outlet as part of a renewed network affiliation arrangement.

  What changed. Media General announced that WWLP-DT2 and WFXQ-CD’s second channel would carry The CW, with WWLP taking over promotion and advertising responsibilities.

  Aftermath. The CW became available over the air in the market through WWLP-DT2, later branded The CW Springfield. The subchannel added a 10 p.m. newscast in April 2015.

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• 2006Cancel and later restore As Schools Match WitsOther

  The station faced increased production costs associated with federal requirements that over-the-air programming include closed captioning.

  What changed. WWLP canceled the long-running quiz program in September 2006, after which it returned in January 2007 on WGBY-TV through a co-production involving Westfield State College.

  Aftermath. The program continued outside WWLP’s schedule while preserving its regional educational and community role.

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• 2016Nexstar announces acquisition of Media General

  Nexstar Broadcasting Group announces an agreement to acquire Media General, placing WWLP within the Nexstar station portfolio after completion of the transaction.

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• 2015The CW Springfield launches over the air

  WWLP-DT2 begins carrying the market’s CW service, replacing the prior cable-oriented distribution model and adding local promotional responsibility to WWLP.

  Product launch
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• 2014WWLP adds CW programming to its second digital subchannel

  Media General announces that WWLP and WFXQ-CD will carry The CW on their respective second digital channels as part of a renewed affiliation arrangement.

  Product launch
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• 1955WWLP moves to channel 22

  The station changes its analog assignment from UHF channel 61 to channel 22, the channel associated with its modern identity.

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• 1953WWLP begins broadcasting as an NBC affiliate

  WWLP signs on in Springfield as an NBC affiliate, initially broadcasting on analog UHF channel 61.

  Product launch
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1. WWLP