namja

WGN is a local channel in Chicago. They broadcast (air) on channel 9 so you can get it without subscribing to cable. For those who live in other parts of the country, you can still get WGN on cable. But the cable version of WGN is slightly different than the air version of WGN (certain syndicates are limited to one station per tv market so when WGN-air is showing Friends WGN-cable is showing something else).

Is TBS a local channel in Atlanta? If so, does it air the exact same thing as the cable version of TBS? Does it air all those movies over and over again?

Ashirg

Yes. Yes. Yes.

movielib

I get WGN on cable (I wish they had more White Sox games; I know, most of those are on your local Fox Sports).

What I'm curious about is this. Until some time last year we got the WB on WGN as well as on a local channel. They made WGN stop broadcasting the WB nationally on cable. Is it still on local WGN?

Scott27

I don't have the local WGN feed (or cable feed, for that matter), but I would imagine it still airs the WB locally because Tribune owns WGN, and they also own half(?) of the WB, so it would make sense to me if WGN does still air the WB locally. Maybe a Chicagoan can answer for sure though.

pelenor

Yep. The WB still airs on WGN locallyu. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to see Buufy or Angel and that would piss me off. So in answer to your question, yes.

DigIt

Confirming that WGN does locally air WB.

I think it has different programming on cable because the WB "network" is syndicated, and airing it nationally on WGN would compete with local affiliates, thus losing a lot of money. That's probably why other superstations like TBS don't need to broadcast different content -- they aren't affiliated with any syndicated networks like UPN, WB, etc.

Same thing applies to local NBC, CBS, and ABC affiliates. Satellite won't let you get the NY or LA feeds unless you don't have any local affiliate, since people would watch the NY feed, and the local affiliate would lose all its business. (Most of you probably already knew that, but I thought it might be a helpful explanation.)

clemente

I always thought this sucked (mainly caused I enjoyed the freedom of watching my WB early and not missing anything else that was on that night) But the thing is, WWOR, the New York WB station, which I get through my cable provider still show the WB, here in LA, where we have a WB affiliate. Oh, well.

And I so too wish that WGN showed my White Sox games. I'm gonna die waiting for ESPN to throw me a bone.

namja

Thanks all for the input.


Another question. TBS used to begin all their programming at 5 past the hour (or half hour). Now it's all on the hour or the half hour. When did they change this? Why?

Nightflyer

I didn't know they had stopped either. I'm thinking it was because most tv guides went from a listing format to a grid format and instead of TBS standing out because they were the only show starting at 10:05PM, for example, the show was just lumped into a block with all the other shows starting at 10:00PM. Even some of the free local tv guides that use listings would give a TBS show's starting time as on the hour or half-hour, rather than create a new starting time in their listings to give Ted Turner the extra advertising he.

Danny in Yorktown, VA.