Tribune Broadcasting, which owns several stations that will be part of The CW network launching in September, has issued the following press release about the transition from Smackdown to Tribune-owned stations in advance of the September 22 8pm CW premiere of the show (so, for example, if you live in New York and your UPN affiliate is WWOR, you can still see Smackdown in your market despite WWOR becoming a My Network TV station in early September).
WWE(R) SmackDown(R) Transitions to Six Tribune Stations In Early September
Tribune television stations in six major markets will start airing ratings champ “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” in early September in advance of the official premiere of “SmackDown” on The CW Network on Friday, Sept. 22, 2006. The stations include: WPIX in New York, KTLA in Los Angeles, WGN in Chicago, WDCW in Washington, KHCW in Houston and WTXX in Hartford, Conn.
“Tribune stations are working closely with the new CW and the WWE to successfully transition SmackDown in markets where the program will be switching to new stations,” said Marc Schacher, Tribune Broadcasting Senior Vice President, Programming. “We want to make sure that WWE fans in these markets know exactly where and when SmackDown airs so they don’t miss a minute of the action.”
“We will be keeping our fans informed of these changes on WWE.com as soon as details in each market are finalized,” said Kurt Schneider, World Wrestling Entertainment’s Executive Vice President, Marketing. “We’re very excited about our move to The CW Network, and appreciate our fans’ patience as SmackDown transitions to its new station homes across the United States in September.”
The “Friday Night SmackDown” schedule in these six markets for the first three weeks of September is as follows:
New York/WPIX
Saturday, September 2 from 2:00-3:00 PM*
Saturday, September 9 from 8:00-10:00 PM
Saturday, September 16 from 8:00-10:00 PM
Los Angeles/KTLA
Saturday, September 2 from 12:30-1:30 AM*
Sunday, September 10 from 3:00-5:00 PM
Sunday, September 17 from 3:00-5:00 PM
Chicago/WGN
Saturday, September 2 from 11:30 PM-12:30 AM*
Saturday, September 9 from 11:30 PM – 1:30 AM
Saturday, September 16 from 11:30 PM – 1:30 AM
Washington, DC/WDCW
Saturday, September 2 at 11:00 PM*
Saturday, September 9 from 8:00-10:00 PM
Saturday, September 16 from 8:00-10:00 PM
Houston/KHCW
Sunday, September 3 at 11:00 AM
Saturday, September 9 from 7:00-9:00 PM
Saturday, September 16 from 7:00-9:00 PM
Hartford, Conn./WTXX
Saturday, September 9 from 8:00-10:00 PM
Saturday, September 16 from 8:00-10:00 PM
* Note that these broadcasts are a one-hour version of the September 1st original episode of “Friday Night SmackDown.”
Tribune Broadcasting owns and operates 25 television stations concentrated in major markets and Superstation WGN on national cable. The group’s combined reach is more than 80 percent of U.S. television households. Tribune Broadcasting also includes Los Angeles-based Tribune Entertainment, a developer and distributor of first-run television programming for the Tribune station group and for national syndication; Chicago’s WGN-AM; and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Investment interests include Comcast SportsNet Chicago (25% owned) and TV Food Network (31%).
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
Media Contacts:
For Tribune Broadcasting: Gary Weitman 312/222-3394
For WWE: Gary Davis 203/353-5066
WWE Investor Contact: Michael Weitz 203/352-8642
For UPN: Joanna Massey 323/575-7080
For The CW: Paul Hewitt 818/977-6171
For WPIX: Jessica Bellucci 212/210-2626
Trademarks: The names of all World Wrestling Entertainment televised and live programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and wrestling moves and all World Wrestling Entertainment logos are trademarks which are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE Tribune Broadcasting
