WVTV: CW 18 is a Milwaukee, WI based service owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group with studios located on Calumet Road in the Park Place office park near the I-14/U.S. 45 interchange. The transmitter is installed on North Humboldt Boulevard. My 24 is a second digital subchannel linked with MyNetworkTV. Dare to Defy is the catchphrase employed by the service.
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Early History
The channel went on air on Oct 3, 1953 as WOKY-TV and is the second-oldest station broadcasting in Milwaukee airing on UHF Ch 19. Bartell Broadcasters was the original owner which also owned the radio sister WOKY 920 AM. It was primarily an ABC affiliate with secondary linkage to DuMont. CBS on Oct 21, 1954 acquired WOKY-TV and moved its programming from WCAN-TV to it. Under the new ownership the calls were changed to WXIX on Feb 27, 1955. It was stationed on North 27th Street, the facility formerly used by WCAN, before being sold by the network less than four years later. After going under the O&O umbrella of CBS, it was the first of its kind in Milwaukee. It shifted to Ch 18 slot in an FCC mandated alignment change.
WKY Television System, later Gaylord Broadcasting in 1966 acquired the channel and altered its calls to WVTV. A new studio was also constructed at the corner of North 35th Street and Capital Drive. From there it then became one of the most popular independent stations in the country wit its strong slate of syndicated content and locally produced programs such as The Bowling Game. It like other Gaylord assets aimed at rural and suburban audiences.
The WB Affiliation and Switch to The CW
It on May 19, 1997 signed affiliation with The WB and was rebranded as WB 18. The channel was completely acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2000. The sister WCGV became MyNetworkTV affiliate on Sep 5, 2006 while WVTV switched to The CW upon its launch of Sep 18, 2006. It was renamed as CW 18 on Sep 18, 2006.
Programming
Jerry Springer, The Goldbergs, The Steve Wilkos Show, Family Feud and Maury are among the notable syndicated shows carried by the service. Full Measure and Ring of Honor Wrestling are also broadcasted by the station. Top news stories, trending stuff, community updates, CWHAT’s HOT and more is available on the channel. You can follow the service on Facebook and Twitter. Here is the website: http://cw18milwaukee.com/
