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Tribune TV Stations to Lead Affiliate
Group of New Network
Long-Term Agreement Covers 16 Markets, Including NY, LA and
Chicago
CHICAGO,
January 24, 2006 -- Tribune Company
(NYSE:TRB) today announced that it agreed to affiliate 16
of its television stations with a new broadcast network,
The CW, being launched by Warner Bros. Entertainment and
CBS Corporation. The network will debut this fall and feature
the best programs from The WB and UPN networks, both of which
will cease operations in September 2006. Tribune stations
in seven of the country’s
Top 10 television markets will affiliate with the new network,
including stations in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.
"This agreement is a great step forward
for our TV group," said Dennis FitzSimons, Tribune
chairman and chief executive officer. "Our stations,
the communities they serve, and Tribune shareholders will
benefit from this long-term affiliation with a network powered
by two large, successful studios owned by Time Warner and
CBS Corporation."
Tribune owns and operates 26 TV stations in 22 markets across
the country, including 19 affiliated with The WB Network.
Under the agreement, 16 of those stations will join the new
network:
- WPIX-TV, New York; KTLA-TV, Los
Angeles; WGN-TV, Chicago; WLVI-TV, Boston; KDAF-TV, Dallas;
WBDC-TV, Washington, D.C.; KHWB-TV, Houston; WBZL-TV, Miami;
KWGN-TV, Denver; KPLR-TV, St. Louis; KWBP-TV, Portland;
WTTV-TV, Indianapolis; KSWB-TV, San Diego; WTXX-TV, Hartford;
WNOL-TV, New Orleans; and WEWB-TV, Albany.
The CW network will provide 13 hours
of prime-time programming to the newly affiliated stations:
Monday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. (EST/PST)
and Sundays from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. (EST/PST). The network
will also program weekday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
(EST/PST), Sundays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and provide a
five-hour Saturday morning animation block. The WB Network
will continue to operate until this fall, and Tribune’s
affiliated stations will continue to air its programming.
"Tribune stations will serve as the major market distribution
backbone for what will be a strong network competitor," said
John Reardon, Tribune Broadcasting president. "The
viewers and advertisers in the markets we serve will benefit."
Tribune and CBS own overlapping WB and UPN affiliates in
seven markets: Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle,
Miami and New Orleans. Tribune will be the affiliate in Boston,
Dallas, Miami and New Orleans, and CBS will be the affiliate
in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Seattle.
"We’re confident that the scale
of our television group will enable us to continue to acquire
quality syndicated programming, both first-run and off-network,
for our three independent stations," said Reardon.
CONFERENCE CALL FOR INVESTORS/ANALYSTS
Tribune Company executives will hold a conference call to
discuss the announcement today at 2 p.m. EST (1 p.m. CST).
To access the call, dial 877/847-0401 (domestic) or 706/679-5349
at least 10 minutes prior to the 2 p.m. start. The conference
ID is 4677035. Replays of the conference call will be available
Jan. 24 through Jan. 31. To hear the replay, dial 800/642-1687
(domestic) or 706/645-9291 (international) and use access
code 4677035. For more information about Tribune Company
and Tribune Broadcasting, visit www.tribune.com.
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TRIBUNE (NYSE: TRB) is
one of the country’s top media companies, operating
businesses in publishing and broadcasting. It reaches more
than 80 percent of U.S. households and is the only media
organization with newspapers, television stations and websites
in the nation’s top three markets. In publishing, Tribune
operates 11 leading daily newspapers including the Los Angeles
Times, Chicago Tribune and Newsday, plus a wide range of
targeted publications such as Spanish-language Hoy. The company’s
broadcasting group operates 26 television stations, Superstation
WGN on national cable, Chicago’s WGN-AM and the Chicago
Cubs baseball team. Popular news and information websites
complement Tribune’s print and broadcast properties
and extend the company’s nationwide audience.
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