Duopoly (broadcasting)

In United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 broadcast television

Terrestrial television

Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which do not involve satellite transmission or via underground cables—typically through the atmosphere from a transmitting antenna....

 and radio

Radio industry

The "radio industry" is a generic term for any companies or public service providers who are involved with the broadcast of radio stations or ancillary services.Radio broadcasters can be broken into at least two different groups:...

, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community.

This usage is technically incompatible with the standard definition

Duopoly

A true duopoly is a specific type of oligopoly where only two producers exist in one market. In reality, this definition is generally used where only two firms have dominant control over a market...

 of the word; in the field of economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, a duopoly

Duopoly

A true duopoly is a specific type of oligopoly where only two producers exist in one market. In reality, this definition is generally used where only two firms have dominant control over a market...

 refers to a marketplace in which most or all of the supply of a commodity is controlled by only two (comparable) vendors.

This leads to confusion inasmuch as there are generally more than two owners of broadcast television stations in markets with duopolies.

In United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 broadcast television

Terrestrial television

Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which do not involve satellite transmission or via underground cables—typically through the atmosphere from a transmitting antenna....

 and radio

Radio industry

The "radio industry" is a generic term for any companies or public service providers who are involved with the broadcast of radio stations or ancillary services.Radio broadcasters can be broken into at least two different groups:...

, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community.

This usage is technically incompatible with the standard definition

Duopoly

A true duopoly is a specific type of oligopoly where only two producers exist in one market. In reality, this definition is generally used where only two firms have dominant control over a market...

 of the word; in the field of economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, a duopoly

Duopoly

A true duopoly is a specific type of oligopoly where only two producers exist in one market. In reality, this definition is generally used where only two firms have dominant control over a market...

 refers to a marketplace in which most or all of the supply of a commodity is controlled by only two (comparable) vendors.

This leads to confusion inasmuch as there are generally more than two owners of broadcast television stations in markets with duopolies. Outside the US, the common ownership of two local broadcast stations is therefore more commonly called a "twinstick

Twinstick

A twinstick, in Canadian broadcasting, is a term for two television stations, broadcasting in the same market, which are owned by the same company...

".

Regulatory issues

In the United States, this has been frowned upon when using public airwaves, as it gives too much influence to one company.

Duopolies were normally not allowed to television stations with overlapping coverage areas in the United States before 2001. The Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, directed, and empowered by Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President...

 currently allows common ownership of two stations in a single market with two conditions:

• There must be at least eight unique station owners left in the market once a duopoly is formed. In effect, duopolies are not allowed in any market with fewer than nine full-power stations (counting non-commercial stations).
• Two of the four highest-rated stations in a market cannot be owned by the same person.

There are at least two cases where a company has been accused of having television duopolies where they aren't legally permitted by using shell corporations to control a second station in a market.

• Sinclair Broadcast Group
  Sinclair Broadcast Group
  The Sinclair Broadcast Group is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States with a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of which are located in the South and the Midwest. Broadcasts by SBG stations can be...
  
   controls the operations of all six stations owned by Cunningham Broadcasting
  Cunningham Broadcasting
  Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation is an owner of television stations in the United States. The company currently owns six stations—four affiliated with Fox Broadcasting Company , one affiliated with MyNetworkTV and one affiliated with The CW Television Network.Cunningham has very close ties to...
  
   through local marketing agreement
  Local marketing agreement
  In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio station or TV station owned by another licensee...
  
  s. However, nearly all of Cunningham's stock is held by trusts in the name of Sinclair's founders and owners, the Smith family. In three markets, Cunningham owns the fourth-highest rated station while Sinclair owns one of the three highest-rated stations. In the three other markets, there are too few stations or unique owners to legally permit a duopoly.
• Malara Broadcasting owns two stations--WPTA-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana
  Fort Wayne, Indiana
  Fort Wayne is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 251,591, ranking it the 73^rd largest city in the nation. It is the second largest city in Indiana, after Indianapolis...
  
   and KDLH-TV in Duluth, Minnesota
  Duluth, Minnesota
  Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,918 in the 2000 census and 84,397 according to July 1, 2007 census estimates. The Duluth MSA had a population of 275,486 in 2000...
  
  . Both stations' operations are controlled by Granite Broadcasting, which owns WISE-TV
  WISE-TV
  WISE-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northern Indiana that is licensed to Fort Wayne. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 18 from a transmitter on West State Boulevard. The station can also be seen on Verizon FiOS channel 4 and Comcast channel 13...
  
   in Fort Wayne and KBJR-TV
  KBJR-TV
  KBJR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Iron Range area of northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Superior, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of downtown Duluth in Hilltop Park...
  
   in Duluth. Malara files its Securities and Exchange Commission reports jointly with Granite, leading to allegations that Malara is simply a shell for Granite. Neither Fort Wayne nor Duluth have enough stations to legally permit a duopoly.

Note that the rules governing radio stations are less restrictive than those for TV, allowing as many as six radio and two television stations under common ownership in the largest US markets.

Pittsburgh is rather in a unique situation as far as duopolies are concerned, as the city only has nine full-powered television stations. CBS Corporation

CBS Corporation

CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's majority...

 has a duolopy with CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...

 O&O

Owned-and-operated station

In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...

 KDKA-TV

KDKA-TV

KDKA-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in Pittsburgh. Its studios are located at One Gateway Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 25 from its transmitter in Pittsburgh. Along with sister station KYW-TV, it is one of two television...

 and CW O&O WPCW

WPCW

WPCW is a CW Television Network owned and operated station that serves the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania DMA. Known on-air as Pittsburgh CW, the station is owned by the CBS Corporation and is a sister station of CBS O&O KDKA-TV. The two stations are the only O&Os of any network in the Pittsburgh market...

, while Sinclair Broadcast Group

Sinclair Broadcast Group

The Sinclair Broadcast Group is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States with a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of which are located in the South and the Midwest. Broadcasts by SBG stations can be...

 owns Fox

Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...

 affiliate WPGH-TV

WPGH-TV

WPGH-TV is the FOX-affiliated television station for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter at its studios on Ivory Avenue in the city. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 7 and in high definition on digital channel...

 and myNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...

 affiliate WPMY

WPMY

WPMY is the affiliate of MyNetworkTV in the Pittsburgh market. As My Pittsburgh TV, WPMY broadcasts on digital channel 42 and is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Its transmitter is located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania...

. WQED Multimedia, which owns flagship PBS

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. However, its operations are largely funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting...

 station WQED

WQED (TV)

WQED is a PBS television station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established April 1, 1954, it was the first community-sponsored television station in the United States as well as the fifth public TV station. WQED also became the first station to telecast classes to elementary classrooms when...

 & NPR

National Public Radio

National Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed into law...

 member WQED-FM

WQED-FM

WQED-FM is a listener-supported, public radio classical, fine arts, and news station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station, which is a sister station to both WQED-TV and WQEX, operates at 89.3 MHz with an ERP of 28 kW, and is a member station of National Public Radio and an affiliate of Public...

, also owns WQEX

WQEX

WQEX is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It currently broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 38, but through the use of PSIP, uses virtual channel 16, its former analog television channel number...

, which currently simulcast

Simulcast

Simulcast is a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast", and refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are...

s ShopNBC

ShopNBC

ShopNBC is an American broadcast and cable home shopping network, owned and operated by ValueVision Media, which is in turn 30% owned by GE Equity and NBC Universal...

. The station previously operated WQEX as a second PBS station for shows that the main WQED couldn't fit on its own station before funding got tight and WQEX started simulcasting the main WQED feed preparing to sell the station. By request of WQED Multimedia, WQEX had its non-commercial license revoked by the FCC in 2002 so that WQED could possibly sell the station in the future after a failed attempt to sell the station to Cornerstone Television

Cornerstone Television

The Cornerstone TeleVision Network is a Christian broadcast and satellite television network based in Wall, Pennsylvania, United States. Its founder and CEO is Russ Bixler...

 in 1999 that would've also saw Cornerstone sell WPCB-TV

WPCB-TV

WPCB-TV is a Christian television station in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA DMA. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 50. It's licensed to Greensburg with studios and transmitter in Wall and is the home of Cornerstone Television, which originates most of its programs from the station...

 to Paxson Communications

ION Media Networks

ION Media Networks is an American television broadcasting company that owns and operates over 60 television stations in most major American markets. It is now a privately owned company.-History:...

 and move its programming to WQEX directly related to WQEX's then-non-commercial status.

Examples in American television

See also List of television duopolies in the United States

Stations listed are full-power terrestrial broadcasters in the same US market. Bold indicates O&O

Owned-and-operated station

In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...

:

City	Station		Station		Owner
Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border...	WOIO WOIO WOIO , is the CBS affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio. It is licensed to the nearby suburb of Shaker Heights. WOIO is owned by Raycom Media and is sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate WUAB...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  19	WUAB WUAB WUAB, identified on-air as "My43 WUAB", is the MyNetworkTV affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio. The station is licensed to the suburb of Lorain, and it shares a studio in downtown Cleveland with sister station WOIO, Cleveland's CBS affiliate. Its transmitter is located in Parma, Ohio...	My 43	Raycom Media Raycom Media Raycom Media is a broadcasting company based in Montgomery, Alabama.- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio...
Dayton Dayton, Ohio Dayton is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 166,179 at the 2000 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 848,153 in the 2000 census. Dayton is the fourth largest...	WKEF WKEF WKEF is a broadcast television station in Dayton, Ohio, affiliated with the ABC network. It broadcasts on channel 22 . WKEF is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group with its transmitter is located in Dayton...	ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...  22	WRGT WRGT-TV WRGT-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Dayton, Ohio. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 30 from a transmitter at its Broadcast Plaza studios near the New Chicago section of the city. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 8 and in high...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  45	Sinclair Sinclair Broadcast Group The Sinclair Broadcast Group is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States with a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of which are located in the South and the Midwest. Broadcasts by SBG stations can be... -Cunningham Cunningham Broadcasting Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation is an owner of television stations in the United States. The company currently owns six stations—four affiliated with Fox Broadcasting Company , one affiliated with MyNetworkTV and one affiliated with The CW Television Network.Cunningham has very close ties to... (effectively a Sinclair duopoly in violation of FCC rules)
Buffalo Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...	WIVB WIVB-TV WIVB-TV is the CBS television affiliate in Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 39. It is owned by LIN TV Corporation, and is sister station to WNLO 23, the area's CW network affiliate...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  4	WNLO WNLO WNLO is the CW-affiliated television station for Buffalo, New York. Its broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter on Whitehaven Road on Grand Island. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to CBS affiliate WIVB. The two share studios on Elmwood...	CW 23	LIN TV LIN TV LIN TV Corporation is an American holding company that operates 31 television stations.-History:LIN TV's roots trace back to the founding of its former parent, LIN Broadcasting Corporation, in the mid 1960s. LIN Broadcasting was engaged in radio, television, direct marketing, information and...
Buffalo Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...	WUTV WUTV WUTV is a broadcast television station in Buffalo, New York, affiliated with the Fox network. It broadcasts on digital channel 14. WUTV is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which also owns WNYO-TV, the MyNetworkTV affiliate in the Buffalo market...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  29	WNYO WNYO-TV WNYO-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 49 from a transmitter north of U.S. 20A near the Wyoming and Erie County line. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station is sister to FOX affiliate...	My 49	Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group The Sinclair Broadcast Group is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States with a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of which are located in the South and the Midwest. Broadcasts by SBG stations can be...
Jacksonville Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida, and is the county seat of Duval County. Since 1968, as a result of the consolidation of the city and county government, and a corresponding expansion of the city limits to include almost the entire county, Jacksonville became the...	WJXX WJXX WJXX is the ABC-affiliated television station for Jacksonville, Florida. The station broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 10. The station is owned by Gannett as part of a duopoly with the area's NBC affiliate, WTLV...	ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...  25	WTLV WTLV WTLV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Jacksonville, Florida. The station broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 13. The station is owned by Gannett as part of a duopoly with the area's ABC affiliate, WJXX. The two stations share studios located on East Adams Street in downtown near...	NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...  12	Gannett
Jacksonville Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida, and is the county seat of Duval County. Since 1968, as a result of the consolidation of the city and county government, and a corresponding expansion of the city limits to include almost the entire county, Jacksonville became the...	WTEV WTEV-TV WTEV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the First Coast of Florida that is licensed to Jacksonville. Its transmitter is located in the Kilarney Shores section of the city. Owned by High Plains Broadcasting, the station is operated by Newport Television under a shared services agreement ....	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  47	WAWS WAWS WAWS is the FOX-affiliated television station for the First Coast of Florida that is licensed to Jacksonville. Its transmitter is located in the Kilarney Shores section of the city. Owned by Newport Television, the station is sister to CBS affiliate WTEV-TV. The two stations share studios on...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  30	Newport Television Newport Television Newport Television, LLC is a television station holding company founded by Providence Equity Partners and Sandy DiPasquale in 2007 to acquire the television stations owned by Clear Channel Communications. In September 2007, Newport agreed to sell KFTY and KVOS-TV to LK Station Group LLC for $26.6...
Hartford Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located in Hartford County on the Connecticut River, north of the center of the state, south of Springfield, Massachusetts. Its 2006 population of 124,512 ranks Hartford as the state's second-largest city, after Bridgeport. New...	WTNH	ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...  8	WCTX WCTX WCTX is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the state of Connecticut that is licensed to New Haven. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter northwest of Hamden. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to ABC affiliate WTNH....	My 59	LIN TV LIN TV LIN TV Corporation is an American holding company that operates 31 television stations.-History:LIN TV's roots trace back to the founding of its former parent, LIN Broadcasting Corporation, in the mid 1960s. LIN Broadcasting was engaged in radio, television, direct marketing, information and...
Hartford Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located in Hartford County on the Connecticut River, north of the center of the state, south of Springfield, Massachusetts. Its 2006 population of 124,512 ranks Hartford as the state's second-largest city, after Bridgeport. New...	WTIC WTIC-TV WTIC-TV is the FOX-affiliated television station for the state of Connecticut, except Fairfield County, that is licensed to Hartford. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 31 from a transmitter on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington. Owned by the Tribune Company, the station...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  61	WTXX WTXX WTXX channel 20 is the The CW Television Network affiliate for the state of Connecticut, licensed to Waterbury, Connecticut. WTXX is owned by Tribune Broadcasting and it's the junior partner in a duopoly with Fox affiliate WTIC-TV...	CW 20	Tribune Company Tribune Company The Tribune Company is a large, employee-owned, American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, responsible for the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Baltimore Sun...
Raleigh-Durham	WRAL WRAL-TV WRAL-TV, is a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is the CBS affiliate for the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Fayetteville area, known collectively as the Triangle. WRAL-TV has its office and studio facilities in downtown Raleigh, with transmitter located in Auburn, North Carolina...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  5	WRAZ	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  50	Capitol Broadcasting
Raleigh-Durham	WLFL WLFL WLFL is CW-affiliated television station for The Triangle area of North Carolina that is licensed to Raleigh. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter located on U.S. 70 in Auburn, North Carolina near the Wake and Johnston County line. Owned by the...	CW 22	WRDC	My 28	Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group The Sinclair Broadcast Group is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States with a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of which are located in the South and the Midwest. Broadcasts by SBG stations can be...
Washington, DC	WTTG WTTG WTTG Channel 5 is an owned-and-operated TV station of the Fox Broadcasting Company. It's located in Washington, D.C. and serves the entire Washington metropolitan area from a studio and transmitter located in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  5	WDCA WDCA WDCA, channel 20, is a television station in Washington, D.C.. Owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, WDCA is a sister station to Fox network outlet WTTG , and is affiliated with the co-owned MyNetworkTV programming service...	My 20	Fox Television Stations Group Fox Television Stations Group The Fox Television Stations are a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of the News Corporation...
New Orleans	WNOL	CW 38	WGNO WGNO WGNO is the ABC affiliate for the greater New Orleans, Louisiana area, as well parts of southern and coastal Mississippi. It broadcasts on channel 26, and is owned by Tribune Broadcasting. The station offers ABC programming along with syndicated programming and local news...	ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...  26	Tribune Broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting is a group of radio and television stations located throughout the United States which are owned and operated by the Tribune Company, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois.- History :...
New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....	WWL-TV WWL-TV WWL-TV is the CBS affiliate serving New Orleans, Louisiana, southeast Louisiana and parts of southern and coastal Mississippi, and is the primary CBS station for South and Coastal Mississippi. It broadcasts on virtual channel 4...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  4	WUPL WUPL WUPL, My54, is the My Network TV affiliate for the Greater New Orleans, Louisiana area. It is licensed to the New Orleans suburb of Slidell. It is currently owned by the Belo Corporation along with sister station WWL-TV. It broadcasts on virtual channel 54.-History:The station signed on in June...	My 54	Belo Belo Belo Corp. is a Dallas-based media company that owns 20 television stations and two regional cable television news channels. The company was previously known as A.H. Belo after one of the early owners of the company, Alfred Horatio Belo, now the name of the newspaper company spun off from Belo...
Norfolk Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 234,403 as of the 2000 census, it is Virginia's second-largest incorporated city behind its eastern neighbor, Virginia Beach....	WAVY WAVY-TV WAVY-TV is the NBC affiliate serving the Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, Virginia television market . The station is located and licensed in Portsmouth, and its transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia. The station broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 31...	NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...  10	WVBT WVBT WVBT is the FOX-affiliated television station for the Hampton Roads area of southeast Virginia that is licensed to Virginia Beach. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 from a transmitter in Suffolk. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, it is sister station to NBC affiliate...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  43	LIN TV LIN TV LIN TV Corporation is an American holding company that operates 31 television stations.-History:LIN TV's roots trace back to the founding of its former parent, LIN Broadcasting Corporation, in the mid 1960s. LIN Broadcasting was engaged in radio, television, direct marketing, information and...
New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...	WWOR WWOR-TV WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV network licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the New York City metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship WNYW...	My 9	WNYW WNYW WNYW, channel 5, is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located on Manhattan's Yorkville neighborhood...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  5	Fox Television Stations Group Fox Television Stations Group The Fox Television Stations are a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of the News Corporation...
Syracuse Syracuse, New York Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2000 census, the city population was 147,306, and its metropolitan area had a population of 732,117. It is the economic and educational hub of Central New...	WNYS WNYS-TV WNYS-TV is a broadcast television station in the Syracuse, New York DMA. An Affiliate with News Corp's MyNetworkTV. WNYS is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. Its transmitter is located in Otisco, New York. The station was formerly an affiliate of both UPN from 1995 to 2001 and The WB from 2001...	My 43	WSYT WSYT WSYT is a broadcast television station in Syracuse, New York affiliated with the Fox network. It broadcasts on digital channel 19. It is owned by The Sinclair Broadcast Group and a sister station to WNYS a MyNetworkTV affliate...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  68	Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group The Sinclair Broadcast Group is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States with a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of which are located in the South and the Midwest. Broadcasts by SBG stations can be...
Boston	WBZ-TV WBZ-TV WBZ-TV is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, broadcasting mainly a high-definition digital signal on channel 30...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  4	WSBK WSBK-TV WSBK-TV is an independent television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...	Ind. Independent station An independent station is television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any network...  38	CBS Corporation CBS Corporation CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's majority...
Boston	WHDH WHDH-TV WHDH-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Boston, Massachusetts, serving eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Its transmitter is located in Newton, Massachusetts. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is sister to CW affiliate WLVI-TV...	NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...  7	WLVI WLVI-TV WLVI-TV, digital channel 41, is a television station licensed to Cambridge, Massachusetts which serves as the CW affiliate for the Boston, Massachusetts television market. WLVI-TV is owned by Sunbeam Television, and is a sister station to WHDH-TV, Boston's NBC affiliate...	CW 56	Sunbeam Television Sunbeam Television Sunbeam Television Corporation is a broadcasting company based in Miami, Florida, and owns three television stations in the United States.-History:...
Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...	KMCI	Ind. Independent station An independent station is television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any network...  38	KSHB KSHB-TV KSHB-TV is the NBC network affiliate serving the entire Kansas City metropolitan area. It is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, alongside independent station KMCI as the company's only existing duopoly...	NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...  41	Scripps-Howard Broadcasting
Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...	KCTV KCTV KCTV, channel 24 is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Kansas City metropolitan area. KCTV is owned by the Meredith Corporation as part of a duopoly with the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate KSMO-TV...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  5	KSMO KSMO-TV KSMO-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Kansas City metropolitan area that is licensed to the Missouri side of the Kansas City area. Owned by Meredith Corporation, the station is sister to CBS affiliate KCTV...	My 62	Meredith Corporation Meredith Corporation Meredith Corporation is based in Des Moines, Iowa. The company has two divisions, publishing and broadcasting.Edwin Thomas Meredith founded the company in 1902 when he began publishing Successful Farming magazine. In 1922, Meredith began publishing Fruit, Garden and Home magazine, a home and...
Minneapolis-St. Paul Minneapolis-St. Paul U.S. Census Bureau Areas|-! colspan="2" | |-! colspan="2" style="background:#d8d8e8;color:#000;" | Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud CSA, MN-WI|-| Population || 3,502,891...	KSTP KSTP-TV KSTP-TV, channel 5, is the ABC affiliate for the Twin Cities. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota. It is the flagship station of Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation, which also owns several other TV stations across the United States and some other properties.KSTP is licensed in St...	ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...  5	KSTC KSTC-TV KSTC-TV is an Independent television station for the Twin Cities that is licensed to Minneapolis. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 45 from a transmitter at the Telefarm installation in Shoreview. Owned by the Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation, the station is sister to...	Ind. Independent station An independent station is television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any network...  45	Hubbard Broadcasting
Minneapolis-St. Paul Minneapolis-St. Paul U.S. Census Bureau Areas|-! colspan="2" | |-! colspan="2" style="background:#d8d8e8;color:#000;" | Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud CSA, MN-WI|-| Population || 3,502,891...	KMSP KMSP-TV KMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  9	WFTC WFTC WFTC, channel 29, is a MyNetworkTV owned and operated station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area...	My 29	Fox Television Stations Group Fox Television Stations Group The Fox Television Stations are a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of the News Corporation...
Denver	KUSA KUSA-TV KUSA, Channel 9, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to KTVD , Denver's MyNetworkTV affiliate...	NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...  9	KTVD KTVD KTVD, channel 20, is a MyNetworkTV affiliated television station based in Denver, Colorado, and is owned by the Gannett Company. The station is a sister to KUSA, Denver's NBC affiliate and is housed and operated out of KUSA's high definition studios...	My 20	Gannett
Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...	KCBS KCBS-TV KCBS-TV is the West Coast flagship station of the CBS Television Network located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  2	KCAL KCAL-TV KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Early...	Ind. Independent station An independent station is television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any network...  9	CBS Corporation CBS Corporation CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's majority...
Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...	KNBC KNBC KNBC, channel 4, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, licensed to Los Angeles, California. Its studios and offices are located within the NBC Studios complex in Burbank, California and its transmitter is based on Mount Wilson...	NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...  4	KWHY KVEA KVEA KVEA, "Telemundo 52" is an NBC-owned and operated television station in the Los Angeles area, and is the West Coast flagship station of the Telemundo network. The station broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 39, using channel 52.1 as its virtual channel.-History:Channel 52 started as KMTW-TV on...	Spanish Ind. Independent station An independent station is television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any network...  22 Telemundo Telemundo Telemundo is a Spanish-language American television network. Angel Ramos launched the brand with a TV station in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1954 -- and it evolved into the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world...  52	NBC Universal NBC Universal NBC Universal, Inc. is a media and entertainment company formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electric's NBC with Vivendi Universal Entertainment, part of the French Media Group. The deal excluded the French Canal+ operations, which were retained by Vivendi. GE owns 80% of NBC Universal...
Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...	KTTV KTTV KTTV, channel 11, is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Los Angeles, California. Serving the vast Los Angeles metropolitan area, KTTV is a sister station to KCOP , Los Angeles' MyNetworkTV station...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  11	KCOP	My 13	Fox Television Stations Group Fox Television Stations Group The Fox Television Stations are a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of the News Corporation...
Chicago	WFLD WFLD WFLD channel 32.1 is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, based in Chicago, Illinois. WFLD is co-owned with WPWR-TV , Chicago's MyNetworkTV flagship station...	Fox 32	WPWR	My 50	Fox Television Stations Group Fox Television Stations Group The Fox Television Stations are a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of the News Corporation...
Little Rock Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Pulaski County. The Metropolitan Statistical Area, had a population of 675,069 people, according to 2008 census estimates...	KLRT KLRT-TV KLRT , is the Fox affiliate based out of Little Rock, owned by Newport Television in a duopoly with CW affiliate KASN channel 38...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  16	KASN KASN KASN , is an affiliate of The CW Television Network in Little Rock, owned by Newport Television in a duopoly with Fox affiliate KLRT . Its transmitter is located near Redfield...	CW 38	Newport Television Newport Television Newport Television, LLC is a television station holding company founded by Providence Equity Partners and Sandy DiPasquale in 2007 to acquire the television stations owned by Clear Channel Communications. In September 2007, Newport agreed to sell KFTY and KVOS-TV to LK Station Group LLC for $26.6...
Duluth Duluth, Minnesota Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,918 in the 2000 census and 84,397 according to July 1, 2007 census estimates. The Duluth MSA had a population of 275,486 in 2000...	KBJR KBJR-TV KBJR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Iron Range area of northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Superior, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of downtown Duluth in Hilltop Park...	NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...  6	KDLH	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  3	Granite-Malara
Sacramento Sacramento, California Sacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California, and the county seat of Sacramento County. Located along the Sacramento River and just south of the American River's confluence in California's expansive Central Valley. With a 2007 estimated population of 460,242, it is the seventh-largest...	KOVR KOVR KOVR, channel 13, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station licensed to Stockton, California, and serving the Sacramento-Stockton television market. The station is co-owned with CW affiliate KMAX-TV , and the two stations share facilities in West Sacramento...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  13	KMAX KMAX-TV KMAX-TV is the CBS Corporation's CW affiliate serving the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, California broadcast area. In May 2005, the station merged its operations with the local CBS station, KOVR , which the CBS Corp. just recently purchased -- making both the only English network O&O's in the market...	CW 31	CBS Corporation CBS Corporation CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's majority...
Sacramento Sacramento, California Sacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California, and the county seat of Sacramento County. Located along the Sacramento River and just south of the American River's confluence in California's expansive Central Valley. With a 2007 estimated population of 460,242, it is the seventh-largest...	KCRA KCRA-TV KCRA is a television station broadcasting on channel 3 in Sacramento, California. KCRA-TV is owned by Hearst Television, and has been an affiliate of the NBC Television Network since its inception...	NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...  3	KQCA	My 58	Hearst-Argyle Television
Phoenix Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States...	KTVK	Ind. Independent station An independent station is television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any network...  3	KASW	CW 61	Belo Belo Belo Corp. is a Dallas-based media company that owns 20 television stations and two regional cable television news channels. The company was previously known as A.H. Belo after one of the early owners of the company, Alfred Horatio Belo, now the name of the newspaper company spun off from Belo...
Phoenix Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States...	KSAZ KSAZ-TV KSAZ-TV is the owned-and-operated Fox station in Phoenix, Arizona. It is co-owned with sister KUTP. The station broadcasts in digital on VHF Channel 10 in Phoenix and on numerous translators throughout Northern Arizona...	Fox 10	KUTP	My 45	Fox Television Stations Group Fox Television Stations Group The Fox Television Stations are a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of the News Corporation...
Pittsburgh	KDKA KDKA-TV KDKA-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in Pittsburgh. Its studios are located at One Gateway Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 25 from its transmitter in Pittsburgh. Along with sister station KYW-TV, it is one of two television...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...  2	WPCW WPCW WPCW is a CW Television Network owned and operated station that serves the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania DMA. Known on-air as Pittsburgh CW, the station is owned by the CBS Corporation and is a sister station of CBS O&O KDKA-TV. The two stations are the only O&Os of any network in the Pittsburgh market...	CW 19	CBS Corporation CBS Corporation CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's majority...
Pittsburgh	WPGH-TV WPGH-TV WPGH-TV is the FOX-affiliated television station for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter at its studios on Ivory Avenue in the city. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 7 and in high definition on digital channel...	Fox Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...  53	WPMY WPMY WPMY is the affiliate of MyNetworkTV in the Pittsburgh market. As My Pittsburgh TV, WPMY broadcasts on digital channel 42 and is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Its transmitter is located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania...	My MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...  22	Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group The Sinclair Broadcast Group is the operator of the largest number of local television stations in the United States with a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of which are located in the South and the Midwest. Broadcasts by SBG stations can be...
Pittsburgh	WQED WQED (TV) WQED is a PBS television station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established April 1, 1954, it was the first community-sponsored television station in the United States as well as the fifth public TV station. WQED also became the first station to telecast classes to elementary classrooms when...	PBS Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. However, its operations are largely funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting...  13	WQEX WQEX WQEX is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It currently broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 38, but through the use of PSIP, uses virtual channel 16, its former analog television channel number...	ShopNBC ShopNBC ShopNBC is an American broadcast and cable home shopping network, owned and operated by ValueVision Media, which is in turn 30% owned by GE Equity and NBC Universal...  16	WQED Multimedia

Educational and multicultural broadcasters

A special case is Salt Lake City. The NBC affiliate KSL-TV

KSL-TV

KSL-TV is an NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah that broadcasts locally in digital on UHF channel 38, and brands itself as "Channel 5." A large translator network extends coverage throughout the state and...

 is owned by Bonneville International

Bonneville International

Bonneville International Corporation, managed by Deseret Management Corporation, is a broadcasting company wholly owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

, and an educational station, KBYU-TV

KBYU-TV

KBYU-TV is a PBS member station in Provo, Utah, serving the Salt Lake City television market. The station broadcasts locally in digital-only on UHF channel 44, and is rebroadcast statewide through a network of translators...

, is owned by Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University , located in Provo, Utah, United States, is a private, coeducational research university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

 and carries PBS

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. However, its operations are largely funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting...

 programming. Bonneville is owned by the Deseret Management Corporation

Deseret Management Corporation

The Deseret Management Corporation is a for-profit management company of assets for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was established in 1966 by then church president Gordon B...

, a for-profit arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; BYU is directly owned by the LDS Church. While Deseret and BYU are separate entities, the fact that both are owned by the LDS Church makes them a duopoly in a sense.

There are also examples of educational interests owning two stations in the same market, such as WNET

WNET

WNET, channel 13 , is a non-commercial television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the three-state New York metropolitan area, WNET is a flagship station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...

/WLIW

WLIW

WLIW, channel 21, is a noncommercial television station licensed to Garden City, New York which serves as a secondary PBS member station for the New York City television market...

 serving Newark

Newark, New Jersey

Brick City redirects here. For the township in Ocean County, see Brick Township, New Jersey.Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County. Newark has a population of 281,402, making it the largest municipality in New Jersey and the 65th largest city in the U.S...

/Long Island, WQED

WQED (TV)

WQED is a PBS television station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established April 1, 1954, it was the first community-sponsored television station in the United States as well as the fifth public TV station. WQED also became the first station to telecast classes to elementary classrooms when...

/WQEX

WQEX

WQEX is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It currently broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 38, but through the use of PSIP, uses virtual channel 16, its former analog television channel number...

 in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...

 and Milwaukee Public Television

Milwaukee Public Television

For information on Channels 10 and 36 individually, see WMVS and WMVTMilwaukee Public Television is the branding name for the alliance between two Milwaukee based Public Broadcasting Service affiliates: WMVS, Channel 10, and WMVT, Channel 36...

's two stations. In some markets (such as Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...

), secondary public stations are being sold and replaced by digital subchannel

Digital subchannel

In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel...

s within the main station's ATSC

ATSC

ATSC is a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission that replaced much of the analog NTSC television system on June 12, 2009 in the United States and will replace NTSC by August 31, 2011 in Canada and December 31, 2021 in Mexico.The...

 signal.

Failed and failing stations

In the US, as in other jurisdictions, it is possible to obtain a "failing station" waiver; effectively a petition that a broadcast regulator (the Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, directed, and empowered by Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President...

) exempt a broadcaster from some portion of the existing restrictions on common ownership in order to acquire and operate a station which otherwise would be economically non-viable or would be forced to cease operations

Dark (broadcasting)

Dark is a term used in the radio and television broadcasting industry to describe a service that has gone off-the-air for an indefinite period of time, or as defined by the FCC, a "silent" station.-History:...

.

Requests for failing station waivers have historically met with variable reception; in general, a prospective buyer is on the same wavelength with the FCC on failing-station policies if it can demonstrate to the Commission that:

• The failing station consistently received less than 4% of all local all-day audience share,
• The station is in poor financial condition, normally operating at a loss for at least the previous three years,
• The merger will produce public interest benefits, and
• The in-market buyer is the only suitable candidate as a sale to an out-of-market buyer would result in an artificially depressed price.

Waivers under these criteria were granted to sell WASV-TV (UHF 62

UHF (film)

UHF , is a comedy film made in 1989...

, UPN

UPN

United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States, being in production for over eleven years. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first night of broadcasting was...

 Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and continues to grow. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Asheville's population as of 2007 was 73,875...

) to Media General

Media General

Media General, Inc. is a media company based in the Southeastern United States. Its major properties include newspapers such as The Tampa Tribune, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as well as numerous television stations, such as flagship station WFLA-TV.The company was...

's WSPA-TV

WSPA-TV

WSPA-TV channel 7 is the CBS-affiliated television station for western North Carolina and South Carolina. It's licensed to Spartanburg, South Carolina with its transmitter is located on Hogback Mountain southwest of Tryon, North Carolina. Owned by Media General, the station is sister to CW...

 and KWBA

KWBA

KWBA-TV is the affiliate of The CW network in Tucson, Arizona. The station broadcasts on digital channel 44, and is licensed to Sierra Vista, Arizona...

 (CW Tucson) to the Journal Broadcast Corporation's KGUN-TV. A similar waiver was refused to KNIN-TV

KNIN-TV

KNIN-DT, also known as K9 Entertainment Television, is an affiliate of the The CW Television Network, and serves the Boise, Idaho area. The station is owned by Journal Communications and operates on VHF digital channel 9.-History:...

 (CW Boise

Boise, Idaho

Boise is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Idaho. Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho as well as the county seat of Ada County...

) as the station appeared to have reasonable prospects of financial break-even without a takeover by Journal-owned KIVI-TV.

Local marketing agreements

Where there are 2 different owners listed, 1 station owner controls another station, called a local marketing agreement. Owner "A" doesn't own station "B", they just operate it for owner "B" - effectively renting all of a station's airtime and using it to run their own programming.

One notable example is Cunningham Broadcasting

Cunningham Broadcasting

Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation is an owner of television stations in the United States. The company currently owns six stations—four affiliated with Fox Broadcasting Company , one affiliated with MyNetworkTV and one affiliated with The CW Television Network.Cunningham has very close ties to...

, which holds licences for a group of six television stations, all of which are operated by Sinclair Broadcasting under local marketing agreements in communities in which Sinclair already is at the limit for concentration of media ownership.

Clear Channel Communications

Clear Channel Communications

Clear Channel Communications is an American media conglomerate company headquartered at 200 East Basse Road in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, who wields considerable influence in radio broadcasting, concert promotion and hosting, and fixed advertising in...

 subsidiary Citicasters was fined $25000 on February 12, 2001 for use of time brokerage agreements and litigation to unlawfully control WBTJ FM 101.9

WRBP

WRBP, branded as JAMZ 101.9, is a radio station in the Youngstown, Ohio market. Licensed to Hubbard, the station broadcasts an urban music format on 101.9 FM. The studio is located on Federal Street in downtown Youngstown....

 in the Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County, whose urban area borders Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

 market; the company had also been the target of complaints for using KFJO FM

KKDV

KKDV is an Adult Contemporary radio station located in Walnut Creek, California broadcasting at 92.1 MHz. With the call letters KKDV , it broadcasts under the slogan "Diablo Valley's Hometown Station." The station is located in central Contra Costa County in the Diablo Valley close to Mt....

 to rebroadcast KSJO

KSJO

KSJO is a radio station in San Jose, California. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications and airs a Mexican Oldies format.On September 18, 2009, KSJO swapped frequencies with KCNL 104.9 FM, and become "La Preciosa 104.9". -History:...

 after it had nominally sold KFJO to minority-owned interests.

In some cases, the use of an adjacent-market city of license

City of license

A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.- History :...

 has been used on a secondary station to avoid a limit on the number of stations controlled by the same broadcaster in the same market. Occasionally, those arrangements cross international borders.

For instance, radio station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common programming, either in syndication or simulcast or both...

 WLYK

WLYK

WLYK is a radio station in Cape Vincent, New York. The station airs an adult standards music format.Although officially licensed to a community in the United States, the station primarily targets the larger neighboring Canadian market of Kingston, Ontario...

 in Cape Vincent, New York

Cape Vincent, New York

Cape Vincent, New York may refer to:* Cape Vincent , New York* Cape Vincent , New York...

 in the United States is operated from the Canadian studios of Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, where Lake Ontario runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin.Kingston is the county seat of Frontenac County...

's CIKR-FM

CIKR-FM

CIKR-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 105.7 FM in Kingston, Ontario. The station broadcasts an active rock format branded as K-Rock 105.7....

, a broadcaster already at the two-station limit in its own market, under an LMA. Broadcasters such as Entravision have often entered local marketing agreements with Mexican border stations (such as Tijuana's XETV

XETV

XETV, analog channel 6 and digital channel 6.1, is a television station licensed to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, serving as the CW Television Network affiliate for the San Diego, California area across the international border in the United States...

 for content directed at San Diego

San Diego, California

San Diego , named after Saint Didacus , is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. The US Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 1,279,329 as of 2008...

).

Other names to what is essentially a local marketing agreement can be used. In late 2007, New Vision Television

New Vision Television

New Vision Television is sponsored by HBK Capital Management. The company owns 17 television stations in 9 markets, inclusive of affiliation broadcast on the digital spectrum.-History:...

, which had just acquired CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...

 affiliate WKBN-TV

WKBN-TV

WKBN-TV digital channel 41 is the CBS-affiliated television station for Youngstown, Ohio. Its transmitter is located at their studios on Sunset Boulevard in Boardman Township...

 and low-powered

Low-power broadcasting

Low-power broadcasting is electronic broadcasting at very low power and low cost, to a small community area. These stations tend to serve small towns, or communities within large cities in the United States...

 Fox

Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...

 affiliate WYFX-LP

WYFX-LP

WYFX-LP is a low-powered television station that is licensed to Youngstown, Ohio. It broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 62 from a transmitter on Sunset Boulevard in Boardman Township. WFXI-CA is a Class A television station that is licensed to Mercer, Pennsylvania. Airing an analog signal...

 in Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County, whose urban area borders Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

, entered into a shared services

Shared services

Shared Services refers to the provision of a service by one part of an organization or group where that service had previously been found in more than one part of the organization or group. Thus the funding and resourcing of the service is shared and the providing department effectively becomes an...

 agreement with Parkin Broadcasting over its own recent acquisition, ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...

 affiliate WYTV

WYTV

WYTV, digital channel 36 , is the ABC affiliated television station for Youngstown, Ohio. Its transmitter is located on Shady Run Road in Boardman Township. Owned by Parkin Broadcasting, the station is operated by New Vision Television though a shared services agreement...

. Despite Youngstown's small market size (ranked #108 by Nielsen Media Research

Nielsen Media Research

Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...

 as of 2009.), New Vision effectively controls all Youngstown-area TV stations except NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...

 affiliate WFMJ-TV

WFMJ-TV

WFMJ-TV digital channel 20 is the NBC affiliate in Youngstown, Ohio.-History:The station was founded on channel 73 on March 8, 1953 by the Maag family , owners of The Youngstown Vindicator and WFMJ radio...

 and Western Reserve Public Media. While legally considered a "shared services" agreement, by practice it is a local marketing agreement.

Triopoly and quadropoly

NBC Universal owns three full-power stations in Los Angeles; one NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...

, one Telemundo

Telemundo

Telemundo is a Spanish-language American television network. Angel Ramos launched the brand with a TV station in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1954 -- and it evolved into the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world...

 and a Spanish language

Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...

 independent. Los Angeles and San Francisco are the only two US markets which can have a full-power triopoly (three stations) as the FCC allows common ownership if 18 television stations are in the market.

In Canada, at least one community (Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec

Quebec

Quebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

) has all three of its local French language

French language

French is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...

 stations, CKRT-TV

CKRT-TV

CKRT-TV is a television station in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. Owned and operated by Télé Inter-Rives, it is a private affiliate of the Radio-Canada network....

, CIMT-TV

CIMT-TV

CIMT-TV is a television station. It is the TVA affiliate in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec.-History:The station was launched on September 17, 1978...

 and CFTF-TV

CFTF-TV

CFTF-TV is a French-language television station in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, and an affiliate of V, a commercial television network in Quebec. The station is owned by Télé Inter-Rives, which also owns Radio-Canada affiliate CKRT-TV and TVA affiliate CIMT-TV, making the station part of a so-called...

, under common ownership, however such levels of common ownership are for the most part strongly discouraged unless the stations serve remote communities or are operated in different languages.

In Mexico, media concentration is endemic and it is not uncommon for as many as four stations to be operated by one entity. Televisa

Televisa

Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...

 owns four Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...

 stations (2

XEW-TV

XEW-TV is a television station in Mexico. XEW-TV is one of the cornerstone stations of Televisa, with affiliate stations all over Mexico...

 • 4 • 5

XHGC-TV

XHGC-TV , commonly known as Canal 5, is a TV station owned by Televisa, broadcasting from Mexico City, with affiliates and repeaters throughout Mexico.-History:...

 • 9

XEQ-TV

XEQ is a Televisa flagship TV station, based in Mexico City. It is branded since 2001 as "Galavisión"...

) while TV Azteca

TV Azteca

TV Azteca is the second largest Mexican television network after Televisa. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993...

, México's second-largest broadcaster, owns three (7

XHIMT-TV

XHIMT is the callsign for the over the air Azteca 7 network flagship station in Mexico City . Azteca 7 can be seen in most major cities in Mexico through its affiliates most of which are owned and operated by TV Azteca. XHIMT provides HD programming to affiliates and cable and satellite viewers...

 • 13

XHDF-TV

XHDF is the callsign for the over the air Azteca 13 network flagship station in Mexico City . Azteca 13 can be seen in most major cities in Mexico through its affiliates most of which are owned and operated by TV Azteca. XHDF provides HD programming to affiliates and cable and satellite viewers....

 • 40

XHTVM-TV

XHTVM-TV channel 40, also known as Proyecto 40, is a TV channel operated by TV Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, owned by Televisora del Valle de México...

). These broadcasts in turn feed large numbers of full-power repeaters. The largest of these networks, XEW-TV

XEW-TV

XEW-TV is a television station in Mexico. XEW-TV is one of the cornerstone stations of Televisa, with affiliate stations all over Mexico...

 (Televisa

Televisa

Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...

 channel 2

Channel 2

Channel 2 or variations thereof may refer to:*BBC Two British Broadcasting Corporation's second major television channel in the United Kingdom.*WKAQ-TV, a Telemundo station in San Juan, Puerto Rico*DWWX-TV in Manila, Philippines*Channel 2...

 Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...

), feeds more than one hundred stations nationwide.

No television quadropolies exist in Canada (see twinstick

Twinstick

A twinstick, in Canadian broadcasting, is a term for two television stations, broadcasting in the same market, which are owned by the same company...

); in the United States quadropolies can be constructed using low-power TV stations.

Low-power TV stations

A company may own several stations in a US television market, or multiple stations where they would not normally be allowed, provided that one or more of the stations is licensed as low power (-LP or -CA

Class A television service

The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...

) or low power digital

Digital television

Digital television is the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by discrete signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV.-Timeline:...

 (-LD or -CD

Class A television service

The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...

).

UHF LPTV stations in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 may transmit up to 15kW digital or 150kW analogue. There is no limit on the number of LPTV stations that may be owned by any one entity, no prescribed amounts of non-entertainment programming or local programming, no limits on commercials and no minimum hours of operation.

For instance, on southern Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area , it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin,...

, Weigel Broadcasting

Weigel Broadcasting

Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally-based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.The company founded by Chicago broadcasting...

 maintains triopolies in three markets (Chicago, Illinois, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and 23rd largest in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. Its estimated 2008 population was 604,477. Milwaukee is the main cultural and economic center of the...

, and South Bend, Indiana

South Bend, Indiana

South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...

) using low power television stations. In Chicago, it maintains one full power signal (independent WCIU) and two low-power stations (classic TV channels WWME-CA

WWME-CA

WWME-CA is a class A station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, which also owns sister stations WCIU-TV and WMEU-CA. The station broadcasts programming under the MeTV brand.- Programming :...

 and WMEU-CA

WMEU-CA

WMEU-CA is a class A station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, which also owns sister stations WCIU-TV and WWME-CA. The station is a extension of WWME's classic programming format, and brands as Me Too...

). In Milwaukee, Weigel has two full power stations (CBS affiliate WDJT-TV

WDJT-TV

WDJT-TV is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting on digital channel 46 and has a PSIP that displays WDJT's virtual channel as 58. The station is an affiliate of the CBS television network...

 and classic TV channel WBME-TV) and one low-power station (independent WMLW-CA

WMLW-CA

WMLW-CA, channel 41 , is a LPTV independent television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park...

).

The South Bend low-power TV triopoly (ABC affiliate WBND-LP

WBND-LP

WBND-LP, is an ABC affiliate based in South Bend, Indiana. The Weigel Broadcasting outlet operates at channel 57 with an ERP of 58.2Kw.-History:WBND originally signed on the air as W58BT, channel 58, in 1990...

, CW station WCWW-LP

WCWW-LP

WCWW-LP is the low-powered CW network affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. It is owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting, who also owns South Bend's ABC affiliate WBND, and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYS...

 and MyNetworkTV's WMYS-LP

WMYS-LP

WMYS redirects here. For the Indianapolis radio station formerly known as WMYS, see WXNT.WMYS-LP is a low power TV station on channel 69 in South Bend. Previously, channel 69 was South Bend's WB affliliate, which then moved to sister station WMWB-LP channel 25 . Before that, WMYS was a translator...

) is in the process of being sold to Schurz Communications

Schurz Communications

Schurz Communications is a South Bend, Indiana-based radio, television,cable tv and newspaper media group.-Cable Television Systems:*Antietam Cable, Hagerstown, Maryland *Advanced Cable Communications, Coral Springs, Florida...

, owners of full power WSBT-TV

WSBT-TV

WSBT-TV, channel 22 is a television station in South Bend, Indiana. WSBT is an affiliate of the CBS television network. Its transmitter is located in South Bend.-Early broadcasting:...

. This sale, if approved, would create a US broadcast television quadropoly.

A similar situation exists in Lima, Ohio

Lima, Ohio

Lima is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Allen County. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately 72 miles north of Dayton and 78 miles south-southwest of Toledo.As of the 2000 U.S. census, the city had a population of...

, where the owners of full-power NBC affiliate WLIO

WLIO

WLIO is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northwestern Ohio that is licensed to Lima. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter at their studios on Rice Avenue in the city...

 have filed to purchase three low-power network affiliated stations (Fox affiliate WOHL-CA

WOHL-CA

WOHL-CD is the Class A primary FOX and secondary MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Northwestern Ohio that is licensed to Lima. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 25 from a transmitter west of Cridersville in Auglaize County. Owned by West Central Ohio Broadcasting, the...

, CBS affiliate WLMO-LP

WLMO-LP

WLMO-LP is the low-powered CBS-affiliated television station for Northwestern Ohio that is licensed to Lima. It broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 38 from a transmitter west of Cridersville in Auglaize County. WLMO-LD broadcasts a low-powered digital signal on UHF channel 47 from a...

 and ABC affiliate WLQP-LP

WLQP-LP

WLQP-LP is the low-powered ABC-affiliated television station for Northwestern Ohio that is licensed to Lima. It broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 18 from a transmitter west of Cridersville in Auglaize County. WLQP-LD broadcasts a low-powered digital signal on UHF channel 45 from a...

), as part of a four-station proposed purchase. The quadropoly, if approved, would make the group the sole over-air provider of secular network television programming in the Lima market, though area cable systems also carry out of town affiliates from Toledo

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio within the Great Lakes Region and the county seat of Lucas County. Named after Toledo, Spain, it is located on the western end of Lake Erie, on the Michigan border. It is the principal city in the Toledo Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the 2000 census,...

, Columbus

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is the county seat of Franklin County, although parts of the city also extend into Delaware and Fairfield counties...

, and Dayton

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 166,179 at the 2000 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 848,153 in the 2000 census. Dayton is the fourth largest...

.

A quadropoly already exists in McAllen, Texas

McAllen, Texas

McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the American Southwest...

, where Entravision carries four networks (Univisión

Univision

Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest Latin American audience, largely due to repurposed telenovelas and other Mexican programs produced by Grupo Televisa...

,
Telefutura

TeleFutura

TeleFutura is a U.S./Mexican Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami, Florida.-Overview:...

, Fox, CW) by using a full-power station (KNVO-TV "nuevo 48

New

New or NEW may refer to:*New , a 2004 Tamil movie*"New" , a song by No Doubt from Return of Saturn*New , an EP from Australian Alternative rock band Regurgitator*new , a built-in operator in the C++ programming language...

") with its four digital subchannel

Digital subchannel

In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel...

s, simulcast onto a pair of analogue LPTV stations and (under an LMA) Mexican broadcaster XHRIO-TV

XHRIO-TV

XHRIO-TV, channel 2, also known as FOX RIO 2 or FOX XRIO, is the local Fox affiliate for the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It is licensed to Matamoros, Mexico, but serves American audiences across the Rio Grande from studios in McAllen, Texas...

. Similarly in Laredo, Texas

Laredo, Texas

Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2007 census estimate, the city population was 233,152. Laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan...

, Entravision operates a triopoly as owner of full-service KLDO-TV

KLDO-TV

KLDO-TV is a Spanish-language television station in Laredo, Texas, broadcasting locally on digital channel 19 as an affiliate of Univisión. Founded February 14,1984, the station is owned by Entravision.-History:...

 and Class A stations KETF-CA

KETF-CA

KETF-CA is a low-power television station in Laredo, Texas, broadcasting locally as an affiliate of the Telefutura network on channel 25. It is also available on KLDO-TV's digital signal, on channel 19.2 / 27.2....

 and KXOF-CA

KXOF-CA

KXOF-CA channel 39 is a low powered Fox affiliate in Laredo, Texas, owned by Entravision Communications. KXOF also airs MyNetworkTV programming from 10pm - Midnight, and LATV programming from 3am-5am. KXOF can also be seen on KLDO-TV digital subchannel 27.3...

.

In metropolitan Watertown, New York

Watertown (city), New York

Watertown is a city in the State of New York and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is situated near the Canadian border and the Thousand Islands. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 26,705. The U.S. Army post Fort Drum is near the city....

, two of the four largest local network affiliates (CBS

WWNY-TV

WWNY-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Watertown, New York that is licensed to Carthage. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter west of Champion along NY 126 . Owned by the United Communications Corporation, the station is sister to FOX...

 and Fox

WNYF-CA

WNYF-CD is a Class A television station that is licensed to Watertown, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter west of Champion along NY 126 . WNYF-LP is a television station licensed to Massena...

) are operated from the same studios by the same owners. This is permitted only because the Fox station is a low-powered Class A; the Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, directed, and empowered by Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President...

 does not allow common ownership of two of the four top-rated full-power stations in any US market, regardless of size.

Low power stations are exempt from the FCC's common ownership restrictions as their over-the-air signals do not reach as many homes as regular stations. In high-penetration cable areas, this distinction is essentially meaningless. LPTV is also exempt from requirements that full-power stations simulcast their existing analogue programming digitally

DTV transition in the United States

The DTV transition in the United States is the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...

 and cease analogue broadcasts entirely on February 17, 2009.

Often, the limitations of using LPTV are circumvented by combining an LPTV station and a digital subchannel

Digital subchannel

In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel...

 of a commonly-owned full-power station alongside a cable-only

Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required...

 HDTV channel which simulcasts the signal of the lower-powered affiliate. While cable operators are not legally required to carry the low-power TV stations, a station may request as a condition of cable retransmission consent

Retransmission consent

Retransmission consent is an option granted to US television stations as part of the law that granted such stations the option to elect must-carry rights. Under retransmission consent, a full-power US television station may elect to negotiate with a cable system operator for carriage of its...

 for their main signal that their compensation include the cable carriage of commonly-owned subchannels and LPTV stations.

Digital multicasting and cable television

Many CW Plus

The CW Plus

The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital subchannels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....

 stations, originally created by The WB as cable-only channels, are being sold to existing local terrestrial broadcasters. While cable-only (or LPTV) in their original analogue format, these now represent a simple way for full-power stations to fill empty digital subchannels on their main transmitters.

The use of subchannels

Digital subchannel

In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel...

 has been termed an "instant duopoly" because of the ease by which a single digital station can deliver multiple channels of programming from different networks into the same market at the same time. One station can carry four or more standard definition

480i

480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...

 digital channels. (Multiple HDTV feeds are typically too large to be carried on different subchannels of the same station simultaneously without loss of image quality.)

One possible approach is to use one full-power station, one or more low-power analogue stations and one or more low-power digital stations in the same market, with the low-power digital carrying the extra HDTV channels. For instance, one station could (in any size market) own two of the top four stations and operate both in HDTV as:

Network	Analogue	DTV	HDTV	Cable TV
CBS WWNY-TV WWNY-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Watertown, New York that is licensed to Carthage. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter west of Champion along NY 126 . Owned by the United Communications Corporation, the station is sister to FOX...	full-power analogue (until 2/2009)	full-power digital HDTV 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name of a format of high-definition video modes. 1080 denotes the number of horizontal scan lines - also known as vertical resolution - and the letter i stands for interlaced. In the alternate format of high-definition video mode, known as 1080p, the p would stand for...		Any combination of analogue, digital SDTV or HDTV delivered directly to cable head-end.
Fox WNYF-CA WNYF-CD is a Class A television station that is licensed to Watertown, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter west of Champion along NY 126 . WNYF-LP is a television station licensed to Massena...	low-power analogue	SDTV as subchannel of full-power station	HDTV on low-power (15 kW) digital station	Any combination of analogue, digital SDTV or HDTV delivered directly to cable head-end.

In theory, this mix of LPTV, digital TV and full-service TV could be taken to the extreme of one broadcaster joining every one of the four largest US commercial television networks and using a set of nine channels in the same market to deliver:

• Four full-power standard-definition
  480i
  480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
  
   digital subchannels from one main station
• The same content on low-power analogue, using four LPTV stations
• Four channels of low-power digital television
  Digital television
  Digital television is the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by discrete signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV.-Timeline:...
  
  , all HDTV, using four more low-power -LD or -CD stations

A nominally-unlimited number of additional analogue or digital LPTV stations could be then added as broadcast translators to extend the signal as needed. Cable or satellite could also be added to the mix, as the limits on market concentration apply to local terrestrial full-power stations only. Effectively, were such a simulcast constructed, one broadcaster could control an entire local television market.

LPTV simulcasting

In some markets, multiple LPTV operations are operated in a simulcast (or trimulcast

Trimulcast

A trimulcast is a cluster of three radio stations and/or translators that play the same feed. Normally this is done in order to have full coverage of a certain area...

, in the case where three stations deliver the same signal to different parts of the same market) to provide coverage rivalling one full-power station. WBGN-LP

WBGN-LP

WBGN-LP is a Class A qualified low-powered independent station located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station is owned and operated by Bruno-Goodworth Network, Inc. WBGN-LP began broadcasting in 1995 on channel 59 with the call sign W59BT. WBGN identifies itself as WBGN-TV to eliminate any...

, for instance, simulcasts using nine LPTV television stations located throughout the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...

 area in order to get full-power sized coverage with only a combination of Class A and LPTV licenses and signals, each individually covering a small portion of the larger market area.

See also

• Twinstick
  Twinstick
  A twinstick, in Canadian broadcasting, is a term for two television stations, broadcasting in the same market, which are owned by the same company...
  
  
• Trimulcast
  Trimulcast
  A trimulcast is a cluster of three radio stations and/or translators that play the same feed. Normally this is done in order to have full coverage of a certain area...
  
  
• Concentration of media ownership
  Concentration of media ownership
  Concentration of media ownership refers to the degree to which media ownership is .It is also a commonly used term that refers to view that the majority of the media outlets are owned by a small number of conglomerates and corporations...