City Rochester Slogan TV Now (general) | Branding Rochester CW Affiliations The CW (2006–present) | |
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Channels Digital: WHAM-DT 13.2 (VHF)
Virtual: 13.2 (PSIP) Owner Deerfield Media
(operated under an LMA by
Sinclair Broadcast Group)
(Deerfield Media (Rochester) License, LLC) | ||
WHAM-DT2 is the CW-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. The station is a second digital subchannel of ABC affiliate WHAM-TV, owned by Deerfield Media and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13.2 from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton. This can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channels 16 and 1212 in standard definition and high definition. It is also available on DirecTV channel 14 in the Rochester area. Although the digital cable feed is transmitted in 1080i, it is converted to 720p for transmission over the air to preserve bandwidth for WHAM-TV's main channel.
Contents
History
What is now WHAM-DT2 was launched in 2000 as a cable-only station with fictional call letters "WRWB", which replaced "XWBT", branded as WB26, on cable channel 26, which launched in the mid-1990s. It was an affiliate of The WB and, despite being in a market larger than those in The WB 100+ Station Group, followed a similar structure and program lineup to the stations in that group. The station was operated by Time Warner Cable (at that time a subsidiary of WB co-owner Time Warner). On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced that they would end broadcasting and merge to form The CW, and on March 7 it was announced that WRWB would be the new network's Rochester affiliate. After the switch on September 18, the station's on-air identity changed from "Rochester's WB 16" to "Rochester's CW" (with a "TV 16" logo used to denote its cable channel) and the fictional WRWB calls were laid aside.
On November 13, 2006, Clear Channel Communications took over the operation of "Rochester's CW" from Time Warner Cable. It renamed the service "CW WHAM" and began to simulcast on a new second digital subchannel of WHAM-TV to offer over-the-air viewers access to CW programming. It moved operations from the Time Warner Cable offices on Mount Hope Avenue (NY Route 15) in downtown into WHAM's facilities on West Henrietta Road (also NY 15). However, the station continues to air on Time Warner channels 16 and 1212 in standard definition and high definition. "CW WHAM" has since been re-branded as "The CW Rochester". On October 1, 2010, WHAM-DT2 began airing Pier 6 Wrestling SHAKEDOWN, a popular wrestling program filmed and produced locally for the Rochester audience.
Newscasts
On January 15, 2007, WHAM-TV expanded its weekday morning show to include two hours (7 until 9) seen exclusively on this second subchannel (known as 13 WHAM News This Morning on Rochester CW) while the former airs Good Morning America. Originally, WHAM-DT2 also simulcasted the 5 to 7 portion of the broadcast but it was eventually dropped.
On September 13, 2010, WHAM-TV became the first station in Rochester to upgrade newscasts to high definition. The weekday morning show on WHAM-DT2 was included in the change. Initially, it was only seen in HD on Time Warner Cable digital channel 1016 (now on 1212) since this station only aired in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition. At some point thereafter, this subchannel's signal was upgraded to 720p HD. As a result, the subchannel now airs the WHAM-TV newscasts in HD. On January 1, 2011, WHAM-DT2 began airing a nightly half-hour prime time newscast called 13 WHAM News at 10 on Rochester CW. This at the time competed with Fox affiliate WUHF which had a nightly 45 minute broadcast produced then by CBS affiliate WROC-TV.
On October 8, 2013, it was announced that as a result of WHAM's sale to an affiliate of WUHF's owner Sinclair, WUHF would re-locate to WHAM's studios in Henrietta and air WHAM-produced newscasts beginning January 1, 2014. As a result, the morning (renamed Good Day Rochester) and 10 p.m. newscasts previously seen on WHAM-DT2 were relocated to WUHF and replaced by syndicated programming.