8 CBS Stations in Prominent Cities Dropping The CW

By Megan Behnke

With several CW shows still awaiting news of cancellation or renewal, the network is going to still look different in the fall now that multiple CBS stations are dropping it. According to Deadline, eight CBS affiliates — based in Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Detroit, Sacramento and Pittsburgh — are set to become independent come September. All are in major cities, meaning that it will be a lot different in the fall when the change takes effect.

The news comes following the network's new owners, Nexstar, rebranding the once-known YA network. In a statement, the president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, Wendy McMahon, expressed her excitement at the new venture and the opportunities it will bring to programming and Paramount brands. She also shared how grateful she is to be part of The CW for almost 20 years, making it clear that this is exactly what the company needs:

"We look forward to reimagining these stations as independents while leveraging the considerable value of their prime-time real estate in each of the markets," shared McMahon. "It's an exciting time to look at new opportunities to add local programming, including live sports and shows from across the Paramount Global brands. We are also grateful to have been part of The CW for 17 memorable years and wish our partners at Nexstar continued success."

Due to the merger with Nexstar, it was expected that CBS would separate its affiliates from The CW. It's unknown what the network could look like in the fall for the 2023-24 schedule and what shows it will include, but this change with CBS stations is likely just the first big switch for the network. And it's likely plenty more are in store in the coming months, especially once The CW finally makes its final decisions on renewals and cancellations. Since Nexstar is more than likely playing a part in the decisions for next season, hence why All American is so far the only show renewed, plus a few shows already ordered for next season, things are not like they used to be, and fans should try to get used to changes coming to the network very soon.

With The CW now starting to air LIV tourneys, the eight CBS-owned CW affiliates declined to air the programs. The CBS stations group will own 14 CBS Television Network stations and 13 independent ones after this change, but with eight prominent cities dropping it, this will be a major thing to get used to in the fall, as it will probably affect viewership and more.

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