The CW renews its deal with Tribune TV stations but loses Chicago outlet

The CW has renewed its affiliation agreement with Tribune Broadcasting but will lose WGN, the station group’s flagship in Chicago.

CBS Inc., co-owner of The CW with Warner Bros. Entertainment, announced Monday that the network’s programming, which includes “Supergirl,” “The Flash,” “Arrow” and “Supernatural,” will continue to air on 12 Tribune-owned stations including KTLA in Los Angeles and WPIX in New York.

In Chicago, the nation’s third-largest TV market, The CW will move its affiliation from WGN to WPWR, owned by Fox Television Stations. The switch will occur Sept 1.

According to a statement from Tribune, WGN could no longer accommodate CW’s lineup due to the station’s commitments to carry Chicago sports teams. The station has rights to more than 150 live games of the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks. The sports telecasts are delivering much higher ratings for WGN than CW programming.

The CW airs 10 hours of prime-time programming a week and five hours of children’s shows on Saturday mornings. Tribune Broadcasting’s stations provide CW programming to 25% of the country.

While The CW remains on the air in Chicago on WPWR, it loses a stronger outlet in WGN. The Tribune outlet is the home of the “WGN Morning News,” which has higher ratings than any of the network morning shows in the market. The station has increased its commitment to local programming in recent years, carrying more than 60 hours of news each week.

In the current May sweep ratings period, WGN is averaging a 1.7 household rating in Chicago from sign-on to sign-off, compared to a .3 for WPWR.

WPWR airs off-network syndicated programming in prime time. Fox network programming in the market airs on the Fox Television Group’s WFLD.

Tribune Broadcasting is not affiliated with Tribune Publishing, owner of the Los Angeles Times.