Why do I get WGN and why does it suck so much?

I live in Portland, OR. For some I get WGN, a local Chicago station. I don't have cable. This station really sucks. They have really bad shows like Mutant X and Adventure Inc. I think those are its original shows. Plus it has really crappy old movies and Cubs games. The only good thing is that they show Will and Grace around 3 o'clock. They show the same episodes that are on on Fox around 6 but sometimes I watch them on WGN because they're on right when I come to school. Yeah. So does anyone else get WGN?

 

yep. I hate the Cubs, so I hate when the games clog up the real television shows. They used to show reruns of "Full House" and now no one does anymore!

 

WGN is a superstation, much like TBS. Sadly, I no longer get it. I miss those Cubs and White Sox games, despite the terrible announcers the White Sox have.

Amazing.

 

WGN? Is that anything like UPN?

I sincerely hope not.

 

I don't think WGN is a superstation, Amazing. TBS and TNT are the two stations owned by AOL/TimeWarner. WGN, the last I heard, was actually owned by the Chicago Times.

 

Well its called WGN Superstation.

 

Well, if WGN is now owned by AOL/TimeWarner its strange they'd be showing Cubby games when they own the Atlanta Braves.

 

Well it is a local Chicago station. They even have local Chicago news. I think.

 

Ok, I went to their website and they still are owned by the chicago tribune. I guess they are just calling themselves a Superstation. Thats why AmazingB got confused and lumped WGN together with TBS and TNT.

 

WGN has been like that for more years than I can remember. Mostly they show syndication shows, sports and movies.

 

I get WGN, and it sucks this much because it's old people TV.

 

"I don't think WGN is a superstation, Amazing. TBS and TNT are the two stations owned by AOL/TimeWarner. WGN, the last I heard, was actually owned by the Chicago Times."

A superstation is a local channel that is broadcast throughout the country. TBS is actually WTBS down in Atlanta. It just became popular enough to warrant superstation status. TNT, however, is a cable channel, and very different from TBS. A channel is not a superstation because of who owns it, it's a superstation because of how widespread it is. One of New York's local channels, WWOR, used to be a superstation, but now it's our local UPN affiliate. WGN is a superstation because, while a local Chicago channel, it's available throughout the country.

Amazing.

 

There are a few "superstations", TBS just happens to call itself The Superstation.

TBS was originally WTBS a local Atlanta station like WGN is a Chicago station and WSBK (another Superstation) is Boston based.

I believe the origin of the "superstations" goes back to the late 70's or early 80's when cable was first taking off. Basically, if a station had enough money to rent the satellite space (I think it was about $1 million/year in the beginning), they could send their signal up to a satellite where any cable company could take the signal (paying the station a fee in return) and provide the station to its subscribers.

In the early days of cable, people didn't know if cable-only stations could survive because they relied on subscribers for their income. Stations like TBS and WGN got into it because they already had a local signal and local viewers (with local advertising revenue), but they weren't affiliated to any network so they could offer viewers in other cities programming that they couldn't get from their own local stations.

The superstations were good for cable companies because they gave the companies channels to offer, and they were good for the stations because it gave them access to new revenue that allowed them to compete more effectively with the local network stations (like getting the rights to broadcast the local sports teams).


So, that's why the superstations exist. I don't know why you get it, or why it sucks.

 

Thanks guys. I guess I learn something new everyday.

 

WGN does suck, nothing good is ever on there.

 

If WGN were ever to show anything good, would it automatically cease to be good simply because it was airing on WGN?

 

Good Lord, WGN still exists? I remember watching Bozo on that station.

 

If WGN showed anything good, then the station would not be WGN anymore.

I hate the Cubs.
I don't need local Chicago news. (because I live in California)
I don't need to watch endless reruns and 15 year-old movies that have been on millions of times.

EDIT: I spel's goode!

 

I wouldn't be surprised.

 

lets just say that anything owned by AOL can't be good.

 

BTW, Bozo's show was cancelled quite a while back.

 

You don't like WGN?

Change the channel.

That's what the channel selector is for,

 

Ah yes, Wgn, channel 9.
I remember watching the Cubs take the division title in '84 and '89 on that channel.

Sutcliff, Ryno, Jo-dee, Bull, Bowa, Penguin, Sarge, Zonk and Deer. Holy Cow!

The channel IS Chicago.

 

WGN has crappy shows because it is a "the WB" affiliate. so blame the WB for the crappy shows, not WGN.

 

Living in Chicago myself, I only watch WGN for 'Smallville' and when the Sox play the Scrubs, er, Cubs. Other than that, all they have on is the WB crap-o-rama and Maury Povich DNA tests.