WGN confusion

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panache70

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Apr 17, 2010
279
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Western Hemisphere
I know of lot of you folks are very familiar with Bell TV programming.
I have been with Dish for almost 2 years now, and I have WGN.
I know there used to be a WGN Superstation and a WGN local CW affiliate in Chicago, but I may be wrong.
When I scan the Dish guide, I see that there is WGN (which I have) and a WGN that is only available for 2$ in SD (superstation).

My brother in Canada, also has WGN but when we compared the guides over the phone the other day, it would seem that the programming is not the same as on Dish. Could there be 3 WGN different feeds (2 on Dish and 1 in Canada?)

We noticed that later this week he has an NBA basketball game on his WGN, but the same game is nowhere to be found on either of the WGN channels on Dish...???

Can someone clarify this for me? Sounds like a question for Iceberg maybe :)
 
For a very long time now, WGN9 as a local Chicago channel is not the WGN everyone else gets. The game was possibly blacked out under US rules, not blacked out in Canada. Or you do not get the national WGN? WGN9 is being seen in Canada.
Also WGN is not part of the Superstation package. Did you mistake KWGN as being WGN?
 
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Easy. The HD superstation (which is not really a superstation) is called WGN America, that's the one you get with Dish as part of AT200 and higher.

You don't get CW programming and some Chicago sports (most notably Blackhwaks games).

If the game broadcast rights only cover the Chicago market, then the game is not shown on WGN America. Also if your local team is playing a Chicago team, the game will be blacked out (you get an error message from Dish), because (at least in theory) you can watch the game on your local RSN.

You do get a bunch of reruns and some Chicago sports (most notably Cubs games).

The station your brother gets in Canada is WGN-TV Chicago. He gets the same programming as someone living in the Chicago area.

The $2 SD superstation (KWGN) is a Denver channel with different programming.
 
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I see. I mistook KWGN as WGN. This explains the 2 different channels on Dish. So I get WGN America, and my brother gets the actual Chicago local feed from the CW. Got it. Thanks.

So if I wanted to view the same WGN he gets, I would have to live or "move" to the Chicago market (assuming I can get the spotbeam), is this correct?
 
panache70 said:
I see. I mistook KWGN as WGN. This explains the 2 different channels on Dish. So I get WGN America, and my brother gets the actual Chicago local feed from the CW. Got it. Thanks.

So if I wanted to view the same WGN he gets, I would have to live or "move" to the Chicago market (assuming I can get the spotbeam), is this correct?
Click to expand...

You're correct, if you're within the spotbeam, you would have to "move" to get WGN along with the other Chicago locals.
 
There are 2 versions of WGN

WGN9 is the local Chicago version. Its on in Canada because the CRTC (their version of the FCC) has ONLY WGN9 on the list of "can carry it" stations.
WGN America is the syndicated version in the US. Canada cannot carry it as its not on the "ok" list to carry.

There are slight differences outside of prime time. WGN9 is a CW affiliate. WGN-A carries syndicated stuff
Both carry the Cubs and Sox and I **think** all the Bulls games
WGN9 carries Blackhawks games ONLY....WGN-A cannot

side note...Canada can also carry WPCH 17 (formerly WTBS 17) in Atlanta and not TBS. Now that the schedules are different its a moot point but when they were close to the same they could only carry the Atlanta version
 
I remember how great it used to be to watch Kids WB on WGN on Sundays as an encore presentation of what the local WB showed on Saturday. Sigh. The good old days...
 
Why not install a Slingbox on a spare TV at your brother's house, then tune to WGN 9 anytime you like?
 
While we are on the subject of WGN, I've noticed that cable companies tend to offer WGN on the very basic tier of local, shopping, and religious channels while satellite providers like Dish and DirecTV offer it in higher packs like AT200 and Choice Xtra respectively.
 
I snapped my shin in half a decade ago in a skiing accident. The hospital that I was taken to used a very strange channel line up utilizing DirecTV and scanning about 20 channels into their system. Found it weird that the hospital didn't get NESN or FS New England (now CSN New England), but did get the old WGN Superstition. So instead of watching the Bruins or Celtics, as I broke my leg the day after Christmas and got out New Year's Eve, I watch a couple of Bulls games. It wouldn't be for a few years after when I got Dish that I saw WGN again.
 
For those of you remember Kids' WB on the national WGN feed...I go back further, to when the national WGN feed was the exact same WGN 9 feed out of Chicago, before SyndEx kicked in back in 1990.
 
johnissoevil said:
For those of you remember Kids' WB on the national WGN feed...I go back further, to when the national WGN feed was the exact same WGN 9 feed out of Chicago, before SyndEx kicked in back in 1990.
Click to expand...

588 two three hundred,
Creature Features
Victory Auto Wreckers
When Movies Were Movies
Family Theatre
Family Classics With Frazier Thomas
"Little Timmmy" Long Chevrolet in Elmhurst
The Untouchables
588 two three hundred
 
royd said:
588 two three hundred,
Creature Features
Victory Auto Wreckers
When Movies Were Movies
Family Theatre
Family Classics With Frazier Thomas
"Little Timmmy" Long Chevrolet in Elmhurst
The Untouchables
588 two three hundred
Click to expand...

Add Linn Burton the legendary TV pitchman For Polk Brothers, Bert Weinman Ford, Joe Rizza Chevrolet and Rogers & Holland Jewelers.
 

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