WCCT-TV
WCCT-TV is a Waterbury-licensed television station serving the Hartford–New Haven market as a CW affiliate.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
WCCT-TV is a television station licensed to Waterbury, Connecticut, and serving the broader Hartford–New Haven market. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 20 and is affiliated with The CW. Its present identity developed through several major phases: an original NBC affiliation under the WATR-TV call sign, a long period as the independent station WTXX, affiliations with UPN and The WB, and its eventual role as a charter CW affiliate. The station is closely associated with WTIC-TV, the market's Fox affiliate. The two stations share Hartford facilities and have operated under common management arrangements for much of WCCT-TV's modern history. The station began broadcasting on September 10, 1953, as WATR-TV on UHF channel 53. It was connected to WATR radio and was initially owned by interests associated with the Thomas and Gilmore families. Its early service area was concentrated in Waterbury, New Haven, and southern Connecticut. WATR-TV carried programming from DuMont and ABC on a secondary basis before joining NBC in 1966. The NBC affiliation gave the station a stronger network profile, although its coverage was increasingly challenged by the expansion of Hartford NBC affiliate WVIT. In 1962, the station moved to channel 20 and developed facilities in the Waterbury-area community of Prospect. When WVIT increased its transmission power and improved coverage of New Haven and southwestern Connecticut, NBC no longer viewed WATR-TV as necessary for separate service in the market. The station was sold in the early 1980s to a group involving Odyssey Television Partners and Oppenheimer and Company. After its NBC contract ended in April 1982, it relaunched as WTXX, using the Roman-numeral reference to channel 20. The new independent station expanded its signal, adopted a general-entertainment schedule, and carried syndicated series, films, cartoons, sports, and locally presented children's programming. Its children's block, Kidstime with T.X. Critter, was one of its more distinctive local features. WTXX faced changing ownership and programming arrangements during the 1990s. It became Connecticut's UPN affiliate in 1995 after a period in which UPN programming was available primarily through cable. During this period, the station also carried Home Shopping Network programming, syndicated shows, religious programming, and a daily Catholic Mass. Various leasing and local marketing arrangements connected WTXX with WVIT and later WTIC-TV. In 1998, WTIC-TV became the station's principal operating partner, replacing WVIT. The two stations consolidated operations in Hartford in 1999. In 2001, WTXX exchanged affiliations with the station then known as WBNE, becoming the Hartford market's The WB affiliate. Tribune Broadcasting subsequently acquired WTXX outright, creating a duopoly with WTIC-TV. When The WB and UPN were combined to form The CW in 2006, WTXX became one of the new network's charter affiliates. The station has remained a CW outlet since then, although its local branding has changed repeatedly. It used names including CW 20, txx, The CT, and a call-sign-centered WCCT-TV identity before returning to CW 20 branding in 2018. The WCCT-TV call sign was adopted on June 18, 2010. The station completed its transition to digital broadcasting in 2009 by ending operation of its analog transmitter in Prospect and relying on the WTIC-TV transmission facility on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington. Its studios are located with WTIC-TV on Broad Street in downtown Hartford. WCCT-TV has also carried locally produced or simulcast newscasts, including a 10 p.m. broadcast initially produced by WVIT and later supplied through WTIC-TV. Corporate ownership changed again after Tribune's proposed sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group collapsed in 2018. Nexstar acquired Tribune Media in 2019, but regulatory and market-overlap considerations required the disposal of several Connecticut stations. Tegna purchased WCCT-TV and WTIC-TV as part of a broader station transaction completed on September 19, 2019. Following Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna in 2026, WCCT-TV became part of a larger Nexstar-controlled structure while continuing its CW affiliation and Hartford–New Haven service. The station's core business remains the distribution of network entertainment, syndicated programming, local content, advertising, and digital media to viewers in Connecticut.
History
WCCT-TV began operation on September 10, 1953, as WATR-TV, broadcasting on UHF channel 53. It was established in connection with WATR radio and was associated with the Thomas and Gilmore families. Its first service area centered on Waterbury, New Haven, and southern Connecticut. The station carried DuMont and ABC programming on a secondary basis, and remained among the small number of stations still airing DuMont's final regular programming near the network's 1955 collapse. In 1962, it moved to channel 20 and relocated its facilities to the Waterbury-area community of Prospect. WATR-TV became an NBC affiliate in August 1966. During the 1970s, the station carried a relatively limited local-news operation and filled parts of its schedule with syndicated programs and religious content. Its notable local production, Journeys to the Mind, was a serious interview program about occult-related subjects that aired from 1976 to 1981. The station's NBC role became less secure after WVIT, the NBC station serving Hartford, substantially improved its transmission facilities. With WVIT reaching more of New Haven and southwestern Connecticut, NBC considered the two stations' coverage increasingly duplicative. A sale of channel 20 to Odyssey Television Partners and Oppenheimer and Company was announced in 1981 and approved later that year. NBC programming ended on April 10, 1982. After a brief interruption, the station returned on April 12 as WTXX, a full-service independent station. Its new owners installed a substantially more powerful transmission system, expanding coverage to a level comparable with other major Connecticut stations. WTXX adopted a general-entertainment format built around syndicated series, films, cartoons, and sports. The local children's program Kidstime with T.X. Critter featured a puppet created and operated by Paul Fusco, who later became known for ALF. WTXX competed for the Fox affiliation in the mid-1980s but lost it to WTIC-TV, which signed on in 1984. The station subsequently went through complex ownership and programming arrangements. Renaissance Broadcasting sold WTXX to Counterpoint Communications in 1992, partly because contemporary ownership rules complicated Renaissance's control of both WTXX and WTIC-TV. Renaissance retained rights to much of the programming associated with the station, weakening WTXX's schedule after the sale. The station carried Home Shopping Network programming for substantial portions of the day, religious material including a daily Catholic Mass, and selected syndicated programs. In 1993, WTXX entered a programming arrangement with WVIT. The agreement supplied cartoons and syndicated programs while HSN remained an important component of the schedule. WTXX became Connecticut's UPN affiliate on April 3, 1995. Over time, its programming mix improved and HSN was reduced to overnight periods before being removed. When WVIT was sold to NBC in 1998, WTIC-TV replaced it as WTXX's operating and local-marketing partner. The stations consolidated their operations in Hartford in 1999. During this era, WTXX also carried Boston Red Sox games and used the local identity Connecticut's 20. On January 1, 2001, WTXX exchanged affiliations with WBNE, becoming the local affiliate of The WB. Tribune Broadcasting later acquired WTXX outright, creating a duopoly with WTIC-TV. The station became a charter CW affiliate in 2006 after The WB and UPN were merged into The CW. Its branding shifted several times: the station used CW 20, txx, The CT, and a WCCT-TV-centered presentation. It adopted the WCCT-TV call sign on June 18, 2010, and returned to CW 20 branding in August 2018. The station completed its digital transition in June 2009 by shutting down its analog transmitter in Prospect and operating digitally from the WTIC-TV tower in Farmington. WCCT-TV and WTIC-TV share studios in downtown Hartford, while the principal transmission site is on Rattlesnake Mountain. WCCT-TV has also carried news programming produced or supplied by its operating partner. A 10 p.m. newscast began in 1993 under WVIT production and later became a simulcast of WTIC-TV's late local newscast. Tribune's broadcasting assets remained separate from its newspaper-publishing division after the 2014 corporate split. Sinclair Broadcast Group's proposed 2017 acquisition of Tribune Media was terminated in 2018 after regulatory objections and litigation. Nexstar then acquired Tribune, but needed to divest overlapping Connecticut stations. Tegna purchased WCCT-TV and WTIC-TV in a transaction completed on September 19, 2019. Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna, completed in 2026, placed WCCT-TV under Nexstar control through Tegna, with the combined company allowed to retain three Connecticut television licenses under its regulatory arrangements.
- 2026
Becomes part of Nexstar's Tegna structure
[1]Nexstar completes its acquisition of Tegna, placing WCCT-TV within the combined company's Connecticut portfolio.
- 2019
Tegna ownership begins
[1]Tegna completes its acquisition of WCCT-TV and WTIC-TV on September 19.
- 2010
Adopts WCCT-TV call letters
[1]The station changes its call sign from WTXX to WCCT-TV on June 18.
- 2009
Completes digital transition
[1]The station ends analog transmission from Prospect and uses the WTIC-TV transmission site in Farmington for digital broadcasting.
- 2006
Becomes a charter CW affiliate
[1]The station joins The CW at the network's launch following the combination of The WB and UPN.
- 2001
Joins The WB
[1]WTXX changes network affiliation from UPN to The WB.
- 1999
Consolidates Hartford operations
[1]WTXX and WTIC-TV move their operations into a shared downtown Hartford facility.
- 1995
Becomes Connecticut's UPN affiliate
[1]WTXX begins carrying UPN programming on April 3.
- 1982
Relaunches as WTXX
[1]After ending its NBC affiliation, channel 20 returns as WTXX, a substantially upgraded independent station.
- 1966
Joins NBC
[1]WATR-TV becomes an NBC affiliate.
Products and positioning
A local broadcast television station serving the Hartford–New Haven market, positioned as the area's CW network outlet and a companion station to WTIC-TV.
Broadcast television · 2006
CW network programming
WCCT-TV's principal offering is programming from The CW, including the network's scripted entertainment, specials, and other scheduled programming. The station has served as the Hartford–New Haven CW outlet since the network launched in 2006.
Television programming · 1982
Syndicated entertainment programming
During its independent and affiliated eras, the station has carried syndicated series, films, cartoons, and other acquired entertainment content. Such programming historically helped fill schedule periods outside network hours.
Local television news · 1993
Local and partner-produced news
WCCT-TV has carried local news through production and operating arrangements with WVIT and WTIC-TV. Its best-known historical example was a 10 p.m. newscast launched in 1993 and later replaced by a WTIC-TV newscast simulcast.
Children's television
Kidstime with T.X. Critter
This locally presented children's program aired during the station's independent period. It featured T.X. Critter, a puppet created and performed by Paul Fusco, and gave the station a distinctive local entertainment identity.
Sports broadcasting · 1982
Sports telecasts
WTXX historically carried selected sports, including New York Mets telecasts sourced from WOR-TV, Boston Celtics games from WLVI-TV, and later Boston Red Sox games. These broadcasts supported the station's general-entertainment independent format.
Brand decisions
2019
Transfer to TegnaM&ABackground
Nexstar's acquisition of Tribune created overlapping station ownership in Connecticut and required divestitures.
Action taken
Tegna purchased WCCT-TV and WTIC-TV as part of a broader station transaction.
Aftermath
WCCT-TV entered Tegna's station group and retained its CW affiliation.
Combined value of the broader station transaction. $1.32 billion (2019)
2010
Adopt the WCCT-TV identityStrategyBackground
Tribune sought to give its CW stations stronger local identities rather than relying exclusively on network branding.
Action taken
The station changed its call sign to WCCT-TV and introduced the local brand The CT before later using its call letters more prominently.
Aftermath
The station continued to carry CW programming despite subsequent shifts among The CT, WCCT-TV, and CW 20 branding.
2006
Join The CWStrategyBackground
The WB and UPN were combined into The CW, a new network jointly associated with CBS and Time Warner.
Action taken
WTXX became one of the charter CW affiliates through Tribune Broadcasting's affiliation agreement.
Aftermath
The station has remained a CW affiliate while changing local branding several times.
2001
Switch from UPN to The WBStrategyBackground
The station's ownership and affiliation relationships were connected to Tribune Broadcasting, which held an interest in The WB.
Action taken
WTXX exchanged affiliations with WBNE and became the market's The WB station.
Aftermath
The change positioned WTXX for its later transition into The CW.
1995
Join UPNStrategyBackground
WTXX operated amid a changing Connecticut television landscape and had used a mixture of syndicated, shopping, religious, and partner-supplied programming.
Action taken
The station became Connecticut's UPN affiliate on April 3.
Aftermath
WTXX gained a regular network schedule while continuing to use syndicated programming and local operating arrangements.
1982
Relaunch as an independent stationStrategyBackground
Improved coverage from WVIT made WATR-TV's NBC affiliation increasingly redundant in the Connecticut market.
Action taken
The new owners ended NBC programming and relaunched the station as WTXX, a general-entertainment independent with a stronger transmitter.
Aftermath
The station broadened its coverage and developed a schedule based on syndicated programs, films, children's shows, and sports.
Sources1 sources
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