WSEE-DT2

WSEE-DT2 was the second digital subchannel of WSEE-TV, a television station based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Operated by Lilly Broadcasting, the subchannel served as the Erie-area outlet for The CW and combined network entertainment programming with locally produced news and public-affairs content originating from WSEE-TV and its sister station, WICU-TV. It was principally a broadcast distribution and programming brand rather than an independently incorporated company or separately owned station. The subchannel emerged from the transition in the mid-2000s from analog television to digital multiplexing. WSEE-TV had carried selected UPN programming on a secondary basis in 2005 and 2006 and planned to establish a full-time digital UPN service. When UPN and The WB merged to form The CW, WSEE secured the Erie affiliation for the new network in 2006. WSEE-DT2 subsequently became the local CW outlet, providing national scripted series, reality programming, syndicated shows, movies and other programming supplied through the CW Plus system, alongside locally scheduled content. WSEE-DT2's local identity was closely tied to the operating relationship between WSEE-TV and WICU-TV. The stations entered a local marketing agreement in 2002, and WSEE-TV eventually moved its operations from its former Peach Street facility into WICU-TV's State Street studios in June 2009. Their newsrooms shared staff, video, production resources and technical facilities. WSEE-DT2 carried WSEE-produced local news at 10 p.m., a time slot associated with the CW schedule, and also carried selected simulcasts or time-shifted programming from WICU-TV. During major breaking news, severe weather and election coverage, the subchannel could participate in joint coverage with the two primary stations. The news arrangement evolved as Lilly Broadcasting consolidated operations. After the 2009 move, WSEE-TV's late newscast was recorded for its 11 p.m. broadcast on the main station while airing live earlier on WSEE-DT2. The subchannel also carried versions of morning and midday news programming, including a period in which WICU-TV's morning and midday output was simulcast or repeated. In 2012, the stations upgraded their newscasts to high definition and replaced the long-running Newswatch identity with SEE News. In 2015, Lilly announced that WICU-TV and WSEE-TV would stop producing separate morning and evening newscasts and instead simulcast those periods, reflecting the substantial overlap in their news operations. The subchannel had additional distribution arrangements beyond its core Erie market. A special feed was briefly supplied to parts of Cattaraugus County, New York, where it used the on-air identification WBEP-DT2 Northwest Pennsylvania and substituted an earlier WICU-TV newscast for WSEE-DT2's regular 10 p.m. program. That arrangement ended in 2010. The broader WSEE signal and its associated programming were also available through selected cable systems and other out-of-market distribution in portions of New York and Ohio. WSEE-DT2's CW affiliation ended on September 1, 2025, when Nexstar Media Group moved the Erie CW affiliation to a subchannel of WJET-TV. Following that change, WSEE-DT2 ceased functioning as the Erie CW outlet. Its subsequent programming identity and operating status are not established by the available reference material, so the brand is treated here as defunct as a CW service rather than as an active independent broadcaster.

WSEE-DT2 was created as a digital television service associated with WSEE-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania. Its development followed the expansion of digital broadcasting and WSEE-TV's earlier experiments with secondary network programming. In 2005 and 2006, WSEE-TV carried selected UPN programs on a secondary basis and considered creating a full-time UPN digital affiliate. The planned service changed direction when UPN and The WB merged to establish The CW. WSEE obtained the Erie rights to the new network in 2006, and its second digital stream became the local CW outlet. The service operated within Lilly Broadcasting's Erie television group. WSEE-TV, the CBS affiliate, was Lilly's flagship television property and a sister station to NBC affiliate WICU-TV. The two stations began operating under a local marketing agreement in 2002. Although WSEE-TV initially retained a separate Peach Street/US 19 facility, its operations moved to WICU-TV's State Street studios on June 1, 2009. The consolidation gave the stations shared newsroom, studio and production resources while allowing their on-air services to maintain distinct identities where required. WSEE-DT2's programming model combined CW network content with local news and syndicated programming. Its most prominent local offering was a 10 p.m. newscast produced by WSEE-TV. During the 2009 facility transition, WSEE-TV temporarily went without local news for several days; after broadcasts resumed, the late newscast was recorded for later transmission on WSEE-TV while being shown live earlier on WSEE-DT2. The subchannel also carried selected WICU-TV news simulcasts and other shared programming. In one period it aired WICU's early morning and midday programming, while CW Plus supplied national and syndicated material during other parts of the schedule. A special distribution arrangement served some viewers in Cattaraugus County, New York. From March 2009 for approximately one year, Atlantic Broadband systems carried a version incorrectly branded on air as WBEP-DT2 Northwest Pennsylvania. That feed substituted an earlier WICU-TV evening newscast for the normal WSEE-DT2 prime-time local news, compensating for the lack of WICU-TV carriage on the cable system. The special service was discontinued in March 2010, after which those viewers received the standard WSEE-DT2 feed. The related WSEE-TV and WICU-TV news operation underwent further technical and editorial changes. WSEE-TV and WICU-TV moved their newscasts to high-definition production in November 2012 and replaced the Newswatch brand with SEE News. A second high-definition production control room made it possible to air more simultaneous live programming. In September 2015, Lilly announced that the stations would no longer maintain separate morning and evening newscasts, instead simulcasting those periods beginning October 12. WSEE-DT2 remained part of the wider distribution system for local news and emergency coverage, including occasional simulcasts during severe weather, breaking news and elections. The subchannel also benefited from WSEE-TV's broad carriage footprint. The parent station reached communities across northwestern Pennsylvania and parts of western New York and northeastern Ohio, with selected cable and satellite distribution extending beyond the immediate Erie market. However, carriage arrangements changed over time, including the later removal of WSEE-TV from certain New York systems. These distribution changes affected the wider WSEE service rather than establishing WSEE-DT2 as a separate company. In July 2021, WSEE-TV entered a shared-services agreement with Jamestown, New York-based WNY News Now. This was another development in the broader content and news ecosystem surrounding the WSEE service. The decisive change for WSEE-DT2 came on September 1, 2025, when Nexstar Media Group transferred the Erie CW affiliation to a subchannel of WJET-TV. That move ended WSEE-DT2's identity as the Erie CW affiliate. The available material does not establish a subsequent programming service or continuing brand role, so the subchannel is recorded as defunct in its former network-affiliate capacity.

• 2025

  CW affiliation transferred to WJET-TV

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The Erie CW affiliation moved from WSEE-DT2 to a WJET-TV digital subchannel on September 1, ending WSEE-DT2's network-affiliate role.

• 2021

  Shared-services agreement with WNY News Now

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSEE-TV entered a shared-services agreement with The WNY Media Company, doing business as WNY News Now.

• 2015

  Morning and evening newscasts consolidated

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WICU-TV and WSEE-TV began simulcasting major morning and evening news periods rather than producing separate editions.

• 2012

  Local news upgraded to high definition

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The associated WSEE-TV and WICU-TV news operation adopted high-definition production and introduced the SEE News branding.

• 2010

  Special feed discontinued

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The temporary WBEP-DT2 feed ended and the standard WSEE-DT2 service was restored to affected viewers.

• 2009

  Operations consolidated at State Street

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSEE-TV moved into WICU-TV's State Street studios, integrating facilities and production resources used by the WSEE-DT2 service.

• 2009

  Special Cattaraugus County feed introduced

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  A temporary cable feed using the WBEP-DT2 Northwest Pennsylvania identification was provided in parts of Cattaraugus County, New York.

• 2006

  The CW affiliation obtained for Erie

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSEE-TV secured the Erie rights to The CW after the planned UPN service was overtaken by the UPN–WB merger.

• 2005

  UPN programming carried on a secondary basis

  [1]WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WSEE-TV carried selected UPN programs on a secondary basis, preceding the creation of its full-time digital network service.

A locally operated digital CW television service combining national network programming with shared Erie-market news and community coverage.

• Digital television network affiliate · 2006

  The CW Erie

  WSEE-DT2's principal service was the Erie-market outlet for The CW. The schedule combined national CW programming with locally inserted news, weather and community content. The affiliation began after WSEE-TV obtained the Erie rights in 2006 and ended when Nexstar moved the service to WJET-TV on September 1, 2025.

• Local television news

  WSEE-DT2 local news

  The subchannel carried a WSEE-TV-produced 10 p.m. newscast and selected news simulcasts or time-shifted programs from WICU-TV. Content was produced through a shared Erie newsroom, with joint coverage used during major breaking news, severe weather and elections.

• Syndicated and network television programming

  CW Plus programming

  Alongside CW network shows, WSEE-DT2 carried programming supplied through the CW Plus model and other syndicated content. The schedule included entertainment programming and, during a cited period, The Daily Buzz.

• 2025

  Transfer of the Erie CW affiliationStrategy

  Background

  Nexstar Media Group changed the Erie-market distribution point for The CW.

  Action taken

  The CW affiliation moved from WSEE-DT2 to a digital subchannel of WJET-TV on September 1, 2025.

  Aftermath

  WSEE-DT2 ceased to operate as the Erie CW affiliate; its later programming status is not established in the available sources.

  Source

• 2015

  Consolidation of WSEE-TV and WICU-TV news schedulesStrategy

  Background

  Lilly Broadcasting determined that viewers regarded the two stations' news programs as substantially similar despite different presenters.

  Action taken

  The stations ended separate morning and evening newscasts and began simulcasting those periods, with WSEE-DT2 participating in the broader shared-news operation.

  Aftermath

  News production became more integrated across the Lilly Erie properties.

  Source

• 2006

  Launch of the Erie CW digital serviceProduct launch

  Background

  WSEE-TV had explored a full-time UPN digital service, but UPN's merger with The WB created The CW before that plan was completed.

  Action taken

  WSEE-TV obtained the Erie CW affiliation and used its second digital stream, WSEE-DT2, as the network outlet.

  Aftermath

  WSEE-DT2 became the local CW service until the affiliation transferred to WJET-TV in 2025.

  Source

1. 1WSEE-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2YourCWTV Erie partner pageyourcwtv.com