WSEE-TV
A Lilly Broadcasting television station serving Erie, Pennsylvania, affiliated with CBS and historically associated with The CW through a digital subchannel.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WSEE-TV is a television station serving Erie, Pennsylvania, and surrounding communities. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 35 and is affiliated with CBS. It is the flagship television property of locally based Lilly Broadcasting and operates from shared facilities with sister station WICU-TV, the market's NBC affiliate, on State Street in downtown Erie. WSEE-TV's transmitter is located on Peach Street in Summit Township, Pennsylvania. The station began broadcasting on April 24, 1954, originally under ownership associated with the Mead family, publishers of the Erie Times-News. Its early programming included ABC content shared with WICU-TV. That arrangement changed as Erie television competition developed, particularly after WJET-TV began broadcasting in 1966. The station passed through several ownership groups during the late twentieth century, including Gillett Broadcasting, SCS Communications, Price Communications, and Northstar Television Group. The station added the “-TV” suffix to its call sign in 1981. WSEE-TV developed a close operational relationship with WICU-TV. A local marketing agreement began in 2002, and WSEE-TV ultimately moved its operations from its former Peach Street facilities into WICU-TV's State Street studios in 2009. The consolidation allowed the two stations to share newsroom resources, production infrastructure, video, sports coverage, and emergency reporting while retaining distinct station identities for much of their programming. In 2015, Lilly announced that many morning and evening newscasts would be simulcast because the stations' separate programs had become substantially similar. The station's local news operation has included weekday morning, noon, evening, and late-night programming, as well as weekend broadcasts and the public-affairs program The Insider. Its news identity changed from Newswatch to SEE News when the operation moved to high-definition production in November 2012. The stations also produce joint programming such as Weekends Now and may simulcast during severe weather, breaking news, and election coverage. WSEE-TV has also been an important distribution outlet beyond its primary Erie market. Its digital signal reaches portions of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and western New York, while cable and satellite carriage has extended the station's CBS programming to parts of Canada, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and other areas without a locally available CBS station. A modified feed has carried localized commercial and weather elements for Caribbean viewers. Lilly's 2019 acquisition of WCVI-TV in the U.S. Virgin Islands expanded the reach of that modified WSEE service. The station carried The CW on a digital subchannel after acquiring the Erie-area affiliation in 2006, following the planned merger of UPN and The WB. According to the supplied reference material, that affiliation moved to a WJET-TV subchannel on September 1, 2025. WSEE-TV therefore remains primarily identified with CBS, local news, weather, sports, and community programming. In 2021, it entered a shared-services agreement with WNY News Now, a Jamestown, New York-based news organization. In 2025, Erie News Now announced plans to air selected Erie SeaWolves minor-league baseball games on Erie News Now Plus.
History
WSEE-TV began broadcasting in Erie, Pennsylvania, on April 24, 1954. The station was initially associated with the Mead family, whose publishing interests included the Erie Times-News. In its early years, WSEE-TV and WICU-TV shared ABC programming. That arrangement ended as the Erie market gained another commercial station, WJET-TV, in 1966. The station changed ownership several times. The Mead family sold it to Gillett Broadcasting in 1978. In 1981, the call sign gained the “-TV” suffix. Gillett sold the station to SCS Communications in 1982, and SCS later sold it to Price Communications in 1988. Price transferred WSEE-TV, together with WAPT, WZZM, and WNAC-TV, to Northstar Television Group in 1989. The station subsequently became part of Lilly Broadcasting's Erie television operation and is now described as that company's flagship television property. WSEE-TV's relationship with WICU-TV became central to its modern operations. A local marketing agreement was established in 2002. For several years WSEE-TV continued operating from its own Peach Street location, but on June 1, 2009, it moved into WICU-TV's State Street facility in downtown Erie. The move consolidated technical and newsroom resources. It also produced a temporary interruption in local news while the stations completed the transition. Afterward, the stations shared footage, reporters, sports resources, production facilities, and, in some circumstances, entire newscasts. The news operation evolved during the consolidation period. WSEE-TV's late newscast was at times recorded from a live broadcast carried on its digital subchannel. Its morning program, Mornings Live, was initially recorded for later transmission before being offered live in an early-morning slot during the 2012–13 season. The station also produced a noon newscast, weekday evening news, weekend broadcasts, and the public-affairs program The Insider. In January 2013, the addition of a second high-definition control room improved the stations' ability to air live productions simultaneously. WSEE-TV and WICU-TV upgraded their newscasts to high definition in November 2012 and replaced the long-running Newswatch identity with SEE News for WSEE-TV. In September 2015, Lilly Broadcasting announced a further integration of the two news departments. Beginning October 12 of that year, the stations simulcast morning and evening newscasts rather than maintaining separate programs. The company said that viewers generally regarded the previous broadcasts as essentially the same program presented with different anchors. The stations continued to retain separate brands and could use joint broadcasts for severe weather, breaking news, and elections. WSEE-TV also developed a substantial secondary distribution footprint. Its digital signal serves Erie and nearby Pennsylvania counties and reaches parts of western New York and northeastern Ohio. Cable systems in some Canadian communities along Lake Erie have carried the station, although carriage arrangements have changed over time. The station became part of the Primetime 24 satellite package in 1997, giving its CBS feed access to viewers in rural North America, Puerto Rico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Those viewers could receive a modified service with regionally targeted advertising and occasional substitutions for local programming. Lilly's 2019 purchase of WCVI-TV in the U.S. Virgin Islands further extended availability of the modified WSEE feed. WSEE-TV carried The CW on a digital subchannel after the planned UPN–WB merger created the network in 2006. The subchannel also carried selected UPN programming on a secondary basis during 2005 and 2006. The supplied reference records the CW affiliation as moving to WJET-TV on September 1, 2025. In July 2021, WSEE-TV entered a shared-services agreement with WNY News Now. In June 2025, Erie News Now announced that ten Erie SeaWolves games would air on Erie News Now Plus. The station's current identity is therefore centered on CBS service, regional journalism, weather, sports, and community programming under the Erie News Now umbrella.
- 2025
Erie SeaWolves games announced for Erie News Now Plus
[1]Erie News Now announces plans to televise ten minor-league baseball games.
- 2025
The CW affiliation moves to WJET-TV
[1]The supplied reference states that The CW leaves WSEE-TV's digital subchannel on September 1.
- 2021
Shared-services agreement with WNY News Now
[1]WSEE-TV establishes a shared-services relationship with the Jamestown-based news organization.
- 2019
Lilly Broadcasting acquires WCVI-TV
[1]The acquisition expands distribution of Lilly's modified WSEE service in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- 2012
News operation converts to high definition
[1]WSEE-TV and WICU-TV upgrade their newscasts to high-definition production and introduce the SEE News identity.
- 2009
Operations move to State Street
[1]WSEE-TV leaves its separate Peach Street studios and joins WICU-TV at shared downtown Erie facilities.
- 2006
WSEE-TV obtains the Erie CW affiliation
[1]Following the UPN and WB combination, WSEE-TV places The CW on a digital subchannel.
- 2002
Local marketing agreement with WICU-TV begins
[1]WICU-TV begins providing selected services to WSEE-TV.
- 1997
WSEE-TV joins the Primetime 24 package
[1]The station replaces WRAL-TV in the satellite package, extending its CBS service to out-of-market viewers.
- 1981
The station adds the -TV call-sign suffix
[1]The WSEE call sign becomes WSEE-TV.
Products and positioning
A locally operated Erie broadcast station combining CBS network programming with regional news, weather, sports, public affairs, and extended cable and satellite distribution. Its operating model emphasizes shared resources with WICU-TV while maintaining WSEE-TV as a distinct station brand.
Local television news · 2012
SEE News
WSEE-TV's local news identity, introduced when the station and WICU-TV upgraded their news production to high definition in November 2012. Coverage includes regional news, weather, sports, breaking news, and public-interest reporting. Much of the operation shares personnel, video, and newsroom resources with WICU-TV.
Public affairs
The Insider
A weekly public-affairs program produced by the WSEE-TV news department and broadcast on weekends. The program provides a platform for interviews and discussion of regional issues.
Joint local news
Weekends Now
Joint weekend news programming produced by WSEE-TV and WICU-TV. The program has been used for weekend evening newscasts and reflects the stations' shared production model.
Digital television and sports · 2025
Erie News Now Plus
A distribution outlet associated with Erie News Now. In 2025, the service was announced as the outlet for ten Erie SeaWolves minor-league baseball games.
Network television · 1954
WSEE-TV CBS service
The station's principal network offering, providing CBS programming to the Erie market through over-the-air transmission and selected cable and satellite systems. Modified distribution feeds have also served Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Digital subchannel · 2006
WSEE-DT2 CW service
A former digital-subchannel service that carried The CW in the Erie market after the network's creation in 2006. The supplied reference records the affiliation as moving to WJET-TV on September 1, 2025.
Brand decisions
2021
Begin shared services with WNY News NowStrategyBackground
WSEE-TV sought a formal relationship with a regional news organization serving the Jamestown, New York area.
Action taken
The station signed a shared-services agreement with The WNY Media Company, doing business as WNY News Now.
2015
Simulcast morning and evening newscasts with WICU-TVStrategyBackground
Lilly Broadcasting stated that viewers regarded the stations' separate newscasts as essentially the same program with different anchors.
Action taken
Beginning October 12, WSEE-TV and WICU-TV stopped producing separate morning and evening newscasts for the main shared time periods and simulcast their coverage.
Aftermath
The stations continued joint coverage while retaining their individual brands and using separate or combined broadcasts when circumstances required.
2012
Upgrade local news production to high definitionGeneration changeBackground
The shared operation required additional production capacity to support live broadcasts from both station brands.
Action taken
A second high-definition production control room was added, and the stations upgraded their newscasts to high definition.
Aftermath
WSEE-TV dropped the Newswatch branding and adopted SEE News for its local broadcasts.
2009
Consolidate operations with WICU-TVStrategyBackground
The local marketing agreement had already created a service relationship between the two stations.
Action taken
WSEE-TV moved from its Peach Street studios into WICU-TV's State Street facility on June 1.
Aftermath
The stations shared facilities and newsroom resources while continuing to present distinct station identities and, for a period, separate newscasts.
2006
Launch The CW on a digital subchannelProduct launchBackground
The planned merger of UPN and The WB created The CW and required a new Erie-area distribution arrangement.
Action taken
WSEE-TV obtained the Erie rights to The CW and carried the network on a digital subchannel.
Aftermath
The CW remained associated with a WSEE-TV subchannel until the affiliation moved to WJET-TV in 2025, according to the supplied reference.
2002
Enter a local marketing agreement with WICU-TVStrategyBackground
WSEE-TV and WICU-TV operate in the same Erie television market and could share selected operational resources.
Action taken
WICU-TV began providing services to WSEE-TV under a local marketing agreement.
Aftermath
The agreement developed into broader operational and newsroom integration, culminating in WSEE-TV's move to WICU-TV's State Street facility in 2009.
Recent events
- 2025
Erie News Now announces Erie SeaWolves broadcasts[1]
Product launch · Other
Erie News Now announced an agreement to carry ten Erie SeaWolves minor-league baseball games on Erie News Now Plus.
- 2025
The CW affiliation leaves WSEE-TV's digital subchannel[1]
Other
The supplied reference states that the Erie CW affiliation moved from a WSEE-TV subchannel to a WJET-TV subchannel on September 1, 2025.
- 2021
WSEE-TV signs shared-services agreement with WNY News Now[1]
Other
WSEE-TV entered a shared-services agreement with the Jamestown, New York-based WNY Media Company, operating as WNY News Now.
- 2015
WSEE-TV and WICU-TV begin simulcasting major news periods[1]
Other
Lilly Broadcasting announced that the two stations would stop producing separate morning and evening newscasts and would instead simulcast those periods.
- 2009
WSEE-TV moves into WICU-TV's State Street facility[1]
Other
WSEE-TV consolidated its operations with WICU-TV at shared downtown Erie studios, leading to greater newsroom and production integration.
- 2002
WSEE-TV enters a local marketing agreement with WICU-TV[1]
Other
WICU-TV began providing services to WSEE-TV under a local marketing agreement, beginning a long-term operational relationship between the Erie stations.
- 1954
WSEE-TV begins broadcasting[1]
Other
WSEE began broadcasting in Erie on April 24, establishing the station that would later become a CBS affiliate and Lilly Broadcasting property.
Sources2 sources
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