WSWB
WSWB is a CW-affiliated television station serving Northeastern Pennsylvania from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
WSWB is a television station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and serving the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton market. It operates as an affiliate of The CW and uses virtual channel 38. The station shares studio and operational facilities in the Fox Hill section of Plains Township with WOLF-TV, a Fox affiliate, and WQMY, an independent station carrying MyNetworkTV programming. Its primary transmitter is on Bald Mountain northwest of Scranton, while its programming is also distributed through the associated stations' transmission infrastructure and a digital replacement translator serving Waymart. The station's background is closely connected to the development of channel 56 in Hazleton and the launch of WOLF-TV. In the early 1980s, a group of New York state businessmen led by Peter Rydell applied to build a Scranton station on channel 38 and a satellite station on channel 56 in Hazleton. The applicants initially considered a religious format but later shifted toward a secular independent station. WOLF-TV on channel 38 and WWLF-TV on channel 56 began broadcasting on June 3, 1985, with children's programs, syndicated reruns, and movies. WOLF-TV joined the Fox network in 1986 and developed a strong local identity through children's programming, community appearances, public-affairs content, sports features, and the mascot Henry the 38th. The original channel arrangement changed substantially during the 1990s. WOLF-TV began carrying a local 10 p.m. newscast produced by WNEP-TV in 1991, an unusual arrangement because WNEP was a competing station in the same market. A second satellite, WILF on channel 53 in Williamsport, began broadcasting in 1992. Ownership of the stations moved into Pegasus Broadcast Television in 1993. Pegasus later proposed a transmitter and affiliation restructuring that would move Fox programming to channel 56, improve coverage from Penobscot Knob, and separate channel 38 as a different network affiliate. On November 26, 1998, channel 56 became the primary WOLF-TV facility and channel 38 adopted the WSWB call sign. The newly created WSWB became an affiliate of The WB and was sold to KB Prime Media, while Pegasus retained programming and operational ties through a local marketing arrangement. The station emphasized WB children's programming and regional sports and replaced out-of-market WB signals such as WPIX and WPHL-TV on local cable systems. WSWB also added UPN programming as a secondary affiliation by the end of 2005. When The WB and UPN merged to create The CW in 2006, WSWB was selected as the market's CW affiliate. WILF instead became associated with MyNetworkTV and was separated as WQMY. The station's ownership and operating structure subsequently became tied to a series of financially troubled and changing broadcast groups. Pegasus entered bankruptcy-related proceedings after a dispute with DirecTV, and its stations were acquired through an auction by CP Media and New Age Media. Sinclair Broadcast Group later assumed operational control of several related stations through a master service agreement and ultimately acquired the WSWB license in 2026 after receiving an FCC ownership-rule waiver. WSWB completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting in December 2008. Its digital signal initially operated on UHF channel 31 while retaining virtual channel 38, moved to channel 34 in 2019 following the federal wireless spectrum auction, and continues to serve the regional CW audience. The station's identity is therefore rooted less in a standalone national consumer brand than in its role as a local broadcast outlet, network affiliate, and member of a shared Sinclair-operated television cluster.
History
WSWB emerged from the television expansion project that produced WOLF-TV and WWLF-TV in the mid-1980s. In November 1980, New York state businessmen led by Peter Rydell applied for Scranton's channel 38 and simultaneously sought channel 56 in Hazleton as a satellite. The project moved through several format and engineering revisions, including an early proposal for religious programming and changing plans for the Hazleton transmitter. By late 1984, the applicants had settled on a secular independent station, with WOLF-TV announced as the call sign for channel 38. WOLF-TV and WWLF-TV began broadcasting on June 3, 1985. The stations carried children's programs, classic syndicated series, and prime-time movies, and WOLF-TV quickly became a significant local independent outlet. Its Fox affiliation began in October 1986. The station also developed community-oriented programming and recognizable local promotion, including a wolf mascot named Henry the 38th. Children's programming became particularly important: the WOLF Cub Club attracted tens of thousands of members during the early 1990s, and local hosts later presented programs such as Topper's Clubhouse. In 1991, WOLF-TV began airing a 10 p.m. newscast produced by WNEP-TV, creating an unusual arrangement in which one local station supplied news programming to a competing station. WILF, a second satellite serving Williamsport, signed on in 1992. The station group became part of Pegasus Broadcast Television in 1993 through a transaction reported at $12.5 million. During the later 1990s, Pegasus pursued a technical and affiliation reorganization. Channel 56 was moved to the stronger Penobscot Knob transmission site and became the primary WOLF-TV facility, while channel 38 was separated from the Fox operation. Because federal ownership rules did not permit the proposed local structure directly, Pegasus planned a separate ownership and local marketing arrangement for channel 38. The reorganization took effect on November 26, 1998. Channel 38 adopted the WSWB call letters and became an affiliate of The WB. KB Prime Media acquired the station, with programming and operational services linked to Pegasus. WSWB focused on WB network material, children's programming, and regional sports. Its arrival also replaced out-of-market WB programming from WPIX and WPHL-TV on local cable systems. The station added UPN programming secondarily by the end of 2005. The WB and UPN merger created The CW in 2006, and WSWB became the new network's affiliate in Northeastern Pennsylvania. WILF received the MyNetworkTV affiliation and was separated under the WQMY identity. WSWB's subsequent corporate history reflected wider consolidation and financial stress in the television industry. A dispute involving Pegasus's DirecTV resale business contributed to bankruptcy proceedings, and New Age Media later acquired the group's stations through an auction. Sinclair began operating related stations after acquiring non-license assets and using a master service agreement, while WSWB's license remained in a separate ownership arrangement for a period. The station's relationship with Sinclair became the subject of further regulatory and ownership developments. In 2021, the FCC issued a forfeiture order against MPS Media in connection with allegations that retransmission-consent negotiations had not been conducted in good faith. Sinclair later sought direct acquisition of WSWB and requested an ownership-rule waiver. The FCC granted the waiver in April 2026, and the license transfer was completed on May 1, 2026, according to the cited station history. Technically, WSWB was among the later stations in the market to launch a digital signal, doing so by November 2003. It ended analog broadcasting in December 2008 and continued digitally using virtual channel 38. Its post-transition allocation moved from UHF channel 31 to channel 34 in 2019 as part of the federal spectrum repacking process. A digital replacement translator in Waymart helps address reception issues associated with terrain and wind-farm interference in the region. Today, WSWB functions as a CW network affiliate within a shared broadcast operation serving Northeastern Pennsylvania.
- 2026
Sinclair completes license acquisition
[1]Following an FCC ownership waiver, Sinclair completed its acquisition of the WSWB license on May 1.
- 2021
FCC forfeiture order
[1]The FCC issued a $512,288 forfeiture order against MPS Media in a retransmission-consent dispute involving WSWB and related stations.
- 2019
Digital channel relocation
[1]The station moved its digital signal from UHF channel 31 to channel 34 as part of the post-spectrum-auction repacking.
- 2008
Analog broadcasting ends
[1]WSWB shut down its analog transmission and continued as a digital television station using virtual channel 38.
- 2006
WSWB becomes a CW affiliate
[1]WSWB was selected to carry The CW after the combination of The WB and UPN.
- 1998
Channel 38 becomes WSWB
[1]After Fox programming moved to channel 56, channel 38 adopted the WSWB call sign and became a WB affiliate.
- 1993
Ownership moves to Pegasus Broadcast Television
[1]The ownership group behind WOLF-TV and WWLF-TV merged into Pegasus Broadcast Television.
- 1991
First competing-station-produced newscast arrangement
[1]WNEP-TV began producing a 10 p.m. newscast for WOLF-TV, creating an unusual local news-sharing arrangement.
- 1986
WOLF-TV joins Fox
[1]Channel 38 became an affiliate of the newly formed Fox network.
- 1985
WOLF-TV and WWLF-TV launch
[1]The two stations began broadcasting on June 3 with independent programming consisting largely of children's content, classic reruns, and movies.
Products and positioning
A regional free-to-air television station positioned as Northeastern Pennsylvania's CW network outlet, with broad market coverage supported by shared facilities and transmission infrastructure.
Broadcast television affiliation · 2006
CW network service
WSWB's principal offering is its local broadcast of The CW's entertainment schedule on virtual channel 38. The affiliation followed the 2006 merger of The WB and UPN and replaced the station's earlier WB identity. It gives viewers in Northeastern Pennsylvania access to the network's scripted, unscripted, syndicated, and promotional programming through over-the-air transmission and local distribution systems.
Television station · 1998
Local broadcast television service
WSWB provides a full-power local television signal to the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton market. Its service is supported by a transmitter on Bald Mountain, shared regional transmission arrangements, and a digital replacement translator in Waymart. The station's broadcast footprint is shaped by the mountainous terrain of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the technical requirements of the regional television market.
Broadcast signal extension · 2004
Digital replacement translator service
WSWB participates in a digital replacement-translator arrangement serving Waymart. The additional facility helps preserve reliable reception where terrain and interference associated with the Waymart Wind Farm can affect signals received from other regional transmission sites.
Controversies
2021
Retransmission-consent good-faith dispute
AT&T sued MPS Media and related station owners, alleging that retransmission-consent negotiations had not been conducted in good faith. The FCC subsequently issued a forfeiture order requiring MPS Media to pay $512,288. The matter involved WSWB's ownership and management structure rather than allegations about the station's programming content.
Marketing campaigns
- 1989WOLF Cub Club
Northeastern Pennsylvania
The predecessor WOLF-TV introduced a children's membership club connected with its local children's programming. The initiative became a major part of the station's community identity and reportedly reached tens of thousands of members during the early 1990s.
Outcome. The club became one of the station's most successful local promotional properties and helped make children's programming a major commercial and audience focus.
- 1986Henry the 38th local mascot
Northeastern Pennsylvania
WOLF-TV introduced a wolf mascot named Henry the 38th for appearances and local promotion, reinforcing the station's identity after its Fox affiliation.
Outcome. The mascot provided a recognizable community-facing identity for the predecessor station and its children's programming.
Brand decisions
2026
Sinclair acquires the WSWB licenseM&ABackground
Sinclair argued that direct ownership would improve its ability to provide programming and services to WSWB and would generate operating efficiencies amid declining local advertising revenue. The proposed transaction required an FCC ownership-rule waiver.
Action taken
The FCC granted the waiver on April 21, and Sinclair completed the license acquisition on May 1.
Aftermath
WSWB joined Sinclair's direct ownership structure alongside WOLF-TV and WQMY, although the cited material does not provide later performance or programming results.
2019
Relocate the digital signal to channel 34Generation changeBackground
The federal wireless spectrum auction and resulting television spectrum repacking required numerous stations to change physical transmission channels.
Action taken
WSWB moved its digital signal from UHF channel 31 to channel 34 while retaining virtual channel 38.
Aftermath
The station continued using its established viewer-facing channel identity after the technical frequency change.
2008
Complete the analog-to-digital transitionGeneration changeBackground
WSWB was among the later stations in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre market to launch a digital signal but was also among the first in the market to end analog transmission.
Action taken
The station discontinued its analog signal in December 2008 and continued using virtual channel 38 through digital transmission.
Aftermath
WSWB became a digital-only local television service, later relocating its physical digital channel as part of spectrum repacking.
2006
Adopt The CW affiliationStrategyBackground
The WB and UPN announced a merger to form The CW, requiring local markets to select affiliates for the new network.
Action taken
WSWB was selected as the CW affiliate, while the related WILF facility received MyNetworkTV programming and became WQMY.
Aftermath
WSWB retained a major network affiliation and continued as the market's CW outlet.
1998
Separate channel 38 from the Fox operationStrategyBackground
Pegasus reorganized the regional station group by moving Fox programming to channel 56 and separating channel 38 as a different network affiliate, partly in response to broadcast ownership rules and market coverage considerations.
Action taken
Channel 38 adopted the WSWB call sign, became a WB affiliate, and operated under a separate ownership and local marketing structure.
Aftermath
The change established the WSWB identity and created the station's long-term role as a non-Fox network affiliate in the market.
Recent events
- 2026
Sinclair completes acquisition of the WSWB license[1]
M&A · Regulation
After receiving an FCC waiver permitting the ownership structure, Sinclair completed its acquisition of the WSWB license and moved the station into direct ownership alongside related local stations.
- 2006
WSWB selected as the market's CW affiliate[1]
Product launch
Following the merger of The WB and UPN into The CW, WSWB was selected to carry the new network, while WILF became associated with MyNetworkTV and was separated as WQMY.
- 1998
WSWB begins broadcasting as a WB affiliate[1]
Product launch
Channel 38 adopted the WSWB call sign after Fox programming moved to channel 56, becoming a WB affiliate serving the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre area.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/wswb · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled