WGN-TV

===Sports programming===
{{Main|WGN Sports}}
Throughout its history, WGN-TV has had a long association with Chicago sports, with most of the city's major professional sports franchises—particularly the Chicago Cubs, White Sox, [[Chicago Bulls|Bulls]] and [[Blackhawks]]—and several local and regional collegiate teams (including the [[Illinois Fighting Illini]], the [[Northwestern Wildcats]], the [[DePaul Blue Demons]] and the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish]] as well as various [[Big Ten Conference]] universities) having regularly televised their games over channel 9.

The Cubs and White Sox were the first teams to be carried on the station, when on April 23, 1948, WGN aired a [[Cubs–White Sox rivalry|crosstown rivalry game]] that the Sox won, 4–1. (The Tribune Company wholly owned the Cubs from 1981 until 2008, and retained a minority interest in the team until January 2019.)<ref>{{cite news |title=Wrigley 100 4/16: WGN-TV 1st Wrigley Broadcast |url=https://wgntv.com/2014/04/16/wrigley-100-416-wgn-tv-1st-wrigley-broadcast/ |author=Bob Vorwald |website=WGN-TV |publisher=Tribune Broadcasting |date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Today in Chicago Cubs history: The very first WGN-TV baseball telecast |url=https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/16/17203600/today-chicago-cubs-history-first-wgn-tv-baseball-telecast |author=Al Yellon |website=BleedCubbieBlue |date=April 16, 2018 |access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Chicago Cubs Are Sold by Wrigley to Tribune Co. for $20.5 Million |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/17/sports/chicago-cubs-are-sold-by-wrigley-to-tribune-co-for-20.5million.html |author=Neil Amdur |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 17, 1981 |access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref> Over the years, the number of Cubs and White Sox games on WGN had gradually decreased (down to about 70 per season for each team by 2008) as a result of the two [[Major League Baseball]] clubs—as well as the [[NBA]]'s Bulls—migrating some of their local game telecasts to cable-originated [[regional sports network]]s, Fox Sports Net Chicago (later [[FSN Chicago]]) from 1999 until 2003 and then Comcast SportsNet Chicago (now [[NBC Sports Chicago]]) beginning in 2004. Beginning in 2015, WGN-TV began sharing the over-the-air rights to Cubs games with WLS-TV, resulting in Channel 9 reducing its coverage schedule to 45 games per season as part of a four-year contract involving the two stations.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cubs exercise option to end WGN-TV contract after next season |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-chicago-cubs-wgn-tv-20131106-story.html |author=Robert Channick |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 6, 2013 |access-date=September 1, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cubs reach deal with WGN-TV for remaining 45 broadcasts |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2015/01/07/cubs-reach-deal-with-wgn-tv-for-remaining-45.html |newspaper=Chicago Business Journal |date=January 7, 2015 |access-date=January 10, 2015}}</ref> WGN carried the White Sox until [[1972 Chicago White Sox season|1972]], before returning to the station for one season in [[1981 Chicago White Sox season|1981]]; the White Sox moved its local telecasts to WGN-TV after an eight-year absence in [[1990 Chicago White Sox season|1990]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Two UHF's land major-league teams |periodical=Broadcasting |page=26 |date=August 11, 1972}}</ref><ref name="ct-soxbullsleavewfldforwgn">{{cite news |title=White Sox, Bulls Leave Channel 32 for Channel 9 |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-09-15/sports/8901130433_1_wgn-tv-white-sox-sox-president-eddie-einhorn |author=Steve Nidetz |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=September 15, 1989 |access-date=December 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=TV Clout On Trial In White Sox Suit |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-10-21/sports/8803010857_1_white-sox-television-ratings-comiskey-park |author=Jeff Rusnak |newspaper=[[Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel]] |date=October 21, 1988 |access-date=October 12, 2015 |archive-date=December 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210190306/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-10-21/sports/8803010857_1_white-sox-television-ratings-comiskey-park |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Bulls began carrying their games with its inaugural season in [[1966–67 Chicago Bulls season|1966]]; after airing their games on WFLD for four years, the Bulls returned to WGN-TV for the [[1989–90 Chicago Bulls season|1989–90 season]], overlapping with the start of the team's NBA championship dynasty during [[Michael Jordan]]'s tenure with the team.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Chicago Bulls for WGN-TV |periodical=Broadcasting |page=10 |date=August 29, 1966}}</ref><ref name="ct-soxbullsleavewfldforwgn"/> WGN initially carried Blackhawks [[NHL]] games (which, per prohibitions on televised home games imposed by then-owner [[Bill Wirtz]] in order to sustain ticket sales, were restricted to away games) from [[1961–62 Chicago Black Hawks season|1961]] until [[1974–75 Chicago Black Hawks season|1975]]. The Blackhawks returned to the station during the [[2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks season|2008–09 season]], with a package of both home and away games (the result of [[Rocky Wirtz]]'s decision to end the home game television blackout after taking over the franchise's ownership following his father's death).<ref>{{cite news |title=Blackhawks to Televise All Games, Join 20th Century |url=http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/blackhawks-to-televise-all-games-join-20th-century/ |author=Stu Hackel |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 1, 2008 |access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN, Comcast Deals Make History for Hawks |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-197439470 |author=Tim Sassone |newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]] |via= |date=April 2, 2008 |access-date=}}{{dead link |date=July 2021}}</ref> WGN-TV carried Chicago Bears regular season football games as a [[NFL on DuMont|DuMont affiliate]] during the [[1951 NFL season]], after which the team moved their telecasts to ABC (and by association, ABC O&O WBKB-TV [now WLS-TV]) under a limited contract; the Bears aired their first game on WGN in 55 years on October 1, 2012, when the station carried the team's ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' matchup against the [[Dallas Cowboys]]. ([[NFL]] rules require national games aired by cable networks to be syndicated to broadcast stations in the participating teams' home markets.) Although WLS-TV has right of first refusal to ''MNF'' due to its corporate parent [[The Walt Disney Company]]'s majority ownership of [[ESPN]], WLS passed on carrying the game in order to air that night's live broadcast of ABC's ''[[Dancing with the Stars (American TV series)|Dancing with the Stars]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=WGN to Simulcast Monday Night's Bears Game |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/wgn-to-simulcast-monday-nights-bears-game_b63759 |author=Kevin Eck |website=TVSpy |publisher=Mediabistro Holdings |date=September 28, 2012 |access-date=January 10, 2015}}</ref>

From November 1978 until October 2014, WGN America frequently simulcast WGN Sports broadcasts (mostly Cubs, White Sox and Bulls games) nationwide, when permitted under the station's sports contracts. (Tribune's President and CEO at the time, [[Peter Liguori]], cited the limited viewership and advertising revenue generated from televising sports on a national basis relative to their contractual expense for its decision to stop carrying WGN's sports telecasts over WGN America after the [[2014 MLB season]].)<ref>{{cite news |title=WGN America to drop Chicago sports |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140530/NEWS01/140539978/wgn-america-to-drop-chicago-sports |author=Lynne Marek |newspaper=[[Crain's Chicago Business]] |publisher=[[Crain Communications]] |date=May 30, 2014 |access-date=June 27, 2014}}</ref> In addition, until it ceased offering sporting events in September 2019, WGN-TV also distributed its White Sox and Bulls telecasts to television stations in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa that are within their respective broadcast territories (including CW affiliate [[WISH-TV]] in Indianapolis and the subchannels of WGN sister stations [[WHO-DT]] in [[Des Moines]] and WQAD in Davenport, Iowa).<ref>{{cite news |title=WHO-TV to air select White Sox, Cubs games at Channel 13.3 |url=http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/05/31/who-tv-to-air-white-sox-cubs-games-at-channel-13-3 |author=David Elbert |newspaper=[[The Des Moines Register]] |date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=September 3, 2015}}{{dead link |date=January 2018 |bot=medic}}{{cbignore |bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WQAD picking up 45 Cubs, 55 Sox games |url=http://qctimes.com/entertainment/wqad-picking-up-cubs-sox-games/article_003e47a9-bf66-5bd0-afc9-9a7ea97a59ac.html |newspaper=[[Quad-City Times]] |publisher=[[Lee Enterprises]] |date=March 5, 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WISH-WNDY To Carry Cubs, White Sox |url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/83915/wishwndy-to-carry-cubs-white-sox |website=TVNewsCheck |date=March 20, 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref> WGN-TV's Cubs and White Sox game broadcasts also were often carried on the [[MLB Extra Innings]] feeds available to DirecTV subscribers, sometimes including local commercials and station promotions that were not shown during the WGN America telecasts from the imposition of the SyndEx rules until the 2014 separation of the national and local feeds. (This also was the case for WGN-produced games shown on WPWR-TV, as well as WLS-TV's Cubs broadcasts.)

On January 2, 2019, the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks agreed to an exclusive multi-year deal with NBC Sports Chicago to take effect that fall. This was followed on February 13 by the announcement of the formation of the [[Marquee Sports Network]], a joint venture between the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group that launched in the spring of 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=NBC Sports Chicago Announces New Pact With White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/nbc-sports-chicago-announces-new-deal-with-white-sox-bulls-and-blackhawks-503802931.html |website=[[WMAQ-TV]] |publisher=[[NBC Owned Television Stations]] |date=January 2, 2019 |access-date=January 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=NBC Sports Chicago announces multiyear deal with the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-spt-nbc-sports-chicago-bulls-blackhawks-white-sox-20190102-story.html |author=Teddy Greenstein |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=January 2, 2019 |access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Cubs are starting a new TV channel in 2020. Here's what that means for fans. |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-marquee-tv-channel-debut-sinclair-what-to-know-20190213-story.html |author=Phil Rosenthal |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=February 13, 2019 |access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cubs launching a network of their own, Marquee Sports Network |url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/25987146/chicago-cubs-launching-marquee-sports-network-partnering-sinclair-broadcasting-group |author=Jesse Rogers |website=[[ESPN]] |publisher=[[ESPN Inc.]] |date=February 13, 2019 |access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref> As a consequence of the four teams electing to move their local game telecasts off broadcast television completely in favor of airing them exclusively over regional sports networks, WGN wound down its local sports coverage throughout the spring and summer of 2019—beginning with the April 1 game between the Blackhawks and the [[Winnipeg Jets]],<ref>{{cite web |title=2018–19 Chicago Blackhawks Television Schedule |url=https://nhl.bamcontent.com/images/assets/binary/300276784/binary-file/file.pdf |website=[[Chicago Blackhawks]] |publisher=[[National Hockey League]] |access-date=October 27, 2019}}</ref> and continuing with its final game telecasts involving the Bulls (an [[Madison Square Garden|away]] game against the [[New York Knicks]] on April 9)<ref>{{cite news |title=WGN-TV Announces 2018–19 Chicago Bulls TV Schedule |url=https://wgntv.com/2018/08/30/wgn-tv-announces-2018-19-chicago-bulls-tv-schedule/ |website=WGN-TV |publisher=Tribune Broadcasting |date=August 30, 2018 |access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref> and the Cubs (an [[Busch Stadium|away]] game against the [[Cardinals–Cubs rivalry|rival]] [[St. Louis Cardinals]] on September 27)<ref>{{cite news |title=After Over 70 Years, The Cubs On WGN Is Coming To An End |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredwyllys/2019/09/13/after-over-70-years-the-cubs-on-wgn-is-coming-to-an-end/#632ecbf8560b |website=[[Forbes]] |date=September 13, 2019 |access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WGN's final Wrigley Field broadcast appropriately includes tributes, memories, and a Cubs loss |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/local-networks/wgn-final-wrigley-field-broadcast.html |author=Sean Keeley |website=Awful Announcing |date=September 21, 2019 |access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref>—as the station's contracts with all four teams gradually expired.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sports media: Will Chicago teams leave WGN-TV without any sports? |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/chicago-sports-media-wgn-tv-blackhawks-bull-cubs-white-sox-marquee-sports-network-nbc-sports-chicago/ |author=Jeff Agrest |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |date=March 7, 2019 |access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref> WGN-TV's final sports telecast involving any of the station's four legacy professional sports broadcast partners was the second game of a White Sox–[[Detroit Tigers]] doubleheader at [[Guaranteed Rate Field]] on September 28, 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=A rare Hicks-up for White Sox bullpen: Colome blows lead, Tigers gain split |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2019/9/28/20889224/a-rare-hicks-up-for-white-sox-bullpen-colome-blows-lead-tigers-gain-split |author=Daryl Van Schouwen |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |date=September 28, 2019 |access-date=October 27, 2019}}</ref> However, on February 19, 2020, [[Chicago Fire FC]] announced a multi-year agreement with WGN-TV to broadcast their [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) telecasts on the station, beginning with its March 7 match against the [[New England Revolution]], returning regular sporting events to Channel 9 after a seven-month hiatus.<ref name="wgn-firesoccer">{{cite news |title=WGN-TV to air 24 Chicago Fire Football Club games in landmark multi-year broadcast agreement |url=https://wgntv.com/2020/02/19/wgn-tv-to-air-24-chicago-fire-football-club-games-in-landmark-multi-year-broadcast-agreement/ |website=WGN-TV |publisher=[[Nexstar Media Group]] |date=February 19, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220163146/https://wgntv.com/2020/02/19/wgn-tv-to-air-24-chicago-fire-football-club-games-in-landmark-multi-year-broadcast-agreement/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Chicago Fire reach a multiyear deal with WGN to televise games |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/soccer/ct-chicago-fire-wgn-tv-deal-20200219-dz5od33jdbaclojqe6c5aytrhu-story.html |author=Jeremy Mikula |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=February 19, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Back to play-by-play, WGN to air Chicago Fire soccer broadcasts |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2020/02/19/back-play-play-wgn-air-chicago-fire-soccer-broadcasts/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=February 19, 2020}}</ref> Those games moved to [[MLS Season Pass]] beginning in 2023, and without any NFL-style syndication rights, the [[2022 Chicago Fire FC season|2022 season]] was the final season for Fire broadcasts on any television channel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/mls-signs-10-year-2-5-billion-plus-global-deal-with-apple-for-all-mls-matches-with-some-available-in-base-appletv-app-and-some-requiring-a-separate-subscription/ar-AAYsFzx?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=c660f06420b8435c8024f9db2e65de64 |title=MLS signs 10-year, $2.5-billion-plus global deal with Apple for all MLS matches, with some available in base AppleTV app and some requiring a separate subscription |website=[[MSN]]}}</ref> The deal also marks the first time in the station's 74-year history that Channel 9 will not have any local sports programming on the station.

WGN returned to The CW in small manner in 2023, when it began to broadcast weekend coverage from the now Nexstar-owned network of the controversial [[LIV Golf]] league in place of WCIU, which refused to carry it due to already-existing weekend programming commitments.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tdogmedia.com/2023/02/nexstar-to-air-liv-golf-matches-on-wgn-tv-and-not-wciu.html |title=Nexstar to air LIV Golf matches on WGN-TV – and not WCIU |date=February 16, 2023 |publisher=TDog Media |access-date=February 24, 2023}}</ref> WGN will also air [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] football and men's basketball games instead of WCIU.{{cn|date=September 2023}}