KACW
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| KACW | |
|---|---|
| Walla Walla/Richland/Pasco/Kennewick, Washington | |
| Branding | Central Washington's Anime 9 Live TV Wakima |
| Subchannels | 9.1 Anime National HD 9.2 Live Network TV (KLWK-LD) 9.3 Animovie 9.4 Anivision 9.5 ON-ANIME 9.6 Anime Music Television 9.7 Weather Tube 9.8 The Crayon Channel (Mobile DTV) |
| Digital channel | 9 (UHF)(flash-cut) |
| Affiliations | Anime National |
| Owner | Anime National Stations |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Call letters meaning | K Anime Central Washington or CW (former affiliation |
| Former affiliations | Azteca America (2001-2006) The CW (2006-2009) |
KACW is a television station which broadcast on analog channel 9 in Walla Walla, Washington and low-powered analog channel 27 (KLWK-LD) in Yakima, Washington. It is affiliated with Anime National, and is owned by Taylor Media Stations Group. The station went off the air on May 30th, 2008 and went back on the air on June 15, 2008.
[edit] History
The station signed on in 2001 as KBKI. In 2003, it changed its callsign to KAZW-TV and affiliated with the Spanish-language Azteca America network. It targeted the large Hispanic community in central Washington.
On April 24, 2006, it was announced that KAZW would launch a CW affiliate on digital subchannel 9.2, with programming being provided by The CW Plus. However, the station subsequently changed its plans and chose to completely replace Azteca America with The CW, citing better marketing potential. Mike Angelos, vice president of corporate communications for Pappas Telecasting, stated that while the Hispanic population composes 40 percent of the Yakima Valley, the numbers weren't high enough to reach the level needed for Azteca America. The call letters were changed in August to KCWK to reflect the new affiliation.
On May 29, 2008, it was observed that the station's offices had been emptied, indicating that KCWK has ceased operations. This was the result of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing for some Pappas stations, including KCWK.[2] As of May 30, 2008, the channel 9 cable slot remained vacant on Charter Communications' Tri-Cities systems. It is currently unknown if Charter will replace the channel position with another CW channel. Viewers of Dish Network will receive Los Angeles' KTLA as a temporary replacement. However, Taylor Media bought the station and the station went back on the air on June 24, 2006. On June 29, 2008, Taylor Media announced that it's repeater station KCWK-LP on channel 27 would launch an Anime National affiliate and will be simulcasted on digital subchannel 9.2, with programming being provided by Anime 100.
On January 16, 2009, it was announced that KCWK would be sold to New World TV Group, after the sale received United States bankruptcy court approval.[6]
Interestingly, despite having ceased broadcasting on May 30, 2008, KCWK's anime national affilation remains operational as of 2009.
Viewers of Taylor Media Cable and TaylorCOM satellite will receive the national channel Anime 100 as a replacement for KCWK when the sale becomes final. However, on January 31, 2009, KCWK became the sole affiliate of Anime National while it's low-power station becomes the Japanese Television Network. The sale was declined on the same day.
[edit] Digital television
Because it was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997 [1], the station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station. Instead, on or before February 17, 2009, which is the end of the digital TV conversion period for full-service stations, KCWK has been required to turn off its analog signal and turn on its digital signal (called a "flash-cut").
However, its low-powered satellite, KCWK-LP, had filed for a digital "-LD" license on channel 36. It is currently unknown if that channel was to have complemented or replaced channel 27.
Anime National Stations changed calls to KACW to reflect it's affiliation. KCWK-LD changed its calls to KLWK-LD which it will become an affiliate of Live Network TV.
