<P> In an October 2014 interview with Broadcasting & Cable, Liguori appeared to reverse course on his previous statements and spoke of Tribune's support of the network . Liguori said in a statement, "We are very encouraged by the recent uptick in The CW ('s) ratings and the positive critical response to the new primetime lineup . In particular, (CW CEO Mark Pedowitz) has put in place a programming strategy that will help the network appeal to a wider, more inclusive audience, which is important for our stations across the country . We were glad to support the launch of the new shows through editorial and promotional initiatives, and we look forward to more continued collaboration to build upon this momentum ." </P> <P> In January 2016, The CW and Tribune began negotiations on a new affiliation deal, as the original 10 - year agreement signed at the network's inception was approaching its end . Complicating matters was the desire by The CW's parent companies, CBS and Warner Bros., to stream the network's programming as a standalone pay OTT service . The impasse in negotiations resulted in a months - long standoff between the two groups . </P> <P> On May 23, 2016, The CW and Tribune announced they had come to a new affiliation agreement . As part of the deal, Tribune's Chicago flagship WGN - TV would leave the network and revert to being an independent station after nearly 21 years of being affiliated with The CW and its predecessor network, The WB . A major factor in this decision is WGN - TV's large use of local sports programming, which led to many pre-emptions of the CW while WGN - TV has had to move as many as 30 games a year to another local station in Chicago . The CW affiliation moved to WPWR - TV, a Fox Television Stations - owned MyNetworkTV station . </P> <P> Roberts Broadcasting filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 7, 2011; the company cited the loss of the UPN affiliations on its stations in St. Louis (WRBU), Columbia, South Carolina (WZRB) and Jackson, Mississippi (WRBJ - TV) when that network shut down in favor of The CW in 2006, as much of UPN's programming consisted of minority - targeted programs that Roberts felt were compatible with their stations' target audiences (though the stations have since recovered from this setback; additionally, its station in Evansville, Indiana, WAZE - TV, had instead affiliated with The WB prior to 2006, as it was owned by South Central Communications until February 2007). The company had also been hit with lawsuits from Warner Bros. Television, Twentieth Television and CBS Television Distribution over its failure to pay fees for syndicated programming; Roberts eventually settled with Twentieth but lost the Warner Bros. and CBS cases . </P>

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