WSWB

WSWB

Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania United States
City	Scranton, Pennsylvania
Channels	Digital: 34 (UHF) Virtual: 38
Branding	CW 38
Programming
Affiliations	38.1: The CW for others, see § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner	MPS Media, LLC (MPS Media of Scranton License, LLC)
Operator	New Age Media, LLC via LMA; certain services provided by Sinclair Broadcast Group via MSA
Sister stations	WOLF-TV, WQMY
History
Founded	November 16, 1981
First air date	June 3, 1985 (39 years ago) (1985-06-03)
Former call signs	WSWB (1981–1984) WOLF-TV (1984–1998)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 38 (UHF, 1985–2008) Digital: 31 (UHF, 2003–2019)
Former affiliations	Independent (1985–1986) Fox (1986–1998) The WB and UPN (1998–2006)
Call sign meaning	We're Scranton Wilkes-Barre -or- Scranton's WB (former primary affiliation)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	73374
ERP	120 kW
HAAT	357.7 m (1,174 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	41°26′9.1″N 75°43′42.3″W / 41.435861°N 75.728417°W / 41.435861; -75.728417
Translator(s)	WOLF-TV 56.2 Hazleton WQMY 53.3 Williamsport
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	thecw38.com

WSWB (channel 38) is a television station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the CW affiliate for Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is owned by MPS Media, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with New Age Media, owner of Hazleton-licensed Fox affiliate and company flagship WOLF-TV (channel 56) and Williamsport-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WQMY (channel 53), for the provision of certain services. All three stations, in turn, are operated under a master service agreement by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. The stations share studios on PA 315 in the Fox Hill section of Plains Township; WSWB's transmitter is located on Bald Mountain, northwest of Scranton and I-476. However, newscasts have originated from the facilities of sister station and CBS affiliate WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana, since January 2017.

Although WSWB transmits a signal of its own, reception is spotty in much of the southern portion of the market since its transmitter is located farther north than the market's other stations. Therefore, the station is simulcast in standard definition on WOLF-TV's second digital subchannel (56.2) from its transmitter on Penobscot Knob near Mountain Top. WSWB also operates a translator on UHF channel 36 that is licensed to Waymart with a transmitter in Forest City. It exists because wind turbines run by NextEra Energy Resources at the Waymart Wind Farm interfere with the transmission of full-power television signals.

In addition to its own signal, WSWB is simulcast in standard definition on WQMY's third subchannel (53.3) from a transmitter on Bald Eagle Mountain.