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PHL17 will become The CW after Channel 57 moves on

Out will be reruns of sitcoms like "Modern Family" and "Seinfeld," and in will be shows from The CW, including "All-American" and "Walker."

A PHL17 billboard in Delaware County advertising its 10 p.m. edition of 6abc's "Action News." PHL17 will shift affiliations from MyNetworkTV to The CW in September.
A PHL17 billboard in Delaware County advertising its 10 p.m. edition of 6abc's "Action News." PHL17 will shift affiliations from MyNetworkTV to The CW in September.Read moreBob Fernandez
    by Rob Tornoe
    Published 

It didn’t take long for The CW to find a new home in Philadelphia.

WPHL — known locally as PHL17 — will lose its MyNetworkTV affiliation and become the new home of The CW beginning Sept. 1, Nexstar announced Thursday, describing Philadelphia as one of “the most important television markets in the country.”

That means viewers will notice a change in the station’s prime-time lineup. Out will be reruns of sitcoms such as Modern Family and Seinfeld, and in will be shows from The CW, including All-American and Walker. The network will also air the long-running NFL show Inside the NFL during Eagles’ season, and is the current home of LIV Golf, though the league’s future is up in the air after the announced merger with the PGA tour.

In addition to reruns, PHL17 currently airs a daily 10 p.m. edition of 6abc’s Action News and a weekly news show about the Philadelphia Union called Union Insider. The station also airs its own morning newscast daily from 5 to 9 a.m.

Vince Giannini, vice president and general manager of PHL17, could not immediately be reached about the future of the prime-time newscasts.

Nexstar has owned PHL17 since 2019, when it purchased Tribune Media. The network began broadcasting in July 1960 as WPCA-TV, and aired religious shows in conjunction with the now-defunct Young People’s Church of the Air. As Channel 17 throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the network was the TV home for the Phillies, 76ers, and Flyers.

In May, CBS announced it was dropping The CW and its prime-time programming from Channel 57 after 17 years as part of a national move after Nexstar Media Group purchased a majority stake in October. Kelly Frank, president and general manager of CBS Philadelphia, said she hopes the move will enable Channel 57 to nab more live sports rights beyond airing games for the Philadelphia Wings, the city’s National Lacrosse League franchise.

“We are looking at all options. We already have an established partnership with the Wings, and that is a partnership we have really enjoyed,” Frank told The Inquirer last month. “We are looking at new and different possibilities that really help us connect on a local level.”