Heroes & Icons

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Heroes & Icons
TypeDigital broadcast television network
Country
AvailabilityNationwide, via OTA digital TV
(U.S. coverage: 60%)[1]
SloganAll Eyes on H&I
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois
OwnerWeigel Broadcasting
Key people
Launch date
September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)
Picture format
480i Widescreen (SDTV)
CallsignsH&I
AffiliatesList of affiliates
Official website
www.handitv.com

Heroes & Icons (H&I) is an American digital broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Primarily carried on the digital subchannels of its affiliated television station in most markets, it primarily airs classic television series from the 1950s through the 2000s, with a focus on westerns, crime dramas, sci-fi, and action-oriented programming geared toward male audiences.

The network operates from Weigel Broadcasting's headquarters on North Halsted Street in Chicago, Illinois, and is essentially an offshoot of MeTV – a general classic TV digital network also owned by Weigel.[2]

History[edit]

The network was soft launched with limited advanced promotion on September 28, 2014, on the digital subchannels of Weigel-owned stations WWME-CD (channel 23.2) and WCIU-TV (channel 26.4) in Chicago, and WMLW-TV (channel 49.3) in Milwaukee. Heroes & Icons was created at the request of the affiliates of Weigel's existing networks, in order to increase their programming options.[2]

The network also launched in the South Bend, Indiana market, along with the major cable providers in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets (including Comcast Xfinity, RCN and Time Warner Cable) using existing carriage.[2] Weigel opted to soft launch H&I in order to fine-tune its schedule, along with adding additional programming to the fledgling network.[3] With the network having settled on a more stabilized schedule, Weigel moved the Heroes & Icons affiliation in Milwaukee to the third subchannel of CBS affiliate WDJT-TV (channel 58) on March 5, 2015, with This TV – which previously occupied the 58.3 space – moving to WMLW-DT3 in its place.[4]

Fox Television Stations expanded its relationship with Weigel beyond Movies!, adding it to eleven of their stations in the fourth quarter of 2015.[5]

The "All Star Trek" programming block was launched on July 24, 2016 with all five live action Star Trek shows in sequence from the beginning on Sunday plus on Monday through Friday.[6]

Programming[edit]

Much like its sister network, MeTV, Heroes & Icons' program schedule relies primarily on television series from the programming libraries of CBS Television Distribution, NBCUniversal Television Distribution and 20th Television, and also includes some feature film content. H&I targets a more niche audience than MeTV, carrying programming aimed at a generally male audience – featuring a mix of action series, police procedurals, westerns, science fiction, fantasy and military-themed programs (including several series that have previously aired on MeTV).[2]

In addition to carrying acquired programming, Heroes & Icons also carried an early morning simulcast of TouchVision (a multi-platform news service based out of Weigel's Chicago headquarters) from September 29, 2014 to January 14, 2016.[7][8] The network also carries a three-hour block of children's programming on Sunday mornings in order to fulfill educational programming requirements mandated by the Federal Communications Commission.[2][9]

On Monday, February 8, 2016, first run syndicated shows, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, debuted on the network.[10] As of 2019, they are no longer on the channel.

Affiliates[edit]

As of July 2016, Heroes & Icons has current affiliation agreements with television stations in 63 media markets encompassing 33 states, covering 69.21% of the United States.[11] The network is carried on the digital subchannels of television stations in most of its markets (with current exceptions including St. George, Utah O&O KCSG, which has widespread cable and satellite coverage in the Salt Lake City market and throughout Utah, and Evansville, Indiana affiliate WTSN-CD, which both carry the network on their primary digital channels). The network is also carried on cable television providers through their digital tiers at the discretion of the affiliate's parent station in certain markets.

In South Bend, Indiana, where Weigel Broadcasting owns three television stations (ABC affiliate WBND-LD, CW affiliate WCWW-LD and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYS-LD), the network is instead carried by former Fox affiliate WSJV through an agreement with that station's owner Quincy Media (it took over the main signal on October 1, 2016 as that station was under consideration to sell its spectrum in that year's spectrum auction, though it ultimately remained on the air). The network added additional stations by early December 2014, which in addition to WSJV, included KCSG in the Salt Lake City market (a station Weigel eventually purchased in 2017) and a digital subchannel of Des Moines CBS affiliate KCCI.[9]

On September 18, 2015, Weigel signed an affiliation agreement with Fox Television Stations to carry the network on subchannels of the group's Fox and MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated stations in eleven markets (including New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.), beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015. Once all of the stations involved in the agreement affiliated with the network, H&I will expand its coverage to 52% of all U.S. households and availability in eight of the 10 largest Nielsen markets.[5] Weigel also maintains a secondary agreement with Spectrum to carry the network nationwide on that cable service, slotting the network's national feed on systems where a terrestrial affiliate does not exist or isn't under contract to be carried.

Current affiliates[edit]

City of license/market Station[11] Virtual
channel
Primary affiliation Owner Date of affiliation Notes

Alabama[edit]

Anniston (Birmingham) WGWW 40.1 - Howard Stirk Holdings October 1, 2015 Replaced Heartland as primary affiliate;
maintains secondary affiliation with ABC
Montgomery WALE-LD 17.6 Justice Network Woods Communications Company August 11, 2015
Tuscaloosa (Birmingham) WSES 33.1 - Howard Stirk Holdings October 1, 2015
Alaska
Anchorage KYES-TV 5.3 MyNetworkTV Gray Television October 1, 2018 Soft launch on 9/21/2018.

Arizona[edit]

Phoenix KSAZ-TV 10.3 Fox Fox Television Stations November 1, 2015
Tucson KTTU 18.3 MyNetworkTV Tegna

California[edit]

Los Angeles KCOP 13.4 MyNetworkTV Fox Television Stations October 1, 2015
KVME-TV 20.1 - Venture Technologies Group January 3, 2018
Fresno KAIL 7.3 MyNetworkTV Aperio Communications, LLC
Monterey KMBY-LD 19.1 - Cocola Television
San FranciscoOaklandSan Jose KICU-TV 36.4 Independent Fox Television Stations November 1, 2015
StocktonSacramento KQCA 58.2 MyNetworkTV Hearst Television October 1, 2018

Colorado[edit]

Denver KHDT-LD 26.2 Movies! Syncom Media Group, Inc.
Colorado SpringsPueblo KRDO-TV 13.3 ABC News-Press & Gazette Company May 1, 2017
Glenwood Springs KREG-TV 3.1 - Marquee Broadcasting July 2017

District of Columbia[edit]

Washington, D.C. WDCA 20.3 MyNetworkTV Fox Television Stations October 3, 2015

Florida[edit]

Fort Myers WBBH-TV 20.2 NBC Waterman Broadcasting
Jacksonville WFOX-TV 30.3 Fox Cox Media Group June 3, 2015
Miami WPLG 10.3 ABC BH Media January 2018
Orlando (Daytona Beach) WRBW 65.3 MyNetworkTV Fox Television Stations October 1, 2015
Panama City WECP-LD 18.3 CBS Gray Television January 2017
Tampa (Saint Petersburg/Clearwater) WTVT 13.4 Fox Fox Television Stations November 1, 2015

Georgia[edit]

Bainbridge (Tallahassee) WTLH 49.1 - New Age Media April 30, 2018
Perry/Macon WPGA-TV 58.2 Independent Register Communications 2017
Toccoa/Atlanta (Athens) WGTA 32.2 MeTV Marquee Broadcasting

Hawaii[edit]

Honolulu, Hawaii KITV 4.5 ABC SJL Broadcasting March 11, 2019

Idaho[edit]

Boise KRID-LD 22.3 NewsMax TV March 2, 2017 Began formally broadcasting on March 20, 2017
Pocatello/Idaho Falls KPIF 15.2 MeTV Pocatello Channel 15, LLC October 2, 2017

Illinois[edit]

Chicago WWME-CD 23.2 MeTV Weigel Broadcasting September 28, 2014[2] Flagship station
WCIU-TV 26.4 Independent December 29, 2014 Full-power simulcast of WWME-CD2
Harrisburg WSIL-TV 3.2 ABC Quincy Media January 3, 2018
Rockford WFBN-LD 35.1 Telemundo (on DT2) Weigel Broadcasting mid-2016 Replaced TouchVision
Springfield, Illinois
(St. Louis, MO)
WODK-LD 45.2 Cozi TV DTV America Dec 2016 or Jan 2017 Station is licensed to Springfield but transmits from suburban St. Louis; it does not transmit any signal to Springfield.

Indiana[edit]

Evansville WTSN-CD 20.1 - Evansville Low Power Partnership
Elkhart (South Bend)[2] WSJV 28.1 Quincy Media 2016 Formerly a Fox affiliate
Indianapolis WUDZ-LD 28.2 Buzzr DTV America December 8, 2015 Went off the air on October 18, 2019

Iowa[edit]

Cedar Rapids KCRG 9.4 ABC Gray Television March 1, 2019
Des Moines KCCI 8.3 CBS Hearst Television December 2014 Subchannel maintains secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV, pre-empting H&I prime time programming on weeknights[9]

Kansas[edit]

Hutchinson KWCH-DT 12.3 CBS Gray Television June 2017
Topeka WIBW-TV 13.3 February 29, 2019

Kentucky[edit]

Hazard WYMT-TV 57.2 CBS Gray Television January 2017
Louisville WBNA 21.6 Independent Evangel World Prayer Center July 2015

Louisiana[edit]

Alexandria KBCA 41.1 - Wilderness Communications July 1, 2015 Switched to 41.1 from 41.3 in September 2016 when the CW moved to a subchannel of NBC's KALB-TV due to an agreement between CW and Gray Television
Columbia/Monroe/El Dorado KMLU 11.2 MeTV Legacy Broadcasting January 2018
Lafayette/New Iberia/Baton Rouge KDCG-CD & KLWB 22.1 & 50.2 Delta Media Corporation July 1, 2015 replaced Antenna TV
New Orleans WUPL 54.3 MyNetworkTV Tegna

Maine[edit]

Poland Spring (Portland) WPXT 51.2 The CW Hearst Television
Dedham (Bangor) WBGR-LD 33.2 MeTV James McLeod(Maine Family Broadcasting, Inc.) September 2019

Maryland[edit]

Hagerstown (Washington, D.C.) WDVM-TV 25.1 - Nexstar Media Group July 1, 2016 Replaced NBC as primary affiliation.
Salisbury WGDV-LD 32.3 Azteca America Marquee Broadcasting

Massachusetts[edit]

Boston WSBK-TV 38.2 MyNetworkTV CBS Television Stations October 6, 2016

Michigan[edit]

Detroit WJBK 2.4 Fox Fox Television Stations November 1, 2015
Flint WJRT 12.5 ABC Gray Television August 30, 2019
Lansing WILX-TV 10.2 NBC Gray Television October 1, 2016 Replaced WeatherNation TV
Marquette WZMQ 19.5 MeTV Lilly Broadcasting
Roscommon WURO-LD 18.1 1 M33 Media LLC March 2017

Minnesota[edit]

Chisholm, Minnesota KRII-TV 11.3 NBC Quincy Media March 2017 Subchannel maintains secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV, pre-empting H&I prime time programming on weeknights[12][13]
Duluth, MN-Superior, WI KBJR-TV 6.3
MinneapolisSt. Paul KSTP-TV 5.7 ABC Hubbard Broadcasting
Rochester KTTC 10.3 NBC Quincy Media March 2015[14] Also carried on translator W50DR-D in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Missouri[edit]

Poplar Bluff KPOB 15.2 ABC Quincy Media January 3, 2018 Full-power satellite of WSIL
St. Louis KNLC 24.3 MeTV Weigel Broadcasting Dec 12, 2017[15]

Nebraska[edit]

Omaha WOWT 6.3 NBC Gray Television January, 2019

Nevada[edit]

Las Vegas KHSV 21.1 - Howard Stirk Holdings

New Jersey[edit]

Secaucus (New York City) WWOR-TV 9.4 MyNetworkTV Fox Television Stations October 3, 2015

New Mexico[edit]

Hobbs (Albuquerque) KUPT 29.1 - Ramar Communications February 2015
Albuquerque KUPT-LD 16.3 Movies!
Santa Fe (Albuquerque) KASA-TV 29.1 Telemundo January 2017

New York[edit]

Albany WNYA 51.4 MyNetworkTV Hubbard Broadcasting June 1, 2019
Buffalo WBBZ-TV 67.2 MeTV Phil Arno March 2017
Rochester WHEC-TV 10.5 NBC Hubbard Broadcasting May 2019
Saranac Lake WYCI 40.1 - Cross Hill Communications 2017

North Carolina[edit]

Charlotte WJZY 46.5 Fox Fox Television Stations October 1, 2015
Fayetteville WIRP-LD 27.4 Estrella TV DTV America 2017
Greenville WTMH-LD 21.3 Heartland Tutt Media Group August 15, 2015 Replaced Tuff TV on DT3.
WTMQ-LD 29.3
Wilmington WTMV-LD 39.3

North Dakota[edit]

Bismarck KNDB 24.1 - BEK Sports Network July 2015
Minot KNDM 26.1 Satellite of KNDB
Fargo KVLY-TV 11.4 NBC Gray Television September 12, 2016
KXJB-LD 30.3/28.3 CBS

Ohio[edit]

Cincinnati WBQC-LD 20.4 Movies! Block Broadcasting June 23, 2015
Cleveland WBNX-TV 55.4 Independent Winston Broadcasting Network December 30, 2015
Columbus WBNS-TV 10.2 CBS Tegna 2017

Oklahoma[edit]

Tulsa KMYT-TV 41.4 MyNetworkTV Cox Media Group

Pennsylvania[edit]

Allentown (Philadelphia) WFMZ-TV 69.3 Independent Maranatha Broadcasting Company
Erie, Pennsylvania WSEE-TV 35.4 CBS Lilly Broadcasting March 4, 2019
Jeannette (Pittsburgh) WPCW 19.2 The CW CBS Television Stations

Puerto Rico[edit]

Añasco W33CY-D 33.1 - TV Red de Puerto Rico, Inc.

South Carolina[edit]

Charleston WGWG 4.1 - Howard Stirk Holdings August 1, 2015 Replaced ZUUS Country
Columbia WOLO-TV 25.5 ABC Bahakel Communications January 1, 2019 Replaced Start TV which moved to 25.2, replacing This TV
Greenville-Spartanburg W31AZ-D 31.5 GEB Network CAROLINA CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING

Tennessee[edit]

Jackson WYJJ-LD 27.5 Antenna TV
MyNetworkTV
DTV America Corporation
Kingsport WAPK-CD 36.4 MeTV Holston Valley Broadcasting Group
Knoxville WBXX-TV 20.3 The CW Gray Television
Nashville WJDE-LD 31.1 - Word Broadcasting

Texas[edit]

Amarillo KEYU 31.2 Telemundo Gray Television 2018
Austin KBVO 14.3 MyNetworkTV Nexstar Media Group October 29, 2018
DallasFort Worth KDFI 27.4 Fox Television Stations November 15, 2015
Houston KPRC-TV 2.3 NBC Graham Media Group December 1, 2015 Replaced LATV, vacant since 2012
Lubbock KLBB-LP 48.2 MeTV Ramar Communications
Odessa KTLE-LD 7.7 Telemundo Gray Television 2017
Snyder KABI-LD 42.1 - Ramar Communications
San Antonio KSAT-TV 12.4 ABC Graham Media Group January 2019

Utah[edit]

Salt Lake City KTVX 4.4 (30.7) ABC Nexstar Media Group November 1, 2018 Replaced a standard definition simulcast of KUCW
Cedar City/St. George KCSG 8.4 (14.6) MeTV Weigel Broadcasting September 29, 2014 Replaced MeTV as primary affiliation.

Virginia[edit]

Roanoke/Lynchburg WDBJ 7.2 CBS Gray Television September 1, 2018

Washington[edit]

Bellingham KVOS 12.1 - Weigel Broadcasting Also serving Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, and much of Canada via Cable and Satellite.
Seattle KFFV 44.3 MeTV
Spokane KXLY 4.3 ABC Morgan Murphy Media

West Virginia[edit]

Weston WDTV 5.3 CBS Gray Television February, 2019

Wisconsin[edit]

Eau Claire WEAU 13.3 NBC Gray Television October 2015 Replaced Antenna TV, which moved to channel 13.2
Green Bay WBAY-TV 2.4 ABC February 1, 2019[16]
Janesville (Madison) WIFS 57.3 Ion Life Byrne Acquisition Group, LLC
Milwaukee WMLW-TV 49.3 Independent Weigel Broadcasting September 29, 2014 (moved from WDJT-DT3 to WMLW-DT3 on January 8, 2018)[4]
Wausau WZAW-LD 33.4 Fox Gray Television

Former affiliates[edit]

Market Station Channel Owner Years of affiliation Status
Bridgeport, Connecticut (New York) WZME 43.1 NRJ TV, LLC 2015-2016 Now a Sonlife Broadcasting Network affiliate
Chicago, Illinois WWME-CA (Analog) 23 (Analog) Weigel Broadcasting March–September 2015 Analog signal was terminated due to FCC mandate on September 1, 2015
Danville
(Roanoke/Lynchburg)
WFFP-TV 24.2 Liberty University 2015–2018 Affiliation moved to WDBJ following WFFP-TV's sale to Gray Television
Poland Springs
(Portland, Maine)
WMTW 8.2 Hearst Television 2015-2018 Now a MeTV affiliate
Racine, Wisconsin (Milwaukee) WMLW-TV 49.3 Weigel Broadcasting 2014–2015[2] This TV moved from WDJT-DT3 in channel map shuffle
Springfield, Illinois
(St. Louis, MO)
WODK-LD 45.2 DTV America Dec 2016 - Jan 2018 Contract terminated upon Weigel's assumption of ownership of KNLC and move to KNLC-DT3; station transmits from St. Louis antenna farm and has no signal radius into the Springfield market proper.
Wausau, Wisconsin WSAW-TV 7.3 Gray Television 2014–2015 Now a simulcast of Fox affiliate WZAW-LD
Albany, New York WNYT 13.3 Hubbard Broadcasting December 29, 2015- June 1, 2019 Now a Start TV affiliate

References[edit]

  1. ^ Buckman, Adam (July 26, 2016). "Diginets Keep Growing, Despite Auction Cloud". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Robert Channick (September 29, 2014). "Weigel Broadcasting launches cop show digital TV network". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  3. ^ "News & Notes: Felicia Middlebrooks; WOJO; WVIX/WVIV; WMVP/WSCR; James VanOsdol; Weigel Broadcasting; WGN-TV; More". Chicagoland Radio & Media. September 30, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Chris Foran (March 4, 2015). "Weigel flips channels for This TV, Heroes & Icons formats". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Journal Media Group. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b Lafayette, Jon (September 18, 2015). "Fox Stations Agree to Carry Heroes & Icons". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  6. ^ Greeley, Paul (July 5, 2016). "Five Original 'Star Trek' Programs Airing Together". TV News Check. NewsCheckMedia. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  7. ^ Marek, Lynee (January 14, 2016). "Weigel backed TV outlet TouchVision shutters". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  8. ^ Feder, Robert (January 15, 2016). "TouchVision ends as noble failure". RobertFeder.com. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Michael Malone (December 2, 2014). "Weigel Launches Cop Show Net Heroes & Icons". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  10. ^ "Heroes & Icons Diginet To Add 'Hercules' And 'Xena'". TVNewsCheck. January 27, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Stations for Network - Heroes & Icons". RabbitEars. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  12. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KBJR
  13. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KRII
  14. ^ "New local broadcast channel coming to KTTC 10.3". KTTC. Quincy Media. February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  15. ^ "NLEC Notice of move to sub channel 24.2". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  16. ^ "WBAY TV-2 adds H&I and Start TV to channel line up". January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.

External links[edit]