The History of KWGN-TV | About the Station | CW2 Colorado

The History of KWGN-TV

CW2 Colorado serves Denver and the Rocky Mountain region with a distinguished legacy including many landmark moments in broadcasting history.

As Denver's first television station, CW2 signed on the air on July 18, 1952 with the call letters KFEL. Owned by Gene O'Fallon, Channel 2 was quickly known for local programming, but the same year as its launch, it also became affiliated with the new DuMont network. In 1956, the DuMont network folded and Channel 2 became an independent station. Among its many firsts, Channel 2 was the first station in Denver to broadcast a live newscast, the first to broadcast from a remote location, and the first to broadcast in color. It was also the first on the forefront of local programming; longtime residents will fondly remember "Blinky's Fun Club" featuring "Blinky the Clown."

Evolution of a Logo

1996-2003. Designers says it was inspired by the ESPN2 logo in use at the time.

2003-2005

2005-2006

2006-Present. Reflects change to The CW Network.

In 1955, the station was sold to Gotham Broadcasting and the call letters were changed to KTVR. In the early 1960's, the call letters were again changed, this time to KCTO. Tribune Broadcasting bought the station in 1966, changing the call letters one final time to the current KWGN (after its sister station, WGN in Chicago, Illinois).

In the 1970's, KWGN became a regional superstation and is available on many cable stations in the western United States including Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas. It is also available via satellite and picked up around the world, including in Jamaica, Costa Rica, and on cruise ships.

In 1993, KWGN marked another broadcasting first, as the television home of the new MLB expansion team, the Colorado Rockies.

In 1995, KWGN became an affiliate of the new WB network. In 2006, the WB merged with the competing UPN network and the current CW network was created, combining the best programming of both networks.

In May 2006, KWGN launched an additional broadcast channel called THE TUBE using digital multicasting. THE TUBE is a 24-hour music network and can be seen on KWGN's digital channel 2.2. Located in the Denver Technological Center, CW2 broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 2 and its digital signal on UHF channel 34.

As noted earlier, KWGN has been a pioneer in local news coverage. As the first television station Denver to broadcast local news and from both studio and live remote locations, Channel 2's long-standing 9:00 PM newscast has served the community for decades. Now called News2 at Nine, it can be seen nightly from 9:00 – 10:00 PM.

In January 2000, KWGN expanded beyond its legacy 9:00 PM newscast by launching a three-hour morning newscast, called "WB2day." Later renamed "WB2 Morning News" and ultimately News2 This Morning, it has since expanded by an hour and now runs each weekday morning from 5:00 AM – 9:00 AM.

In September 2006, KWGN continued to demonstrate its commitment to serving the community with another expansion of its news product. News2 at Eleven debuted on September 11, 2006, and at the time, provided CW2 with yet another first, the most local news produced each weekday (5 ½ hours) of any Denver television station.

CW2's charitable campaign, CW2 Gives, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, has granted back more than $40 million to the community since its inception in 1992. Click here for more information about CW2 Gives.