return to the air eventually as WIWN while ABC's WLS-TV took its former digital channel slot to provide UHF digital television service to Chicago. All other full-service Pappas television stations had been simulcasting in both analog and digital formats long before the company entered chapter 11 bankruptcy and therefore had sufficient equipment on hand to continue to broadcast their signals digitally in 2009. On January 16, 2009, it was announced that several Pappas stations, including the license for KCWK, would be sold to New World TV Group, after the sale received United States bankruptcy court approval. In the interim, Fisher Communications announced that their CBS affiliates KIMA-TV/KEPR-TV would each launch CW subchannels on March 31, 2009 to fill KCWK's void. Central Washington Charter Communications viewers received KTLA from Los Angeles as a temporary replacement after KCWK went silent; Dish Network viewers also received KTLA. The KCWK license was canceled by the FCC on June 2, 2009, and the KCWK-LP license was later deleted. As a result, the new CW Plus digital subchannels of KIMA-TV and KEPR-TV became long-term. Despite having ceased broadcasting on May 25, 2008, KCWK's website remained operational for two years afterwards. Digital television The station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station, because it was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997. Instead, KCWK would have been required to turn off its analog signal and turn on its digital signal (called a "flash-cut") on or before the 2009 end of the digital TV conversion period for full-service stations. As KCWK did not acquire its digital transmitter and antenna, it was unable to complete the mandatory digital transition and never resumed broadcasting. Low-powered satellite KCWK-LP had voluntarily filed for a digital "-LD" license on channel 36. That application has since been deleted from the FCC database. Translators KCWK-LP 27 Yakima References Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 Defunct television stations in the United States CWK Television channels and stations established in 2001 2001 establishments in Washington (state) Television channels and stations disestablished in 2008 2008 disestablishments in Washington (state) Walla Walla, Washington CWK