WCIU-TV

WCIU-TV

Chicago, Illinois United States
Channels	Digital: 23 (UHF) Virtual: 26
Branding	The U (general) The U Too (on DT2) MeTV Chicago (on DT3)
Programming
Affiliations	26.1: Independent 26.2: The U Too for others, see § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner	Weigel Broadcasting (WCIU-TV Limited Partnership)
Sister stations	WWME-CD, WMEU-CD, WRME-LD
History
First air date	February 6, 1964 (60 years ago) (1964-02-06)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 26 (UHF, 1964–2009) Digital: 27 (UHF, 2002–2019)
Former affiliations	Independent (1964–1968 and 1995–2019) SIN/Univision (1968–1985 and 1989–1994) NetSpan/Telemundo (1985–1989) Kids' WB (secondary, 1995–2004) The CW (2019–2024)
Call sign meaning	Chicago Independent UHF
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	71428
ERP	1,000 kW
HAAT	473 m (1,552 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	41°52′44.1″N 87°38′10.2″W / 41.878917°N 87.636167°W / 41.878917; -87.636167
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	www.wciu.com

WCIU-TV (channel 26) is an independent television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is the flagship television property of locally based Weigel Broadcasting, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to two low-power stations: independent outlet WMEU-CD (channel 48) and MeTV/Heroes & Icons flagship WWME-CD (channel 23). The stations share studios on Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood; WCIU-TV's transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower in the Chicago Loop.

WCIU-TV was previously an affiliate of The CW; it was the largest CW affiliate by market size that was not owned or operated by Nexstar Media Group, which owns 75% of the network. This changed on September 1, 2024, when The CW moved back to Nexstar-owned WGN-TV. Gray Television–owned WPCH-TV in Atlanta now holds the title.^[2]