Editing WBAL-TV (section)

===Return to NBC===
On June 16, 1994, the [[E. W. Scripps Company]], present owners of WMAR-TV, negotiated with ABC to affiliate with its Baltimore station as part of a multi-station deal also involving [[KNXV-TV]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and [[WFTS-TV]] in [[Tampa]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Zurawik|first=David|title=ABC-TV to Switch from WJZ to WMAR|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/06/17/abc-tv-to-switch-from-wjz-to-wmar/|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=June 17, 1994|access-date=September 4, 2018}}</ref> ABC agreed to the deal as a condition of retaining its affiliations with [[WXYZ-TV]] in [[Detroit]] and [[WEWS-TV]] in [[Cleveland]]; CBS was seeking to affiliate with both of those stations, as it was about to lose current affiliates [[WJBK]] and [[WJW (TV)|WJW]] to [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in a [[Fox affiliate switches of 1994|separate affiliation deal]] with [[New World Communications]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Foisie|first=Geoffrey|title=ABC pre-empts CBS in Cleveland, Detroit.|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-06-20.pdf|work=Broadcasting and Cable|date=June 20, 1994|access-date=March 18, 2013}}</ref> The move left NBC without a Baltimore affiliate and incumbent ABC affiliate [[WJZ-TV]] (channel 13) without a network;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-06-18-1994169062-story.html |title = Three suitors line up to call on jilted WJZ-TV – Baltimore Sun| date=June 18, 1994 }}</ref> one month later, CBS and [[Westinghouse Broadcasting]] (Group W) formed a partnership which renewed the network's affiliations with Westinghouse-owned [[KDKA-TV]] in Pittsburgh and [[KPIX-TV]] in San Francisco and caused WJZ-TV and two other Westinghouse-owned NBC affiliates, [[WBZ-TV]] in [[Boston]] and [[KYW-TV]] in [[Philadelphia]], to switch their affiliations to CBS (Westinghouse would eventually acquire CBS in November 1995).<ref name="tbs-switchdelay">{{cite news|last=Zurawik|first=David|title=Delaying Switches Until January Annoys WMAR, WBAL|url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-08-05/features/1994217014_1_wjz-cbs-switch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309025413/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-08-05/features/1994217014_1_wjz-cbs-switch|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 9, 2012|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=August 5, 1994|access-date=September 4, 2018}}</ref>

Having lost the CBS affiliation to WJZ-TV, WBAL-TV had the choice of affiliating with either NBC or [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-07-15-1994196137-story.html |title = WJZ to join CBS in 3-station deal – Baltimore Sun| date=July 15, 1994 }}</ref> On July 27, 1994, NBC announced that it would move to WBAL-TV, with station management citing NBC's sports programming as a factor; Fox would remain on its existing affiliate, [[WBFF]] (channel 45).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-07-28-1994209115-story.html |title = WBAL will switch to NBC by year's end – Baltimore Sun| date=July 28, 1994 }}</ref> Channel 11 rejoined NBC on January 2, 1995;<ref>{{cite news|last=Zurawik|first=David|title=Get ready, get set, get confused, in TV's big switch in Baltimore Changing Channels|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1995/01/01/get-ready-get-set-get-confused-in-tvs-big-switch-in-baltimore-changing-channels/|access-date=June 29, 2012|newspaper=Baltimore Sun|date=January 1, 1995}}</ref> it had sought to make the switch on August 29, 1994, in time for the new television season, but Group W and CBS agreed to not make the switch until January.<ref name="tbs-switchdelay"/> In the interim, any CBS shows WBAL turned down would air on WJZ-TV instead, while WBAL aired NBC programs preempted by WMAR-TV.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-12-26-1994360002-story.html |title=Local affiliates broadcast anxiety as switch looms – Baltimore Sun|date=December 26, 1994 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Zurawik|first=David|title=Bumped CBS shows to be aired on WJZ two months late|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-xpm-1994-10-28-1994301153-story.html|newspaper=Baltimore Sun|date=October 28, 1994}}</ref> The final CBS program to air on channel 11 before it rejoined NBC was the [[made-for-TV movie]] ''A Father for Charlie'' at 9&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time; this was directly followed by an hour-long program explaining the switch, which preempted an airing of the ''[[Chicago Hope]]'' episode "Heartbreak" (which could still be viewed in much of the market via WUSA).<ref>{{cite news |title=Sunday Prime Time |work=[[Baltimore Sun]] Statewide TV |page=8 |date=January 1, 1995 }}</ref>