WSLN

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WSLN

Freeport–Rockford, Illinois United States
City	Freeport, Illinois
Channels	Digital: 9 (VHF) Virtual: 19
Branding	Stateline CW
Programming
Affiliations	19.1: The CW Plus for others, see § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner	Gray Media (Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
Sister stations	WIFR-LD
History
Founded	July 25, 2022 (2022-07-25)
First air date	September 25, 2023 (2 years ago) (2023-09-25)
Call sign meaning	"Stateline"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	776220
ERP	30 kW
HAAT	218.2 m (716 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	42°17′48.3″N 89°10′15″W / 42.296750°N 89.17083°W / 42.296750; -89.17083
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS

WSLN (channel 19) is a television station licensed to Freeport, Illinois, United States, serving the Rockford area as an affiliate of The CW (via The CW Plus). It is owned by Gray Media alongside low-power CBS affiliate WIFR-LD (channel 23). The two stations share studios and transmitter facilities on North Meridian Road in Rockford.

The CW affiliation in Rockford originated on WREX-DT2 in 2006 before moving to WIFR in 2021. WSLN signed on in 2023, taking over the CW Plus service as a full-power station.

The CW affiliation in the Rockford market originally launched in 2006 as Stateline CW on WREX's second digital subchannel (DT2). WREX branded the service as Stateline CW 14, which was carried on channel 14 on most Rockford-area cable systems and on WREX digital subchannel 13.2. The station inserted local news/weather updates and syndicated programming around the CW Plus network feed. News and weather updates also aired throughout the day on Stateline CW 14.

In 2021, Gray Television announced it would acquire Quincy Media, which owned WREX and its CW Plus subchannel.^[2] To comply with FCC ownership rules, Gray divested WREX's NBC license to Allen Media Group later that year,^[3] but retained the CW Plus affiliation for the Rockford market. As a result, the CW service was moved to a subchannel of WIFR (23.5). Under the terms of the divestiture, Allen Media and Gray also reached a 10-year agreement allowing WREX to carry WIFR's signal on one of its own subchannels, ensuring full-market coverage for WIFR despite its low-power status.

On September 25, 2023, WIFR aired an announcement in their newscasts urging viewers to rescan their televisions to add WSLN (channel 19). In the announcement, WIFR and Gray Television stated that "23 WIFR and Gray Media are bringing a new channel to the Stateline area... channel 19 WSLN... which will be the new home of the Stateline CW, Circle Network, and Antenna TV". The message also explained that the three networks would move from WIFR's lineup to WSLN "to help increase viewership and give the channels more cable and satellite access". The station emphasized that WIFR's CBS and local news programming would remain unchanged on channel 23.^[4]

The station's signal is multiplexed:

When WSLN signed on September 25, 2023, it launched with three subchannels: The CW Plus on 19.1, Circle on 19.2, and Antenna TV on 19.3.^[4]

After Circle ended its over-the-air service at the end of 2023, WSLN replaced the 19.2 subchannel with 365BLK in early 2024.

On October 1, 2024, WSLN added the Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) on 19.3, with an overflow channel branded CHSN Plus on 19.4. To make room for CHSN, Antenna TV was relocated from WSLN to WIFR 23.2.^[6]

CHSN ceased its over-the-air distribution on June 9, 2025, a decision made by the network and not under Gray Media's control.^[7] Following this closure, WSLN's lineup reverted to its current configuration: The CW Plus on 19.1, 365BLK on 19.2, and a 24/7 weather channel on 19.3.