WISN-TV
Encyclopedia
WISN-TV, virtual channel
12.1 (digital channel
34), is a television
station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
serving as an affiliate of the ABC
television network. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin
and parts of northeastern Illinois
, including Racine
, Kenosha
, Sheboygan
and Waukesha
. The station's studio is located at North 19th and West Wells Streets, at the west end of the Marquette University
campus, with the station's transmitter located within Lincoln Park
in the northeastern part of Milwaukee
, next to the Weigel Broadcasting
tower which is used by CBS
affiliate WDJT-TV
(Channel 58) and its sister operations.
WISN is one of three flagship stations of Hearst Television and the second-oldest television station to remain with the company in all of its various iterations.
, which transferred the call letters from its radio station
, WISN (AM). The former WTVW calls are now used on the former Fox affiliate on channel 7
in Evansville, Indiana
. The station was originally affiliated with both ABC
and DuMont
. When DuMont ceased operations in 1956, WISN-TV was left with just ABC.
WTVW's transmitter building was built under a tent, as rains threatened to delay construction. After the building was finished, a second tent was erected, and used for live automobile commercials, until it collapsed one day in early 1955.
In 1958, WISN-TV became the flagship of the short-lived local Badger Television Network
, a three-station television network
in Wisconsin. The other two stations were WFRV-TV
(Green Bay channel 5), and WKOW-TV
(Madison channel 27). Programs broadcast by the network included Homemaker's Holiday, a quiz show
hosted by Charlie Hanson; Good Housekeeping, hosted by Trudy Beilfuss using the name of the Hearst magazine of the same name
; and Pretzel Party, a variety program originally hosted by Larry Clark. All three programs originated from WISN-TV's studios. During March 1958, the network also aired Senate Investigating Committee hearings during late-night hours. The Badger Network was launched in January 1958 and ceased operations on August 8 of that year.
In 1961, WISN would undergo an affiliation switch; CBS
, then carried by WITI (channel 6, now a Fox
affiliate), desired to affiliate with WISN, since the station's radio stations were already affiliated with the network. As a result, WISN and WITI swapped affiliations on April 2, 1961. During that tenure, WISN cleared most of the CBS shows, even though by the early 1970s it would drop "Search for Tomorrow
" so it could expand its talk show "Dialing for Dollars
" in the daytime and pre-empt or delay several prime-time programs for Marquette University
and Milwaukee Bucks
basketball games.
Hearst kept WISN-TV and WISN (AM) in 1962 after it sold the Milwaukee Sentinel to Journal Communications that year (owners of the Milwaukee Journal
), due to Journal already owning WTMJ-TV
(channel 4) and WTMJ (AM)
(620).
The switch was reversed in 1977. WITI's owner at the time, Storer Broadcasting
, had a bitter relationship with ABC, stemming from the network's departure from Storer's San Diego
UHF station, KCST
(channel 39), a station the network was forced de facto
to affiliate with after KCST fought successfully to have ABC affiliation stripped from Tijuana, Mexico-based XETV
(channel 6). At the same time, Storer had a strong relationship with CBS in other markets where it owned stations. Hence, it dropped ABC from WITI to take the CBS affiliation from WISN. Without hesitation, WISN aligned with ABC again, by then the top network in the country, and the home network of Milwaukee-set sitcoms Happy Days
and Laverne & Shirley
, which were the top two A.C. Nielsen-rated programs at the time of the exchange (ironically, the rights to the Happy Days franchise are now owned by CBS
). WISN even used Happy Days character Arthur Fonzerelli to herald its return to ABC with the slogan "Happy Days are Here Again" in ad and print campaigns leading up to the switch, which occurred on Sunday, March 27, 1977 at 6 p.m. CT
after the conclusion of the United Cerebral Palsy
Telethon. To this day, WISN is one of ABC's most successful affiliates, and bills itself thus in promotions.
WISN was the first commercial station in the market to produce an HDTV broadcast, airing the Summerfest
"Big Bang" fireworks
show in the format on June 29, 2006. Milwaukee Public Television
assisted WISN in the production of the broadcast, and have continued to do so each year since, with additional help from sister stations KCRA and WCVB in later years.
Former sister radio stations WISN (1130) and WRNW (formerly WLTQ/WQBW, 97.3) are now owned by Clear Channel
, and all ties between the stations and Channel 12 were severed as of July 27, 2009, when a weather/news carriage agreement began with WITI (Channel 6) at the end of a longtime agreement with WISN to provide forecasts to Clear Channel's six local stations. After the expiration of that deal, WISN-TV now provides news, weather and sports content to the five-station Milwaukee cluster (WKLH
, WHQG
, WJMR
, WJYI
, and WZBK) of Saga Communications
. This has an effect of having WISN-TV's news staff disclaim on-air and through their social networking channels that their station has no connections with WISN radio's conservative talk
format and only holds the same calls, a point of contention and confusion during events such as live shots at the Wisconsin State Capitol
for the 2011 state budget debate
.
As part of the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, WISN-TV shut down its analog schedule at 8:30 a.m. on June 12, 2009 coming out of a Good Morning America
local news brief with a station history narrated by Jerry Taff, followed by a still of digital transition information staying on the air until 12 noon with the wind-down of its analog transmitter, and continued to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 34, and immediately took the WISN-TV calls from the former analog channel. However, through the use of PSIP
, digital television receivers display WISN's virtual channel
as 12. The signal space for channel 12 was subsequently re-used by CBS
for owned-and-operated
WBBM-TV
in Chicago
for its digital signal.
On May 17, 2010, WISN-TV filed an application to upgrade its digital transmitter to a power level of 1 million watts, mainly to place the station's digital antenna at the taller height of the dormant analog antenna, which would be replaced by a new digital unit. The analog antenna was removed in September 2010, and the digital antenna was activated from the new placement in early October 2010.
In line with many of Hearst's ABC affiliates switching over to transmitting in 1080i
rather than ABC's default 720p
format, WISN-TV switched to airing their signal in 1080i in mid-June 2011.
airings of the Power Rangers
series which had been done since September 2006 due to lack of E/I
content, as have all Hearst ABC stations; the station unusually aired Kim Possible
and Power Rangers SPD early Monday mornings before World News Now
in the 2005-2006 season for the same reason. Since July 31, 2010 due to the extension of its weekend morning newscasts, WISN split up the Litton Weekend Adventure lineup over the course of two days, with the regular Saturday block airing from 9-11 a.m. and an additional hour on Sundays from 11 a.m.-noon.
The station airs most of the highest-rated programs in syndication
and because of this usually has had very light schedule turnover each fall for the last few years, with Live with Kelly after Good Morning America
, The Nate Berkus Show
before the ABC Daytime
lineup, and Ellen
and Dr. Oz
paired up in mid-afternoons together. Entertainment Tonight
airs before primetime. Nightline
and Jimmy Kimmel Live
are delayed a half-hour to facilitate WISN's hour-long newscast, then late night encores of ET and Dr. Oz before World News Now
. Channel 12's local and select ABC programming is also available on Time Warner Cable
's "Start Over
" service, allowing viewing of a program after it has already started.
The station was the home in Milwaukee of Oprah
since a 1994 deal bringing it to most Hearst stations until the program's May 2011 end, and Dr. Phil
from its September 2002 premiere until September 2011; that program is now seen on WDJT
(Channel 58).
Channel 12 also airs Green Bay Packers
Monday Night Football
games originating on ESPN
simulcast
ing the 720p
ESPNHD feed. The same arrangement was in place for the 2007 NFL Network
game against the Dallas Cowboys
at Texas Stadium
the Thursday after Thanksgiving, and the station also airs the Donald Driver
-hosted Inside the Huddle from Fox affiliate WLUK-TV
(channel 11) in Green Bay
. ESPN is 20% owned by Hearst, owners of Channel 12. Dancing with the Stars
are thus carried after the late newscast with a voting window opened up for the Milwaukee market in these situations.
The station also has a branding alliance with ESPN Radio
affiliate WAUK
(540), which carries a daily program hosted by sports director
Dan Needles, including a co-marketed spotlight high school sports "game of the week" (in men's basketball or football, depending on season) under Hearst's "Operation Football" high school sports branding, which airs live Friday evenings on WAUK. As part of this, a Saturday evening program called The Big 12 Sports Show with 540 ESPN hosted by Needles and radio partner Drew Olson
airs before ABC primetime on that evening, which analyzes the next day's Packer game and acts as a post-game or pre-game for that day's Badger football game, along with coverage of other sports.
On September 8, 2008, Channel 12 became the first Milwaukee station to air non-network syndicated HD programming daily, and now carries all of their weekday syndicated programming in the format. Later in the year, the station became the first in the market with HD tape-delay and character generator
capabilities.
WISN makes the claim based on Nielsen Media Research
numbers that it is among the top-rated ABC affiliates in the nation (an honor that was shared with fellow ABC station WPTA-TV (channel 21) in Fort Wayne, IN), which is based on market size and household ratings percentages. In fact, the three highest-rated ABC affiliates in the nation are all Hearst stations (WISN, plus KOCO
(channel 5) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
and KMBC
(channel 9) in Kansas City, Missouri
). "One of America's Leading ABC Stations" had been the station's slogan until September 24, 2007, when in conjunction with ABC's new image campaign, Channel 12 launched the new "Start here" slogan, which signified both Channel 12's broadcast channel and the station's website, which was relaunched in August 2007 to move away from Hearst Argyle's "LocalChannel" strategy to focus on WISN's local content and emphasize the station's call letters in the web address. The top-rated station claim returned in late 2009 to being voiced out until the station's switch to widescreen in late 2010.
time zones, WISN does not carry a newscast in the weekday midday timeslot, though it offers a lunchtime news capsule segment on their website. WISN has added more newscasts to its schedule since 2007, and is unusual in programming hour-long newscasts Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 10 p.m. On July 30, 2010, WISN, like most of its Hearst-owned ABC affiliate sister stations did on that date, added a one-hour extension of its weekend morning newscast from 8-9 a.m., which competes directly against the weekend morning newscast on NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV
(channel 4). On September 6, 2010 WISN expanded its weekday morning newscast to 2½ hours, now airing from 4:30-7 a.m.
Longtime anchor Jerry Taff retired in May 2005, and WISN's newscasts began to climb in the ratings. Its success stems from hiring popular local anchors and reporters released from other stations, a stronger ABC schedule, and a period of change at rival WTMJ due to weaker NBC ratings and newsroom changes. The station's biggest acquisition from WTMJ was the dean of Milwaukee television journalism, Mike Gousha in late 2007, a year after he retired as the anchor of WTMJ's main newscasts in order to focus on a new position as a distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette University
. Gousha currently analyzes political events for the station with other political experts, and hosts UpFront with Mike Gousha, a Sunday morning program which is a mix of the interview segments familiar to viewers of his former WTMJ program Sunday Night, and local political analysis. The show has been syndicated to other stations statewide by Hearst, and in August 2010 all of the stations involved (along with MPTV, which provided technical assistance with HD production) broadcast a Gousha-moderated forum for the Republican candidates for Wisconsin governor called the " UpFront Town Hall Challenge" from Marquette's new law building, which was purposefully structured to avoid classification as a traditional debate where either candidate could use the format to "sell" themselves. The format was repeated in October 2010 between the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor and US Senate.
While WISN was still broadcasting its newscasts in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition, the station deliberately implemented 16:9
graphical elements such as weather banners, news ticker
s and logo bugs slowly as it learned from the launches of WTMJ and WITI's operations in the format, with the only HD segments until late June 2011 airing during newscasts on the day of the Summerfest
"Big Bang" fireworks show in late June, usually scenic and human interest pieces, along with MPTV co-productions.
On April 21, 2009, the station transitioned to the Hearst HD graphics package and a permanent pillarbox with the station logo in the left pillar and calls in the right for standard definition programming. In March 2010 the station unveiled 16:9-optimized weather graphics to allow the station to continue to show programming in HD rather than force a downscale to a modified 4:3 mode where the program was displayed in 3:3 (to much viewer complaint over the years, especially with ABC primetime programming), with the weather warnings taking up the remainder of the screen. On October 10, 2010, WISN-TV converted its newscast presentation to 16:9 widescreen, though remaining in standard definition for all aspects at the time, and also removing the decorative pillarboxes. Then on June 28, 2011, WISN-TV became the third station in Milwaukee (behind WTMJ-TV and WITI-TV) to air its newscasts in high definition. While the station's studio shots are in HD, its live field reports and video footage are still in 16:9 widescreen standard definition.
On January 24, 2011, WISN-TV expanded its 10 p.m. newscast to one hour in length, becoming the third Hearst-owned station with an hour-long late local newscast (Albuquerque sister station KOAT and Honolulu sister station KITV
also carry hour-long newscasts after ABC primetime). A consequence of this was WISN choosing to moving longtime 10:30 p.m. slotholder Access Hollywood
to 12:30 a.m., and program producer NBCUniversal Television Distribution asking for an early release from their contract so that the show could move to 6:30 p.m. on WTMJ as of April 11, 2011.
WISN also hosts its video stories on YouTube
as part of a content agreement between Hearst-Argyle and YouTube, and in April 2010 unveiled an iPhone
application in the iTunes App Store., followed by an Android Market
app in 2011.
for May 2010, WISN-TV was the #1 market station from sign-on to sign-off for the fifth consecutive year with a 3.7 rating for the month – the only station to show an increase in viewership for the broadcast day. In local news, WISN won first place in weekday and weekend morning news, and its 10 p.m. newscast showed a viewership increase and remained the #1 late newscast in the Milwaukee area. The early evening newscasts ranked #1, with a 7.1 share for the 5 p.m. newscast, and a 6.8 share for the 6 p.m. newscast; the station also ranked #1 in primetime for the May sweeps period, averaging a 7.0 rating.
For July 2010, WISN was #1 among the area's early evening newscasts with the 5 p.m. showing a 10% increase in viewers over the same time in 2009 to lead with a 6.8 rating; the station's 6 p.m. newscast ratings increased 26% with a 7.6 rating share. The station was also #1 among weekday and weekend morning news. The 10 p.m. newscast also grew 25% to an 8.1 share despite transmitter problems due to flooding on July 22, though the station earned a 7.2 share to win the 10 p.m. slot that night despite only 40% of homes in the market receiving WISN's signal that evening.
Weather Watch 12
Sports team
Reporters
Hearst Television Washington Bureau
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
12.1 (digital channel
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
34), is a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
serving as an affiliate of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and parts of northeastern Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, including Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, Kenosha
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
, Sheboygan
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
and Waukesha
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 70,718 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in the county and 7th largest in the state. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha...
. The station's studio is located at North 19th and West Wells Streets, at the west end of the Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
campus, with the station's transmitter located within Lincoln Park
Parks of Milwaukee
-List of parks in Milwaukee County park system:The Milwaukee County Park system was awarded the 2009 National Gold Medal Award "for excellence in the field of park and recreation management" by the National Recreation and Park Association.-Other parks:...
in the northeastern part of Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, next to the Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.- History :The company was founded by Chicago...
tower which is used by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV, channel 58, is the CBS-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting on UHF digital channel 46, that displays WDJT's virtual channel as its former analog channel assignment of 58 via PSIP...
(Channel 58) and its sister operations.
WISN is one of three flagship stations of Hearst Television and the second-oldest television station to remain with the company in all of its various iterations.
History
WISN first signed on the air on October 27, 1954 with the call letters WTVW and branded itself as Wisconsin's TeleVision Window. By 1955 it had changed to WISN, after being bought by the Hearst CorporationHearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
, which transferred the call letters from its radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, WISN (AM). The former WTVW calls are now used on the former Fox affiliate on channel 7
WTVW
Banam sold WTVW to Petracom Broadcasting in 1995. A 20-percent equity stake in Petracom was purchased by Fox soon afterward, eventually leading to a three-way affiliation swap in which WTVW ended its 39-year ABC affiliation and joined Fox on December 3, 1995, with ABC moving to former CBS...
in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
. The station was originally affiliated with both ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
. When DuMont ceased operations in 1956, WISN-TV was left with just ABC.
WTVW's transmitter building was built under a tent, as rains threatened to delay construction. After the building was finished, a second tent was erected, and used for live automobile commercials, until it collapsed one day in early 1955.
In 1958, WISN-TV became the flagship of the short-lived local Badger Television Network
Badger Television Network
The Badger Television Network was a three-station television network in Wisconsin during 1958. The three stations were WISN-TV , WFRV-TV , and WKOW-TV ....
, a three-station television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
in Wisconsin. The other two stations were WFRV-TV
WFRV-TV
WFRV-TV is a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and serving Green Bay, the Fox Valley, and Northeastern Wisconsin. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter north of the Brown County town of Morrison...
(Green Bay channel 5), and WKOW-TV
WKOW-TV
WKOW is the ABC-affiliated television station for Madison, Wisconsin. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter in the city's Middleton Junction section; the station is also available on Charter Cable systems in the Madison market...
(Madison channel 27). Programs broadcast by the network included Homemaker's Holiday, a quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
hosted by Charlie Hanson; Good Housekeeping, hosted by Trudy Beilfuss using the name of the Hearst magazine of the same name
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
; and Pretzel Party, a variety program originally hosted by Larry Clark. All three programs originated from WISN-TV's studios. During March 1958, the network also aired Senate Investigating Committee hearings during late-night hours. The Badger Network was launched in January 1958 and ceased operations on August 8 of that year.
In 1961, WISN would undergo an affiliation switch; CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, then carried by WITI (channel 6, now a Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate), desired to affiliate with WISN, since the station's radio stations were already affiliated with the network. As a result, WISN and WITI swapped affiliations on April 2, 1961. During that tenure, WISN cleared most of the CBS shows, even though by the early 1970s it would drop "Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
" so it could expand its talk show "Dialing for Dollars
Dialing for Dollars
Dialing for Dollars was a franchised format local television program in the United States and Canada, popular in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.-Format:...
" in the daytime and pre-empt or delay several prime-time programs for Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
and Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
basketball games.
Hearst kept WISN-TV and WISN (AM) in 1962 after it sold the Milwaukee Sentinel to Journal Communications that year (owners of the Milwaukee Journal
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
), due to Journal already owning WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV, digital channel 28 ; branded as "Today's TMJ4", is the NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha,...
(channel 4) and WTMJ (AM)
WTMJ (AM)
WTMJ is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting at 620 AM. It is a 50,000-watt station airing a format of news, talk and sports. WTMJ is owned by Journal Broadcast Group, which also owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and sister station WLWK-FM....
(620).
The switch was reversed in 1977. WITI's owner at the time, Storer Broadcasting
Storer Broadcasting
Storer Broadcasting, Inc. was an American company which owned several television and radio stations in the northeast United States. It was incorporated in Ohio in 1927, and sold its broadcasting properties in 1983.-1920s—1940s:...
, had a bitter relationship with ABC, stemming from the network's departure from Storer's San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
UHF station, KCST
KNSD
KNSD is the NBC television station based in San Diego, California. It is owned by a joint venture of NBCUniversal and LIN TV . However, because NBCUniversal has majority control, KNSD is run as an NBC owned and operated station...
(channel 39), a station the network was forced de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
to affiliate with after KCST fought successfully to have ABC affiliation stripped from Tijuana, Mexico-based XETV
XETV
XETV is a television station licensed to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, serving as the CW Television Network affiliate for the San Diego, California area across the international border in the United States...
(channel 6). At the same time, Storer had a strong relationship with CBS in other markets where it owned stations. Hence, it dropped ABC from WITI to take the CBS affiliation from WISN. Without hesitation, WISN aligned with ABC again, by then the top network in the country, and the home network of Milwaukee-set sitcoms Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
and Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976, to May 10, 1983...
, which were the top two A.C. Nielsen-rated programs at the time of the exchange (ironically, the rights to the Happy Days franchise are now owned by CBS
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
). WISN even used Happy Days character Arthur Fonzerelli to herald its return to ABC with the slogan "Happy Days are Here Again" in ad and print campaigns leading up to the switch, which occurred on Sunday, March 27, 1977 at 6 p.m. CT
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
after the conclusion of the United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy is an international nonprofit charitable organization consisting of a network of affiliates. UCP is a leading service provider and advocate for adults and children with disabilities, including cerebral palsy...
Telethon. To this day, WISN is one of ABC's most successful affiliates, and bills itself thus in promotions.
WISN was the first commercial station in the market to produce an HDTV broadcast, airing the Summerfest
Summerfest
Summerfest is a yearly music festival held at the Henry Maier Festival Park along the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The festival lasts for 11 days, is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands, and since the mid-1970s has run from late June through early July, usually...
"Big Bang" fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
show in the format on June 29, 2006. Milwaukee Public Television
Milwaukee Public Television
For information on Channels 10 and 36 individually, see WMVS and WMVTMilwaukee Public Television is the branding name for the alliance between two Milwaukee based Public Broadcasting Service public television affiliates: WMVS, Channel 10, and WMVT, Channel 36...
assisted WISN in the production of the broadcast, and have continued to do so each year since, with additional help from sister stations KCRA and WCVB in later years.
Former sister radio stations WISN (1130) and WRNW (formerly WLTQ/WQBW, 97.3) are now owned by Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, and all ties between the stations and Channel 12 were severed as of July 27, 2009, when a weather/news carriage agreement began with WITI (Channel 6) at the end of a longtime agreement with WISN to provide forecasts to Clear Channel's six local stations. After the expiration of that deal, WISN-TV now provides news, weather and sports content to the five-station Milwaukee cluster (WKLH
WKLH
WKLH is a classic rock-formatted radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The station is owned by Saga Communications.-History:The station received its Federal Communications Commission license on November 30, 1955...
, WHQG
WHQG
WHQG Radio is a mainstream rock FM radio station licensed to and serving the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. The station is owned by Saga Communications...
, WJMR
WJMR-FM
WJMR-FM is an urban adult contemporary radio station serving the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. They are known on-air as "Jammin' 98.3", and are licensed to Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.-98.3 FM History:...
, WJYI
WJYI
WJYI is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It runs a Christian format with Contemporary Christian Music from Salem Radio Network's Today's Christian Music network. It also features brokered teaching and preaching programs from both local Churches and national ministries. It also airs...
, and WZBK) of Saga Communications
Saga Communications
Saga Communications is a broadcasting company that owns and operates stations in 26 markets in the United States. The company, which is based in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, primarily operates radio stations , but it also operates 9 television stations Saga Communications is a broadcasting...
. This has an effect of having WISN-TV's news staff disclaim on-air and through their social networking channels that their station has no connections with WISN radio's conservative talk
Conservative talk
Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and Canada devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio...
format and only holds the same calls, a point of contention and confusion during events such as live shots at the Wisconsin State Capitol
Wisconsin State Capitol
The Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed during 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wisconsin capitol since the first territorial legislature...
for the 2011 state budget debate
2011 Wisconsin protests
The 2011 Wisconsin protests were a series of demonstrations in the state of Wisconsin in the United States beginning in February involving at its zenith as many as 100,000 protestors opposing the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill. Subsequently, anti-tax activists and other conservatives, including tea...
.
Digital television
| Channel | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.1 | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
WISN-TV | Main WISN-TV programming / ABC |
As part of the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, WISN-TV shut down its analog schedule at 8:30 a.m. on June 12, 2009 coming out of a Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
local news brief with a station history narrated by Jerry Taff, followed by a still of digital transition information staying on the air until 12 noon with the wind-down of its analog transmitter, and continued to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 34, and immediately took the WISN-TV calls from the former analog channel. However, through the use of PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
, digital television receivers display WISN's virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 12. The signal space for channel 12 was subsequently re-used by CBS
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
for owned-and-operated
Owned-and-operated television stations in the United States
In the United States, owned-and-operated television stations constitute only a portion of their parent television networks, due to an ownership limit imposed by the Federal Communications Commission...
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for its digital signal.
On May 17, 2010, WISN-TV filed an application to upgrade its digital transmitter to a power level of 1 million watts, mainly to place the station's digital antenna at the taller height of the dormant analog antenna, which would be replaced by a new digital unit. The analog antenna was removed in September 2010, and the digital antenna was activated from the new placement in early October 2010.
In line with many of Hearst's ABC affiliates switching over to transmitting in 1080i
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
rather than ABC's default 720p
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
format, WISN-TV switched to airing their signal in 1080i in mid-June 2011.
Programming
Channel 12 clears all of the ABC schedule, and until it was dropped by ABC on August 28, 2010, it preempted ABC KidsABC Kids (United States)
ABC Kids was a children's block of animated television series and live-action children's television series. broadcast on the ABC network on Saturday–Sunday mornings in the U.S. and was broadcast on BBS/CTV in Canada until 2002...
airings of the Power Rangers
Power Rangers
Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
series which had been done since September 2006 due to lack of E/I
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
content, as have all Hearst ABC stations; the station unusually aired Kim Possible
Kim Possible
Kim Possible is an American animated television series about a teenage crime fighter who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues every day. The show is action-oriented, but also has a light-hearted atmosphere and often lampoons the conventions and clichés of the...
and Power Rangers SPD early Monday mornings before World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
in the 2005-2006 season for the same reason. Since July 31, 2010 due to the extension of its weekend morning newscasts, WISN split up the Litton Weekend Adventure lineup over the course of two days, with the regular Saturday block airing from 9-11 a.m. and an additional hour on Sundays from 11 a.m.-noon.
The station airs most of the highest-rated programs in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
and because of this usually has had very light schedule turnover each fall for the last few years, with Live with Kelly after Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, The Nate Berkus Show
The Nate Berkus Show
The Nate Berkus Show, commonly referred to as The Nate Show, is a syndicated talk show hosted by interior designer Nate Berkus, which premiered on September 13, 2010....
before the ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
lineup, and Ellen
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
and Dr. Oz
The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show is an American syndicated television talk show, hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and teaching professor at Columbia University who became famous for his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show from 2004 until 2009....
paired up in mid-afternoons together. Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
airs before primetime. Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
and Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
are delayed a half-hour to facilitate WISN's hour-long newscast, then late night encores of ET and Dr. Oz before World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
. Channel 12's local and select ABC programming is also available on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
's "Start Over
Start Over
"Start Over" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles taken from her fourth studio album 4 . It was written by Shea Taylor, Knowles and Ester Dean and produced by the first two. The song's development was motivated by the fact that Knowles traveled around the world and experienced...
" service, allowing viewing of a program after it has already started.
The station was the home in Milwaukee of Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
since a 1994 deal bringing it to most Hearst stations until the program's May 2011 end, and Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
from its September 2002 premiere until September 2011; that program is now seen on WDJT
WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV, channel 58, is the CBS-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting on UHF digital channel 46, that displays WDJT's virtual channel as its former analog channel assignment of 58 via PSIP...
(Channel 58).
Channel 12 also airs Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
games originating on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ing the 720p
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
ESPNHD feed. The same arrangement was in place for the 2007 NFL Network
Run to the Playoffs
Thursday Night Football is the brand name used by NFL Network for its schedule of live regular season telecasts of National Football League games on Thursday nights. Also included in the package are some Saturday specials....
game against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
at Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
the Thursday after Thanksgiving, and the station also airs the Donald Driver
Donald Driver
Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
-hosted Inside the Huddle from Fox affiliate WLUK-TV
WLUK-TV
WLUK-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Fox River Valley area and Northeastern Wisconsin. Licensed to Green Bay, Wisconsin, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter on Scray's Hill in Ledgeview; the station also broadcasts in...
(channel 11) in Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
. ESPN is 20% owned by Hearst, owners of Channel 12. Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a reality show airing on ABC in the United States, and CTV in Canada in 2011. The show is the American version of the British BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing...
are thus carried after the late newscast with a voting window opened up for the Milwaukee market in these situations.
The station also has a branding alliance with ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
affiliate WAUK
WAUK
*See also WRRDWAUK is a radio station licensed to Jackson, Wisconsin, serving the Milwaukee area. It is known on-air as 540 ESPN...
(540), which carries a daily program hosted by sports director
Sports Director
A sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
Dan Needles, including a co-marketed spotlight high school sports "game of the week" (in men's basketball or football, depending on season) under Hearst's "Operation Football" high school sports branding, which airs live Friday evenings on WAUK. As part of this, a Saturday evening program called The Big 12 Sports Show with 540 ESPN hosted by Needles and radio partner Drew Olson
Drew Olson (sportswriter)
Drew Olson is an American sportscaster from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin....
airs before ABC primetime on that evening, which analyzes the next day's Packer game and acts as a post-game or pre-game for that day's Badger football game, along with coverage of other sports.
On September 8, 2008, Channel 12 became the first Milwaukee station to air non-network syndicated HD programming daily, and now carries all of their weekday syndicated programming in the format. Later in the year, the station became the first in the market with HD tape-delay and character generator
Character generator
A character generator, often abbreviated as CG, is a device or software that produces static or animated text for keying into a video stream. Modern character generators are computer-based, and can generate graphics as well as text...
capabilities.
WISN makes the claim based on Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
numbers that it is among the top-rated ABC affiliates in the nation (an honor that was shared with fellow ABC station WPTA-TV (channel 21) in Fort Wayne, IN), which is based on market size and household ratings percentages. In fact, the three highest-rated ABC affiliates in the nation are all Hearst stations (WISN, plus KOCO
KOCO-TV
KOCO-TV, virtual channel 5 , is the ABC affiliate in the Oklahoma City television market. The station is owned by Hearst Television, Inc., but uses "Ohio/Oklahoma Hearst Television, Inc." as their end tag during their newscasts, the same licensing purpose corporation as sister Cincinnati, Ohio...
(channel 5) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
and KMBC
KMBC-TV
KMBC-TV virtual channel 9 is a television station affiliated with the ABC television network, located in Kansas City, Missouri. KMBC-TV is owned by Hearst Television and its studios are located on Winchester Ave. near Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri. The station's high guyed mast broadcast...
(channel 9) in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
). "One of America's Leading ABC Stations" had been the station's slogan until September 24, 2007, when in conjunction with ABC's new image campaign, Channel 12 launched the new "Start here" slogan, which signified both Channel 12's broadcast channel and the station's website, which was relaunched in August 2007 to move away from Hearst Argyle's "LocalChannel" strategy to focus on WISN's local content and emphasize the station's call letters in the web address. The top-rated station claim returned in late 2009 to being voiced out until the station's switch to widescreen in late 2010.
Notable programming
- In 1977, WISN launched the "Hello Milwaukee" promos, praising the City of Milwaukee through a montage of videos and a song specially commissioned and written for WISN by Frank GariFrank GariFrank Gari is a popular singer and songwriter from the late 1950s and early 1960s. His best known songs as a performer are "Utopia" , "Lullaby of Love" and "Princess" , all of which hit the U.S. Top 40 in 1961. He co-wrote with Roger McGuinn the song Beach Ball for Bobby Darin...
. - WISN was the flagship station for the Wisconsin LotteryWisconsin LotteryThe Wisconsin Lottery is run by the government of Wisconsin. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association . Its games consist of Mega Millions, Powerball, Megabucks, Supercash!, Badger 5, Pick 3, Pick 4, and scratch games....
from the agency's inception in 1989, playing host to the state lottery drawings and the weekly Wisconsin Lottery Money Game game showGame showA game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
(later known as The Super Money Game Show). The lottery discontinued the Money Game at the end of 2003 due to budget cuts, and televised drawings at the same time, moving the drawings to the state lottery offices in MadisonMadison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. WISN continues to announce the lottery numbers on-screen after being drawn in a bottom-screen ticker during Entertainment Tonight (on Saturday, during the station's 6:30pm program and Sunday's 6:30pm ABC programming) and during the 10:30pm newscast, and also broadcasts most PowerballPowerballPowerball is an American lottery game sold in 44 jurisdictions as a shared jackpot game. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association , a non-profit organization formed by an agreement with lotteries. Powerball is a game whose advertised jackpot starts at $20 million and can roll into...
drawings with a jackpot over $125,000,000 (WMLW (Channel 41) airs all Powerball drawings).
News operation
Currently, WISN-TV broadcasts a total of 31½ hours of local news per week (with 4½ hours each weekday, 4½ hours on Saturdays and Sundays); unlike most ABC affiliates in the Central and MountainMountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn...
time zones, WISN does not carry a newscast in the weekday midday timeslot, though it offers a lunchtime news capsule segment on their website. WISN has added more newscasts to its schedule since 2007, and is unusual in programming hour-long newscasts Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 10 p.m. On July 30, 2010, WISN, like most of its Hearst-owned ABC affiliate sister stations did on that date, added a one-hour extension of its weekend morning newscast from 8-9 a.m., which competes directly against the weekend morning newscast on NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV, digital channel 28 ; branded as "Today's TMJ4", is the NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha,...
(channel 4). On September 6, 2010 WISN expanded its weekday morning newscast to 2½ hours, now airing from 4:30-7 a.m.
Longtime anchor Jerry Taff retired in May 2005, and WISN's newscasts began to climb in the ratings. Its success stems from hiring popular local anchors and reporters released from other stations, a stronger ABC schedule, and a period of change at rival WTMJ due to weaker NBC ratings and newsroom changes. The station's biggest acquisition from WTMJ was the dean of Milwaukee television journalism, Mike Gousha in late 2007, a year after he retired as the anchor of WTMJ's main newscasts in order to focus on a new position as a distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
. Gousha currently analyzes political events for the station with other political experts, and hosts UpFront with Mike Gousha, a Sunday morning program which is a mix of the interview segments familiar to viewers of his former WTMJ program Sunday Night, and local political analysis. The show has been syndicated to other stations statewide by Hearst, and in August 2010 all of the stations involved (along with MPTV, which provided technical assistance with HD production) broadcast a Gousha-moderated forum for the Republican candidates for Wisconsin governor called the " UpFront Town Hall Challenge" from Marquette's new law building, which was purposefully structured to avoid classification as a traditional debate where either candidate could use the format to "sell" themselves. The format was repeated in October 2010 between the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor and US Senate.
While WISN was still broadcasting its newscasts in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition, the station deliberately implemented 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
graphical elements such as weather banners, news ticker
News ticker
A news ticker resides in the lower third of the television screen space on television news networks dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news. It may also refer to a long, thin scoreboard-style display seen around the front of some offices or public buildings...
s and logo bugs slowly as it learned from the launches of WTMJ and WITI's operations in the format, with the only HD segments until late June 2011 airing during newscasts on the day of the Summerfest
Summerfest
Summerfest is a yearly music festival held at the Henry Maier Festival Park along the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The festival lasts for 11 days, is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands, and since the mid-1970s has run from late June through early July, usually...
"Big Bang" fireworks show in late June, usually scenic and human interest pieces, along with MPTV co-productions.
On April 21, 2009, the station transitioned to the Hearst HD graphics package and a permanent pillarbox with the station logo in the left pillar and calls in the right for standard definition programming. In March 2010 the station unveiled 16:9-optimized weather graphics to allow the station to continue to show programming in HD rather than force a downscale to a modified 4:3 mode where the program was displayed in 3:3 (to much viewer complaint over the years, especially with ABC primetime programming), with the weather warnings taking up the remainder of the screen. On October 10, 2010, WISN-TV converted its newscast presentation to 16:9 widescreen, though remaining in standard definition for all aspects at the time, and also removing the decorative pillarboxes. Then on June 28, 2011, WISN-TV became the third station in Milwaukee (behind WTMJ-TV and WITI-TV) to air its newscasts in high definition. While the station's studio shots are in HD, its live field reports and video footage are still in 16:9 widescreen standard definition.
On January 24, 2011, WISN-TV expanded its 10 p.m. newscast to one hour in length, becoming the third Hearst-owned station with an hour-long late local newscast (Albuquerque sister station KOAT and Honolulu sister station KITV
KITV
KITV is the American Broadcasting Company television station affiliate licensed to Honolulu, Hawaii. Based in Honolulu and broadcasting on digital channel 40, displayed as channel 4 the station is owned by Hearst Television and operates several satellites and translators on all the major Hawaiian...
also carry hour-long newscasts after ABC primetime). A consequence of this was WISN choosing to moving longtime 10:30 p.m. slotholder Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
to 12:30 a.m., and program producer NBCUniversal Television Distribution asking for an early release from their contract so that the show could move to 6:30 p.m. on WTMJ as of April 11, 2011.
WISN also hosts its video stories on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
as part of a content agreement between Hearst-Argyle and YouTube, and in April 2010 unveiled an iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
application in the iTunes App Store., followed by an Android Market
Android Market
Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...
app in 2011.
Ratings
According to the local Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for May 2010, WISN-TV was the #1 market station from sign-on to sign-off for the fifth consecutive year with a 3.7 rating for the month – the only station to show an increase in viewership for the broadcast day. In local news, WISN won first place in weekday and weekend morning news, and its 10 p.m. newscast showed a viewership increase and remained the #1 late newscast in the Milwaukee area. The early evening newscasts ranked #1, with a 7.1 share for the 5 p.m. newscast, and a 6.8 share for the 6 p.m. newscast; the station also ranked #1 in primetime for the May sweeps period, averaging a 7.0 rating.
For July 2010, WISN was #1 among the area's early evening newscasts with the 5 p.m. showing a 10% increase in viewers over the same time in 2009 to lead with a 6.8 rating; the station's 6 p.m. newscast ratings increased 26% with a 7.6 rating share. The station was also #1 among weekday and weekend morning news. The 10 p.m. newscast also grew 25% to an 8.1 share despite transmitter problems due to flooding on July 22, though the station earned a 7.2 share to win the 10 p.m. slot that night despite only 40% of homes in the market receiving WISN's signal that evening.
Newscast titles
- Telenews 12 (late 1960s-1973)
- Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1973–1976) - Channel 12 Action NewsAction NewsAction News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
(1976–1985; the station's consumer news/investigation segments continue to be called "Action 12") - (The) Channel 12 News (1985–2000)
- (WISN) 12 News (2000–present)
Station slogans
- "Hello Milwaukee" (1977–1985; during period station used Frank Gari's "Hello News")
- "Together, We're Making a Difference" (1989–1996; during period station used Frank Gari's "Making a Difference")
- "Your 24-Hour News Service24 Hour News SourceThe 24 Hour News Source brand was a common name used by American television stations starting in the early 1990s for brief hourly news updates, usually running 30 seconds to a minute in length. At its peak, dozens of stations across the U.S. were producing these brief news updates...
" (1989–1996; WTMJ-TV also used a "24 Hour News Source" format from 1990–1992) - "Live. Local. Latebreaking." (1996–2004)
- "Leading the Way with Important Local Coverage" (2004–present; news slogan)
- "One of America's Leading ABC Stations" (2004–2010)
- "WISN 12: Start Here" (2007–present; non-news programming, localized version of current ABC ad campaign)
- "Your Breaking News Leader" (2010–present; news slogan)
Current on-air staff (as of January 19, 2011)
Anchors- Shelby Croft - Sundays at 5:30 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight 5 and 6 p.m. reporter
- Marianne Lyles - weekend mornings "12 News This Morning"
- Kathy Mykleby - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Jason Newton - Saturdays at 5 and 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also reporter
- Patrick Paolantonio - weekday mornings "12 News This Morning"
- Terry Sater - weeknights at 6 p.m.
- Toya Washington - weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m.
- Portia Young - weekday mornings "12 News This Morning"
Weather Watch 12
- Mark Baden (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. - Jeremy Nelson (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; Saturdays at 5 and 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also fill-in
- Luke Sampe (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend mornings "12 News This Morning"
- Sally Severson - meteorologist; weekday mornings "12 News This Morning"
Sports team
- Dan Needles - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Dario Melendez - sports anchor; Saturdays at 5 and 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.
- Stephanie Sutton - sports reporter
Reporters
- Mike Anderson - general assignment reporter
- Nick Bohr - general assignment reporter
- Brendan Conway - general assignment reporter
- Joyce Garbaciak - contributing news correspondent
- Mike Gousha - political analyst; also host of UpFront with Mike Gousha
- Colleen Henry - investigative reporter
- Abe Lubetkin - general assignment reporter
- Hillary Mintz - weekday morning reporter
- Matt Salemme - weekday morning traffic reporter
- Kent Wainscott - investigative and political reporter
Hearst Television Washington Bureau
- Sally Kidd - Washington D.C. bureau reporter
- Nikole Killion - Washington D.C. bureau reporter
- Kate Amara - Washington D.C. bureau reporter
Notable former on-air staff
- Dan LewisDan Lewis (newsreader)Dan Lewis is a long-time news presenter and reporter for KOMO-TV, in Seattle, Washington.He came to KOMO-TV in 1987 after working at television station WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., replacing retiring news anchor Jim Harriott. Before that, he had worked at WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
- anchor (1982–1985; currently an anchor for KOMO-TVKOMO-TVKOMO-TV, virtual channel 4, is a television station in Seattle, Washington. It is an affiliate of ABC and broadcasts on digital channel 38. KOMO-TV is the flagship station of Fisher Communications, and its studios and offices are co-located with sister radio stations KOMO , KVI , and KPLZ-FM ...
in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
) - Joel KleefischJoel KleefischJoel Kleefisch is a Wisconsin politician and former television reporter. His wife, Rebecca Kleefisch, is also in state politics as the current Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin....
- reporter (1994–2003; current State AssemblymanWisconsin State AssemblyThe Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....
for WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
's 38th District) - Rebecca KleefischRebecca KleefischRebecca Kleefisch is a former television news anchor, turned American politician, and is currently serving as the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin...
- anchor (1999–2004; current Lieutenant Governor of WisconsinLieutenant Governor of WisconsinThe Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the order of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, or incapacity due to illness of the Governor of Wisconsin...
, 2010-) - Shaun RobinsonShaun RobinsonShaun Robinson is weekend anchor and correspondent for the show Access Hollywood, the daily entertainment newsmagazine show...
- anchor (currently weekend anchor/correspondent of Access HollywoodAccess HollywoodAccess Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
) - Jerry TaffJerry TaffJerry Taff is a former television anchor for WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Taff was raised in Lamesa, Texas. He began working in the media at 17, when he worked at KPET-AM in Lamesa, Texas. He went on to work at stations in New Haven, Connecticut at WTNH-TV, Flint, Michigan at WJRT-TV and Dallas...
- anchor (1979–2005; retired) - Ben TracyBen TracyBenjamin Sampair Tracy is a rising star in the news broadcast industry and has been a CBS News national correspondent since January 2008...
- anchor (currently a correspondent for CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
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