WLNS-TV
Encyclopedia
WLNS-TV is the CBS
-affiliated television station
for Central Michigan
licensed to Lansing
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 36 (virtual channel
6.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Van Atta Road in Meridian
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
channel 6 and Broadstripe channel 13. There is a high definition feed offered on Comcasst digital channel 233 and Broadstripe digital channel 450. Owned by Young Broadcasting
, the station operates MyNetworkTV
affiliate WHTV
(owned by Venture Technologies Group, LLC) through a joint sales agreement
(JSA). The two outlets share studios on East Saginaw Street/Business Loop 69
/M-43
in Lansing along U.S. 127
. Syndicated
programming on WLNS includes The Insider
, Entertainment Tonight
, Inside Edition
, and Dr. Phil
among others.
as WJIM-TV and was owned by Harold F. Gross along with WJIM radio
(1240 AM). It is Michigan
's second-oldest television station outside Detroit (behind WOOD-TV
in Grand Rapids
). Gross had started WJIM, the first commercial radio station
in Lansing, in 1934 and both stations were named after his son Jim. Rumour has it that Gross won the original radio license in a card game. WJIM-TV originally aired an analog signal on VHF channel 6 from a transmitter from the top of a bank in Downtown Lansing before moving to its current location on Saginaw Street (known as "the country house") in 1953. Gross was skeptical of the success of television, so the new facility was designed as a motel complete with a pool in case the station did not catch on. Needless to say, the pool had very little use except for the occasional employee party.
WJIM-TV originally carried programming from all four major networks, although it was and always has been a primary CBS affiliate. ABC
disappeared from the schedule in 1958 when WJRT-TV
signed-on from Flint
. It served as Lansing's default ABC affiliate until WLAJ
launched in 1990. Meanwhile, WXYZ-TV
in Detroit served as the default affiliate for Jackson
. WKZO-TV (now WWMT
) then a partial ABC affiliate, and WSJV
in Elkhart, Indiana
served as default outlets for Battle Creek
until WUHQ-TV (now WOTV
) went on-the-air.
DuMont
programming disappeared when the network ceased operations in 1956. NBC
would also later disappear from the schedule in 1959 when WILX-TV
signed-on leaving WJIM with just CBS. In 1960, Gross added WJIM-FM
to his holdings.
The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
challenged the station's license in 1973 on allegations Gross prevented a number of prominent political figures from appearing on WJIM-TV An Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) judge ordered the license revoked in 1981--only the second time a station had its license revoked for violating the FCC's fairness guidelines. The first instance was WLBT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi
which lost its license in 1969 due to blatant bias against the Civil Rights Movement
. Unlike WLBT, however, WJIM kept its license after the initial revocation was reversed by a three-member review board at the FCC in 1982. The ACLU would eventually agree to a cash settlement in 1984.
The stress of the decade-long licensing dispute led Gross to sell the television station to Unicom, a unit of Forstmann Little
, doing business as
Backe Communications soon after the cash settlement was approved. After the sale, the station adopted its current call letters WLNS. However, Unicom's ownership of the station was short-lived; in 1986 it sold WLNS and WKBT
in La Crosse, Wisconsin
to current owner Young Broadcasting (the latter has since been sold to Morgan Murphy Media). Young filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy
protection in early-2009.
The company will soon be taken over by its secured lenders and have operations of most of its stations outsourced to Gray Television
. WLNS will not be part of the management agreement because Gray already owns-and-operates WILX. The station shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009 as part of the DTV transition. The station moved its digital broadcasts to channel 36 from the pre-transition channel 59 allotment using PSIP to be displayed as virtual channel 6.1. WLNS was not allowed to use 36 initially because WJRT was previously using 36 for its digital transmissions. However, on June 12, that station moved its digital broadcasts to VHF channel 12 allowing WLNS to use UHF channel 36 without causing interference.
. For many years, it identified on-air as "Lansing/Flint/Jackson". In 1972, Saginaw
's WEYI-TV
, then the CBS affiliate for the rest of Mid-Michigan, moved its studios and transmitter to Clio
. just north of Flint. Until the early-1980s, Flint was served by two CBS stations. However, later in the 1980s, WLNS chose to concentrate more on Lansing. Comcast would eventually drop WLNS in Flint as a result. However, it is still easily viewable in Flint and Saginaw with a good antenna.
The station's signal also reaches as far as the Detroit area, although mostly in the northwestern and western suburbs. In the Detroit market, its digital signal is strongest in fast growing Livingston County
where some parts actually get city-grade coverage. This is because WLNS' transmitter is only ten miles west of the Ingham/Livingston County. For many years, it was rumored viewers in Livingston County positioned antennas towards Lansing to pick up Detroit Lions
games blacked-out on WJBK
. For many years, WLNS' programming was seen on low-powered analog repeater
W67AJ in Ann Arbor
(which is also part of the Detroit market). This translator was owned by Eastern Michigan University
in Ypsilanti
. W67AJ's license was canceled in January 2007 by the FCC.
. Sometime in the early-2000s, however, that station overtook WLNS for the first time and has maintained a narrow (if not consistent) lead ever since then. Throughout its history, WLAJ has made three attempts to offer Lansing a third option of local newscasts but none ever made any headway in the ratings and/or gained consistent viewership. Since it was the area's last big three network
-affiliated station to launch, it has to compete with well established news departments at WLNS and WILX. Currently, WLAJ airs short news and weather updates on weekdays produced and taped in advance by sister station WWMT in Kalamazoo
.
In recent years due to budget concerns, WILX's news staff has been reduced. As a result, that station only features one news anchor during its weekday morning and weeknight broadcasts unlike other outlets that usually have a two anchor team. Since its weekday noon show was canceled in the late-1990s, WILX has not offered a newscast during the midday hours resulting in WLNS having the only local broadcast in the time slot. Unlike most CBS affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone
, this station does not air a newscast weeknights at 5:30. Therefore, Fox affiliate WSYM-TV
is the only outlet for local news which is actually produced by WILX through an outsourcing agreement that has been in place since 2004.
On January 28, 2011, WILX became the first station in Central Michigan to upgrade local newscasts to high definition (WSYM would eventually follow on June 13). In July 2011, WLNS began airing all of its news programming from a temporary set in the station's breakroom while a new one is constructed in preparation for its own launch of HD newscasts. The brand new set debuted on August 26, 2011 during the 5 p.m. newscast, while HD newscasts debuted during the 5 p.m. newscast on October 26, 2011. Several on-air personalities (Jane Aldrich, Sheri Jones, Ann Emmerich, Lauren Thompson, and Brittany Gray) host a monthly lifestyle show on this station. Known as 6 in the City, the program airs in a magazine-type format. Since Lisa Byington left the station in September for the Big Ten Network, special guest hosts have filled-in. The first 6 in the City installment aired in May 2011.
On September 12, 2011, 6 News This Morning expanded to 2 1/2 hours, now beginning at 4:30 a.m. CBS Morning News now airs at 4 a.m. locally.
StormTracker 6 Meteorologists (all have AMS
Seal of Approval)
Sports
Reporters
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...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Central Michigan
Central Michigan
Central Michigan, often called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Southern Michigan can be considered as a subregion of Central Michigan. As its name implies, it is the central area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and...
licensed to Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 36 (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....
6.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Van Atta Road in Meridian
Meridian Charter Township, Michigan
Meridian Charter Township is a charter township of Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census the township had a population of 39,688. Meridian Township is the local government unit that includes the unincorporated communities and census-designated places of Okemos and...
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
channel 6 and Broadstripe channel 13. There is a high definition feed offered on Comcasst digital channel 233 and Broadstripe digital channel 450. Owned by Young Broadcasting
Young Broadcasting
New Young Broadcasting Holding Co, Inc. is an owner of 14 television stations in 11 United States media markets. The company was formerly known as Young Broadcasting Inc. and was the outgrowth of the ad representation/invest firm Adam Young, Inc. which was founded in 1944 by Adam Young and is...
, the station operates MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WHTV
WHTV
WHTV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Michigan that is licensed to Jackson, Michigan. It broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 18 from a transmitter in Okemos. Owned by Venture Technologies Group, the station is operated through a joint sales...
(owned by Venture Technologies Group, LLC) through a joint sales agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(JSA). The two outlets share studios on East Saginaw Street/Business Loop 69
Business routes of Interstate 69
-Coldwater, Michigan:Business Loop I-69, or BL I-69, is a route formed from part of the old US 27 route near and through Coldwater and from part of US 12 through Coldwater. Starting at the southern end, it begins at Exit 10 of I-69, which is where Fenn Rd. crosses the Interstate. It follows Fenn Rd...
/M-43
M-43 (Michigan highway)
M-43 is a state trunkline highway in southwestern and central parts of the US state of Michigan. The highway runs from South Haven to Webberville along an indirect path through both rural areas and larger cities...
in Lansing along U.S. 127
U.S. Route 127 in Michigan
US Highway 127 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs for , entering from Ohio south of Hudson and ending at a partial interchange with...
. Syndicated
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...
programming on WLNS includes The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
, 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...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, 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...
among others.
Digital programming
Until about November 1, 2011, The Country Network was broadcast on WLNS-DT2 and Comcast channel 297. There's no word yet on what (if anything) will replace The Country Network on 6.2.| Channels (virtual/physical) | Name | 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,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1/36.1 | WLNS-HD | 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 ... |
main WLNS programming/CBS (HD) |
History
The station signed-on May 1, 19501950 in television
The year 1950 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1950.-Events:*February 12 – European Broadcasting Union inaugurated....
as WJIM-TV and was owned by Harold F. Gross along with WJIM radio
WJIM (AM)
WJIM is a radio station licensed to Lansing, Michigan broadcasting a news-talk format. WJIM began broadcasting in 1934 on 1210 kHz with 250 watts daytime and 100 watts at night, under the ownership of Gross Telecasting...
(1240 AM). It is Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
's second-oldest television station outside Detroit (behind WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan licensed to Grand Rapids. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter in Middleville near the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter channel...
in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
). Gross had started WJIM, the first commercial 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...
in Lansing, in 1934 and both stations were named after his son Jim. Rumour has it that Gross won the original radio license in a card game. WJIM-TV originally aired an analog signal on VHF channel 6 from a transmitter from the top of a bank in Downtown Lansing before moving to its current location on Saginaw Street (known as "the country house") in 1953. Gross was skeptical of the success of television, so the new facility was designed as a motel complete with a pool in case the station did not catch on. Needless to say, the pool had very little use except for the occasional employee party.
WJIM-TV originally carried programming from all four major networks, although it was and always has been a primary CBS affiliate. 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...
disappeared from the schedule in 1958 when WJRT-TV
WJRT-TV
WJRT-TV, channel 12, is the ABC-affiliated station for the Flint/Tri-Cities television market, owned by SJL Broadcasting. Its studios are located in Flint, Michigan, with offices and a second newsroom for the Tri-Cities located in Saginaw...
signed-on from Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
. It served as Lansing's default ABC affiliate until WLAJ
WLAJ
WLAJ is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Michigan that is licensed to Lansing. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter northeast of Tompkins Township on the Jackson and Ingham County line. Owned by Freedom Communications, the station has...
launched in 1990. Meanwhile, WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
in Detroit served as the default affiliate for Jackson
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
. WKZO-TV (now WWMT
WWMT
WWMT is the CBS-affiliated television station for West Michigan licensed to Kalamazoo. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter on Chief Noonday Road/M-179, northwest of Yankee Springs Township, along the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also...
) then a partial ABC affiliate, and WSJV
WSJV
WSJV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Michiana area of Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Elkhart. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter in Mishawaka, Indiana. Owned by Quincy Newspapers, the station has...
in Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
served as default outlets for Battle Creek
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
until WUHQ-TV (now WOTV
WOTV
WOTV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Battle Creek. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 20 from a transmitter in Orangeville Township. The station can also be seen on Charter and Comcast channel 4. There is a high...
) went on-the-air.
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...
programming disappeared when the network ceased operations in 1956. NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
would also later disappear from the schedule in 1959 when WILX-TV
WILX-TV
WILX-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central Michigan. Licensed to the nearby town of Onondaga, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 4 in Lansing, and Comcast channel 10 in East Lansing and Jackson. It can...
signed-on leaving WJIM with just CBS. In 1960, Gross added WJIM-FM
WJIM-FM
WJIM-FM is a radio station in Lansing, Michigan, broadcasting a Top 40 format.The station has had the WJIM-FM calls continuously since it signed on in 1960. For over three decades, WJIM-FM broadcast an easy listening/beautiful music format, which evolved during the early 1990s into a soft adult...
to his holdings.
The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
challenged the station's license in 1973 on allegations Gross prevented a number of prominent political figures from appearing on WJIM-TV An Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) judge ordered the license revoked in 1981--only the second time a station had its license revoked for violating the FCC's fairness guidelines. The first instance was WLBT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
which lost its license in 1969 due to blatant bias against the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
. Unlike WLBT, however, WJIM kept its license after the initial revocation was reversed by a three-member review board at the FCC in 1982. The ACLU would eventually agree to a cash settlement in 1984.
The stress of the decade-long licensing dispute led Gross to sell the television station to Unicom, a unit of Forstmann Little
Forstmann Little & Company
Forstmann, Little & Company is a private equity firm, specializing in leveraged buyouts . At its peak in the late 1990s, Forstmann Little was among the largest private equity firms globally...
, doing business as
Doing business as
The phrase "doing business as" is a legal term used in the United States, meaning that the trade name, or fictitious business name, under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of the legal person who actually own it and are responsible for it...
Backe Communications soon after the cash settlement was approved. After the sale, the station adopted its current call letters WLNS. However, Unicom's ownership of the station was short-lived; in 1986 it sold WLNS and WKBT
WKBT
WKBT-DT is a television station owned and operated by Morgan Murphy Media and serving West Central Wisconsin, including La Crosse and Eau Claire. The station is primarily affiliated with CBS and airs programming from MyNetworkTV on its digital subchannel.-History:WKBT launched on August 8, 1954...
in La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
to current owner Young Broadcasting (the latter has since been sold to Morgan Murphy Media). Young filed for Chapter 11
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
protection in early-2009.
The company will soon be taken over by its secured lenders and have operations of most of its stations outsourced to Gray Television
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
. WLNS will not be part of the management agreement because Gray already owns-and-operates WILX. The station shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009 as part of the DTV transition. The station moved its digital broadcasts to channel 36 from the pre-transition channel 59 allotment using PSIP to be displayed as virtual channel 6.1. WLNS was not allowed to use 36 initially because WJRT was previously using 36 for its digital transmissions. However, on June 12, that station moved its digital broadcasts to VHF channel 12 allowing WLNS to use UHF channel 36 without causing interference.
Flint and Detroit
Channel 6 doubled as Flint's CBS affiliate for many years, as its signal (the second strongest in Michigan at the time it began broadcasting) decently covers the city and surrounding Genesee CountyGenesee County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69* I-75* I-475-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-13* M-15* M-21* M-54* M-57-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 436,141 people, 169,825 households, and 115,990 families residing in the county. The population density was 682 people per square mile . There were 183,630...
. For many years, it identified on-air as "Lansing/Flint/Jackson". In 1972, Saginaw
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
's WEYI-TV
WEYI-TV
WEYI-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Flint/Tri-Cities market that is licensed to Saginaw. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 30 from a 193 kilowatt, high transmitter at its studios on West Willard Road in Vienna Township along the Genesee and...
, then the CBS affiliate for the rest of Mid-Michigan, moved its studios and transmitter to Clio
Clio, Michigan
Clio is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan.As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 2,483. Clio is home to Michigan's second tallest construction, the WEYI Tower...
. just north of Flint. Until the early-1980s, Flint was served by two CBS stations. However, later in the 1980s, WLNS chose to concentrate more on Lansing. Comcast would eventually drop WLNS in Flint as a result. However, it is still easily viewable in Flint and Saginaw with a good antenna.
The station's signal also reaches as far as the Detroit area, although mostly in the northwestern and western suburbs. In the Detroit market, its digital signal is strongest in fast growing Livingston County
Livingston County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 156,951 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 276 people per square mile . There were 58,919 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
where some parts actually get city-grade coverage. This is because WLNS' transmitter is only ten miles west of the Ingham/Livingston County. For many years, it was rumored viewers in Livingston County positioned antennas towards Lansing to pick up Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
games blacked-out on WJBK
WJBK
WJBK is the Fox–owned and operated television station in Detroit, Michigan broadcasting on digital channel 7...
. For many years, WLNS' programming was seen on low-powered analog repeater
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
W67AJ in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
(which is also part of the Detroit market). This translator was owned by Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
in Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
. W67AJ's license was canceled in January 2007 by the FCC.
News operation
Traditionally, WLNS had been the most watched outlet in Central Michigan regularly beating rival WILX in 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...
. Sometime in the early-2000s, however, that station overtook WLNS for the first time and has maintained a narrow (if not consistent) lead ever since then. Throughout its history, WLAJ has made three attempts to offer Lansing a third option of local newscasts but none ever made any headway in the ratings and/or gained consistent viewership. Since it was the area's last big three network
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
-affiliated station to launch, it has to compete with well established news departments at WLNS and WILX. Currently, WLAJ airs short news and weather updates on weekdays produced and taped in advance by sister station WWMT in Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
.
In recent years due to budget concerns, WILX's news staff has been reduced. As a result, that station only features one news anchor during its weekday morning and weeknight broadcasts unlike other outlets that usually have a two anchor team. Since its weekday noon show was canceled in the late-1990s, WILX has not offered a newscast during the midday hours resulting in WLNS having the only local broadcast in the time slot. Unlike most CBS affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
, this station does not air a newscast weeknights at 5:30. Therefore, Fox affiliate WSYM-TV
WSYM-TV
WSYM-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Central Michigan licensed to Lansing. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 38 from a transmitter along M-50/M-99 in Eaton Rapids. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 7 and in high definition on digital...
is the only outlet for local news which is actually produced by WILX through an outsourcing agreement that has been in place since 2004.
On January 28, 2011, WILX became the first station in Central Michigan to upgrade local newscasts to high definition (WSYM would eventually follow on June 13). In July 2011, WLNS began airing all of its news programming from a temporary set in the station's breakroom while a new one is constructed in preparation for its own launch of HD newscasts. The brand new set debuted on August 26, 2011 during the 5 p.m. newscast, while HD newscasts debuted during the 5 p.m. newscast on October 26, 2011. Several on-air personalities (Jane Aldrich, Sheri Jones, Ann Emmerich, Lauren Thompson, and Brittany Gray) host a monthly lifestyle show on this station. Known as 6 in the City, the program airs in a magazine-type format. Since Lisa Byington left the station in September for the Big Ten Network, special guest hosts have filled-in. The first 6 in the City installment aired in May 2011.
On September 12, 2011, 6 News This Morning expanded to 2 1/2 hours, now beginning at 4:30 a.m. CBS Morning News now airs at 4 a.m. locally.
Newscast titles
- Six Star News (1970s-early 1980s)
- TV 6 News (early-1980s)
- NewsCenter 6 (early 1980s-2001)
- NewsCenter 6 Nightcast (11 p.m., 1993-1998)
- WLNS NewsCenter 6 (2001–2003)
- 6 News (2003–present)
Station slogans
- "We're Lansing's News Source" (1980s)
- "Leadership That Works For You" (1994–1998)
- "Where Local News Comes First" (1998–2003)
- "Local News First" (2003–2006)
- "Your News Leader" (2006–2011)
- "Your Local News Leader" (2011-present)
News team
Anchors- Brittany Gray - weekday mornings and reporter
- Evan Pinsonnault - weekday mornings and reporter (also "Tell Me Something Good" segment producer)
- Ann Emmerich - weekdays at noon and reporter
- Jane Aldrich - weeknights at 5 and 6
- Greg Adaline - weeknights at 6 and 11
- Sheri Jones - weeknights at 11 and "Crimestoppers" segment producer
- Lauren Thompson - weekends
StormTracker 6 Meteorologists (all have AMS
American Meteorological Society
The 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)
- David Young - Chief seen weeknights
- Jake Dunne - weekday mornings and noon
- Jim Geyer - weekends
Sports
- Fred Heumann - DirectorSports DirectorA 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...
seen weeknights at 6 and 11 - Kevin Gehl - weekends
- Pat Thiede - sports reporter and fill-in anchor (also "Team of the Week" segment producer)
Reporters
- Abby Grimmett - Jackson Bureau
- Deanna Falzone - video journalist
- Maria Hechanova - morning reporter
- Megan Sanctorum
- Stacia Mullaney
- Chris Casquejo
External links
- WLNS-TV (can be entered into web-enabled mobile device for wireless access)
- WHTV "My 18"
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425210/ Mentioned at end of Lucky Number Slevin