WWMT-DT2
Encyclopedia
WWMT-DT2 is the CW-affiliated television station
for West Michigan. It is a second digital subchannel
of CBS
affiliate WWMT
, owned by Freedom Communications
. Over-the-air, the station broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on VHF channel 8.2 (virtual channel
3.2 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Chief Noonday Road/M-179
, northwest of Yankee Springs Township
, along the Barry
and Allegan
County line.
WWMT-DT2 can also be seen on Charter
channel 7 (hence the on-air branding The CW 7) and Comcast
channel 17. Its parent station has studios on West Maple Street in Kalamazoo
. Syndicated
programming on WWMT-DT2 includes The New Adventures of Old Christine
, Roseanne
, The Cosby Show
, and Judge Jeanine Pirro
among others. Although most CW Plus
affiliates are located on digital subchannels of another station, this channel is not part of the national service.
announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS (parent of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros.
unit of Time Warner
. On February 22, News Corporation
announced it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV
. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television.
MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also created to compete against The CW. On April 4, WWMT announced it would be launching a CW affiliate on a new second digital subchannel. It was reported Class A
UPN affiliate WXSP-CA
was in talks to join The CW, but due to that station's heavy reliance upon prime-time professional sports (this gets the highest ratings on WXSP) and The CW's concerns over preemptive programming, the two sides could not come to an agreement.
As a result, West Michigan is one of the largest television markets where The CW was not available by off-air analog broadcasts and is one of the few stations the new network was awarded previously not affiliated with either The WB or UPN. WXSP joined MyNetworkTV on September 5 when the network launched and WWMT did the same with The CW when it began on September 18. From that date through early-December, WWMT-DT2 was known as "West Michigan's CW". It has since been known as "The CW 7".
On September 18, 2008, WWMT added a nightly prime time newscast at 10 to the second digital subchannel. This established a third option of local news in the time slot competing with Fox affiliate WXMI
and MyNetworkTV affiliate WXSP (show produced by WOOD-TV). Known as NewsChannel 3 Live at 10 on The CW 7, it currently airs for thirty minutes featuring a separate title opening, "CW 7" labeled mics, and a "NewsChannel 3 on CW 7" bug
in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
On April 16, 2011, WWMT became the second outlet in the market to upgrade local shows to full high definition
(updated graphics were introduced along with the change). However, newscasts on WWMT-DT2 are still seen in 4:3 standard definition because the subchannel does not air in HD. Weekday mornings from 6 until 9, this station also offers the nationally syndicated show known as The Daily Buzz
.
Anchors
Reporters
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 West Michigan. It is a second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
of 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 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...
, owned by Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications, Inc. is a media conglomerate in the United States. It owns approximately 100 daily and weekly newspapers in the US, with a combined daily circulation of nearly one million subscribers, and also operates over seventy local news websites...
. Over-the-air, the station broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on VHF channel 8.2 (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....
3.2 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Chief Noonday Road/M-179
M-179 (Michigan highway)
M-179 is a state trunkline highway in the western potion of the US state of Michigan. It runs from US Highway 131 at exit 61 outside of Bradley to M-43 just west of Hastings in the Lower Peninsula. The highway crosses through forest land and provides access to state recreational areas...
, northwest of Yankee Springs Township
Yankee Springs Township, Michigan
Yankee Springs Township is a civil township of Barry County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,219 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, along the Barry
Barry County, Michigan
-Highways:* M-37* M-43* M-50* M-66* M-78* M-79* M-89* M-179-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 56,755 people, 21,035 households, and 15,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 23,876 housing units at an average density of...
and Allegan
Allegan County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-196* I-196 Business Loop serves the city of Holland.-US highways:* US-31* US-131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-40* M-89* M-179* M-222-Allegan County Intercounty Highways:* A-2* A-37* A-42* A-45-Demographics:...
County line.
WWMT-DT2 can also be seen on Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 7 (hence the on-air branding The CW 7) and 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 17. Its parent station has studios on West Maple Street 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...
. 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 WWMT-DT2 includes The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
, Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
, The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, and Judge Jeanine Pirro
Judge Jeanine Pirro
Judge Jeanine Pirro is an American reality series that debuted on The CW on September 22, 2008...
among others. Although most CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
affiliates are located on digital subchannels of another station, this channel is not part of the national service.
History
On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPNUPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS (parent of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
unit of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. On February 22, News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
announced it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television.
MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also created to compete against The CW. On April 4, WWMT announced it would be launching a CW affiliate on a new second digital subchannel. It was reported Class A
Class A television service
The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...
UPN affiliate WXSP-CA
WXSP-CA
WXSP-CD is the Class A MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan, licensed to Grand Rapids. It broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 15 from a transmitter in Walker along Interstate 96. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 15 and Comcast...
was in talks to join The CW, but due to that station's heavy reliance upon prime-time professional sports (this gets the highest ratings on WXSP) and The CW's concerns over preemptive programming, the two sides could not come to an agreement.
As a result, West Michigan is one of the largest television markets where The CW was not available by off-air analog broadcasts and is one of the few stations the new network was awarded previously not affiliated with either The WB or UPN. WXSP joined MyNetworkTV on September 5 when the network launched and WWMT did the same with The CW when it began on September 18. From that date through early-December, WWMT-DT2 was known as "West Michigan's CW". It has since been known as "The CW 7".
Newscasts
WXMI
WXMI channel 17 is a Fox-affiliated television station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by the Tribune Company. WXMI's studio and office facility is located in Grand Rapids and its transmitter is based southwest of Middleville, Michigan...
and MyNetworkTV affiliate WXSP (show produced by WOOD-TV). Known as NewsChannel 3 Live at 10 on The CW 7, it currently airs for thirty minutes featuring a separate title opening, "CW 7" labeled mics, and a "NewsChannel 3 on CW 7" bug
Digital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
On April 16, 2011, WWMT became the second outlet in the market to upgrade local shows to full 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...
(updated graphics were introduced along with the change). However, newscasts on WWMT-DT2 are still seen in 4:3 standard definition because the subchannel does not air in HD. Weekday mornings from 6 until 9, this station also offers the nationally syndicated show known as The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
.
Anchors
- Kate Tillotson - weeknight news
- Andy Dominianni - weeknight news
- Aaron Baskerville - weekend news
- Keith Thompson - Chief Meteorologist seen weeknights
- Chris Gervat - weekend meteorologist
- Ed Kengerski - Sports 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 - Andy Pepper - weekend sports and sports reporter
- Brandi Williams - The Daily Buzz host
- Andy Campbell - The Daily Buzz host
- Mitch English - The Daily Buzz host
- Kia Malone - The Daily Buzz host
Reporters
- David Bailey - Grand Rapids/LakeshoreLakeshore-Settlements:* Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada* Lakeshore, Quebec, Canada* Lakeshore, California **Lakeshore, Fresno County, California**Lakeshore, Placer County, California**Lakeshore, Shasta County, California* Lakeshore, New Orleans, Louisiana...
- Spinach Bentley - The Daily Buzz
- Ryan Duffy - weeknights
- Michael Chesney
- Jessica Wheeler
- Jennifer Dowling
- Jared Werksma
- Carolyn Wyllie
- Eric Gemmell