WWMT

WWMT

Kalamazoo/Battle Creek/ Grand Rapids, Michigan
City of license	Kalamazoo
Branding	CBS 3 (general) NewsChannel 3 The CW 7 (on DT2)
Slogan	Live, Local, Breaking News TV to Talk About (on DT2)
Channels	Digital: 8 (VHF) Virtual: 3 (PSIP)
Subchannels	3.1 CBS 3.2 The CW
Owner	Freedom Communications (sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group pending) (Freedom Broadcasting of Michigan Licensee, LLC)
First air date	June 1, 1950
Call letters' meaning	We're West Michigan Television
Sister station(s)	WLAJ
Former callsigns	WKZO-TV (1950-1985)
Former channel number(s)	3 (VHF analog, 1950-2009) 2 (VHF digital)
Former affiliations	DuMont (1950-1955) NBC (1950-1960) ABC (1950-1962) all secondary
Transmitter power	25 kW
Height	257 m
Facility ID	74195
Transmitter coordinates	42°37′56″N 85°32′16″W
Website	www.wwmt.com/

WWMT is the CBS-affiliated television station for West Michigan licensed to Kalamazoo. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 (virtual channel 3.1 via PSIP) 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 be seen on Charter and Comcast channel 3. There is a high definition feed offered on Comcast digital channel 233 and Charter digital channel 782.

Owned by Freedom Communications, WWMT has studios on West Maple Street in Kalamazoo. Syndicated programming on the station includes Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Live with Regis and Kelly, and Dr. Phil among others. It is sister to ABC affiliate WLAJ serving the nearby Lansing and Jackson areas. Although that station maintains separate facilities on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Lansing, master control and some internal operations of itself and a CW second digital subchannel are based out of WWMT's studios.

Digital programming

The station operates West Michigan's CW affiliate on a second digital subchannel. This can also be seen on Charter channel 7 (hence the on-air branding The CW 7) and Comcast channel 17. Syndicated programming on WWMT-DT2 includes The New Adventures of Old Christine, Roseanne, The Cosby Show, and Judge Jeanine Pirro along with others. Although most CW Plus affiliates are located on digital subchannels of another station, it is not part of the national service.

Channels	Video	Aspect	Programming
3.1	1080i	16:9	Main WWMT programming / CBS
3.2	480i	4:3	WWMT-DT2 "The CW 7"

History

The station signed-on June 1, 1950 as WKZO-TV (calls standing for KalamaZoO). It was West Michigan's second television station to launch after WLAV-TV (now WOOD-TV) and owned by broadcasting pioneer John Fetzer along with WKZO AM 590 established in 1931. It was a primary CBS station from the very beginning, but initially had secondary affiliations with NBC and ABC. From the start, WKZO-TV had reception problems due to the presence of WTMJ-TV across Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, also on analog VHF channel 3. In 1953, WTMJ moved to channel 4. This, in turn, forced WBBM-TV in Chicago to move from channel 4 to channel 2 as a condition of its purchase by CBS. Until WSBT-TV signed on in 1952, WKZO-TV served as the default CBS affiliate for South Bend, Indiana as well.

In 1956, the WKZO stations moved to an old car dealership on West Maple Avenue in Kalamazoo. Channel 3 is still based there today. In 1960, Fetzer built a new 1,100 foot (335 m) transmitter near the northern edge of Gun Lake. The new tower added Grand Rapids to its city-grade coverage and turned West Michigan into a single television market. WKZO then shared ABC with WOOD-TV until WZZM signed-on in 1962.

Fetzer also owned the Detroit Tigers baseball team from 1956 to 1983. During this time, channel 3 frequently pre-empted prime time CBS broadcasting for Tigers baseball games, including preseason exhibitions. In 1985, Fetzer retired and sold-off his vast broadcasting empire. The Fetzer television stations were initially sold to Gillett Holdings. However, due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership limits in effect at the time, WKZO-TV and sister station KOLN-TV in Lincoln, Nebraska were spun-off to Busse Broadcasting. On December 5, 1985; Busse changed the call letters to the current WWMT (standing for We're West Michigan Television). In 1995, the Granite Broadcasting Corporation acquired the station. Current owner Freedom Communications purchased WWMT in 1998 from Granite along with sister station WLAJ in Lansing.

WWMT is the second longest-tenured CBS affiliate in Michigan (behind only WLNS-TV in Lansing, which signed on a few months earlier). Although not a CBS owned-and-operated station, this station has used elements of the CBS Mandate since the mid-1990s. For example, its logos have used the CBS logo and blue and gold as its colors since the mid-1990s, and since 2006, WWMT has branded itself as "CBS 3". In 2005, a company-wide consolidation of operations at Freedom's stations resulted in the move of WLAJ's master control and most internal operations to WWMT's facilities. Left behind was a skeleton crew of six people out of what began with eighty staffers in Lansing.

On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN 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 June 12, 2009, WWMT moved to VHF channel 8 when the analog to digital conversion was completed. This had previously served as WOOD-TV's analog signal.

Freedom announced on November 2, 2011 that it would bow out of television and sell its stations, including WWMT, to Sinclair Broadcast Group. As a result, WWMT and WLAJ would join Fox affiliate WSMH in Flint as two of the three Sinclair-owned television properties in the state of Michigan.

News operation

News open seen weeknights and Saturdays at 6.

Originally, WKZO was Western Michigan's highest rated television station. In the late-1970s, WZZM took over the lead temporarily but was itself dethroned by WOOD-TV in the mid-1980s. For the most part since then, that station has maintained the number one spot. For a time in the mid-1990s even though most of WWMT's fellow CBS affiliates were in third place or worse, this station was very competitive with WZZM and WOOD-TV often resulting in close Nielsen ratings during sweeps periods.

Since its city of license is Kalamazoo, the station has traditionally had a focus in the southern areas of the market (Kalamazoo and Battle Creek). To assist in story gathering efforts in these areas, it operates a bureau in Downtown Battle Creek on Michigan Avenue West. On two occasions, WWMT's existence has resulted in another station based in the city (WOTV) being unable to establish a local news presence.

Due to the limited viewer base when only considering Battle Creek, WOTV had no luck whatsoever competing against WOOD-TV and WWMT. Even with Kalamazoo (the market's second largest city) factored in, there was simply not enough viewership in the southern parts of the market for WOTV to make any headway in the ratings. As a result, that station's original news department was shut down in 1990 and another attempt (launched in 1992) proved unsuccessful. WOTV currently simulcasts some of WOOD-TV's local newscasts but most coverage provided is of Grand Rapids and vicinity.

Veteran news anchor Tom VanHowe began filling-in for Jeff McAtee on July 28, 2008. McAtee was on active duty serving as a commander with the United States Navy Reserve. Marketing Director Mark Bishop told the Grand Rapids Press that "McAtee will be active in the Navy Reserve for a year or two." In November 2008, VanHowe extended his contract to continue on WWMT until at least June 2009. He continued to co-anchor newscasts on weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 6. Weekday morning news anchor Jeff Varner (participant in Survivor: The Australian Outback) moved to the weeknight broadcasts alongside Judy Markee.

On September 18, 2008, WWMT added a nightly prime time newscast at 10 on its CW-affiliated 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, this 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. Weekday mornings from 6 until 9, WWMT-DT2 also offers the nationally syndicated show known as The Daily Buzz.

On April 17, 2009, WXMI became the first station in the area to upgrade local news to full high definition. Six months later, WOOD-TV added 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen newscasts (WZZM would do the same sometime in late-2009). Although not truly high definition, broadcasts matched the aspect ratio of HD television screens. WWMT remained the last major station in Western Michigan with pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition news until April 16, 2011 when it became the second outlet in the market to upgrade local shows to full high definition (updated graphics were introduced along with the change). Local news on WZZM currently remain in enhanced definition as WOOD-TV/WOTV became the third and fourth station to switch to HD on October 22, 2011. Newscasts on WWMT-DT2 are still seen in 4:3 standard definition because the subchannel does not air in HD.

After WLAJ's Lansing-based news operation was shut down on September 25, 2009, WWMT began producing a taped five minute news and weather brief weeknights at 11 on that station. Known as ABC 3 News Update, regional and state coverage is presented in the show since WLAJ does not maintain any news personnel at its studios. There are also recorded local weather cut-ins seen on that station weekday mornings during Good Morning America. Other on-air personnel from this station can fill-in on WLAJ as needed. These productions (upgraded to high definition on April 16) can be seen on its website in addition to on-air.

In June 2011, a new primary anchor team was announced. Andy Dominianni (who had previously served as the station's morning anchor in the late 1990s) and Kate Tillotson now anchor the 5,6 and 11 p.m. news on Newschannel 3 with Keith Thompson (weather) and Ed Kengerski (sports). Dominianni also anchors "Newschannel 3 Live at 10 on the CW7" weeknights.

Newscast titles

• The Winston Newsreel (1950–1957)
• WKZO-TV 3 News (1957–1962)
• Channel 3 News (1962–1972)
• NewsWatch 3 (1972–1975)
• NewsAcTiVe 3 (1975–1985)
• NewsSource 3 (1985–1988)
• News 3 (1988–2007)
• NewsChannel 3 (2007–present)

Station slogans

• "Kalamazoo, Direct to You" (1962–1970)
• "We're the Ones to See" (1970–1975)
• "TV Active 3" (1975–1985)
• "The Talk of the Town" (1985–1987)
• "Channel 3 and You" (1987–1994)
• "Where News Comes First" (1994–2006)
• "Live, Local, Breaking News" (2007–present)

News team

Anchors

• Josh Roe - weekday mornings and noon
• Marcie Kobriger - weekday mornings and noon
• Kate Tillotson - weeknights
• Andy Dominianni - weeknights
• Aaron Baskerville - weekends

Severe Weather Center 3 Meteorologists

• Keith Thompson (AMS Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights
• Jeff Porter (NWA and CBM Seals of Approval) - weekday mornings and noon
• Chris Gervat (NWA Seal of Approval) - weekends

Sports

• Ed Kengerski - Director seen weeknights at 6, 10 and 11
• Andy Pepper - weekends and sports reporter

Reporters

• Tom VanHowe - "Tom's Corner" segment producer
• David Bailey
• Ryan Duffy
• Michael Chesney
• Jessica Wheeler
• Jennifer Dowling
• Jared Werksma
• Carolyn Wyllie
• Jessica Harthorn

References

• WWMT TV Channel 3 (June 13 2005). Michigan's Radio and TV Broadcast Guide.

External links

• WWMT "CBS 3"
• WWMT mobile
• WWMT-DT2 "The CW 7"
• WLAJ "ABC 3"
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WWMT