WLMT

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WLMT
city =
station_
station_slogan = Eyewitness News Everywhere
station_branding = CW 30
Eyewitness News
analog = 30 (UHF)
digital = 31 (UHF)
subchannels =
other_chs =
affiliations = The CW
The Variety Channel (on DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate = April 18, 1983
location = Memphis, Tennessee
callsign_meaning = We Love Memphis, Tennessee
former_callsigns = WMKW-TV (1983-1988)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Newport Television
licensee = Newport Television License, LLC
sister_stations = WPTY-TV
former_affiliations = Independent (1983-1987, 1990-1995)
Fox (1987-1990)
UPN (1995-2006)
The WB (secondary, 2003-2006)
effective_radiated_power = 3,020 kW (analog)
871 kW (digital)
HAAT = 340 m (both)
class =
facility_id = 68518
coordinates = coord|35|16|31.3|N|89|46|38.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/content/cw30/default.aspx myeyewitnessnews.com]

WLMT, channel 30, is the CW-affiliated television station for Memphis, Tennessee. Its transmitter is located in Brunswick. Owned by Newport Television, the station is sister to ABC affiliate WPTY-TV. The two stations share studios on Union Avenue Extension near the Aulon section of Memphis. WLMT is known on-air as "CW 30". Syndicated programming on the station includes: "Reba", "The Simpsons", "Family Guy", and "Judge David Young". WLMT offers The Variety Channel on its second digital subchannel and Comcast digital cable channel 756.

History

The station began broadcasting on April 3, 1983 as the market's second independent station. It had the call letters WMKW-TV (the "KW" referring to Kemmons Wilson founder of Holiday Inn which is based in Memphis). Right from the start, WMKW began a rivalry with WPTY for viewership. WMKW was founded by the TVX Broadcast Group, which at that time, owned several medium market UHF independent stations. WMKW had a general entertainment format featuring afternoon cartoons, sitcoms, old movies, drama shows, and some sports. In April of 1987, along with the rest of the TVX stations, WMKW became the market's first affiliate of Fox and became known on-air as "Fox 30". In 1987, WMKW was put on the market by TVX to finance the company's purchasing of other television stations. The station was bought in 1988 by MT Communications and the call letters were changed to the current WLMT. Fox pulled WLMT's affiliation in 1990 and gave it to WPTY. This returned WLMT to an independent format.

MT Communications sold the station to Mass Media in 1992. WLMT then established a local marketing agreement (LMA) with WPTY and the two pooled resources and programming. WLMT became a UPN affiliate at the network's launch on January 16, 1995. The station was sold in 1996 to Max Media. In 2001, WLMT was bought outright by Clear Channel Communications making WPTY and WLMT sisters. In 2003, programming from The WB moved from WPTY (where it was a secondary affiliation and shown during late nights slots) to WLMT where it also aired out of pattern. On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced that they would cease broadcasting and merge to create a new network. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents: CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner.

On February 22, 2006, News Corporation announced that they would start up another new broadcast television network called MyNetworkTV. This new network, which would be sister 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. The area's ION Television affiliate WPXX-TV began broadcasting MynetworkTV on September 5. WLMT began broadcasting The CW on September 18. On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Providence Equity Partners. Starting on March 26, 2007, WLMT began broadcasting The Variety Network on its second digital subchannel.

Newscasts

In 1995, when WPTY became an ABC affiliate, the station began operating a news department. WPTY began producing newscasts on WLMT called "News Watch 30". It would later be referred to simply as "UPN 30 News". Newscasts on WLMT and WPTY currently use the "Eyewitness News" branding. Currently, WPTY produces three newscasts for WLMT. This includes for an hour at 7 A.M. on weekday mornings. Every night, there is a 45 minute newscast at 9 P.M. followed by a 15 minute sports replay show.

"Eyewitness News This Morning"
"(Weekday Mornings 7 to 8 A.M.)"
*Anchors:
**Terrance Bates
**Bonny Kinney
*Weather:
**Mark Walden
*Traffic:
**Ursula Jones
*Entertainment:
**Rae Lyn Hartley

"Eyewitness News at 9" "(10 to 10:30 P.M.)"
"Weeknights"
*Anchors:
**Cameron Harper
**Dee Griffin
*Weather:
**Brian Teigland(died on July 25, 2008 at the age of 53)
*Sports:
**Rob Petrone
*Entertainment:
**Rae Lyn Hartley

"Weekends"
*Anchors:
**Darryl Hood
**Joyce Peterson
*Weather:
**Henry Rothenberg
*Sports:
**Rob Petrone

"WLMT uses additional news personnel from WPTY. See that article for a complete listing."

External links

* [http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/content/cw30/default.aspx WLMT "CW 30"]
* [http://www.thevarietychannel.com/ WLMT-DT2 "The Variety Channel"]
*TVQ|WLMT