WBUW

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WBUW
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = Madison's CW
analog = 57 (UHF)
digital = 32 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = The CW
network =
founded =
airdate = 1999 [The exact sign-on date in 1999 is unclear; the "Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook" says June 28, while the "Television and Cable Factbook" says July 5.]
location = Janesville/Madison, Wisconsin
callsign_meaning = The WB (former network)
University of Wisconsin (alludes to being in Madison)
former_callsigns = WHPN-TV (1999-2002)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = ACME Communications, Inc.
licensee = ACME Television Licenses of Madison, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = UPN (1999-2002)
The WB (2002-2006)
effective_radiated_power = 5000 kW (analog)
200 kW (digital)
HAAT = 415 m (analog)
387 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 26025
coordinates = coord|43|3|2.5|N|89|29|13|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.madisonscw.com/ www.madisonscw.com]

WBUW (Channel 57) is a television station affiliated with the The CW. Though licensed to Janesville, Wisconsin, the station is branded as Madison's CW, and serves all of Madison and South Central Wisconsin. The station's transmission tower is located on Madison's southwest side.

WBUW's daily schedule consists mainly of network programming from The CW; syndicated fare such as "Maury" and "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet"; and reruns of such shows as "The King of Queens", "That 70s Show", and "Friends". WBUW also carries the young-skewing morning show "The Daily Buzz" (a program produced by WBUW's owner, ACME Communications).

History

Channel 57's original construction permit was granted on May 2, 1998 with the call letters WJNW; however, the station didn not sign on until July 5, 1999 as WHPN-TV. With a transmitter located approximately ten miles west of Janesville, the station served as UPN affiliate for both the Madison and Rockford, Illinois TV markets. (In Madison, UPN previously aired during overnight hours on WISC Channel 3).

In 2002, WHPN would be purchased by ACME Communications, a station group run by Jamie Kellner, a founder of The WB Television Network and former CEO of that network and TBS. In relation to the sale, WHPN would change affiliations to The WB in August 2002 and adopt the WBUW call letters (while Madison's former WB affiliate, WISC-owned cable channel WB14, took the UPN affiliation and "UPN14" branding).

In 2004, WBUW moved its transmitter to Madison on a new tower with WMTV (Channel 15). This move extend their coverage area throughout south central Wisconsin. In March 2006, WBUW was confirmed [ [http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2006/03/10/0603100461.php "Channel 57 Officially Now CW Affiliate"] , from "Capital Times", March 10, 2006] as Madison's CW Network affiliate, effective September 2006. WBUW did not change their call letters to fit their new affiliation, nor did the other former WB stations owned by ACME Communications (in an effort to avoid audience confusion during the network realignment).

Local news and features

In September 2003, WBUW got into the local news game with "The WB57 Nine O'Clock News", a 35-minute, Monday-thru-Friday newscast produced with the newsgathering operations of local NBC station WMTV. The newscast was geared toward the WB's younger audience, with a fast-paced format (stories were usually no more than 1 or 2 minutes in length), a large emphasis on entertainment and lifestyle features, nightly e-mail contests and sweeps-month "free gas giveaways," and in-studio performances by local musicians during Friday editions of the newscast. Despite these efforts, the newscast never gained ratings ground against 9PM newscasts on WMSN and UPN14. "The WB57 Nine O'Clock News" ended its run in December 2005, as WBUW ended its relationship with WMTV and returned syndicated programming to the time slot. [ [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6342747.html?display=Search+Results&text=WBUW "From Campus to Capital"] , from "Broadcasting & Cable", June 12, 2006] [ [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6359719.html?display=Search+Results&text=WBUW "Why Local News Is in a Sharing Mood"] , from "Broadcasting & Cable", August 7, 2006]

Local content did resume after the network change to The CW, in the form of "Buzzed Into Madison," short features during broadcasts of "The Daily Buzz". Presented by Emmy Fink, "Buzzed" features "positive" (the station's term) stories on Madison-area news, events, businesses, and personalities. "Buzzed" has proven popular and successful enough for ACME Communications, "The Daily Buzz's" producer, to allot time for local inserts by other stations that air the program, should they choose to do so. [ [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6537175.html?q=WBUW "Catching a Homespun "Buzz"] , from "Broadcasting & Cable", March 3, 2008]

External links

* [http://www.madisonscw.com WBUW Station Website]
* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=82593492 MySpace page for Madison's CW]
*TVQ|WBUW
*BIA|WBUW|TV|TV

References