As mentioned here in previous posts, one of the interesting things about broadcast history isn’t technically broadcasting, it’s the broadcast stations carried by early cable systems.
In a number of larger Wisconsin cities, early cable providers offered a mix of stations from multiple markets. Here’s a look at several lineups found in newspaper archives with the out-of-market stations in bold:
Appleton, WI 1979 (Source: Oshkosh Northwestern)
2 Reuters news
3 WVTV (Ind.) Milwaukee
4 WPNE (PBS) Green Bay
6 WBAY (CBS) Green Bay
7 HBO
8 Local access
9 WGN (Ind.) Chicago
10 WFRV (NBC) Green Bay
12 WLUK (ABC) Green Bay
Eau Claire, WI 1974 (Source: cable system ad)
2 WHWC (PBS) Menomonie
3 WKBT (CBS) La Crosse
4 WCCO (CBS) Minneapolis
5 KSTP (NBC) St. Paul
6 WEAU (NBC) Eau Claire
7 WSAU (CBS) Wausau
8 Local weather
9 KMSP (ABC) Minneapolis
10 WXOW (ABC) La Crosse
11 WTCN (Ind.) Minneapolis
12 KTCA (PBS) St. Paul
Oshkosh, WI 1973 (source: cable system ad)
2 Reuters News
3 WVTV (Ind.) Milwaukee
4 WBAY (CBS) Green Bay
5 Stocks/sports
6 WPNE (PBS) Green Bay
7 WFRV (NBC) Green Bay
8 WHA (PBS) Madison [same net as WPNE]
9 WGN (Ind.) Chicago
10 WMVS (PBS) Milwaukee
11 Local access
12 Weather
13 WLUK (ABC) Green Bay
Oshkosh, WI 1979 (Source: Oshkosh Northwestern)
2 Reuters News
3 WVTV (Ind.) Milwaukee
4 WBAY (CBS) Green Bay
5 WTMJ (NBC) Milwaukee
6 WPNE (PBS) Green Bay
7 WFRV (NBC) Green Bay
8 WITI (CBS) Milwaukee
9 WGN (Ind.) Chicago
10 WISN (ABC) Milwaukee
11 Stocks/sports
12 Local access
13 WLUK (ABC) Green Bay
Ripon, WI 1979 (Source: Oshkosh Northwestern)
2 WBAY (CBS) Green Bay
4 WTMJ (NBC) Milwaukee
5 WFRV (NBC) Green Bay
6 WITI (CBS) Milwaukee
7 WTCG (Ind.) Atlanta
8 Local access
11 WLUK (ABC) Green Bay
12 WISN (ABC) Milwaukee
13 WPNE (PBS) Green Bay
14 Local access
16 WSAU (CBS) Wausau
18 WVTV (Ind.) Milwaukee
19 WAOW (ABC) Wausau
Wausau, WI 1976 (Source: cable system ad)
2 WBAY (CBS) Green Bay
3 UPI News/local weather
4 WSAU (CBS) Wausau
5 WFRV (NBC) Green Bay
6 WAOW (ABC) Wausau
8 WVTV (Ind.) Milwaukee (replaced with WGN Chicago in 1977)
10 WHRM (PBS) Wausau (system carried WMVS Milwaukee prior to WHRM sign-on)
11 WLUK (ABC) Green Bay
12 WAEO (NBC) Rhinelander
13 WEAU (NBC) Eau Claire