This is another in a series of posts documenting the timeline of early TV stations in the Upper Midwest, after having already looked at Iowa, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Nebraska, you’re next!
Wisconsin has an interesting (if not confusing) early TV history due to a quick series of affiliation changes, sign-ons, sign-offs, and experiments with early UHF TV. Two stations operated for less than a year. You may recognize the call letters of several radio stations that briefly dipped their toes into UHF TV.
Meanwhile, four Wisconsin TV stations that had their markets all to themselves for four or more years and carried programming from all of the networks. Wausau had only one TV channel until 1965!
What follows is information gleaned through Broadcasting and Telecasting Yearbooks posted on the World Radio History website, FCC station history cards, and Wikipedia entries.
Eau Claire-La Crosse
12/17/1953
13 WEAU-TV (NBC/CBS/ABC)
8/8/1954
8 WKBT (CBS/NBC/ABC)
13 WEAU-TV (NBC/CBS/ABC)
1958 – FCC declares Eau Claire and La Crosse to be one market
8 WKBT (CBS/ABC)
13 WEAU-TV (NBC/ABC)
3/7/1970
8 WKBT (CBS)
13 WEAU-TV (NBC)
19 WXOW-TV (ABC)
Green Bay/Northeast WI
3/17/1953
2 WBAY-TV (CBS/NBC/ABC)
7/1/1953
2 WBAY-TV (CBS/NBC/ABC)
48 WOSH-TV (NBC) [Oshkosh]
12/26/1953
2 WBAY-TV (CBS/NBC/ABC)
48 WOSH-TV (NBC/ABC) [Oshkosh]
1/26/1954
2 WBAY-TV (CBS/NBC)
42 WNAM-TV (ABC/NBC) [Neenah]
48 WOSH-TV (NBC/ABC) [Oshkosh]
3/23/1954
2 WBAY-TV (CBS/NBC)
42 WNAM-TV (ABC/NBC) [Neenah]
9/11/1954
2 WBAY-TV (CBS)
11 WMBV (NBC) [Marinette]
42 WNAM-TV (ABC) [Neenah]
1/2/1955
2 WBAY-TV (CBS)
11 WMBV (NBC) [Marinette]
5/20/1955
2 WBAY-TV (CBS)
5 WFRV (Independent for 10 days)
11 WMBV (NBC) [Marinette]
6/1/1955
2 WBAY-TV (CBS)
5 WFRV (ABC)
11 WMBV (NBC) [Marinette]
2/1/1959
2 WBAY-TV (CBS)
5 WFRV (NBC)
11 WMBV (ABC) [Marinette]
8/22/1959
2 WBAY-TV (CBS)
5 WFRV (NBC)
11 WLUK (ABC) moved to Green Bay
8/1/1968
2 WBAY-TV (CBS)
5 WFRV (NBC)
11 WLUK (ABC)
34 KFIZ (Ind.) [Fond du Lac] went off the air in 1972
Madison
6/30/1953
27 WKOW-TV (CBS)
7/1953
27 WKOW-TV (CBS)
33 WMTV (NBC/ABC)
3/3/1954
21 WHA-TV (Educational)
27 WKOW-TV (CBS)
33 WMTV (NBC/ABC)
6/24/1956
3 WISC-TV (CBS)
21 WHA-TV (Educational)
27 WKOW-TV (ABC)
33 WMTV (NBC)
1960
3 WISC-TV (CBS)
15 WMTV (NBC)
21 WHA-TV (Educational)
27 WKOW-TV (ABC)
Milwaukee
12/3/1947
3 WTMJ-TV (NBC/CBS/ABC)
7/11/1953 – channel change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC/CBS/ABC)
9/6/1953 – new station, affiliation change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC/ABC)
25 WCAN-TV (CBS)
10/3/1953 – new station, affiliation change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
19 WOKY-TV (ABC)
25 WCAN-TV (CBS)
10/27/1954 – new station, affiliation change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
12 WTVW (ABC)
19 WOKY-TV (Ind.)
25 WCAN-TV (CBS)
2/27/1955 – affiliation change, callsign change, station signs off
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
12 WTVW (ABC)
19 WXIX (CBS)
7/25/1955 – callsign change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
12 WISN-TV (ABC)
19 WXIX (CBS)
5/21/1956 – new station
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (Ind.)
12 WISN-TV (ABC)
19 WXIX (CBS)
10/28/1957 – new station
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (Ind.)
10 WMVS (Educational)
12 WISN-TV (ABC)
19 WXIX (CBS)
8/27/1958 – channel change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (Ind.)
10 WMVS (Educational)
12 WISN-TV (ABC)
18 WXIX (CBS)
4/1/1959 – affiliation change, station goes silent
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (CBS)
10 WMVS (Educational)
12 WISN-TV (ABC)
7/20/1959 – station returns
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (CBS)
10 WMVS (Educational)
12 WISN-TV (ABC)
18 WXIX (Ind.)
4/2/1961 – affiliation change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (ABC)
10 WMVS (Educational)
12 WISN-TV (CBS)
18 WXIX (Ind.)
11/27/1962 – callsign change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (ABC)
10 WMVS (Educational)
12 WISN-TV (CBS)
18 WUHF (Ind.)
1/28/1963 – new station
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (ABC)
10 WMVS (Educational)
12 WISN-TV (CBS)
18 WUHF (Ind.)
36 WMVT (Educational)
6/7/1966 – callsign change
4 WTMJ-TV (NBC)
6 WITI (ABC)
10 WMVS (Educational)
12 WISN-TV (CBS)
18 WVTV (Ind.)
36 WMVT (Educational)
Wausau-Rhinelander
10/23/1954
7 WSAU-TV (CBS/NBC/ABC)
6/12/1965
7 WSAU-TV (CBS/NBC)
9 WAOW (ABC)
10/20/1966
7 WSAU-TV (CBS)
9 WAOW (ABC)
12 WAEO (NBC)
11/17/1968
7 WSAU-TV (CBS)
9 WAOW (ABC)
WAEO goes off air after plane crashes into tower
9/1/1969
7 WSAU-TV (CBS)
9 WAOW (ABC)
12 WAEO (NBC)
Note: A number of stations also had secondary affiliations with the DuMont Network, which is not listed here due to its short time on the air and lack of primary affiliations in Wisconsin.