Sullivans Landing My Network TV station WJMN-TV/3.1 (Escanaba-Marquette) and Morgan Murphy Media ABC affiliate WBUP/10.1 (Ishpeming-Marquette) announced that they will launch a new unified news brand on Monday, Sept. 9, as “My UP News.” The plans to combine the stations’ news operations were first disclosed in FCC filings when WJMN-TV was sold earlier this year. The combination will allow WBUP to resume airing a morning newscast, while both stations will continue their current evening newscasts (though WJMN-TV’s 10 p.m. newscast will be shortened to a half-hour).
Nexstar CBS affiliate KELO-TV/11.1 (Sioux Falls) announced that Lauren Soulek has been promoted to evening anchor and Summer Raderschadt has been promoted to morning anchor.
Sam Kraemer has been promoted to weekend anchor/reporter at FOX O&O WITI/6.1 (Milwaukee).
D-Wayne Taylor announced that his company, Whatever Collective, has entered into a partnership to provide a morning show to Alpha Media’s KFRX/106.3 (Lincoln).
Spectrum announced that its cable systems in Barron, Dunn, St. Croix, and Washburn counties have switched their Telemundo programming from WYTU-LD (Milwaukee) to KMWE-LD (Minneapolis).
Many fans of the Green Bay Packers will likely be frustrated that Friday’s season opener will not be available on broadcast or cable TV in most of Wisconsin. The game will stream on Peacock and will be simulcast on NBC affiliates in the Green Bay and Milwaukee markets. Stations in the Madison, La Crosse-Eau Claire, Wausau-Rhinelander, Minneapolis, and Duluth-Superior markets do not have the option of carrying the game. The Packers are also scheduled to have a game on Prime Video in December, while the Minnesota Vikings have a Prime game in October.
In a similar situation to the June presidential debate organized by CNN, listings indicate the Sept. 10 debate organized by ABC will also be simulcast on CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, and NBC. All of the networks will air pre-debate specials at 7 p.m. CT ahead of the 8 p.m. CT debate. The situation comes after campaigns rejected the decades-old tradition of letting the Commission on Presidential Debates organize debates; the first of their debates would have taken place Sept. 16.
The Duluth News Tribune, Superior Telegram, and Cloquet Pine Journal announced that they will stop publishing weekly TV listings after the insert for the week of Sept. 7-13.
We can’t help but note a sad situation with the TV listings in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. For several months, the paper has listed “45.2 KSTC2” with “Local programming/Sign off” shown for the entire grid. The spot in the listings had previously carried KSTC’s ThisTV channel, which left the air in April (and had actually moved to channel 5.4 thirteen years earlier). For some reason, it was the only subchannel listed by the paper (channel 2.3 is technically its own license). Otherwise, the Pioneer Press deserves praise from broadcasters for continuing listings.
Meanwhile, the newly-renamed Minnesota Star Tribune omitted its long-running Saturday listing of Twin Cities radio stations for several weeks, but resumed them a day after this post was originally published. The listing still includes KQSP/1530 (Shakopee), which returned its license last year.
In case you missed it here:
- Update: Former “Devils Advocates” Co-Host Returns to Civic Media
- Settlement Agreement Reached over Minneapolis FM Upgrade
- Coloff Media Buying Maquoketa Radio Stations (Updated)
- FCC Monitor: New LPFM Granted in MN; Omaha LPFM Canceled
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Disclosure: Jon Ellis was an employee of Gray Media Group at the time this item was posted. The statements and views expressed in this posting are his own and do not reflect those of Gray Media Group.