Throughout TV history, WLUC/6 has been dominant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was the only station in the region for the first couple of decades of TV and remained the only TV station with a full local news presence for the next several decades. WLUC’s network affiliation changed multiple times as new stations entered the market, and as a domino effect of affiliation changes in Green Bay.
Here’s a look at the timeline of the TV dial in the Marquette market, which covers most of the U.P. and reaches into counties on the corners assigned to other markets:
1956-1959
6 WDMJ-TV (CBS/NBC/ABC)
1959-1969
6 WLUC (CBS/NBC/ABC)
1969-1972
3 WJMN (NBC) satellite of WFRV Green Bay
6 WLUC (CBS/ABC)
1972-1975
3 WJMN (NBC)
6 WLUC (CBS/ABC)
13 WNPB (PBS)
1975-1983
3 WJMN (NBC)
6 WLUC (CBS/ABC)
13 WNMU (PBS)
1983-1992
3 WJMN (ABC)
6 WLUC (CBS/NBC)
13 WNMU (PBS)
1992-1995
3 WJMN (CBS) affiliation change following sale to CBS
6 WLUC (ABC/NBC/FOX)
13 WNMU (PBS)
1995-1997
3 WJMN (CBS)
6 WLUC (NBC)
13 WNMU (PBS)
1997-2003
3 WJMN (CBS)
5 WBKP/W28BX (ABC)
6 WLUC (NBC)
13 WNMU (PBS)
2003-2009
3 WJMN (CBS)
6 WLUC (NBC)
10 WBUP (ABC)
13 WNMU (PBS)
19 WMQF (FOX)
2009
3.1 WJMN (CBS)
6.1 WLUC (NBC)
6.2 WLUC (FOX)
10.1 WBUP (ABC)
13.1 WNMU (PBS)
19.1 WZMQ (Ind.)
2022
3.1 WJMN (MyNetworkTV)
6.1 WLUC (NBC)
6.2 WLUC (FOX)
10.1 WBUP (ABC)
13.1 WNMU (PBS)
19.1 WZMQ (MeTV)
19.2 WZMQ (CBS)
As satellite of WFRV (Green Bay) until 2014, WJMN aired some local commercials and weather inserts within WFRV’s newscast. It split off as a standalone station with its own news department in 2014.
It’s worth remembering that numerous out-of-state TV stations have been carried on cable systems in the Marquette market at various times over the years to make up for missing affiliations, including ABC, FOX, and NBC affiliates from Green Bay and FOX from Traverse City. Detroit’s WKBD-TV was also carried on many U.P. cable systems when it was an Independent station.
LINK: World Radio History’s collection of Broadcasting Yearbooks