| Memphis, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Branding | CW 30 (general) ABC 24 News My TV Mempis (on DT2) |
| Slogan | TV to Talk About |
| Channels | Digital: 31 (UHF) Virtual: 30 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 30.1 The CW 30.2 MyNetworkTV & Me-TV |
| Owner | Newport Television (Newport Television License, LLC) |
| First air date | April 18, 1983 |
| Call letters' meaning | We Love Memphis, Tennessee |
| Sister station(s) | WPTY-TV, WJKT |
| Former callsigns | WMKW-TV (1983-1989) WUMT (1989-1990) |
| Former channel number(s) | 30 (UHF analog, 1983-2009) |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1983-1987 & 1990-1995) Fox (1987-1990) UPN (1995-2006) The WB (secondary, 2003-2006) The Variety Channel (on DT2, 2007-2009) RTV (on DT2, 2009-2011) |
| Transmitter power | 871 kW |
| Height | 340 m |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | 68518 |
WLMT is the CW-affiliated television station for Western Tennessee licensed to Memphis. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 31 (or virtual channel 30.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Arlington's Brunswick section. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 9 and in high definition on digital channel 809. Owned by Newport Television, WLMT is sister to ABC affiliate WPTY-TV and Fox affiliate WJKT. All three outlets share studios on Union Avenue Extension along Poplar Avenue/U.S. 72/TN 57 in Memphis.
WJKT officially serves the Jackson market and has an advertising sales office on Oil Well Road in that city. However, master control and most internal operations are based in Memphis. Syndicated programming on WLMT includes Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, Everybody Hates Chris and The Simpsons among others. The station serves as the de-facto over-the-air CW affiliate for Jackson since that area has cable-only outlet "WBJK". There is currently no website for WLMT.
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On WLMT-DT2 is the area's MyNetworkTV and Me-TV affiliate. Known on-air as My TV Memphis, this can also be seen on Comcast digital channel 911.
| Channels | Name | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30.1 | WLMT-HD | 1080i | 16:9 | Main WLMT programming / The CW |
| 30.2 | WLMT-DT2 | 480i | 4:3 | "My TV Memphis"/MeTV |
It signed-on as WMKW-TV on April 18, 1983 and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 30. The station was the market's second Independent outlet. The "KW" in its calls sign referred to Kemmons Wilson founder of Holiday Inn which is based in Memphis. This station was founded by the TVX Broadcast Group, which at that time, owned several medium market UHF Independent stations. WMKW aired a general entertainment format featuring afternoon cartoons, sitcoms, old movies, drama shows and some sports. Right from the start, it began a rivalry with Independent outlet WPTY for viewership and ratings. In April 1987 along with the rest of the TVX stations, WMKW became the market's first affiliate of Fox and became known on-air as "Fox 30". It was at this point that WMTU (now WJKT) in Jackson became a semi-satellite of this station.
Also in 1987, WMKW was put on the market by TVX to finance the company's purchasing of other television stations in the United States. It was bought in 1988 by MT Communications and the call letters were changed to WUMT on October 1, 1989. Fox pulled its affiliation in the spring of 1990 and gave it to WPTY making WUMT an Independent once again. The call sign became WLMT on April 2 of that year. WMTU also continued to simulcast WLMT except in prime time where WMTU remained with Fox until 1995. MT Communications sold the station to Max Media in 1992. WLMT then established a local marketing agreement (LMA) with WPTY (then owned by Clear Channel Communications) and the two stations pooled resources and programming.
This outlet became a charter UPN affiliate at the network's launch on January 16, 1995 while WMTU took on the network as a secondary affiliation until later that year when Fox was taken off that station. In 2001, WLMT was bought outright by Clear Channel making WPTY and WLMT full sisters. In 2003, programming from The WB moved from WPTY (where it was a secondary affiliation and shown during late nights slots) to WLMT where it also aired out of pattern.
On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced the two networks would cease broadcasting and merge. The new service wold be called The CW and the letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS (the parent company of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros. unit of Time Warner. On February 22, 2006, News Corporation announced it would start up another new broadcast network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be sister to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming Independent. It was also created to compete against The CW.
WJKT declined to affiliate with The CW or MyNetworkTV choosing instead to become a separate station and re-affiliated with Fox on August 21. The area's Ion Television owned-and-operated station, WPXX-TV, began broadcasting MyNetworkTV on September 5. Meanwhile, WLMT began airing The CW on September 18 and became known on-air as "CW 30". On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Newport Television, a media group controlled by Providence Equity Partners. On March 26, 2007, it began offering Newport's Variety Television Network on a new second digital subchannel. After that service shut down in January 2009, it switched to the Retro Television Network (RTV).
The station picked up WWE Smackdown from MyNetworkTV after WPXX ended its affiliation with the network (by then a programming service) in September 2009 and aired the show Saturday nights at 7. Initially, WLMT did not carry any other shows from MyNetworkTV and the agreement to carry WWE Smackdown ended with the broadcast's October 2010 move to the cable network Syfy. At some point that month, the station did pick up the network on its second digital subchannel. WLMT therefore joined the handful of stations that clear the full CW and MyNetworkTV lineups on separate subchannels (and, as of July 2011, is the only station in the country that carries The CW as a primary affiliation and MyNetworkTV as a digital multicast channel). It has been announced that RTV will be replaced with Me-TV on November 14, 2011.
WPTY established its first ever news department in 1995 in order to take on the area's other television stations. Included in the launch was a nightly prime time broadcast on WLMT known as NewsWatch 30 at 9. This production competed with WHBQ featuring an energetic, youthful and almost "grunge" look. Several years later, WPTY re-branded its newscasts (with the show on WLMT becoming UPN 30 News at 9) and began modifying its style to reach a broader audience. In 2002, WPTY re-branded to Eyewitness News (with broadcasts on this station becoming known as UPN 30 Eyewitness News) and modified its style once again to have a harder-edged, more aggressive and often "confrontational" approach by its anchors and reporters to cover stories and investigations.
The change resulted in most of the original news anchors and reporters leaving or being laid-off with a complete overhaul in the station's image and presentation. In 2009 with continued low ratings and under control by Newport Television, new management was brought in to the station leading to several firings and lay-offs in the on-air staff. Gradually, WPTY and WLMT dropped most of its confrontational and aggressive style in its local news production. In November 2010 after eight years of operating under the Eyewitness News name, WPTY re-branded yet again with news on WLMT becoming known as ABC 24 News on CW 30. There is continues to be a high level of turnover in personnel. Additionally, the two stations have yet to upgrade the news operation to 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen or even full high deifnition level.
It remaines the only news department in Memphis to air local newscasts in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition. Currently, WPTY produces an hour-long extention of its weekday morning show on WLMT from 7 until 8. There is also a nightly 45 minute prime time newscast at 9 that is followed by a fifteen minute sports highlight show. Fox affiliate WJKT in Jackson simulcasts the nightly 9 o'clock broadcast and sports replay show. During weather forecast segments, WPTY and WLMT feature live NOAA National Weather Service Doppler weather radar data from the Local Forecast Office on Farm Road in Memphis (official address is Walnut Grove Road).
Anchors
Reporters
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