| Madison, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
| Branding | NBC 15 (general) NBC 15 News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Coverage You Can Count On |
| Channels | Digital: 19 (UHF) (PSIP Virtual channel 15) |
| Affiliations | NBC (DT1) The AccuWeather Channel (DT2) |
| Owner | Gray Television, Inc. (Gray Television Licensee, Inc.) |
| First air date | July 8, 1953 |
| Call letters' meaning | Watch Madison TeleVision |
| Sister station(s) | WBAY, WEAU, WSAW |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 33 (1953-1960) 15 (1960-2009) |
| Former affiliations | Both secondary: ABC (1953-1956) DuMont (1953-1955) |
| Transmitter power | 155 kW |
| Height | 414.8 m |
| Facility ID | 6870 |
| Website | nbc15.com |
WMTV (digital channel 19 and PSIP virtual channel 15) is a NBC affiliated television station serving Madison, Wisconsin. The station is owned and operated by Gray Television, and has its studio and transmitter located in Madison.
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WMTV signed on the air in July 1953 on channel 33 and was an affiliate of ABC, DuMont, and NBC. In 1956, WKOW-TV, which had the CBS affiliation, picked up the ABC affiliation from WMTV after losing CBS to then-new VHF station WISC-TV, thus resulting in WMTV becoming solely affiliated with NBC.
In 1960 WMTV switched channels from 33 to 15, where it remained until analog broadcasting ceased just before midnight on February 17, 2009. The station's over-the-air broadcasts are now on digital channel 19, though it is found through PSIP protocol on virtual channels 15.1 (NBC) and 15.2 (The AccuWeather Channel).
On October 16, 2010, WMTV became the second commercial TV station in Madison to produce all of its newscasts in high-definition, the first being WISC-TV. On October 18, 2010, the station also began airing its flagship syndicated programs Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune in HD.
WMTV ceased analog broadcasting just before midnight on February 17, 2009. A title slide of the station ID and slogan was aired with an announcer indicating the station was permanently ceasing analog broadcasting to southern Wisconsin but continuing digitally on channel 19, appearing as virtual channel 15.1 through PSIP protocol. Then in a final sign-off similar to early U.S. television broadcasts, a live camera shot of the U.S. and Wisconsin state flags aired as "The Star Spangled Banner", the U.S. national anthem, played in the background. The station then switched to the black-and-white Indian Head test pattern for one or two minutes before permanently switching off the analog signal.
Although the final analog-to-digital conversion date for U.S. television stations was extended to June 12, 2009, the station opted to switch on the original date of February 17 because it had been heavily promoting that conversion date on the air and through community outreach events in the Madison coverage area.
The station's channel 19 signal is also used by Chicago's WGN-TV and WXMI in Grand Rapids, Michigan, causing interference between it and those two stations in the easternmost portions of their coverage area, mainly in Walworth County, which is just outside the Madison market (though WXMI's signal is limited by the Kettle Moraine range west of Jefferson County).
Anchors
Weather team
Sports team
Reporters
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