WCMZ-TV

WCMZ-TV
(satellite of WCMU-TV,
Mount Pleasant, Michigan)

Flint, Michigan United States
Branding	CMU Public Television
Channels	Digital: 28 (UHF) Virtual: 28 (PSIP)
Affiliations	PBS Create (DT3)
Owner	Central Michigan University
First air date	August 23, 1980
Call letters' meaning	W Central Michigan Z
Former callsigns	WFUM (1980–2010)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 28 (UHF, 1980–2008) Digital: 52 (UHF, 2004–2008)
Transmitter power	500 kW
Height	258 metres (846 ft)
Facility ID	69273
Transmitter coordinates	42°53′56″N 83°27′41.6″W / 42.89889°N 83.461556°W / 42.89889; -83.461556
Licensing authority	FCC
Public license information:	(satellite of WCMU-TV, Mount Pleasant, Michigan) Profile (satellite of WCMU-TV, Mount Pleasant, Michigan) CDBS
Website	wcmu.org/tv.html

WCMZ-TV, virtual and UHF digital channel 28, is a PBS member television station located in Flint, Michigan, United States. The station is owned by Central Michigan University, and operates as a satellite station of WCMU-TV in Mount Pleasant. WCMZ-TV maintains transmitter facilities located off Kipp Road, just south east of the village of Goodrich in southeastern Genesee County.

History

As WFUM

1990s WFUM logo.

Final WFUM logo.

The station first signed on the air on August 23, 1980 as WFUM; it was originally owned by the University of Michigan–Flint. Initially promoted using its WFUM call letters, the station eventually began to brand itself as "Michigan Television". Prior to WFUM's sign-on, Flint had been one of the few areas of Michigan that was not served by an over-the-air PBS station. Most cable providers in the area (then as now) piped in WCMU-TV, WDCQ-TV in Bay City, WTVS in Detroit, WKAR-TV in East Lansing or WGTE-TV in Toledo.

WFUM was the only television station owned by the university, but the University of Michigan–Flint was no stranger to the medium – it produced an educational series, University of Michigan Presents, which was syndicated to television stations nationwide from the 1960s into the early 1980s. Over the years, WFUM had introduced several of its own shows, including Passing Through (hosted by Karen Sherrin) and High School Challenge (hosted by Jim Gaver).

Sale to Central Michigan University and change to WCMZ-TV

On April 23, 2009, the University of Michigan announced plans to discontinue its operation of WFUM-TV.^[1] On October 27, 2009, the Board of Trustees of Central Michigan University approved a proposal for CMU to acquire WFUM, for a maximum purchase price of $1 million.^[2] While WFUM was transitioned into a satellite of WCMU-TV, CMU vowed to include Flint-area events and issues in its programming, as well as produce new programming that would originate from the region.^[3]

The station receives WCMU programming via a microwave relay connection between WCMU's studios in Mount Pleasant to WFUM's transmitter, through relay facilities set up at Mott Community College. CMU originally hinted that the takeover of WFUM would begin in late November;^[4] however, CMU took over operations of WFUM on January 15, 2010.^[5][6] The Federal Communications Commission approved the transfer of the station's license on March 16, 2010.^[7] CMU officially took over WFUM on May 18, 2010^[8] and the call letters were changed to WCMZ-TV.^[9]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Analog-to-digital conversion

WCMZ-TV (as WFUM) was the first PBS member station in Michigan and the first television station in the Flint/Tri-Cities market to broadcast exclusively in digital. The station discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 28, on November 19, 2008, nine months before the original target date for full-power television stations in the United States to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (February 17, Congress subsequently moved the deadline to June 12). The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 52, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to its former analog-era UHF channel 28.^[11]

Broadcast and cable availability

WCMZ-TV's signal reaches as far away as Port Huron, Detroit and Lansing. In Metro Detroit, WCMZ-TV is available on Comcast (in standard definition only), Bright House Networks, WOW! and AT&T U-verse systems in Ann Arbor and Detroit's western and northern suburbs; it is not carried on Cogeco's Windsor, Ontario system or on Comcast systems in Detroit and the southern suburbs.

In Mid-Michigan, the station is available on Comcast and Charter Communications systems in Flint, Saginaw and Bay City. It is not available on Charter's systems in Alma or Mount Pleasant, or Comcast systems in the Thumb. Following CMU's takeover of the station, WCMZ-TV's unavailability in Alma and Mount Pleasant was made moot, as these systems also carry WCMU-TV. In addition, Charter in Saginaw and Bay City offer both WCMZ-TV and WCMU; as both these channels now carry identical programming, it is unknown if the duplicate signal would be dropped.

Not all subchannels are available on cable in all areas. An agreement between the American Cable Association, the Association of Public Television Stations and PBS requires them to be carried on digital cable tiers after the digital transition date of June 12, 2009. ^[12]

References

External links

• Query the FCC's TV station database for WCMZ