WLMT is the CW-affiliated television station for Memphis, Tennessee. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 31 from a transmitter in Brunswick. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 9 and in high definition on digital channel 809. Owned by Newport Television, it is sister to ABC affiliate WPTY-TV and FOX affiliate WJKT. All three share studios on Union Avenue Extension near the Aulon section of Memphis. However, WJKT officially serves the Jackson area and has their own studios on Radio Road in that city. Syndicated programming on WLMT includes: Reba, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Judge David Young. It offers the Retro Television Network (a.k.a. RTV) on its second digital subchannel and Comcast digital channel 756.

History

The station began broadcasting on April 3, 1983 as the market's second independent station. It had the call letters WMKW-TV (the "KW" referring to Kemmons Wilson founder of Holiday Inn which is based in Memphis). Right from the start, WMKW began a rivalry with WPTY for viewership. This station was founded by the TVX Broadcast Group, which at that time, owned several medium market UHF independent stations. WMKW had a general entertainment format featuring afternoon cartoons, sitcoms, old movies, drama shows, and some sports. 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". Also that year, it was put on the market by TVX to finance the company's purchasing of other television stations. They were bought in 1988 by MT Communications and the call letters were changed to the current WLMT.

FOX pulled its affiliation in 1990 and gave it to WPTY returning WLMT to an independent format. MT Communications sold the station to Mass Media in 1992. WLMT then established a local marketing agreement (a.k.a. LMA) with WPTY and the two pooled resources and programming. WLMT became a UPN affiliate at the network's launch on January 16, 1995. The station was sold in 1996 to Max Media. In 2001, WLMT was bought outright by Clear Channel Communications making WPTY and WLMT 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 that they would cease broadcasting and merge to create a new network. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents, CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner. On February 22, 2006, News Corporation announced that they would start up another new broadcast television network called MyNetworkTV. This new network, 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.

The area's Ion Television owned-and-operated station WPXX-TV began broadcasting MyNetworkTV on September 5. WLMT began broadcasting The CW on September 18. On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Providence Equity Partners. Starting on March 26, 2007, WLMT began broadcasting the Variety Television Network on its second digital subchannel. After that network shut down in January 2009, it switched to the Retro Television Network. In late-September, the station picked up WWE Smackdown from MyNetworkTV after WPXX ended their affiliation with the network. WLMT airs the show Saturday nights at 7 and does not carry any other programming from MyNetworkTV.

Newscasts

In 1995 when WPTY became an ABC affiliate, that station began operating a news department. It began producing a nightly 9 o'clock newscast on WLMT called NewsWatch 30 at 9 to compete with WHBQ-TV. It would later be referred to as UPN 30 News at 9. Local broadcasts currently use the Eyewitness News branding and WPTY produces three newscasts on this station. This includes for an hour at 7 on weekday mornings and every night at 9 for 45 minutes. Following the prime time news, there is a fifteen minute sports highlight show. FOX affiliate WJKT simulcasts the nightly 9 o'clock newscast and sports show. That station has microwave facilities at its studios that allows the transmitting of live shots for news from the Jackson area.

Eyewitness News This Morning
(Weekday Mornings 7 to 8)

• Anchor:
  • Terrance Bates
• Weather:
  • Mark Walden
• Reporter:
  • Jill Margetts

Eyewitness News at 9 (9 to 9:45 P.M.)
Weeknights

• Anchors:
  • Cameron Harper
  • Dee Griffin
• Weather:
  • Mark Walden

Weekends

• Anchor:
  • Joyce Peterson
• Weather:
  • Jill Margetts

Eyewitness News Sports (9:45 to 10 P.M.)

• Weeknights:
  • Kathy Morris
• Weekends:
  • Ari Bergeron

WLMT features additional news personnel from WPTY. See that article for a complete listing.

External links

• WLMT "CW 30"
• WLMT mobile