WMUR-TV
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2020) |
kW | |
HAAT | 312.4 m (1,025 ft) |
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Transmitter coordinates | 42°59′1.3″N 71°35′23.2″W / 42.983694°N 71.589778°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
WMUR-TV (channel 9) is a
Manchester is part of the larger
History
Early years
The station signed on the air on March 28, 1954, as the first television station in New Hampshire. It was founded by former governor
In 1955, channel 9 boosted its signal significantly, providing a strong signal extending well into the Boston area. Murphy was well aware of this and began airing programming that had previously not been available in Boston. The following year, however, Murphy decided to retire. While a buyer was found immediately for the AM station, there were few takers for channel 9. Finally, in early 1957, he agreed in principle to sell WMUR-TV to
Soon after taking over, United laid off all but nine of WMUR's employees and reduced local programming to its two daily newscasts. For the next 22 years, United ran channel 9 on a shoestring budget, devoting most of its efforts to managing Manchester's cable franchise. It paid almost no attention to the station even as equipment broke down. The studio's upkeep also suffered; the floor was so slanted that cameras rolled on their own. WMUR continued to broadcast in black-and-white until 1973, long after the Boston stations had all upgraded to color capability. Two of the few things the station had going for it during this period were The Uncle Gus Show, hosted by Gus Bernier for more than 20 years, and an increasingly active news department led by Tom Bonnar and Fred Kocher.[3]
Throughout the 1970s, Eaton's entire chain of radio and television stations, including WMUR, were under constant scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In the cases involving two other television stations (WOOK-TV in Washington, D.C., and WMET-TV in Baltimore),[6] as well as two other radio stations (WOOK (AM) in Washington and WFAB in Miami), their licenses were revoked entirely, each for different reasons.[7][8] (An administrative law judge recommended the licenses of two other radio stations, WJMO (1490 AM) and WCUY (92.3 FM) in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, be revoked as well, but this was not acted upon by the commission due to Eaton's death in June 1981.[9]) WMUR, KECC-TV in El Centro, California, and WMET-TV were investigated over allegations of bribery by Eaton of ABC-TV employees so WMUR and KECC would get more favorable terms in their ABC affiliations contracts.[10][11]
The station continued to be run very cheaply into the early 1980s, but a change in ownership marked the beginning of a new era for WMUR.
1980s and 1990s
In July 1981, following Richard Eaton's death, WMUR was sold to Columbus, Mississippi, businessman Birney Imes Jr. and his company, Imes Communications, which also owned that city's WCBI-TV, as well as WBOY-TV in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Years later, several veterans, including Bonnar, said they only stayed at the station in hopes a wealthier owner would see its potential. Imes made WMUR a significant influence in New Hampshire by giving it a badly-needed technical overhaul, as well as upgrading its news department.[3] In September 1987, the station moved from its original Elm Street studios to facilities in the historic Millyard area of the city.[3]
In 1994, WMUR became both a primary and secondary affiliate of
In 1995, WMUR purchased land and a building at its current location. This building was rebuilt as an 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) state-of-the-art broadcast center; it moved to this new location in January 1996.
WMUR was the first television station in the country to develop a significant Internet presence beginning on October 8, 1995.[12] It was the first television station to hire a full-time employee dedicated to streaming its newscast live and archived online for later viewing. It was also the first television station to use the Internet to supplement its broadcast news by posting additional information online like the Megan's Law list. After posting a 3D virtual tour of its TV studio facilities online, it briefly became the most visited attraction online in the world. Beginning in 1998, the station made significant financial, technical and staff investments into its Internet strategy. This included 24-hour original news segments, weather coverage by a professional meteorologist and sales executive dedicated to TV and online advertising. In 2000, WMUR, CNN and WMUR.com simulcast the New Hampshire presidential primary debates held at the TV station. This was the first widely promoted and executed worldwide live streaming video event.
Since 2000
In September 2000, Imes Communications reached an agreement to sell the station to
On September 24, 2005, WMUR became available on satellite via
The station was featured in a fictional manner in the sixth season of
The station's digital signal began broadcasting on
In February 2010, WMUR introduced a new slogan, "It's how you know." This slogan often promoted its local news, weather, its photo-sharing site, "uLocal", and other ideas of interest that would lead to its website. WMUR's Hearst-owned sister stations
In July 2012, during a
In December 2015, the
New Hampshire network affiliates
Manchester is about 45 miles (72 km) north from Boston while Concord is about 60 miles (97 km). Boston's VHF stations have Grade A signals in Manchester and Grade B signals in Concord, while the UHF stations have Grade B signals in Manchester but spotty signals in Concord. On paper, southern New Hampshire is large enough to be a market in its own right. If it were ever to break off from Boston, it would rank in the top 100 of all U.S. media markets. However, CBS's ownership of WBZ-TV (channel 4) makes this unlikely as it would result in the dilution of that station's advertising revenue, along with viewer upheaval at the loss of newscasts from the Boston area. This has been seen when Providence's stations in the southern portion of the Boston market attempted to claim market exclusivity resulting in some complaints from area cable customers. In the early 1990s, WBZ operated a news bureau in Manchester which was re-established on Elm Street in November 2006.
Prior to 1988, the sub-market was served by WMUR and
The only NBC affiliate to be based in the state was WRLH (channel 31) out of Lebanon, which operated from 1966 to 1968 and 1971 to 1974. Channel 31 returned to the air under a new license in 1978 as WNNE, now based in White River Junction, Vermont. WNNE broadcast NBC programming into parts of western New Hampshire from then until 2018, when it moved to Montpelier, Vermont, and became the CW affiliate for the Burlington–Plattsburgh market. Much of this area is considered part of the Burlington–Plattsburgh market, although WMUR is still available. The rest of the state receives NBC from that network's affiliates in either Boston or Portland. On January 1, 2017, Merrimack-licensed Telemundo owned-and-operated station WNEU (channel 60) began simulcasting NBC programming via its new Boston O&O WBTS-LD (channel 8, now Telemundo O&O WYCN-LD in Providence) on its second digital subchannel; however, the new station, known on-air as NBC Boston, is focused on Boston and eastern Massachusetts rather than New Hampshire. NBC also operates WBTS-CD (channel 15), licensed to serve Nashua; however, under a channel sharing agreement, it broadcasts from Needham, Massachusetts, over the transmitter of Boston-based WGBX-TV (channel 44). There were no UPN or WB affiliates in the state during the existence of those networks; likewise, The CW and MyNetworkTV do not have any affiliates in New Hampshire, and the state receives Fox from the network's affiliates in Boston, Massachusetts, Portland, Maine, or Burlington, Vermont.
WMUR has always promoted the fact that it is the only local television news source in the state; the station's slogan since 2002—"No One Covers New Hampshire Like We Do"—reflects this. At various points, channel 50 (as WNDS, WZMY-TV, and WBIN-TV) and WGOT (channel 60, now WNEU), as well as the aforementioned WNHT, have offered New Hampshire-focused local newscasts in competition with WMUR; the most recent of these operations, on
Programming
WMUR was one of the longest-serving affiliates of the
During the 1960s and 1970s, one of the station's well-known local programs was a weekday children's program known as The Uncle Gus Show. Unlike Boston's astronaut Major Mudd or the widely franchised
News operation
WMUR-TV broadcasts 30+1⁄2 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 4+1⁄2 hours each weekday and four hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). In addition, WMUR produces New Hampshire Chronicle, a regional version of the Chronicle newsmagazine series that originated on Boston sister station WCVB-TV, which airs weeknights at 7 p.m.; and the political talk program Close Up, which airs on Sundays at 10 a.m.
During election seasons, WMUR is well known for organizing and producing candidate debates for ABC News, as well as CNN, before the first United States presidential primary; the debates have been held at Saint Anselm College. In addition to its main studios, WMUR operates two news bureaus in New Hampshire. The station's Lakes Region Bureau is based at The Inn at Bay Point in Meredith, and the Seacoast Bureau is based at Harbor Place in Portsmouth. In addition, WMUR and WCVB share news footage for stories occurring within the other station's coverage area; WCVB also operates a live truck for news gathering that is based at WMUR's studios in Manchester.
Audio simulcasts of WMUR's newscasts are broadcast on
On August 2, 2011, WMUR began broadcasting its local newscasts in
Notable current on-air staff
- Erin Fehlau – anchor; also host of New Hampshire Chronicle
- Josh Judge (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) – meteorologist
Notable former on-air staff
- Jack Edwards – sports anchor (now at NESN)
- Chris Wragge – sports reporter (now at WCBS-TV)
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res.
|
Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
9.1 | 1080i | 16:9 |
WMUR | Main WMUR-TV programming / ABC |
9.2 | 480i | WMUR Me | MeTV | |
9.3 | SHOP LC | Shop LC | ||
9.5 | QVC | QVC |
On October 3, 2011, WMUR added sub-channel 9.2 with programming from classic television network MeTV.[23]
In 2021,[when?] WMUR added subchannel 9.3 carrying Shop LC programming and later QVC on subchannel 9.5.
Former repeaters
From August 22, 1994, until January 18, 2022, WMUR operated repeaters in northern New Hampshire. Until December 19, 2001, two of the stations were primarily affiliated with Fox but simulcast channel 9's newscasts and some syndicated programs (the third repeater carried all WMUR programming, including ABC network programs). The two Fox stations started simulcasting WMUR when WMTW (at that time separately owned) relocated its transmitter away from Mount Washington.
Call sign | Channel | City of license | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
W27BL | 27 | Berlin |
|
WMUR-LP | 29 | Littleton |
|
A third translator, W38CB, was also licensed to Littleton, sharing the Cannon Mountain transmitter site with WMUR-LP. It launched in May 1995 and, unlike the other Littleton facility, always aired ABC programming.
Since all three stations were low-powered, they were exempt from the transition to digital-only broadcasting on June 12, 2009. W38CB was removed from service on December 27, 2018, to enable T-Mobile to launch 600 MHz services; the license was surrendered for cancellation on February 10, 2020. W27BL and WMUR-LP turned off their analog signals on July 13, 2021. They had pending construction permits to convert to digital, until the FCC canceled those two licenses on January 18, 2022.[24][25]
See also
- Channel 9 virtual TV stations in the United States
- Channel 9 digital TV stations in the United States
- List of television stations in New Hampshire
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WMUR-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "NHAB Alumni: Francis P. Murphy". New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters. October 29, 2001. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rapsis, Jeff (March 4, 2004). "WMUR At 50". The Hippo. Archived from the original on December 17, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ Wetherbee, Fritz. "Fritz Wetherbee: Robert O. Blood". WMUR. Published January 25, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2023.
- The Telegraph. Nashua, NH. Associated Press. February 4, 1959. p. 5. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ "Shuttering of third Eaton outlet proposed: Group broadcasters get triple blow to add to earlier problems at FCC" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 13, 1974. p. 28. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
- ^ Silva, Helga (February 21, 1977). "Listeners mourn sign-off of Cuban radio station". Miami News. p. 5-A. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Dickey, Christopher (April 20, 1978). "Tangled case to silence voice of Spanish radio station". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 28, 1977. p. 22. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ "FCC mixup, tardiness claimed by Friendly" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 6, 1972. p. 40. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ "Renewals clouded by bribe charges" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 8, 1971. p. 44. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ "Welcome to WMUR NewsNine in Manchester, NH!". December 20, 1996. Archived from the original on December 20, 1996.
- ^ "Emmis, H-A deal". Broadcasting & Cable. September 10, 2000. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ "WMUR Available On DirecTV In North Country". WMUR.com. September 23, 2005. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). August 29, 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- ^ "Hearst-Argyle Television on YouTube a big success". Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^ Nicole, Kristen. "YouTube to Split Revenue with Hearst-Argyle's Local TV Stations". Mashable. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ Jones, Lloyd (July 11, 2012). "Hallmark Movie Channel to replace ABC for the foreseeable future". The Conway Daily Sun. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ Corasaniti, Nick (December 11, 2015). "Democrats Revoke Debate Sponsorship of WMUR, New Hampshire TV Station". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ "How it all began?". The Telethon Years. Archived from the original on February 20, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ "WMUR 10 P.M. Newscast Launches". WMUR.com. March 6, 2012. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ "RabbitEars.Info". www.rabbitears.info. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ "Where do I watch MeTV in Chicago?". Me-TV Network. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ FCCdata.org Info On DDWMUR-LP
- ^ FCCdata.org Info On DDW27BL