WNMU (TV)

WNMU, virtual channel 13 (VHF digital channel 8), is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Marquette, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Owned by Northern Michigan University, it is a sister station to National Public Radio (NPR) member WNMU-FM (90.1). The two stations share studios at the Edgar L. Harden Learning Resource Center on the university's campus in Marquette, and transmitter facilities in Ely Township southwest of Ishpeming.

WNMU
Marquette, Michigan
United States
ChannelsDigital: 8 (VHF)
Virtual: 13 (PSIP)
BrandingWNMU-TV PBS
SloganPublic TV for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northern Wisconsin
Programming
Affiliations13.1: PBS
13.2: PBS Kids
13.3: WNMU-TV Plus (PBS West)
Ownership
OwnerNorthern Michigan University
(Board of Control, Northern Michigan University)
Sister stationsWNMU-FM
History
First air dateDecember 28, 1972 (1972-12-28)
Former call signsWNPB
Former channel number(s)Analog:
13 (VHF, 1972–2009)
Digital:
33 (UHF, until 2009)
13 (VHF, 2009–2020)
Call sign meaningNorthern
Michigan
University
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID4318
ERP15.5 kW
HAAT323 m (1,060 ft)
Transmitter coordinates46°21′10″N 87°51′15″W
Links
Public license informationProfile
LMS
Websitewnmutv.nmu.edu

Overview

WNMU first went on the air in 1972, under call sign WNPB.

WNMU serves all communities in the UP, over the air on channel 13 in the central UP, and on cable regionwide, including portions of northern Wisconsin not served by Wisconsin Public Television stations WPNE-TV or WLEF-TV.

It is also seen on Charter cable in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, instead of WCMU-TV, which the rest of its market get via transmitters throughout the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. In most of the Eastern UP, cable or satellite are required to receive any PBS service; when the digital conversion took place in 2009, the Eastern UP lost terrestrial PBS service when WCMU satellite WCML in Alpena lowered its transmitter power for its digital broadcasts. Neither WCMU nor WNMU currently have plans to expand into the Eastern UP to fill the void left by the departure of WCML from the Eastern UP airwaves.

WNMU was part of the Shaw line-up on its Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, system until 2002, when it was replaced with Detroit's WTVS.

The transmitter for WNMU-TV is located just outside Ishpeming in Ely Township. The antenna is 1,000 feet (300 m) tall.

The future of WNMU radio and TV was threatened in recent years, as budget cuts led to a proposed sale or closure of the stations. However, new funding was approved, keeping the station on the air.

Shows

WNMU produces a number of shows directly from their studios.

  • High School Bowl, hosted by Jim Koski
  • Media Meet, a weekly public affairs program focused on issues important to residents of Michigan's Upper Peninsula
  • Ask The..., a live call-in series hosted by a panel of experts where viewers may call and have their question discussed on air. There are several shows including Ask The Doctors, Ask The DNR, Ask The Lawyers, and more.
  • What's Up?, a brief community calendar interview program.
  • Public Eye News, a 15-minute news broadcast run by students at NMU.

In 2012 a broadcast titled Mauvais Sort: Spellbound won a Good News Award for uplifting and excellent journalism.[1]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[2]
13.1720p16:9WNMU-HDMain WNMU programming / PBS
13.2480iWNMU-KDPBS Kids
13.3720pWNMU-PLWNMU-TV Plus / PBS West

Analog-to-digital conversion

WNMU discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 13, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 33 to VHF channel 13.[3]

References
  1. Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette (May 31, 2012). "U.P. Media Honored for Good News" (PDF) (Press release). Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  2. RabbitEars TV Query for WNMU
  3. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
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