WNMU

WNMU is a PBS member television station licensed to Marquette, Michigan, and operated by Northern Michigan University. The station serves the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with additional cable distribution reaching parts of the Eastern Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. Its over-the-air service is centered on digital channel 13, while cable and satellite carriage extend its practical audience beyond the area covered reliably by its transmitter. The station began broadcasting in 1972 under the call sign WNPB. In December 1975, the television station and Northern Michigan University's associated radio outlet adopted the WNMU call letters in changes made approximately two weeks apart. The shared identity reflects the university's ownership and its broader public-media operation, which includes WNMU-FM, an NPR member station broadcasting on 90.1 MHz. WNMU's television studios are located in the Edgar L. Harden Learning Resource Center on Northern Michigan University's campus in Marquette. The station's transmitter is in Ely Township, southwest of Ishpeming, and uses an approximately 1,000-foot antenna to provide terrestrial coverage across a geographically challenging region. The Upper Peninsula's dispersed communities, rugged terrain, and cross-border cable arrangements have made cable and satellite distribution important to the station's regional reach. As a PBS member station, WNMU carries public television programming while also producing locally oriented programs. Its output has included High School Bowl, a scholastic competition hosted by Jim Koski; Media Meet, a weekly public-affairs program focused on Upper Peninsula issues and hosted by Mike Settles; and the live Ask The... series, in which expert panels answer viewer questions on subjects such as medicine, natural resources, and law. What's Up? provides short community-calendar interviews, while Public Eye News gives Northern Michigan University students experience producing a brief news program. WNMU has also been affected by the financial pressures facing university-supported public media. Budget reductions at Northern Michigan University led to proposals that could have involved selling or closing the radio and television operations. Additional funding was ultimately approved, allowing the stations to remain on the air. The station completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television on June 12, 2009, moving its digital broadcast from pre-transition UHF channel 33 to VHF channel 13. WNMU remains an active university-owned PBS outlet whose identity is closely tied to education, regional public affairs, community service, and local media training.

WNMU is the television component of Northern Michigan University's public-media operation in Marquette, Michigan. The station first went on the air in 1972 using the call sign WNPB. Its original mission was to provide public television service to communities across Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a large and relatively sparsely populated region where distance and terrain make broadcast coverage and media distribution unusually demanding. In December 1975, the television station adopted the WNMU call sign. The university's FM radio service, formerly known as WNMR-FM, made a related call-sign change approximately two weeks earlier. The shared WNMU identity established a common public-media brand for the university's television and radio outlets, which continue to operate together while maintaining distinct broadcast services. Both services are owned by Northern Michigan University and share studios in the Edgar L. Harden Learning Resource Center on the university's Marquette campus. WNMU's primary broadcast facility is located in Ely Township, southwest of Ishpeming. Its tall transmission structure supports service to the central and western Upper Peninsula, while cable carriage helps the station reach communities beyond the strongest terrestrial coverage area. The station has historically been available throughout much of the Upper Peninsula through a combination of broadcast and cable distribution. It has also been carried in portions of northern Wisconsin and, for a period, on the Shaw cable system serving Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Shaw removed WNMU from that lineup in 2002, replacing it with Detroit's WTVS. The station's regional role has been shaped by the uneven availability of PBS service in the Eastern Upper Peninsula. Some communities rely on cable or satellite rather than a local over-the-air PBS signal. During the 2009 digital transition, the reduction in power of WCMU's WCML satellite in Alpena contributed to the loss of terrestrial PBS service in parts of the Eastern Upper Peninsula. WNMU and WCMU did not announce plans to expand terrestrial coverage into that area, leaving distribution arrangements dependent on existing cable and satellite services. WNMU combines national PBS programming with locally produced material. High School Bowl presents academic competition involving area schools. Media Meet provides a recurring public-affairs forum addressing issues affecting Upper Peninsula residents. The Ask The... programs use live viewer questions and expert panels to cover topics including medicine, natural resources, and law. What's Up? highlights local events through short interview segments, and Public Eye News gives students an opportunity to produce a concise news broadcast. In 2012, a broadcast titled Mauvais Sort: Spellbound received a Good News Award for journalism characterized as uplifting and effective. Like many university-supported public-media organizations, WNMU has faced financial uncertainty. Northern Michigan University budget reductions led to proposals involving a possible sale or closure of its radio and television stations. Additional funding was approved, preserving the services and enabling WNMU to continue broadcasting. The television station ended regular analog transmissions on June 12, 2009, the federally designated transition date for full-power U.S. television stations. Its digital signal moved from pre-transition UHF channel 33 to VHF channel 13, aligning the digital service with the station's familiar channel identity. WNMU remains an active PBS member station and a regional institution of Northern Michigan University. Its brand is defined less by commercial product lines than by public-service broadcasting, educational programming, local journalism, civic discussion, student training, and coverage of communities across the Upper Peninsula.

• 2012

  Mauvais Sort: Spellbound receives a Good News Award

  [1]WNMU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  A WNMU-produced broadcast receives recognition for positive and high-quality journalism.

• 2009

  Digital television transition

  [1]WNMU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  WNMU ends analog broadcasting and continues digitally on VHF channel 13 after moving its pre-transition digital signal from UHF channel 33.

• 2002

  WNMU leaves the Shaw Sault Ste. Marie lineup

  [1]WNMU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  Shaw replaces WNMU with Detroit PBS station WTVS on its Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, cable system.

• 1975

  The station adopts the WNMU identity

  [1]WNMU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The television service changes its call sign from WNPB to WNMU in December, following a related call-sign change at the university's FM service.

• 1972

  WNPB begins broadcasting

  [1]WNMU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  Northern Michigan University's television station goes on the air under the WNPB call sign.

A university-owned public television service focused on PBS programming, Upper Peninsula news and civic discussion, educational content, and community connection.

• Public television broadcasting · 1972

  PBS television service

  WNMU carries PBS programming for viewers in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and surrounding distribution areas. The service is delivered over the air in the station's core coverage area and through cable and satellite systems in communities where terrestrial reception is limited or unavailable.

• Original television programming

  Local public-affairs and educational programming

  The station produces regional programming designed for civic discussion, education, community information, and student training. Notable examples include Media Meet, Ask The..., What's Up?, High School Bowl, and Public Eye News.

• 2009

  Conversion from analog to digital televisionGeneration change

  Background

  The United States required full-power television stations to end regular analog broadcasting as part of the national digital transition.

  Action taken

  WNMU ended analog service on VHF channel 13 and operated digitally on VHF channel 13 after relocating its pre-transition digital signal from UHF channel 33.

  Aftermath

  The station continued serving its regional audience digitally, although the broader transition contributed to changes in terrestrial PBS availability in parts of the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

  Source

• Continuation of university public-media operations after budget pressureStrategy

  Background

  Northern Michigan University budget reductions created uncertainty about the future of its radio and television stations, including proposals involving a possible sale or closure.

  Action taken

  Additional funding was approved to keep the stations operating and broadcasting.

  Aftermath

  WNMU remained on the air as an active university-owned PBS member station.

  Source

1. 1WNMU (TV)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2WNMU official websitewnmutv.nmu.edu