 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | CW 30 Memphis |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WATN-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | April 18, 1983 |
Former call signs | WMKW-TV (1983–1989) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 30 (UHF, 1983–2009) |
| |
Call sign meaning | MT represents former owner Michael Thompson |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 68518 |
| ERP | 871 kW |
| HAAT | 340 m (1,115 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°16′33″N 89°46′38″W / 35.27583°N 89.77722°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
WLMT (channel 30) is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with The CW and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside ABC affiliate WATN-TV (channel 24). The two stations share studios at the Shelby Oaks Corporate Park on Shelby Oaks Drive in northeast Memphis; WLMT's transmitter is located in the Brunswick section of unincorporated northeast Shelby County.
Channel 30 began broadcasting as WMKW-TV on April 18, 1983. Owned by a consortium of TVX Broadcast Group and local investors including Kemmons Wilson, it was the second independent station in the market behind channel 24, then WPTY-TV. It was the original Memphis affiliate of Fox from 1986 to 1990. However, after TVX sold the station to MT Communications (who changed its call sign to WLMT) in 1989, it lost the Fox affiliation to the higher-rated WPTY-TV in 1990. MT Communications also purchased a TV station in Jackson and renamed it WMTU; it simulcast most of channel 30's programming, though in later years this was limited to local newscasts.
Clear Channel Communications, the then-owner of WPTY-TV, began leasing channel 30 in 1993, leading to a merger of operations. In 1995, the station became an affiliate of UPN and added a local 9 p.m. newscast in conjunction with WPTY-TV's switch to ABC; the local newscast has been competitive in the market, sometimes beating channel 24's own late news. The station became an affiliate of The CW in 2006; it was already airing programming from its predecessors, UPN and The WB. It was acquired by Newport Television in 2007, Nexstar Broadcasting Group in 2012, and Tegna in 2019.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WLMT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.