WWRS-TV
Encyclopedia
WWRS-TV is a religious
television station
licensed
to Mayville, Wisconsin
, serving the Milwaukee and Madison
markets
as an owned and operated station of the Trinity Broadcasting Network
The station's signal on digital channel 43 (remapping to former analog channel 52 via PSIP) covers much of south eastern and south central Wisconsin, along with extended cable coverage through the area. The network is also broadcast on WMWD-LD in Madison; however that station repeats TBN's national satellite feed and not WWRS, and predates Channel 52 by two years.
The station was formerly owned by National Minority Television, which was a division of TBN used to circumvent the FCC's ownership restrictions. While TBN founder Paul Crouch
was NMTV's president, two of its directors were African-American, which met the FCC's definition of a "minority-controlled" firm. In mid-2008, the station and its NMTV sisters came directly under the TBN banner.
Like most TBN stations, WWRS simulcasts the TBN national feed for most of the day. TBN typically buys full-power stations mainly to get must-carry
status on area cable systems, even though it offers almost no local programming. However, WWRS airs FCC-required public affairs programming (Public Report) from studio facilities on Barker Road in Brookfield
, with a nominal presence retained in at the station's transmitting facility and former main studio in Iron Ridge
. The station also airs church services from throughout the area, usually on Friday morning.
Charter Communications
, the dominant cable provider in the Madison area, and several communities in the Milwaukee area, have added TBN and all of its digital subchannels (except Enlace USA) to its systems in the area beginning in late August 2007, within the provider's digital
family tier of channels . However, the signal comes directly via satellite to Charter's headend, not through WWRS.
's Milwaukee-area system and WWRS regarding must-carry regulations. Must-carry regulations require cable TV systems within the Grade B contour of a full-power, full service TV station to carry that station on the basic cable tier. When the dispute was settled, the FCC judged that the station was not required to be carried on the cable systems in the more distant counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth. However, WWRS was able to exercise must-carry to the Time Warner Cable lineup in southeastern Wisconsin. This, combined with the lack of available channel space, caused the forced move of Madison
's PBS
/Wisconsin Public Television
flagship station WHA-TV (Channel 21) to the digital cable
tier in order to air WWRS on the basic cable tier.
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to Mayville, Wisconsin
Mayville, Wisconsin
Mayville is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, located along the Rock River. The population was 4,902 at the 2000 census.Mayville is located at ....
, serving the Milwaukee and Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
markets
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
as an owned and operated station of the Trinity Broadcasting Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
The station's signal on digital channel 43 (remapping to former analog channel 52 via PSIP) covers much of south eastern and south central Wisconsin, along with extended cable coverage through the area. The network is also broadcast on WMWD-LD in Madison; however that station repeats TBN's national satellite feed and not WWRS, and predates Channel 52 by two years.
The station was formerly owned by National Minority Television, which was a division of TBN used to circumvent the FCC's ownership restrictions. While TBN founder Paul Crouch
Paul Crouch
Paul Franklin Crouch is a religious broadcaster and, along with his wife Jan, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network .-Biography:...
was NMTV's president, two of its directors were African-American, which met the FCC's definition of a "minority-controlled" firm. In mid-2008, the station and its NMTV sisters came directly under the TBN banner.
Like most TBN stations, WWRS simulcasts the TBN national feed for most of the day. TBN typically buys full-power stations mainly to get must-carry
Must-carry
In cable television, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally-licensed television stations must be carried on a cable provider's system.- Canada :...
status on area cable systems, even though it offers almost no local programming. However, WWRS airs FCC-required public affairs programming (Public Report) from studio facilities on Barker Road in Brookfield
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the second largest city in Waukesha County, and the leading commercial suburb of Milwaukee. The City of Brookfield was formed in 1954 from the Town of...
, with a nominal presence retained in at the station's transmitting facility and former main studio in Iron Ridge
Iron Ridge, Wisconsin
Iron Ridge is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 998 at the 2000 census. The village was founded on a railroad line, named for the iron mined in the area...
. The station also airs church services from throughout the area, usually on Friday morning.
Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
, the dominant cable provider in the Madison area, and several communities in the Milwaukee area, have added TBN and all of its digital subchannels (except Enlace USA) to its systems in the area beginning in late August 2007, within the provider's digital
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
family tier of channels . However, the signal comes directly via satellite to Charter's headend, not through WWRS.
Must-carry
On April 1, 2002, a dispute arose between Time Warner CableTime Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
's Milwaukee-area system and WWRS regarding must-carry regulations. Must-carry regulations require cable TV systems within the Grade B contour of a full-power, full service TV station to carry that station on the basic cable tier. When the dispute was settled, the FCC judged that the station was not required to be carried on the cable systems in the more distant counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth. However, WWRS was able to exercise must-carry to the Time Warner Cable lineup in southeastern Wisconsin. This, combined with the lack of available channel space, caused the forced move of Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
's PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
/Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television is a state network of public television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Extension...
flagship station WHA-TV (Channel 21) to the digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
tier in order to air WWRS on the basic cable tier.
External links
- TBN Official site
- TBN.org/publicfile/WWRS/ (WWRS's public filePublic fileA public file is a collection of documents required by a broadcasting authority to be maintained by all broadcast stations under its jurisdiction....
) - History of Milwaukee television