TVW

TVW is a television subchannel brand associated with WISC-TV, the CBS-affiliated broadcast station serving Madison, Wisconsin. It is operated by Morgan Murphy Media, the locally based broadcasting company that has owned WISC-TV since the station launched. TVW is not a standalone national network or an independent corporate media company; it is a branded service carried primarily through WISC-TV's second digital subchannel, WISC-DT2, and through selected cable systems in the Madison area. The service began on January 1, 1996, under the name WiSC2. Its original format resembled that of a general-entertainment independent station. Programming included syndicated situation comedies and dramas, talk and game shows, children's programs, local news and community-affairs content, regional sports, and a morning simulcast of Bloomberg Information Television. Early distribution was limited. The channel was primarily cable-only, was not initially carried by Marcus Cable in the immediate Madison market, and also used a low-power broadcast facility. That restricted reach made it difficult for the service to compete for a broad audience during its first years. In 1998, WiSC2 was renamed the Television Wisconsin Network, or TVW, after Television Wisconsin, Inc., the licensee associated with WISC-TV. The same year, it became Madison's local outlet for The WB. This affiliation was strategically important because The WB had previously reached much of the area indirectly through out-of-market stations and superstation feeds. TVW's WB affiliation helped secure carriage on Marcus Cable and gave the service a more recognizable network schedule, while it continued to supplement that schedule with syndicated shows, Wisconsin Badgers sports, and locally produced programming. WISC-TV began simulcasting TVW on digital subchannel 3.2 in September 2000, when the station launched its digital service. The move made TVW available over the air to the still relatively small number of households with digital television equipment and made the service an early example of a permanent digital subchannel operation. During the early 2000s, the channel used additional cable-oriented brands, including WB14 and UPN14, reflecting its placement on local cable systems and its changing network affiliations. On August 26, 2002, WISC-DT2 became Madison's UPN affiliate following an affiliation change involving WHPN-TV, which was sold to ACME Communications and later became associated with The WB's successor, The CW. TVW consequently adopted the UPN14 identity for its UPN programming. In 2006, after CBS and Warner Bros. announced The CW and News Corporation introduced MyNetworkTV as a programming service for stations left outside The CW arrangement, WISC-DT2 was selected as Madison's charter MyNetworkTV affiliate. It used the on-air name My Madison TV from August 2006 and joined MyNetworkTV when that service launched on September 5, 2006. UPN programs continued in a delayed overnight slot until UPN ended national operations later that month. The subchannel returned to the TVW identity on July 1, 2009. The rebrand emphasized its Madison and Wisconsin connection rather than a network affiliation. As a MyNetworkTV outlet, TVW combined syndicated entertainment with college sports, Badgers hockey, high-school athletics under the PrepMania banner, and locally produced shows such as Urban Theater and Sidelines. It also served as a backup outlet for CBS programs preempted on WISC-TV's main channel because of breaking news, severe weather, special events, or extended local coverage. The channel has additionally carried delayed WISC newscasts and weather updates. In February 2019, TVW acquired selected syndicated programs and much of the locally produced programming displaced when WIFS changed its format and became an Ion Plus outlet with limited advance notice. The acquired programming included the Saturday-night horror presentation Bordello of Horror and the talk program Talk Wisconsin, formerly known as Talk of the Town. In 2024, WISC-TV and TVW participated in a regional Milwaukee Bucks carriage arrangement, airing selected games produced through a partnership involving Weigel Broadcasting and Bally Sports Wisconsin. TVW therefore continues to function as a flexible local broadcast platform combining syndicated entertainment, sports, local programming, news overflow, and secondary network content.

TVW developed from WISC-TV's effort to create a broader entertainment service around its Madison broadcast operation. The service began on January 1, 1996, as WiSC2. It was primarily cable-only and initially had limited distribution, with carriage absent from Marcus Cable's immediate Madison-area system. A low-power broadcast outlet provided some additional reach, but the channel's potential audience remained constrained. The service initially followed a general-entertainment independent-station model. Its schedule mixed syndicated sitcoms, dramas, talk shows, game shows, children's programs, local news and public-affairs content, regional sports, and a Bloomberg Information Television morning simulcast. In 1998, the channel was renamed the Television Wisconsin Network, shortened on air to TVW, using the name of the WISC-TV licensee, Television Wisconsin, Inc. It also became a local affiliate of The WB. That affiliation improved the service's visibility and helped persuade Marcus Cable to add it to its Madison-area lineup. TVW continued to supplement network programs with syndicated series, Wisconsin Badgers sports, and programming produced by WISC-TV and Charter. In September 2000, WISC-TV began transmitting a simulcast of TVW on digital subchannel 3.2. This gave the service an over-the-air presence and made it one of the early permanent digital-subchannel operations in American television. The station later used the WB14 name to match its cable channel position. In 2002, WISC-DT2 became Madison's UPN outlet after an affiliation change involving WHPN-TV. Its branding changed to UPN14, while the service's underlying TVW identity remained associated with the subchannel. The next major transition followed the creation of The CW and MyNetworkTV in 2006. Because WISC-DT2 was not selected for The CW, Morgan Murphy Media designated it as Madison's charter MyNetworkTV affiliate. The subchannel used My Madison TV as its on-air identity from August 2006 and began carrying MyNetworkTV programming on September 5. UPN programs remained in delayed overnight slots until UPN ended operations on September 15. WHPN-TV subsequently became the area's CW outlet under new ownership and branding. As a MyNetworkTV affiliate, WISC-DT2 carried syndicated entertainment alongside college sports supplied through ESPN Plus, occasional Badgers hockey, high-school sports under the PrepMania name, and local programs including Urban Theater and Sidelines. The subchannel also became a practical extension of WISC-TV's news and programming operation. It could carry CBS programs displaced from the primary channel by breaking news, weather, or special events, and it aired delayed versions of WISC-TV newscasts and weather updates. A short news update began in 2004 under the UPN14 News at Nine name; it expanded to a half-hour in 2005 and continued through 2011, when WISC-TV entered a separate arrangement to produce WMSN-TV's 9 p.m. newscast. On July 1, 2009, the service returned to the TVW brand with a blue, white, and black circular logo. The change emphasized a local Wisconsin identity rather than dependence on a network label. In February 2019, TVW added selected syndicated and locally produced programs displaced by WIFS's abrupt conversion to an Ion Plus affiliate. The additions included Bordello of Horror and Talk Wisconsin, formerly titled Talk of the Town. TVW remains a WISC-TV digital subchannel and local programming brand. Its role has changed repeatedly—from cable entertainment service, to WB and UPN outlet, to MyNetworkTV affiliate, and back to a locally oriented TVW identity—but its continuing function is to extend Morgan Murphy Media's Madison programming footprint. In 2024, its schedule also included selected Milwaukee Bucks games distributed through an arrangement involving Weigel Broadcasting and Bally Sports Wisconsin.

• 2024

  Selected Bucks games air on the WISC-TV operation

  [1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Some Milwaukee Bucks games from a Weigel and Bally Sports Wisconsin arrangement air on TVW.

• 2019

  Programming from WIFS moves to TVW

  [1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  TVW takes on selected syndicated and locally produced programs displaced by WIFS's format conversion.

• 2009

  TVW identity is restored

  [1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The subchannel returns to TVW branding and highlights its Madison and Wisconsin orientation.

• 2006

  MyNetworkTV affiliation begins

  [1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WISC-DT2 becomes a charter MyNetworkTV affiliate and uses My Madison TV on air.

• 2002

  TVW becomes UPN14

  [1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WISC-DT2 assumes Madison's UPN affiliation and uses the UPN14 brand.

• 2000

  Digital subchannel simulcast begins

  [1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WISC-TV adds TVW to digital subchannel 3.2, creating an over-the-air distribution path.

• 1998

  The service becomes TVW and joins The WB

  [1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The channel adopts the Television Wisconsin Network identity and becomes Madison's local WB outlet.

• 1996

  WiSC2 begins operations

  [1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WISC-TV launches a primarily cable-oriented general-entertainment sister service under the WiSC2 name.

A Madison-focused secondary television service using a digital subchannel and cable distribution to provide syndicated entertainment, sports, local programs, secondary-network content, and overflow programming from WISC-TV.

• Digital television subchannel · 2000

  TVW on WISC-DT2

  TVW is primarily distributed through WISC-TV's second digital subchannel, WISC-DT2, transmitted in high definition on virtual channel 3.2. The service provides a flexible schedule combining syndicated entertainment, sports, local programs, weather information, delayed newscasts, and programming displaced from WISC-TV's main CBS service.

• Secondary network programming · 2006

  MyNetworkTV programming

  From 2006, TVW's WISC-DT2 service carried MyNetworkTV programming as Madison's charter affiliate. The affiliation followed the creation of The CW and provided a network schedule for the subchannel after WISC-DT2 was not selected for The CW.

• High-school sports

  PrepMania

  PrepMania was the branding used for TVW's high-school sports coverage. It formed part of the subchannel's locally relevant sports offering alongside college athletics and other Wisconsin-focused programming.

• Local talk programming · 2019

  Talk Wisconsin

  Talk Wisconsin is a locally produced talk program carried by TVW after selected programming moved from WIFS in 2019. The program had previously been known as Talk of the Town before relocating.

• Local entertainment programming · 2019

  Bordello of Horror

  Bordello of Horror is a Saturday-night horror-movie showcase among the locally produced programs acquired by TVW after WIFS changed its format in 2019.

• 2009Return to TVW

  Madison, Wisconsin · South-central Wisconsin

  The subchannel returned to the TVW name with a refreshed blue, white, and black visual identity designed to reinforce its local Wisconsin connection.

  Outcome. TVW again became the principal public-facing brand for the subchannel.

  Source
• 2001WB14 branding

  Madison, Wisconsin

  TVW used WB14 as a cable-facing brand tied to its channel position, while continuing to retain TVW as its official identity.

  Outcome. The service later adopted UPN14 and then My Madison TV as its affiliations changed.

  Source

• 2019

  Absorb programming displaced by WIFS format changeStrategy

  Background

  WIFS changed its format and became an Ion Plus affiliate, displacing selected syndicated and locally produced programming.

  Action taken

  TVW acquired selected programs, including Talk Wisconsin and Bordello of Horror.

  Aftermath

  The move broadened TVW's locally oriented and entertainment schedule.

  Source

• 2006

  Choose MyNetworkTVStrategy

  Background

  The launch of The CW and MyNetworkTV reorganized the former UPN and WB affiliate landscape.

  Action taken

  Morgan Murphy Media designated WISC-DT2 as Madison's charter MyNetworkTV affiliate and temporarily branded it My Madison TV.

  Aftermath

  The subchannel carried MyNetworkTV from its September 2006 launch while retaining delayed UPN programming until UPN shut down.

  Source

• 2002

  Switch to UPN affiliationStrategy

  Background

  An affiliation change connected to the sale and repositioning of WHPN-TV altered Madison's local network distribution.

  Action taken

  WISC-DT2 became the market's UPN affiliate and used the UPN14 identity.

  Aftermath

  TVW provided over-the-air access to UPN programming for viewers who lacked cable, satellite, or early digital television access.

  Source

• 1998

  Adopt The WB affiliationStrategy

  Background

  The cable-oriented service had limited reach and needed a stronger programming proposition and broader carriage.

  Action taken

  TVW joined The WB and continued supplementing the network schedule with syndicated, sports, and locally produced programming.

  Aftermath

  The affiliation helped TVW obtain carriage on Marcus Cable's Madison-area system.

  Source

• 2024

  WISC-TV and TVW carry selected Milwaukee Bucks games[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  The station group aired selected Bucks games through an arrangement involving Weigel Broadcasting and Bally Sports Wisconsin, with some games assigned to TVW.

• 2019

  TVW expands programming after WIFS format change[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  TVW acquired selected syndicated and locally produced programs displaced when WIFS changed to an Ion Plus format.

• 2009

  TVW returns to its local brand[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign

  The subchannel abandoned the My Madison TV identity and returned to TVW, with branding intended to stress its Madison and Wisconsin connection.

• 2006

  TVW selected as Madison's charter MyNetworkTV affiliate[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  WISC-DT2 was chosen for MyNetworkTV and began using the My Madison TV brand when the programming service launched.

• 2002

  WISC-DT2 becomes Madison's UPN affiliate[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Following an affiliation change involving WHPN-TV, WISC-DT2 adopted the UPN14 identity and carried UPN programming.

• 2001

  TVW changes cable-facing identity to WB14[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign

  The service used the WB14 brand to reflect its channel placement on Charter's Madison-area cable systems while retaining TVW as its official identification.

• 2000

  WISC-TV adds an over-the-air TVW simulcast[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  WISC-TV began carrying TVW on digital subchannel 3.2, expanding the service beyond its earlier cable and low-power distribution.

• 1998

  TVW becomes Madison's WB outlet[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The service adopted the TVW identity and joined The WB, helping it obtain broader local cable distribution.

• 1996

  TVW launches as WiSC2[1]WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  WISC-TV introduced a primarily cable-oriented general-entertainment sister service under the WiSC2 name.

1. 1WISC-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2TVW official pagechannel3000.com