WMCN-TV
WMCN-TV is a Princeton, New Jersey–licensed television station serving the Philadelphia area, with a schedule centered on paid programming, shopping content, and other syndicated or group-supplied programming.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WMCN-TV is a commercial television station serving the Philadelphia, Delaware Valley, and southern New Jersey markets. The station is licensed to Princeton, New Jersey, while its studios are located on Dobbs Lane in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Its transmission arrangement is unusual: following the sale of its broadcast spectrum in the Federal Communications Commission incentive auction, WMCN entered into a channel-sharing agreement with PBS member station WHYY-TV. WMCN therefore uses WHYY-TV’s transmission facilities and spectrum from the Roxborough section of Philadelphia rather than operating a separate full-power over-the-air facility. The station began broadcasting on July 29, 1981, under the call sign WWAC-TV. It was initially licensed to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and operated on UHF channel 53. In 2002, it became the first American television station authorized by the FCC to end regular analog broadcasting. Its digital operation used UHF channel 44, a change intended to improve service to the Philadelphia market and support cable carriage in the metropolitan area. The station adopted the WMCN-TV call sign in 2003. During the 2000s, WMCN developed a business model heavily oriented toward infomercials and other paid programming. In 2009, it adopted the brand “Get It On TV Philadelphia,” emphasizing a Philadelphia-wide audience rather than its earlier Atlantic City identity. Some of the paid programming was produced by WMCN for local businesses. The schedule also included regional religious broadcasts, children’s programming, and community-interest material. This combination gave the station a more specialized role than a conventional general-entertainment network affiliate. WMCN made several attempts to broaden its profile. In 2011, it acquired rights to televise most regular-season games of the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul. In 2012, it was rebranded as “WMCN44” and added syndicated programs such as Cold Case Files, Dog the Bounty Hunter, and Punk’d. The station also announced several locally produced weekly programs, including A New View, Tolly’s Awesome Friends, and Philly Sports Spotlight. These programs were hosted by former Philadelphia-area television personalities and focused on public issues, notable local residents, and regional sports. The station’s digital subchannel history reflected its continuing use of syndicated and specialized programming. WMCN announced that Bounce TV would be carried on digital subchannel 44.2 beginning in September 2011. That affiliation ended in December 2014, after which the subchannel briefly displayed color bars before carrying Soul of the South Network programming. WMCN’s ownership and transmission structure changed significantly during the late 2010s. In 2014, the station license was voluntarily assigned from Lenfest Broadcasting, LLC to WMCN License Holdings, LLC, an entity with the same ownership structure. In the FCC incentive auction, WMCN sold its spectrum for $63,144,027 and committed to continuing through a post-auction channel-sharing arrangement. NRJ TV agreed in 2017 to purchase the station for $6 million, but later assigned its acquisition rights to WRNN-TV Associates. After the RNN acquisition, WMCN began carrying programming from WRNN, the group’s New York-based primary station, expanding the group’s presence in the Delaware Valley. WMCN subsequently moved through several forms of commercial programming. In 2021, RNN and iMedia Brands announced an agreement under which most RNN stations, including WMCN, would affiliate with the ShopHQ home-shopping service. WMCN began airing ShopHQ on June 28, 2021. On August 25, 2023, it replaced ShopHQ with Shop LC, and on July 1, 2024, it replaced Shop LC with infomercials. These changes demonstrate the station’s continuing reliance on paid, shopping, and advertiser-supported programming rather than a fixed traditional-network schedule.
History
WMCN-TV began broadcasting on July 29, 1981, as WWAC-TV. The station was originally licensed to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and transmitted on UHF channel 53. Its early station-identification presentations used Steve Winwood’s 1980 song “Night Train” as background music. The station adopted the WMCN-TV call sign in 2003. A notable early technical development occurred in October 2002, when WMCN discontinued regular analog programming. It became the first television station in the United States to receive FCC authorization to do so. Its digital service operated on UHF channel 44 rather than the former analog channel 53. The move was designed to improve coverage of the Philadelphia market from a new transmitter location and to support cable carriage with a signal that could qualify for must-carry treatment in the metropolitan area. For much of the 2000s and early 2010s, WMCN’s schedule was built largely around infomercials and other paid programs. In 2009, the station used the “Get It On TV Philadelphia” brand to present itself as a service for the broader Philadelphia market. WMCN produced some infomercials for local businesses. Other programming included regional faith-based telecasts, children’s shows, and community-interest material. The station briefly expanded into regional sports in 2011 by obtaining rights to air most regular-season games of the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul. In 2012, the “WMCN44” rebrand accompanied an effort to look more like a conventional independent station. WMCN added syndicated programs including Cold Case Files, Dog the Bounty Hunter, and Punk’d. It also announced three original weekly series: A New View, an issues-focused program hosted by Dawn Stensland; Tolly’s Awesome Friends, centered on noteworthy local people and hosted by Don Tollefson; and Philly Sports Spotlight, hosted by former WPVI sports anchor Phil Andrews. WMCN operated a digital multicast service on channel 44.2. Bounce TV was announced for the subchannel in 2011 and began carriage in September of that year. WMCN lost the Bounce affiliation in December 2014. The subchannel temporarily displayed SMPTE color bars before Soul of the South Network began using the frequency later that month. In December 2014, the station’s license assignment changed from Lenfest Broadcasting, LLC to WMCN License Holdings, LLC. The receiving company had the same ownership structure as Lenfest. A larger ownership and technical transition followed the FCC incentive auction. WMCN sold its spectrum for $63,144,027 and planned to remain on the air through channel sharing. NRJ TV agreed to acquire WMCN in July 2017 for $6 million, then assigned its right to purchase the station to WRNN-TV Associates. The acquisition ultimately placed WMCN alongside WRNN-TV’s other stations, including WTVE and WPHY-CD. In February 2018, WMCN formalized a channel-sharing agreement with WHYY-TV, the Philadelphia PBS member station. Because WHYY’s transmission did not adequately serve Atlantic City, WMCN changed its city of license to Princeton, New Jersey. WMCN’s signal is transmitted from the Roxborough section of Philadelphia using WHYY-TV’s spectrum and facilities. After its acquisition by WRNN-TV Associates, WMCN also began simulcasting or carrying programming supplied by WRNN, extending the group’s programming into the Delaware Valley. The station’s later schedule continued to emphasize commercial and paid content. RNN and iMedia Brands announced in 2021 that most RNN stations, including WMCN, would affiliate with ShopHQ. WMCN began airing ShopHQ on June 28, 2021. On August 25, 2023, the station replaced ShopHQ with Shop LC. On July 1, 2024, Shop LC was replaced by infomercials, returning WMCN to a programming model similar to the one that had characterized much of its history.
- 2024
Infomercials return
[1]WMCN replaces Shop LC with infomercials on July 1.
- 2023
Shop LC replaces ShopHQ
[1]The station switches from ShopHQ to Shop LC on August 25.
- 2021
ShopHQ affiliation starts
[1]WMCN begins carrying ShopHQ programming on June 28.
- 2018
WHYY-TV channel sharing begins
[1]WMCN enters a channel-sharing agreement with WHYY-TV and changes its city of license to Princeton.
- 2017
Spectrum auction and acquisition agreement
[1]WMCN sells its spectrum in the FCC incentive auction and becomes subject to an acquisition agreement later assigned to WRNN-TV Associates.
- 2014
License assignment to WMCN License Holdings
[1]The station’s license is voluntarily assigned from Lenfest Broadcasting to WMCN License Holdings, an entity with the same ownership structure.
- 2012
WMCN44 rebrand and original series initiative
[1]The station adopts WMCN44 branding, adds syndicated programming, and announces three locally produced weekly series.
- 2011
Philadelphia Soul broadcasts begin
[1]WMCN acquires rights to air most regular-season Philadelphia Soul games.
- 2009
Get It On TV Philadelphia branding introduced
[1]The station rebrands to emphasize coverage of the Philadelphia market.
- 2003
Call sign changes to WMCN-TV
[1]The station adopts its current call sign.
Products and positioning
A Philadelphia-area independent commercial television station focused primarily on paid programming, shopping and advertiser content, syndicated series, and selected regional or community-interest programming.
Television station · 1981
WMCN-TV broadcast service
WMCN-TV is a full-power commercial television service licensed to Princeton, New Jersey, and serving the Philadelphia area. Its current transmission depends on a channel-sharing arrangement with WHYY-TV, using facilities in Philadelphia’s Roxborough section. The service has historically carried a mixture of paid programming, syndicated shows, shopping networks, local productions, and programming supplied by WRNN-TV Associates.
Commercial television programming
Paid programming and infomercials
Paid programming has been a central part of WMCN’s business model for much of its history. The station has aired advertiser-funded infomercials, including productions created for local businesses, and returned to an infomercial-focused schedule after ending Shop LC carriage in 2024.
Home shopping television · 2021
ShopHQ programming
WMCN carried ShopHQ, the home-shopping service associated with iMedia Brands, beginning June 28, 2021. The affiliation ended in August 2023 when the station changed to Shop LC.
Home shopping television · 2023
Shop LC programming
Shop LC replaced ShopHQ on WMCN on August 25, 2023. The station discontinued the service on July 1, 2024, replacing it with infomercials.
Brand decisions
2024
Return to infomercial-focused programmingStrategyBackground
WMCN ended its carriage of Shop LC after a period of home-shopping programming.
Action taken
On July 1, 2024, the station replaced Shop LC with infomercials.
Aftermath
The change restored paid programming as the central component of the station’s schedule.
2021
ShopHQ affiliationProduct launchBackground
RNN and iMedia Brands sought to place ShopHQ programming on most RNN television stations.
Action taken
WMCN began carrying ShopHQ on June 28, 2021.
Aftermath
The station operated as a ShopHQ outlet until switching to Shop LC in August 2023.
2018
WHYY-TV channel-sharing agreementStrategyBackground
WMCN needed a post-auction transmission arrangement, while the WHYY-TV facility provided a way to continue serving the Philadelphia market.
Action taken
WMCN entered a channel-sharing agreement with WHYY-TV and changed its city of license from Atlantic City to Princeton.
Aftermath
WMCN continued operating from the Roxborough transmission facility and became part of a shared-spectrum arrangement.
2017
Spectrum sale and channel-sharing strategyStrategyBackground
The FCC incentive auction created an opportunity for television stations to monetize broadcast spectrum while continuing operations through shared facilities.
Action taken
WMCN sold its spectrum and planned to continue broadcasting through a post-auction channel-sharing agreement.
Aftermath
The station later shared transmission facilities and spectrum with WHYY-TV and changed its city of license to Princeton.
FCC incentive-auction proceeds. $63,144,027 (2017 FCC incentive auction)
2012
Shift toward a more traditional independent-station scheduleStrategyBackground
After years centered on paid programming, WMCN sought to broaden its identity under the WMCN44 brand.
Action taken
The station added syndicated programs and announced three locally produced weekly series.
Aftermath
WMCN temporarily expanded its mix of entertainment, sports, community, and locally oriented programming.
2002
Early transition away from analog broadcastingStrategyBackground
WMCN sought to improve its service to the Philadelphia market and operate through a digital signal on UHF channel 44.
Action taken
The station discontinued regular analog programming and operated digitally after receiving FCC authorization.
Aftermath
WMCN became the first U.S. television station authorized by the FCC to end its analog signal.
Sources2 sources
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