WMNN-LD
WMNN-LD is a low-power television station serving northern Michigan from Lake City, with a history as the local flagship of the NewsNet headline-news service.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WMNN-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Lake City, Michigan, and serving the Cadillac–Traverse City market. The station broadcasts on digital channel 26 and operates alongside co-owned WXII-LD, whose facilities and operating arrangements are associated with the Cadillac area. WMNN-LD's studios are located on West 13th Street in Cadillac, while its transmitter is situated east of the city near M-55. The station developed its identity around a rolling headline-news format. Its primary service, originally branded MI News 26, provided repeated updates in a newswheel structure rather than conventional newscasts built around fixed-length anchor programs. In May 2016, the format was revised to remove prerecorded anchor segments and emphasize concise news updates refreshed twice daily. On December 9, 2019, the local service adopted the name NewsNet Northern Michigan as part of a broader rebranding connected with the national NewsNet service and the opening of a new studio. WMNN-LD subsequently became the local flagship of NewsNet, a 24-hour headline-news network, until the network suspended operations on August 3, 2024. WMNN-LD's news operation has generally emphasized rolling recorded updates rather than frequent live broadcasts. It has nevertheless provided live coverage for selected events, including election nights, severe-weather developments, and commercial-free coverage of the Cherry-T Ball Drop in Traverse City on New Year's Eve. Weather information has also been supported by prerecorded segments, on-screen tickers, and website notices. The station has carried several forms of secondary programming over time. Its .2 service, initially known as 26 TV Classics and later TV 26, has featured classic television series, cartoons, and related library programming. WMNN-LD became an Antenna TV affiliate on March 9, 2015. The .3 service has used several identities, including Cinema 26, Universal Sports for a temporary period, and Laff beginning in January 2016. WMNN-LD also became an alternate CW affiliate on February 25, 2023, carrying the CW's LIV Golf coverage after the market's primary CW outlet declined to air the Saudi-owned golf tour on its CW Plus-associated digital channel. After NewsNet ceased operations in 2024, WMNN-LD temporarily carried ShopHQ programming before changing to Binge TV on April 17, 2025. The station therefore remains an active local broadcast asset, but its programming identity has shifted from a dedicated local-news and national-news operation toward a mixture of multicast and syndicated or network-supplied services.
History
WMNN-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Lake City, Michigan, and serving viewers in the Cadillac–Traverse City area. Its facilities are associated with Cadillac: the station shares studios on West 13th Street with WXII-LD, while its transmitter is located east of Cadillac near M-55. The station's identity has changed substantially over time as it moved among local news, multicast entertainment, and network-supplied programming. WMNN-LD's principal service became known for a continuous newswheel format. Rather than relying exclusively on traditional morning, noon, evening, and late-night newscasts, the service repeated short news segments and updated information throughout the day. This model later provided the format foundation for the broader NewsNet service. In May 2016, WMNN-LD revised its presentation by eliminating prerecorded anchor appearances and using a shorter update structure, with an approximately eight-minute news segment refreshed twice daily. The station's local news operation was branded MI News 26 until December 9, 2019. On that date it became NewsNet Northern Michigan, coinciding with a new visual identity for the national NewsNet service and the introduction of a new studio. WMNN-LD then served as NewsNet's flagship station and supplied locally oriented coverage for northern Michigan while the network developed a national headline-news feed. WMNN-LD did not maintain a regular schedule of live local broadcasts. Its live output was event-driven, including election-night coverage, severe-weather cut-ins when conditions required them, and commercial-free coverage of Traverse City's Cherry-T Ball Drop on New Year's Eve. At other times, prerecorded weather reports directed viewers to the station's ticker or website for developing information. A major related development occurred on September 14, 2021, when WXII-LD launched digital operations and added an uninterrupted national NewsNet feed to its second subchannel. That service resembled WMNN-LD's programming but did not include WMNN-LD's locally produced northern Michigan material. In January 2022, the portfolio containing NewsNet, WMNN-LD, and WXII-LD was sold to investor Manoj Bhargava, with Eric Wotila retaining a minority interest in the new Bridge News organization. The transaction was completed on March 24, 2022, under an arrangement in which Bridge News operated the stations through a time brokerage agreement with Freelancer Television Broadcasting. NewsNet's operations were suspended on August 3, 2024. This ended WMNN-LD's period as the service's flagship and required a change in the station's post-NewsNet programming. The station first carried ShopHQ and subsequently switched to Binge TV on April 17, 2025. WMNN-LD has also used its digital multicast capacity for entertainment and network programming. The .2 service began as 26 TV Classics and later used the TV 26 name, presenting classic programs such as Bonanza, The Lone Ranger, The Jack Benny Program, and classic cartoons. Antenna TV was added to that service in March 2015. The .3 service operated under the Cinema 26 identity, briefly carried Universal Sports between August 2011 and January 2012, returned to Cinema 26, and was replaced by Laff on January 4, 2016. On February 25, 2023, WMNN-LD became an alternate CW affiliate for the market when it began carrying the CW's LIV Golf coverage. The market's primary CW outlet, associated with WFQX-TV, declined to carry the Saudi-owned golf tour on its second digital channel, which otherwise carried CW Plus programming. This arrangement added network sports programming to WMNN-LD's changing mix of local and multicast services.
- 2025
Binge TV replaces ShopHQ
[1]WMNN-LD changed from ShopHQ programming to Binge TV on April 17, 2025.
- 2024
NewsNet suspends operations
[1]NewsNet suspended all operations on August 3, 2024.
- 2023
WMNN-LD carries CW LIV Golf coverage
[1]The station became an alternate CW affiliate for LIV Golf coverage on February 25, 2023.
- 2022
NewsNet-related portfolio transaction closes
[1]The transaction involving NewsNet, WMNN-LD, and WXII-LD was completed on March 24, following an announced sale to Manoj Bhargava and a time-brokerage arrangement.
- 2021
National NewsNet feed launches on WXII-LD2
[1]WXII-LD added a national, uninterrupted NewsNet feed to its second digital subchannel.
- 2019
MI News 26 becomes NewsNet Northern Michigan
[1]The local news service adopted the NewsNet Northern Michigan name on December 9, 2019.
- 2016
Newswheel format is streamlined
[1]The station removed prerecorded anchors and adopted shorter news updates refreshed twice daily.
- 2016
Laff replaces Cinema 26
[1]Laff replaced Cinema 26 on the station's third digital subchannel on January 4, 2016.
- 2015
Antenna TV affiliation begins
[1]WMNN-LD began carrying Antenna TV on March 9, 2015, on a service previously associated with 26 TV Classics.
- 2011
Universal Sports temporarily replaces Cinema 26
[1]The station's third digital service carried Universal Sports from August 23, 2011, until the service returned to Cinema 26 on January 1, 2012.
Products and positioning
A low-power regional television station combining northern Michigan local news, multicast entertainment, network programming, and occasional live event coverage.
Local television news service
NewsNet Northern Michigan
WMNN-LD's primary local news service, formerly known as MI News 26, used a rolling newswheel format with repeated headline updates and locally relevant coverage. Its programming included weekday editions, weekend coverage, weather information, and selected live event cut-ins. It served as the local northern Michigan component of NewsNet until that network suspended operations in August 2024.
Classic television multicast service
TV 26
The station's second digital service, previously branded 26 TV Classics, presented library television programs including Bonanza, The Lone Ranger, The Jack Benny Program, classic cartoons, and similar entertainment. It later carried Antenna TV beginning in March 2015.
Comedy and entertainment multicast service · 2016
Laff 26
Laff replaced Cinema 26 on WMNN-LD's third digital subchannel in January 2016. The service provided comedy-oriented television programming after the station's earlier experiments with classic films and a temporary Universal Sports affiliation.
Network television programming · 2023
CW alternate affiliation
Beginning February 25, 2023, WMNN-LD carried CW coverage of LIV Golf as an alternate affiliate. The arrangement was tied to the primary market outlet's decision not to air the Saudi-owned golf tour on its CW Plus-associated digital channel.
Brand decisions
2024
Post-NewsNet programming transitionStrategyBackground
NewsNet suspended all operations on August 3, 2024, ending the station's role as its flagship.
Action taken
WMNN-LD replaced its former NewsNet-centered schedule with ShopHQ programming and later changed to Binge TV on April 17, 2025.
Aftermath
The station continued as an active low-power television outlet with a more general entertainment and syndicated-programming profile.
2023
Alternate CW carriage for LIV GolfProduct launchBackground
The market's primary CW outlet declined to air LIV Golf on its second digital subchannel.
Action taken
WMNN-LD began carrying the CW's LIV Golf coverage as an alternate affiliate on February 25, 2023.
Aftermath
The station added nationally distributed sports programming to its local-news and multicast portfolio.
2022
Sale of the NewsNet-related station portfolioM&ABackground
The portfolio containing NewsNet, WMNN-LD, and WXII-LD was transferred from Freelancer Television Broadcasting through a transaction announced in January 2022.
Action taken
Investor Manoj Bhargava acquired the portfolio, while Eric Wotila retained a 10 percent ownership interest in Bridge News. The transaction closed on March 24, with operations conducted under a time brokerage agreement.
Aftermath
WMNN-LD continued operating within the NewsNet-related station group until the network later suspended operations.
2019
Rebranding as NewsNet Northern MichiganStrategyBackground
The local MI News 26 service was aligned with the developing national NewsNet brand.
Action taken
WMNN-LD adopted the NewsNet Northern Michigan identity on December 9, 2019.
Aftermath
WMNN-LD became the local flagship station associated with the NewsNet headline-news service.
2016
Streamlining of the newswheel formatStrategyBackground
The station's rolling-news presentation relied on prerecorded anchor material and repeated updates.
Action taken
WMNN-LD removed prerecorded anchors and shifted to an approximately eight-minute news segment updated twice per day.
Aftermath
The revised presentation became the operating model for the station's continuing headline-news service.
Recent events
- 2025
WMNN-LD changes post-NewsNet programming[1]
Product generation
Following a period carrying ShopHQ, the station replaced that programming with Binge TV on April 17, 2025.
- 2024
NewsNet operations are suspended[1]
Other
NewsNet suspended operations on August 3, ending WMNN-LD's role as the flagship station of the 24-hour headline-news service.
- 2019
WMNN-LD rebrands its local news service as NewsNet Northern Michigan[1]
Other
The local MI News 26 service adopted the NewsNet Northern Michigan name as part of the national NewsNet service's rebranding and studio launch.
- 2015
WMNN-LD becomes an Antenna TV affiliate[1]
Other
The station began carrying Antenna TV programming on its secondary digital service, replacing the earlier 26 TV Classics presentation.
Sources2 sources
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