WWRS-TV

WWRS-TV is a full-power religious television station licensed to Mayville, Wisconsin, and identified with virtual channel 52. The station serves viewers in and around the Milwaukee and Madison television markets, with a transmitter located in Hubbard. Its over-the-air signal reaches substantial portions of southeastern and south-central Wisconsin, while cable distribution extends its availability across a wider regional footprint. The station is owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), a religious television network whose programming is distributed through owned stations, cable systems, satellite services, and digital multicast channels. WWRS-TV functions primarily as a local transmission outlet for TBN programming rather than as a conventional locally originated broadcast operation. Like many TBN full-power stations, it has historically provided little locally produced content beyond required or practical local insertions, including Emergency Alert System weather warnings and missing-person alerts. Before regulatory changes permitted the closure of local studios, WWRS-TV also aired FCC-required public-affairs programming from a Brookfield studio and carried local church services on a limited schedule. The station's ownership history reflects an earlier TBN structure involving National Minority Television, a company described as a de facto TBN subsidiary. That arrangement was used in connection with the Federal Communications Commission's television-station ownership restrictions. TBN founder Paul Crouch served as NMTV's president, while the company's board composition was structured to meet the FCC definition of a minority-controlled firm. In mid-2008, WWRS-TV and other stations associated with NMTV moved into direct TBN ownership. Cable carriage has been important to the station's regional reach. A significant dispute with Time Warner Cable in the Milwaukee area in 2002 concerned whether WWRS-TV was entitled to mandatory cable carriage under federal must-carry rules. The FCC determined that the station did not have to be carried in the more distant counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth, but WWRS-TV could invoke must-carry rights on the provider's immediate Milwaukee-area systems. Because of limited channel capacity, the outcome also affected the placement of WHA-TV, the PBS Wisconsin flagship station, which was moved to a digital cable tier in systems carrying WWRS-TV on the basic tier. Charter Communications began adding TBN and its digital multicast services to systems in the Madison area and parts of the Milwaukee region in late August 2007. Following Charter's acquisition of Time Warner Cable in 2017 and the subsequent Spectrum branding, the station's cable-distribution context became part of the broader Spectrum regional lineup. Depending on the applicable carriage arrangement, systems carried either the WWRS-TV feed or a TBN national feed. WWRS-TV completed the transition away from analog transmission on April 16, 2009, in line with TBN's full-power stations. Its digital operation continued on pre-transition UHF channel 43 while retaining virtual channel 52. The station's principal role remains the distribution of TBN's religious television service throughout Wisconsin, with local broadcast facilities and regulatory carriage rights supporting the network's regional presence.

WWRS-TV is a full-power religious television station licensed to Mayville, Wisconsin. It operates as virtual channel 52 and serves a broad area covering southeastern and south-central Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee and Madison regions. The station's transmission facilities are located in Hubbard, allowing its broadcast signal to reach communities beyond its city of license. Cable carriage has further expanded its practical audience throughout the region. The station's corporate history is closely connected with the Trinity Broadcasting Network. For a period, WWRS-TV was owned through National Minority Television, an entity characterized as a de facto TBN subsidiary. This structure was associated with the FCC's restrictions on television-station ownership. NMTV's leadership included TBN founder Paul Crouch as president, and its board included one African American director and one Latino director, a composition intended to satisfy the FCC's definition of a minority-controlled firm. In mid-2008, WWRS-TV and the other stations linked to NMTV were transferred into direct TBN ownership. WWRS-TV has generally operated as a network distribution station rather than a locally focused news or entertainment outlet. Its local contribution has primarily consisted of pass-through emergency information, including weather warnings and missing-person alerts. Before the FCC's Main Studio rule changes in 2019 enabled stations to close local studios, WWRS-TV maintained a Brookfield studio that supported required public-affairs programming. The station aired the program Public Report and also carried local church services on Friday mornings. After the regulatory change, the station's operational model could rely more heavily on centralized network programming and facilities. Cable carriage became a significant part of the station's history. On April 1, 2002, WWRS-TV and Time Warner Cable became involved in a dispute over must-carry obligations. Federal rules generally require cable operators to carry qualifying full-power local stations within the relevant service contour on a basic tier. The FCC concluded that WWRS-TV was not required to be carried in the more distant counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth, but that the station could exercise must-carry rights in the immediate Milwaukee-area service area. The decision had a secondary effect: limited cable capacity meant that WHA-TV, the PBS Wisconsin flagship station, was moved to a digital cable tier in systems that placed WWRS-TV on the basic tier. In late August 2007, Charter Communications began adding TBN and its digital multicast channels to Madison-area systems and to systems serving several Milwaukee-area communities. Depending on the system and the applicable carriage arrangement, viewers received WWRS-TV's local feed or a national TBN feed. Charter's 2017 purchase of Time Warner Cable and the resulting Spectrum operations changed the corporate context of this cable distribution but did not alter the station's fundamental role as a Wisconsin outlet for TBN programming. As part of the nationwide transition to digital television, TBN-owned full-power stations ended analog transmissions on April 16, 2009. WWRS-TV continued digitally on its pre-transition UHF channel 43 while retaining virtual channel 52. Its continuing identity is therefore tied to both its broadcast allocation and its function within TBN's religious television distribution system.

• 2019

  Main Studio rule change affects local-studio requirements

  [1]WWRS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  A change to the FCC Main Studio rule allowed local studios such as the one historically associated with WWRS-TV to close, reducing the station's local operational requirements.

• 2017

  Spectrum distribution context begins

  [1]WWRS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Charter's acquisition of Time Warner Cable brought the relevant cable systems into the Spectrum operating structure.

• 2009

  Analog broadcasting ends

  [1]WWRS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WWRS-TV ceased analog transmission as part of TBN's transition to digital broadcasting and continued on digital UHF channel 43 with virtual channel 52.

• 2008

  Direct TBN ownership begins

  [1]WWRS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WWRS-TV moved from the National Minority Television ownership structure into direct ownership by the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

• 2007

  Expanded Charter cable carriage

  [1]WWRS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Charter added TBN and its digital multicast services to systems in the Madison area and parts of the Milwaukee region.

• 2002

  FCC rules on Milwaukee-area must-carry rights

  [1]WWRS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC determined that WWRS-TV could require carriage on immediate Milwaukee-area Time Warner Cable systems, while no such obligation applied in the more distant counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth.

A regional broadcast outlet for Trinity Broadcasting Network religious programming, emphasizing network distribution and cable carriage rather than extensive locally produced television.

• Broadcast television station

  WWRS-TV broadcast service

  The station's primary service is a full-power over-the-air television signal licensed to Mayville and identified by virtual channel 52. Its transmitter in Hubbard covers much of southeastern and south-central Wisconsin, including portions of the Milwaukee and Madison areas. The service primarily carries programming supplied by the Trinity Broadcasting Network rather than a large schedule of locally produced programs.

• Digital television

  TBN digital multicast services

  WWRS-TV's digital signal is multiplexed to distribute TBN programming and associated digital services. The station retained virtual channel 52 after the analog shutdown and continued digital operation on pre-transition UHF channel 43. The available services are part of TBN's broader multicast and network-distribution model.

• Local broadcast content

  Local informational inserts

  WWRS-TV has carried limited local material, including emergency weather warnings, missing-person alerts, public-affairs programming, and selected local church services. Historically, Public Report was produced or supported through the station's Brookfield studio, while Friday morning church-service broadcasts provided a limited local programming presence.

• 2009

  Digital television transitionGeneration change

  Background

  Federal digital-television transition requirements applied to TBN's full-power stations.

  Action taken

  WWRS-TV ended analog transmission on April 16, 2009, and continued digital broadcasting on pre-transition UHF channel 43 while retaining virtual channel 52.

  Aftermath

  The station continued operating as a digital broadcast outlet for TBN programming.

  Source

• 2008

  Transfer to direct TBN ownershipStrategy

  Background

  The station had been held through National Minority Television, an ownership structure connected with TBN and the FCC's minority-control rules.

  Action taken

  WWRS-TV was placed directly under Trinity Broadcasting Network ownership.

  Aftermath

  The station became more directly integrated into TBN's ownership and operating structure.

  Source

• 2002

  Pursuit of Milwaukee-area must-carry carriageOther

  Background

  WWRS-TV disputed Time Warner Cable's treatment of the station under federal must-carry regulations. Cable capacity and the geographic scope of the station's service contour were central to the dispute.

  Action taken

  The station asserted must-carry rights on immediate Milwaukee-area systems. The FCC declined to require carriage in the more distant counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth.

  Aftermath

  WWRS-TV obtained basic-tier carriage in the immediate Milwaukee area, while the limited channel capacity contributed to WHA-TV's move to a digital cable tier in affected systems.

  Source

1. 1WWRS-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Trinity Broadcasting Networktbn.org