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Madison, Wisconsin United States |
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City | Madison, Wisconsin |
Branding | WISC-TV3 (general) News 3 (newscasts) |
Slogan |
Family Owned. Wisconsin's Own. Informed, Involved, and In Touch (newscasts) |
Channels |
Digital: 50 (UHF) Virtual: 3 () |
Subchannels | 3.1 CBS 3.2 MyNetworkTV 3.3 Ion Television |
Owner |
Morgan Murphy Media (Television Wisconsin, Inc.) |
First air date | June 24, 1956 |
Call letters' meaning | WISConsin |
Sister station(s) | La Crosse: WKBT-DT |
Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 3 (VHF, 1956–2009) |
Former affiliations |
Secondary: UPN (1995–1999) DT2: The WB (2000–2002) UPN (2002–2006) |
Transmitter power | 603 kW (digital) |
Height | 466 m (digital) |
Facility ID | 65143 |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°3′21″N 89°32′6″W / 43.05583°N 89.53500°W |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
Website | www |
WISC-TV (digital channel 50 or virtual channel 3) is the CBS affiliate television station for Madison, Wisconsin. The station is the flagship station of Madison-based Morgan Murphy Media, and has been affiliated with CBS since its launch on June 24, 1956. The station airs regular local and CBS programming on digital channel 3.1 and also operates TVW, a MyNetworkTV affiliate, on digital channel 3.2 (which is also carried on local cable TV and DIRECTV in the Madison market). The two stations share studios located on Raymond Road in Madison, and its transmitter is located on Mineral Point Road in the city's Middleton Junction section.
WISC-TV first took to the airwaves on June 24, 1956, taking over Madison's CBS affiliation from WKOW-TV (which retained ABC affiliation). Despite being the state's second largest market, Madison was a "doughnut" market as it was sandwiched between other markets where primary VHF signals were already assigned (Milwaukee (channels 4, 6, 10, and 12) to the east, Wausau and Green Bay (channels 2, 5, and 11) to the north, Chicago (channels 2, 5, 7, 9) to the southeast, Rockford (channel 13) to the south, and La Crosse/Eau Claire (channels 8 and 13) to the west). Having the market's only VHF signal gave channel 3 a distinct advantage—and market leadership—over UHF competitors WKOW and WMTV, a position that the station has enjoyed for much of its history, even after the advent of cable television put the competitors on equal footing (WISC's former slogan, "Wisconsin's Leadership Station," played upon that advantage).