WSAW-TV

WSAW-TV
Wausau/Rhinelander, Wisconsin United States

Branding	NewsChannel 7 My TV Wausau (DT2) WZAW Fox (DT3)
Slogan	Your Local News and Weather Authority
Channels	Digital: 7 (VHF/PSIP)
Subchannels	7.1 CBS 7.2 MyNetworkTV & Jewelry Television 7.3 Fox
Translators	42 (UHF) W42DH-D Sayner/Vilas County, WI
Affiliations	CBS
Owner	Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
Founded	October 23, 1954
Call letters' meaning	phonetically short for WauSAu, Wisconsin; also similar to original calls
Sister station(s)	WZAW-LD, WEAU, WMTV
Former callsigns	WSAU-TV (1954–1981)
Former channel number(s)	7 (VHF analog, 1954–2009) 40 (UHF digital, until 2009) 57 W57AR Sayner/ Vilas County, WI translator
Former affiliations	DuMont (1954–1956) NBC (1954–1965) ABC (1954–1966) all secondary AccuWX (DT3) Heroes & Icons (DT3)
Transmitter power	72 kW
Height	373 m
Class	DT
Facility ID	6867
Transmitter coordinates	44°55′14.2″N 89°41′28.7″W / 44.920611°N 89.691306°W / 44.920611; -89.691306
Website	www.wsaw.com

WSAW-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for North-Central Wisconsin's Northern Highland. Licensed to Wausau, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter on Rib Mountain.^[1] Owned by Gray Television, the station is sister to low-powered Fox affiliate WZAW-LD and the two outlets share studios on Grand Avenue/U.S. 51 in Wausau.

To serve the Northwoods area of Northern Wisconsin, it operates a digital fill-in translator in Sayner (W42DH-D) that also covers Eagle River. This also airs a high definition signal but is seen on UHF channel 42 (or virtual channel 7.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter, on Razorback Road, in unincorporated Vilas County (north of Sayner). The low-powered repeater also serves the western portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula although the broadcasting radius is limited to Marenisco and Watersmeet.

Digital channels

Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP short name	Programming ^[2] ^[3]
7.1	1080i	16:9	WSAW-DT	Main WSAW-TV programming / CBS
7.2	480i	4:3	MyTV	WSAW-DT2 / MyNetworkTV & Jewelry TV
7.3	720p	16:9	Fox	Simulcast of WZAW-LD

History

The station launched on October 23, 1954 as WSAU-TV and was a sister station to WSAU-AM 550 and the original WSAU-FM 95.5 (now WIFC). It was originally owned by a consortium of North-Central Wisconsin newspapers that also included the Wausau Daily Tribune-Herald. Channel 7 originally operated from the Plumer Mansion, a Richardsonian Romanesque-style building, that was located on North 5th Street in Wausau and torn down in 1972 one year after the station moved to its current home.^[4]

The Plumer Mansion's castle-like exterior and a suit of armor displayed in the mansion inspired the station's graphic designer, Sid Kyler, to design a medieval-style "7" logo along with an accompanying cartoon mascot, the fully armored knight "Sir Seven." ^[5] The logo and mascot served as representations of the station for several decades. Sometime in the 1960s, the station's original owners sold it to Forward Communications. Forward sold off channel 7 in 1981 and the station adopted its current calls, WSAW-TV on March 8. It has been affiliated with CBS since its beginning although the station did have secondary affiliations with DuMont (until that network expired in 1956), ABC (until WAOW signed-on in 1965), and NBC (until WAEO launched in 1966). On September 5, 2006, WSAW added MyNetworkTV to a second digital subchannel. Its broadcasts have been digital-only since before midnight on February 16, 2009 when the analog sign-off featured a "good night" from Sir Seven.^[6] On April 2, 2011, WSAW became the first station in the market to broadcast local newscast in high definition.^[7] With the switch to HD came a revamp of their news set and new graphics.^[8]

On July 1, 2015, Gray bought the non-license assets of the market's Fox affiliate WFXS-DT (owned by Davis Television, LLC). Due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership restrictions, a new low-powered station (WZAW-LD channel 33) was established to become the area's Fox affiliate. All of WFXS' program streams including WFXS's existing PSIP channel numbering were then moved to the low-powered outlet. Subsequently, WFXS ceased broadcasting after nearly sixteen years on-the-air and its studios on North 3rd Street in Wausau were shut down.^[9]

In consenting to the interference that would be caused by WZAW operating under special temporary authority on channel 31 (the same RF channel as WFXS) rather than its licensed channel 33, Davis Television stated that it would return the WFXS license to the FCC for cancellation following the sale.^[10] In August 2015, WSAW launched a prime time newscast on the Fox outlet known as WZAW News at 9. This half-hour broadcast offers direct competition to WAOW's thirty-minute, weeknight-only news airing at the same time on its CW digital subchannel.

On October 1, 2015, the station began using its new studio. It was the first upgrade in a decade and took months to finish. The new studio includes two new state-of-the art sets: one each for WSAW and WZAW.^[11] Eventually, WZAW-LD's signal was added in full high-definition to WSAW's third subchannel to provide full-market access to Fox.

References

↑ TV Query Results - Video Division (FCC) USA
↑ https://www.facebook.com/NewsChannel7/photos/a.434442178659.230075.49134238659/1015057644208660/?type=1&theater
↑ http://wsaw.titantv.com/apg/ttv.aspx
↑ From Wikimapia: Site of the Plumer Mansion in Wausau, WI
↑ From wsaw.com: The History of NewsChannel 7 (on 2/16/2009, the eve of its analog sign-off)
↑ Video on WisconsinBroadcasting.com
↑ From wsaw.com: NewsChannel7 Newscasts Now in HD (on 4/4/2011)
↑ From wsaw.com: "Sir 7" is Coming Back to Newschannel 7
↑ "Gray in 4 New Deals, Closes 3 Earlier Ones". TVNewsCheck. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
↑ Raff, Robert (June 9, 2015). "Interference Consent" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
↑ Caldwell, Sean (October 1, 2015). "WSAW, WZAW debut new, state-of-the-art Wausau studios". WSAW-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2015.

External links

Television stations in Central Wisconsin, including Wausau and Rhinelander

Wausau	WSAW (7.1 CBS, 7.2 MNTV, 7.3 Fox) WAOW (9.1 ABC, 9.2 CW, 9.3 Decades) WHRM (20.1 PBS/WPT, 20.2 WIS, 20.3 Create) W27AU-D (12.1 NBC, 12.2 Antenna) WTPX (46.1 Ion, 46.2 qubo, 46.3 Ion Life) WZAW (55.1 Fox, 55.2 MeTV, 55.3 Movies!)

Northern WI	WMOW (4.1 CW, 4.2 ABC, 4.3 Decades) W42DH-D (7.1 CBS, 7.2 MNTV, 7.3 Fox) WJFW (12.1 NBC, 12.2 Antenna) WYOW (34.1 ABC, 34.2 CW, 34.3 Decades) WLEF (36.1 PBS/WPT, 36.2 Wisc, 36.3 Create)

Cable-only stations	FSN Wisconsin WisconsinEye

Defunct	WFXS (55.1 Fox, 55.2 MeTV, 55.3 Movies!)

Adjacent areas	Duluth Eau Claire/La Crosse Green Bay Marquette Madison

CBS Network Affiliates in the state of Wisconsin

WISC 3 (Madison) WFRV 5 (Green Bay) WSAW 7.1 (Wausau) W42DH-D 7 (Sayner) WKBT 8 (La Crosse) W57AR 57 (Sayner) WDJT 58 (Milwaukee)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox Ion MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Wisconsin

MyNetworkTV Network Affiliates in the state of Wisconsin

WISC 3.2 (Madison) KBJR 6.2 (Superior-Duluth) WSAW 7.2 (Wausau) W42DH-D 7.2 (Sayner) WKBT 8.2 (La Crosse) WCGV 24.1 (Milwaukee) WACY 32.1 (Appleton/Green Bay)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox Ion MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Wisconsin

Other television stations and subchannel networks in the state of Wisconsin

3ABN	W23BW-D 23 (Madison) W30BU 30 (Green Bay)

Antenna TV	WITI 6.2 (Milwaukee) WLUK 11.2 (Green Bay) WJFW 12.2 (Rhinelander/Wausau) WMTV 15.3 (Madison)

Bounce TV	WMLW 49.2 (Racine/Milwaukee)

BUZZR	WTSJ 38.2 (Milwaukee)

Comet	WCWF 14.2 (Suring/Green Bay) WCGV 24.2 (Milwaukee) WMSN 47.2 (Madison)

COZI	WTMJ 4.3 (Milwaukee)

Daystar	WMWD 38.1 (Madison) WGBD 49.1 (Green Bay)

Decades	WMOW 4.3 (Crandon) WAOW 9.3 (Wausau) WQOW 18.3 (Eau Claire) WXOW 19.3 (La Crosse) WKOW 27.3 (Madison) WYOW 34.3 (Eagle River) WDJT 58.4 (Milwaukee)

Escape	WACY 32.3 (Green Bay)

EVINE Live	WIWN 68.2 (Fond du Lac/Milwaukee)

Family Channel	W43BR 43 (Baraboo/Wisc. Dells)

getTV	WVTV 18.2 (Milwaukee)

Grit	WCGV 24.3 (Milwaukee) WACY 32.2 (Green Bay) WMSN 47.3 (Madison)

Heroes & Icons	WBUW 57.3 (Janesville/Madison) WDJT 58.3 (Milwaukee)

HSN OTA	WTPX 46.6 (Antigo/Wausau) WPXE 55.6 (Kenosha/Milwaukee)

Ion Life	WTPX 46.2 (Antigo/Wausau) WPXE 55.2 (Kenosha/Milwaukee)

Laff	WTMJ 4.2 (Milwaukee) WGBA 26.3 (Green Bay)

LATV	WIWN 68.4 (Fond du Lac/Milwaukee)

Local Accuweather	WMVS 10.4 (Milwaukee)

Locally-originated automated weather	WBAY 2.2 (Green Bay)

Me-TV	WGBA 26.2 (Green Bay) WKOW 27.2 (Madison) WBME 41.1/WDJT 58.2 (Milwaukee) WZAW 55.2 (Wausau)

Movies!	WISN 12.2 (Milwaukee) WZAW 55.3 (Wausau) WBUW 57.2 (Janesville/Madison)

MundoMax	WTSJ 38.1 (Milwaukee)

qubo	WTPX 46.3 (Antigo/Wausau) WPXE 55.3 (Kenosha/Milwaukee)

QVC OTA	WTPX 46.5 (Antigo/Wausau) WPXE 55.5 (Kenosha/Milwaukee) WIWN 68.6 (Fond du Lac/Milwaukee)

Sonlife	WIWN 68.1 (Fond du Lac/Milwaukee)

TBN	K32GF 32 (Rhinelander) W36DH 36 (Waupaca) WWRS 52 (Mayville/Milwaukee)

Telemundo	WYTU 63.1/WMLW 49.4 (Milwaukee/Racine)

This	WMLW 49.3 (Racine/Milwaukee)

WeatherNation TV	WMTV 15.2 (Madison)

Independent	WZCK-LP 8 (Madison) WPVS-LP 29 (Milwaukee) WMLW 49.1 (Racine/Milwaukee)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox Ion MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Wisconsin

Gray Television

ABC network affiliates	KCRG KGNS ¹ KJCT KNOE ¹ KOLO KOTA / KHSD KSFY / KABY / KPRY KSPR ² WBKO WHSV WJRT WTOK WTVG WVAW

CBS network affiliates	KALB ¹ KGWN / KSTF KKTV KMVT KNOE KNPL KOLN / KGIN KOSA KVLY ¹ KWCH / KBSD / KBSH / KBSL KWTX / KBTX KXII KYLX WAGM ¹ WCAV WCTV / WSWG WDBJ WECP WIBW WIFR WIYE WKYT / WYMT WRDW WSAW WSVF ¹ WTVY WVLT

The CW network affiliates ¹	K15CZ-D KBTX KCWY KGWN / KSTF KJCT KNOE KSCW KSFY / KABY / KPRY KWTX KYLX WAGT WBKO WBXX WJHG WKYT WQCW WSWG WTOK WTVG WYMT

Fox network affiliates	KEVN KIIT KNDX / KXND KSVT KXII ¹ WAGM WAHU WBKO ¹ WLUC ¹ WOVA WSVF WZAW

MyNetworkTV affiliates ¹	KKTV KOSA KSNB KXII WAHU WCTV WECP WHSV WIBW WITN WRDW WSAW WSAZ WSWG WTOK WTVY WIYE WVLT

NBC network affiliates	KALB KCWY KFYR / KQCD / KMOT / KUMV KGNS KKCO KNOP KSNB KTUU KVLY KYTV WAGT WEAU WILX WITN WJHG WLUC WMTV WNDU WOWT WRGX WSAZ WTAP

Other Stations	TEL KGNS ¹ KKCO ¹ UNI KDCU ³ Ind. K17DL-D ⁴

Acquisitions	Benedek Broadcasting Hoak Media Schurz Communications

¹ These stations (except for KSCW & WQCW) broadcast these networks on their digital subchannels. ² Owned by Schurz Communications, Gray operates KSPR through a SSA. ³ Owned by Entravision Communications, Gray operates KDCU through a JSA. ⁴ Owned by Branson Visitors TV; Gray holds a 50.1% interest in this company.

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