WWMT

175px
Kalamazoo/Battle Creek/ South Grand Rapids, Michigan
City of license	Kalamazoo
Branding	CBS 3 (general) NewsChannel 3 The CW 7 (on DT2)
Slogan	Live, Local, Breaking News TV to Talk About (on DT2)
Channels	Digital: 8 (VHF) Virtual: 3 (PSIP)
Subchannels	3.1 CBS 3.2 The CW
Affiliations	CBS
Owner	Sinclair Broadcast Group (WWMT Licensee, LLC)
First air date	June 1, 1950
Call letters' meaning	We're West Michigan Television
Sister station(s)	WLAJ
Former callsigns	WKZO-TV (1950-1985)
Former channel number(s)	3 (VHF analog, 1950-2009) 2 (VHF digital)
Former affiliations	DuMont (1950-1955) NBC (1950-1960) ABC (1950-1962) all secondary
Transmitter power	25 kW
Height	257 m
Facility ID	74195
Transmitter coordinates	42°37′56″N 85°32′16″W / 42.63222°N 85.53778°W / 42.63222; -85.53778
Website	www.wwmt.com/

WWMT is the CBS-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan licensed to Kalamazoo. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 (virtual channel 3.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in northwest Yankee Springs Township on Chief Noonday Road/M-179 near Patterson Rd. The station can also be seen on Charter and Comcast channel 3. There is a high definition feed offered on Comcast digital channel 233 and Charter digital channel 782.

Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, WWMT has studios on West Maple Street in Kalamazoo. Syndicated programming on the station includes Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Live with Kelly, and Dr. Phil among others. It is sister to ABC affiliate WLAJ serving the nearby Lansing and Jackson areas. Although that station maintains separate facilities on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Lansing, master control and some internal operations of itself and a CW second digital subchannel are based out of WWMT's studios.

Digital Television[link]

The stations digital signal is multiplexed. WWMT operates West Michigan's CW affiliate on WWMT-DT2. This can also be seen on Charter channel 7 (hence the on-air branding The CW 7) and Comcast channel 17. Syndicated programming on WWMT-DT2 includes The New Adventures of Old Christine, Roseanne, The Cosby Show, and Judge Jeanine Pirro along with others. Although most CW Plus affiliates are located on digital subchannels of another station, it is not part of the national service.

History[link]

The station signed-on June 1, 1950 as WKZO-TV (calls standing for KalamaZoO). It was West Michigan's second television station to launch after WLAV-TV (now WOOD-TV) and owned by broadcasting pioneer John Fetzer along with WKZO radio, which Fetzer had owned since 1930. It carried programming from all four networks of the day--CBS, NBC, ABC and DuMont. However, it has always been a primary CBS affiliate owing to its radio sister's long affiliation with CBS Radio.

From the start, WKZO-TV had reception problems due to the presence of WTMJ-TV across Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, also on analog VHF channel 3. In 1953, WTMJ moved to channel 4. This, in turn, forced WBBM-TV in Chicago to move from channel 4 to channel 2 as a condition of its purchase by CBS. Until WSBT-TV signed on in 1952, WKZO-TV served as the default CBS affiliate for South Bend, Indiana as well.

Channel 3 lost DuMont in 1956 after that network halted operations. Soon afterward, the WKZO stations moved to an old car dealership on West Maple Avenue in Kalamazoo. Channel 3 is still based there today. In 1960, Fetzer built a new 1,100 foot (335 m) transmitter near the northern edge of Gun Lake. The new tower was close enough to Grand Rapids to provide it with city-grade coverage, while still being within 15 miles of Kalamazoo as required by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. Soon after channel 3 activated its new tower, the FCC collapsed West Michigan into one giant television market. WKZO then shared ABC with WOOD-TV until WZZM signed-on in 1962.

Fetzer also owned the Detroit Tigers baseball team from 1956 to 1983. During this time, channel 3 frequently pre-empted prime time CBS broadcasting for Tigers baseball games, including preseason exhibitions. In 1985, Fetzer retired and began selling off his vast broadcasting empire, which by this time included, among other holdings, WWTV in Cadillac, Michigan and KOLN-TV in Lincoln, Nebraska. The FCC had grandfathered existing radio-television clusters when it barred common ownership of radio and television stations, but with Fetzer's announcement WKZO-AM-TV lost its grandfathered protection. The Fetzer television stations were initially sold to Gillett Holdings. However, due to FCC ownership limits in effect at the time, WKZO-TV and KOLN-TV were spun-off to Busse Broadcasting. On December 5, 1985; Busse changed the call letters to the current WWMT (standing for We're West Michigan Television). In 1995, the Granite Broadcasting Corporation acquired the station. Freedom Communications purchased WWMT in 1998 from Granite along with sister station WLAJ in Lansing.

WWMT is the second longest-tenured CBS affiliate in Michigan (behind only WLNS-TV in Lansing, which signed on a few months earlier). Although not a CBS owned-and-operated station, this station has used elements of the CBS Mandate since the mid-1990s. For example, its logos have used the CBS logo and blue and gold as its colors since the mid-1990s, and since 2006, WWMT has branded itself as "CBS 3". In 2005, a company-wide consolidation of operations at Freedom's stations resulted in the move of WLAJ's master control and most internal operations to WWMT's facilities. Left behind was a skeleton crew of six people out of what began with eighty staffers in Lansing.

On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS (parent of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros. unit of Time Warner. On February 22, News Corporation announced it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also created to compete against The CW. On April 4, WWMT announced it would be launching a CW affiliate on a new second digital subchannel.

It was reported Class A UPN affiliate WXSP-CA was in talks to join The CW, but due to that station's heavy reliance upon prime-time professional sports (this gets the highest ratings on WXSP) and The CW's concerns over preemptive programming, the two sides could not come to an agreement. As a result, West Michigan is one of the largest television markets where The CW was not available by off-air analog broadcasts and is one of the few stations the new network was awarded previously not affiliated with either The WB or UPN. WXSP joined MyNetworkTV on September 5 when the network launched and WWMT did the same with The CW when it began on September 18. From that date through early-December, WWMT-DT2 was known as "West Michigan's CW". It has since been known as "The CW 7". On June 12, 2009, WWMT moved to VHF channel 8 when the analog to digital conversion was completed. This had previously served as WOOD-TV's analog signal.^[1]

Freedom announced on November 2, 2011 that it would bow out of television and sell its stations, including WWMT, to Sinclair Broadcast Group.^[2] The group deal closed on April 2, 2012. As a result, WWMT and WLAJ joined Fox affiliate WSMH in Flint as two of the three Sinclair-owned television properties in the state of Michigan.

News operation[link]

Originally, WKZO was Western Michigan's highest rated television station, but lost the lead to WZZM in the mid-1970s. It has been a solid runner-up, first to WZZM and later WOTV/WOOD-TV, for most of the time since then. For a time in the mid-1990s even though most of WWMT's fellow CBS affiliates were in third place or worse, this station was very competitive with WZZM and WOOD-TV often resulting in close Nielsen ratings during sweeps periods.

Since its city of license is Kalamazoo, the station has traditionally had a focus in the southern areas of the market (Kalamazoo and Battle Creek). To assist in story gathering efforts in these areas, it operates a bureau in Downtown Battle Creek on Michigan Avenue West. On two occasions, WWMT's existence prevented WOTV, the other major station based in the southern part of the market, from establishing a local news presence.

Veteran news anchor Tom VanHowe began filling-in for Jeff McAtee on July 28, 2008. McAtee was on active duty serving as a commander with the United States Navy Reserve. Marketing Director Mark Bishop told the Grand Rapids Press that "McAtee will be active in the Navy Reserve for a year or two." ^[3][4] In November 2008, VanHowe extended his contract to continue on WWMT until at least June 2009. He continued to co-anchor newscasts on weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 6. Weekday morning news anchor Jeff Varner (participant in Survivor: The Australian Outback) moved to the weeknight broadcasts alongside Judy Markee.^[5]

On September 18, 2008, WWMT added a nightly prime time newscast at 10 on its CW-affiliated second digital subchannel. This established a third option of local news in the time slot competing with Fox affiliate WXMI and MyNetworkTV affiliate WXSP (show produced by WOOD-TV). Known as NewsChannel 3 Live at 10 on The CW 7, this currently airs for thirty minutes featuring a separate title opening, "CW 7" labeled mics, and a "NewsChannel 3 on CW 7" bug in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Weekday mornings from 6 until 9, WWMT-DT2 also offers the nationally syndicated show known as The Daily Buzz.

On April 17, 2009, WXMI became the first station in the area to upgrade local news to full high definition. Six months later, WOOD-TV added 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen newscasts (WZZM would do the same sometime in late-2009). Although not truly high definition, broadcasts matched the aspect ratio of HD television screens. WWMT remained the last major station in Western Michigan with pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition news until April 16, 2011 when it became the second outlet in the market to upgrade local shows to full high definition (updated graphics were introduced along with the change). Local news on WZZM currently remain in enhanced definition as WOOD-TV/WOTV became the third and fourth station to switch to HD on October 22, 2011. Newscasts on WWMT-DT2 are still seen in 4:3 standard definition because the subchannel does not air in HD.

After WLAJ's Lansing-based news operation was shut down on September 25, 2009, WWMT began producing a taped five minute news and weather brief weeknights at 11 on that station. Known as ABC 3 News Update, regional and state coverage is presented in the show since WLAJ does not maintain any news personnel at its studios. There are also recorded local weather cut-ins seen on that station weekday mornings during Good Morning America. Other on-air personnel from this station can fill-in on WLAJ as needed. These productions (upgraded to high definition on April 16) can be seen on its website in addition to on-air.

In June 2011, a new primary anchor team was announced. Andy Dominianni (who had previously served as the station's morning anchor in the late 1990s) and Kate Tillotson now anchor the 5,6 and 11 p.m. news on Newschannel 3 with Keith Thompson (weather) and Ed Kengerski (sports). Dominianni also anchors "Newschannel 3 Live at 10 on the CW7" weeknights.

On April 23, 2012, WWMT became the first station in the market to launch a 4:30 a.m. newscast. ^[6]

Newscast titles[link]

• The Winston Newsreel (1950–1957)
• WKZO-TV 3 News (1957–1962)
• Channel 3 News (1962–1972)
• NewsWatch 3 (1972–1975)
• NewsAcTiVe 3 (1975–1985)
• NewsSource 3 (1985–1988)
• News 3 (1988–2007)
• NewsChannel 3 (2007–present)

Station slogans[link]

• "Kalamazoo, Direct to You" (1962–1970)
• "We're the Ones to See" (1970–1975)
• "TV Active 3" (1975–1985)
• "The Talk of the Town" (1985–1987)
• "Channel 3 and You" (1987–1994)
• "Where News Comes First" (1994–2006)
• "Live, Local, Breaking News" (2007–present)

News team[link]

Anchors

• Josh Roe - weekday mornings and noon
• Marcie Kobriger - weekday mornings and noon
• Kate Tillotson - weeknights
• Andy Dominianni - weeknights
• Aaron Baskerville - weekends

Severe Weather Center 3 Meteorologists

• Keith Thompson (AMS Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights
• Jeff Porter (NWA and CBM Seals of Approval) - weekday mornings and noon
• Chris Gervat (NWA Seal of Approval) - weekends

Sports

• Ed Kengerski - Director seen weeknights at 6, 10 and 11
• Andy Pepper - weekends and sports reporter

Reporters

• Tom VanHowe - "Tom's Corner" segment producer
• David Bailey
• Ryan Duffy
• Michael Chesney
• Jessica Wheeler
• Jennifer Dowling
• Jared Werksma
• Carolyn Wyllie
• Jessica Harthorn
• Sherene Tagharobi

References[link]

• WWMT TV Channel 3 (June 13 2005). Michigan's Radio and TV Broadcast Guide.

External links[link]

• WWMT "CBS 3"
• WWMT mobile
• WWMT-DT2 "The CW 7"
• WLAJ "ABC 3"
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WWMT

James "Jase" Bolger is the current speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. He was sworn in as Speaker on January 12, 2011.

Political career[link]

Bolger was first elected as a State Representative in November 2008. He is in his second term as a State Representative and his first as Speaker.

He represents Michigan's 63rd legislative District, which includes the eastern Kalamazoo County city of Galesburg and the townships of Brady, Charleston, Climax, Comstock, Pavilion, Richland, Ross, Schoolcraft and Wakeshma; as well as the central/north-western Calhoun County city of Marshall and townships of Bedford, Emmett, Marshall, Newton and Pennfield.

Personal life[link]

James "Jase" Bolger was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of James and Eileen Bolger.^[1] Because of his father's job as a Michigan State Police trooper, the family moved around the state often, before settling in Charlotte, Michigan when Jase entered first grade. Jase graduated Western Michigan University with a degree in business.

Bolger founded and operates a small business that offers telephone- and computer-based support to Fortune 100 companies throughout the country. One of his goals is to bring work back to Michigan.

After a decade of civic and community activites, Bolger was first elected to public office in 2004 as a Calhoun County Commissioner. One of his priorities as a Commissioner was to minimize the county's spending which he believed was necessary to secure the county's future.

Bolger graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor of Business Administration with a dual major in Finance and Political Science.

Being an Eagle Scout helped to instill the value of community service in Bolger. He has shown his interest in helping youth and improving the economy through his involvement with AYSO Soccer, the Rotary, United Way, the KAAAP mentor program, Oaklawn Hospital, the Knights of Columbus, and several Chambers of Commerce.

Bolger is married to his high school sweetheart Molly, and they have two children, Nicholas and Megan. Jase and his family are Roman Catholic and members of St. Mary's parish in Marshall.

References[link]

External links[link]

• House District 63 Republican Party Website
• Official Michigan House of Representatives Website

Michigan portal

This article about a Michigan politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Roy Lee Schmidt (born May 3, 1942 in Colorado Springs, Colorado) is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Long Beach State University and was drafted in the thirteenth round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.

This biographical article relating to an American football offensive lineman born in the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Fred Upton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Bob Carr
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 4th district
In office January 5, 1987 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Mark Siljander
Succeeded by	Dave Camp
Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 5, 2011
Preceded by	Henry Waxman
Personal details
Born	Frederick Stephen Upton (1953-04-23) April 23, 1953 (age 59) St. Joseph, Michigan
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Amey Rulon-Miller
Residence	St. Joseph, Michigan
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Occupation	U.S. Congressman from Michigan
Religion	Congregationalist

Frederick Stephen "Fred" Upton (born April 23, 1953) is the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 6th congressional district, serving since 1987. He is a member of the Republican Party and Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The district, based in Kalamazoo, stretches along the Michigan-Indiana border in the southwestern part of the state.Fred Upton is also the wealthiest Michigan congressmen with a net worth of $16,288,608.^{[citation needed]} Upton favors the Keystone XL extension stating it will lower gasoline prices, while others disagree stating the environmental risks are too high.^[1][2][3]

Early life, education, and early political career[link]

Upton was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, the son of Elizabeth B. (née Vial) and Stephen Edward Upton.^[4] Upton earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan in 1975. He was a sports editor at The Michigan Daily and thought he might someday cover the Chicago Cubs.^[5] He served on the congressional staff of U.S. Congressman David Stockman (R-MI) from 1976 to 1980. He was in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1985, while David Stockman was OMB Director.

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Elections[link]

1986

A protege of OMB director and former U.S. Congressman Dave Stockman, he ran in Michigan's 4th congressional district against incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Mark Siljander, Stockman's successor. Upton won the Republican primary 55%-45%.^[6] He won the general election with 62% of the vote.^[7]

1988

He won re-election to a second term with 71% of the vote.^[8]

1990

He faced a challenge in the Republican primary to Ed Fredericks and defeated him 63%-37%.^[9] In the general election, he won re-election to a third term with 58% of the vote.^[10]

1992–2000

After redistricting, he decided to run in the newly redrawn Michigan's 6th congressional district and won re-election in 1992 to a fourth term with 62% of the vote.^[11] During this time period, he didn't have a Republican challenger and never won re-election with less than 62%.

2002

After redistricting, Upton faced a primary challenge from State Senator Dale Shugars. Shugars ran well to Upton's right on several issues, especially abortion. Upton defeated him 66%-32%.^[12] He won the general election with 69% of the vote.^[13]

2004

Upton defeated Democrat Scott Elliott, an art gallery owner, 65%-32%.^[14]

2006

Upton defeated Democrat Kim Clark 61%-38%.^[15]

2008

Upton defeated Democrat Don Cooney, a Kalamazoo City Commissioner, 59%-39%.^[16]

2010

Upton was challenged in the Republican primary by former State Representative Jack Hoogendyk. Upton defeated him 57%-43%.^[17][18] In the general election, he defeated Cooney in a rematch 62%-34%.^[19]

2012

In 2011, Hoogendyk met with the Club for Growth, a conservative 527 organization and political action committee, about running against Upton in a rematch in 2012.^[20] Upton has received criticism of not being conservative enough from Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, FreedomWorks, Right to Life of Michigan, and the Southwest Michigan Tea Party Patriots.^[21] On January 17, 2012, Hoogendyk announced that he would challenge Upton in the primary.^[22]

Tenure[link]

Environment

Upton's website once stated: "I strongly believe that everything must be on the table as we seek to reduce carbon emissions."^[23] In April 2009, he maintained that "[c]limate change is a serious problem that necessitates serious solutions. Everything must be on the table."^[24] However, "Upton has gradually retreated from his moderate stance on climate change and carbon emissions."^[23] In late 2010, he co-authored a Wall Street Journal editorial saying he was "not convinced" that "carbon is a problem in need of regulation," and urging Congress to overturn Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency. (See Regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act)^[25] He is the co-sponsor, with Ed Whitfield, of the “Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011”.^[26]

Bulbs

Upton promoted the banning of incandescent bulbs in the U.S., in favor of compact fluorescent lamps.

Video Game Content Ratings

On September 29, 2006, Upton introduced the Video Game Decency Act (H.R.6120) to the House.

Healthcare

Upton voted against passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and has since voted in favor of its complete repeal, stating that the law ignored the will of the people and that a bill that important should not have been passed without strong bipartisan support.^{[clarification needed]} Upton also believes that with the current level of debt, the United States cannot afford the PPACA.^{[citation needed]}

Abortion

Upton opposes abortion in most circumstances, voting to prohibit partial-birth abortion and supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 75 percent in 2009.^[27] Upton is an original cosponsor of the Protect Life Act, which among other things would amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to maintain previous restrictions on federal funding of abortion. He is also a supporter of the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which seeks to prohibit the taking of minors across state lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions.^{[citation needed]}

Gun control

Upton does not support the restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns in most circumstances, and in 2010 received "A" and "A-" ratings from the National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners of America, respectively.^{[citation needed]} Yet Upton also supports some gun safety laws. From 1991-2003, Upton supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 55 percent and in 1993, Upton supported a waiting period for gun purchase to provide background checks for criminal records.^[27]

LGBT Rights

Upton believes that marriage should be defined as between one man and one woman. Upton voted to propose an amendment to the constitution regarding the definition of marriage on July 18, 2006.^[27] He received a 15% rating from the Human Rights Campaign on LGBT Rights in 2008.^[28]

Fiscal Issues

Upton supports a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution, a proposal that failed to acquire the two-thirds support necessary to pass the House in the 112th Congress. Upton also supports the line-item veto, which would authorize the President to propose the rescission of full or partial funding in a bill passed by Congress. Along with the majority of House members, Upton supported the current prohibition on congressional earmark spending.

Upton is a leading moderate Republican and a member of the Tuesday Group.^{[clarification needed]} He is frequently criticized for being liberal with regards to fiscal issues.^[29] As a result he has been labeled a RINO (Republican In Name Only) by conservative watch-dog groups.^[who?][30] He is a member of several Republican groups such as the Republican Main Street Partnership and Christine Todd Whitman's IMP-PAC (Its My Party Too).^{[citation needed]}

Upton has been recognized by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform as a “Hero of the Taxpayer” and by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with the “Spirit of Enterprise” award.

Daylight Saving Time

Upton, along with Edward Markey, is responsible for changing daylight saving time by adding the provision to the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Energy and Commerce (Chairman)
  • As Chairman of the full committee, Rep. Upton may serve as an ex officio member of all subcomittees.^[when?]
• Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

Caucus memberships[link]

• Congressional Automotive Caucus^{[clarification needed]} (Co-Vice Chair)
• Congressional Competitiveness Caucus^{[clarification needed]}
• Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus^{[clarification needed]}
• Diabetes Caucus^{[clarification needed]}
• India Caucus^{[clarification needed]}
• Indian-Americans Caucus^{[clarification needed]}
• International Conservation Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus^{[clarification needed]}

Personal life[link]

Upton's grandfather, Frederick Upton, was co-founder of appliance manufacturer and marketer Whirlpool Corporation, which is headquartered in Benton Harbor. His wife’s name is Amey, and he has two children, Meg and Stephen.^[31] Upton's niece is Kate Upton, a model known for her appearance on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and also becoming the 'Rookie of the Year'.^[32]

Upton is a supporter of Michigan Wolverine athletics as well as an enthusiastic Chicago Cubs baseball fan.^[5] He is a member of the Emil Verban Society.^[31]

Also see[link]

	Biography portal
	Michigan portal
	Politics portal

• Climate change policy of the United States ^[33]

Further reading[link]

• "The Climate War: True Believers, Power Brokers, and the Fight to Save the Earth" (2010) by Eric Pooley deputy editor of Bloomberg Businessweek ISBN 978-1-4013-2326-4

References[link]