NewsNet
 | |
| Type | Terrestrial television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | Nationwide, via terrestrial TV and OTT streaming (estimated coverage [as of May 18, 2020], 20.43%)[1] and Worldwide |
| Founded | February 28, 2018 |
| Headquarters | Cadillac, Michigan |
| Parent | NewsNet LLC (Freelancer Television Broadcasting, Inc.) |
Key people |
|
Launch date | January 1, 2019 |
Picture format | 720p (HDTV, widescreen) |
| Affiliates | See section |
Official website | yournewsnet |
NewsNet is an American news-oriented free-to-air television network that is owned by NewsNet LLC, a division of Freelancer Television Broadcasting, Inc. The network is structured to broadcast a tightly-formatted 30-minute newswheel 24 hours a day (with a 90-minute breakaway on weekend late-mornings), incorporating freshly-updated information that covers various areas of interest (such as national news, sports, entertainment, weather and business). Breaking news stories are updated constantly as they develop and new information becomes available.
In addition to being carried on digital subchannels of affiliated television stations, NewsNet also distributes its programming through a livestream that is available on its website (yournewsnet.com), as well as mobile apps in areas where it does not have a terrestrial TV affiliate. NewsNet's operations are based out of the studios of the network's owned-and-operated station WMNN-LD on West 13th Street and 3rd Avenue in Cadillac, Michigan.
Background and history
On September 28, 2017, Eric Wotila – who founded low-powered all-news station WMNN-LD in Cadillac, Michigan, and oversaw the studio design and construction for News Channel Nebraska, a Norfolk, Nebraska-based quasi-state network of five low-powered stations that also maintained an all-news programming format – started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to fund the launch of a 24-hour national news channel – under the working title, the Local News Network (LNN) – intended for broadcast, online and mobile distribution.[2][3][4][5]
Citing favorable opinions from viewers about the "straight-to-the-facts, no-nonsense and commentary-free" coverage provided by WMNN-LD, the Local News Network proposed to offer a news wheel format (similar in structure to the 1982–2005 format of HLN, and the formats of defunct all-news networks such as All News Channel and Satellite News Channel) that would eschew the often-politically focused panel discussion programs that have populated the afternoon, nighttime and weekend schedules of cable news channels (particularly CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel) since the early 2000s. The project called for LNN to be based out of WMNN's Cadillac studio facility, with the hope of eventually opening bureaus elsewhere around the United States. The project failed to reach its funding goal of $100,000 needed to develop LNN – which would have been used to pay for equipment and staffing necessary to handle the national broadcasts – by the closure of the 50-day campaign on November 17, 2017, raising only $8,012 from 78 public backers. Wotila subsequently sought to obtain backing from investors to fund the venture.[2][3][4][5]
On March 15, 2018, Wotila and other partners involved in the Local News Network project announced the launch of NewsNet, which would maintain the concept originally developed prior to the commencement of the Kickstarter campaign.[6][7][8]
NewsNet was officially launched on January 1, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with the Evening Edition serving as the network's inaugural program. On May 8, 2019, ground was broken on new studios. The facility will consist of 3 studios, each with their own control rooms and a new, state-of-the-art master control room overseeing the operations of NewsNet, WMNN-LD and WXII-LP, the new studio went into effect at 4 a.m. on December 9.[9]
Programming
The channel's programming is structured around a rolling news wheel format, providing up-to-date information on the top national and international stories in just 30 minutes. Each half-hour of the wheel format begins with a two-minute-long look at the leading headlines of the moment (with updated details provided when breaking news develops), followed by an eight-minute selection of additional headlines at 02 and 32 minutes past the hour. The remainder of the block features a national weather forecast summary (at 12 and 42 minutes past the hour), sports scores and headlines (at 17 and 47 minutes past the hour), and "Health News", a segment focusing on the latest health headlines or "Living Well" (at 24 and 54 minutes past the hour).[10]
To comply with programming guidelines imposed by the Children's Television Act, NewsNet also carries a 90-minute block of educational children's programming on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Current programs
- Rolling news blocks
- NewsNet Continuing Coverage (December 9, 2019–present)
- NewsNet Evening Edition (January 1, 2019–present)
- NewsNet Midday Edition (January 2, 2019–present)
- NewsNet Mornings (December 9, 2019–present)
- NewsNet Nightside Edition (January 2, 2019–present)
- E/I programming
- America's Heartland (January 6, 2019–present)
- Animal Rescue (January 5, 2019–present)
- Biz Kid$ (January 6, 2019–present)
- Dog Tales (January 5, 2019–present)
- Missing (January 5, 2019–present)
- Think Big (January 6, 2019–present)
Former programs
- NewsNet Morning Edition (January 2–December 8, 2019)
On-air staff
News anchors
- Benjamin Arie – also Health News and Living Well segment reporter
- Remington Hernandez – also producer, Health News and Living Well segment reporter
- Vic McCarty – also executive producer, Health News and Living Well segment reporter
- Sierra Searcy – also Health News and Living Well segment reporter
- Samana Sheikh – also Health News and Living Well segment reporter
Weather team
- Morris Langworthy – Chief meteorologist
- Carl Rippy – Meteorologist
Sports anchors
- Bejoy Joseph – also sports director
- Derek Tate
Reporters
Aside from the one mentioned below, NewsNet also utilizes correspondents from CNN Newsource via an outsourcing agreement.
- Derek Myers
Former on-air staff
Controversies
On January 2, 2019, one day after the station launched, TV news industry blog FTVLive.com published a photo of NewsNet primary anchor Remington Hernandez wearing a Make America Great Again hat that Hernandez had published to his public Facebook profile, casting doubt on the station's claim of being politically unbiased.[11] In October 2019, a user of the TV News industry forum TVNewsTalk.net posted a photo taken off of Hernandez's public Instagram page that featured a smiling Hernandez next to conservative political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos.[12]
Affiliates
As of May 2020[update], NewsNet has current and pending affiliation agreements with 50 television stations in 46 television markets encompassing 24 states, covering 20.43% of the United States.[1] The majority of NewsNet affiliates are low power stations that are within the geographic boundaries of a particular TV market, but do not cover the entirety of the market. For example, as of March 2020, NewsNet's website lists San Francisco as a city with an affiliate, despite the affiliate station KAAP-LD being a low-power digital station licensed to Santa Cruz who's coverage barely reaches the city of San Jose and San Mateo County.
In addition to allowing affiliates to sell local advertising (offering four minutes of local commercial time per hour to prospective stations), NewsNet provides the option for its broadcast affiliates to pre-empt the "Health News" and "Living Well" segments at the end of each half-hour to allow to carry a five-minute-long local headline "capsule", providing news and weather information focusing on the local viewing area. NewsNet also provides an optional turnkey local news production service for stations that do not maintain their own local news departments to produce local news capsule segments or full-length newscasts.[10][13][6][7][8]
Current affiliates
| City of license/market | Station | Virtual channel[1] |
Physical channel |
Primary affiliation (on main channel) |
Owner (Management Company) |
Date of affiliation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | |||||||
| Cusseta (Columbus, Georgia) | WQMK-LD | 18.3 | 18 | Retro Television Network | Ben Jordan Communications Corporation | February 19, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| Dothan | WJJN-LD | 49.3 | 49 | Religious | Wilson Broadcasting Company, Inc. | Fall 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| Florence (Huntsville–Decatur) | WXFL-LD | 10.1 | 10 | Benny Carle | January 1, 2019 | Replaced Youtoo America | |
Alaska | |||||||
| Anchorage | KYUR | 13.1 | 12 | ABC | Vision Alaska, LLC (operated by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company LLC) |
April 25, 2020 | Replaced local newscasts |
California | |||||||
| Barstow (Los Angeles) | K36JH-D | 36.3 | 36 | NASA TV | Brent Gaddis | February 14, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| Cathedral City (Palm Springs) | KAKZ-LD | 4.4 | 4 | Free Speech TV | Tara Broadcasting LLC | January 1, 2019 | Replaced QVC |
| Los Angeles | KFLA-LD | 8.1 | 8 | KFLA Television (Roy William Mayhugh) | April 8, 2019 | Replaced Corner Store TV, which moved to 8.3 | |
| Reedley (Fresno–Visalia) | KVBC-LP | 13.9 | 26 | MeTV | Cocola Broadcasting (operated by Ventura Broadcasting Company) |
January 7, 2019 | Replaced My Life TV |
| Ridgecrest (Bakersfield) | KZGN-LD | 21.2 | 42 | Heartland | Wiknich Broadcasting Corporation | May 20, 2019 | Replaced Classic Shows |
| Santa Cruz (San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose) | KAAP-LD | 24.7 | 11 | Diya TV | Major Market Broadcasting | January 1, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
Florida | |||||||
| Orlando | WSWF-LD | 10.5 | 45 | Rev'n | Major Market Broadcasting | January 22, 2019 | Replaced Lifehacks DRTV |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale | WDFL-LD | 18.1 | 11 | Independent | François Leconte | January 2020 | |
| St. Augustine (Jacksonville) | WQXT-CD | 22.7 | 28 | Retro Television Network | A1A TV, Inc. | January 10, 2019 | Replaced The Walk TV |
Georgia | |||||||
| Cumming (Atlanta) | WLVO-LD | 21.6 | 21 | Diya TV | United Media Network, LLC | March 15, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| Dalton (Chattanooga, Tennessee) | WDNN-CD | 49.3 | 49 | Independent | North Georgia Television | January 1, 2019 | Replaced Retro Television Network |
| Valdosta (Albany) | WSWG | 44.5 | 31 | CBS | Marquee Broadcasting | TBA | Launches on new subchannel |
Illinois | |||||||
| Arlington Heights (Chicago) | WRJK-LP | 22.6 | 24 | Diya TV | Major Market Broadcasting | January 1, 2019 | Replaced Charge! |
Indiana | |||||||
| Marion (Indianapolis) | WNDY-TV | 23.3 | 9 | MyNetworkTV | Circle City Broadcasting | March 1, 2020 | Launched on new subchannel |
Kansas | |||||||
| Kansas City | KCKS-LD | 25.2 | 25 | Buzzr | Heartland Broadcasting, LLC | January 1, 2019 | Replaced Justice Network |
| Sublette (Wichita–Hutchinson) | KDGL-LD | 23.5 | 23 | Cozi TV | High Plains Broadcasting, LLC | January 1, 2019 | Replaced Retro Television Network |
| Topeka | WROB-LD | 25.2 | 26 | Buzzr | Heartland Broadcasting, LLC | January 1, 2019 | Replaced Justice Network |
| Wichita | KCTU-LD | 5.2 | 23 | This TV (primary)/ AMGTV (secondary) |
River City Broadcasters, Inc. | January 1, 2019 | Replaced Estrella TV |
Kentucky | |||||||
| Louisville | WBNM-LD | 8.6 | 50 | Buzzr | Word Broadcasting Network, Inc. (operated by South Central Communications) |
January 1, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
Louisiana | |||||||
| Baton Rouge | WLFT-CD | 30.3 | 30 | MeTV | Touch Family Broadcasting | January 1, 2019 | Replaced HSN |
Michigan | |||||||
| Detroit | WHNE-LD | 3.9 | 3 | Light TV | Tait Broadcasting LLC | January 1, 2019 | |
Mississippi | |||||||
| Holly Springs (Memphis, Tennessee) | WBII-CD | 20.4 | 20 | Sonlife Broadcasting Network | Mid-South Broadcasting | January 11, 2019 | Replaced Heartland |
Missouri | |||||||
| Joplin | KJPX-LP | 35.1 | 35 | Gary and Deborah Kenny | February 21, 2019 | Replaced Retro Television Network | |
North Carolina | |||||||
| Lumberton (Myrtle Beach–Florence, South Carolina) | WTNG-CD | 33.11 | 14 | The Family Channel | Mercy's Bridge Media, LLC | May 20, 2019 | Replaced HSN |
| Manteo (Norfolk–Portsmouth–Newport News–Virginia Beach, Virginia) | W22EN-D | 22.5 | 22 | Classic Shows | Lawrence F. Loesch | January 31, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| Tarboro (Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville) | WNCR-LD | 41.2 | 21 | Youtoo America | WNCR Media Group, Inc. | April 28, 2019 | |
New Jersey | |||||||
| Middletown Township (New York, New York) | WJLP | 33.8 | 3 | MeTV | PMCM TV | May 20, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
New York | |||||||
| Buffalo | WBXZ-LP | 56.11 | 17 | Cozi TV | Steven D. Ritchie | January 1, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| Cobleskill (Albany–Schenectady–Troy) | WYBN-LD | 14.8 | 14 | Buzzr | Cable Ad Net New York | January 9, 2019 | Replaced The Action Channel |
| Utica | WVVC-LD | 40.6 | 33 | Antenna TV | Northeast Gospel Broadcasting, Inc. | February 1, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
Ohio | |||||||
| Columbus | WCSN-LD | 32.8 | 26 | Movies! | Columbus TV, LLC | March 7, 2019 | Replaced Youtoo America |
Oregon | |||||||
| Cottage Grove (Eugene) | K18LR-D | 36.1 | 18 | South Lane Television, Inc. | Fall 2019 | ||
Pennsylvania | |||||||
| Pittsburgh | WPTG-CD | 69.4 | 49 | This TV | Fifth Street Enterprises, LLC | September 30, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| State College (Johnstown–Altoona) | WHVL-LD | 29.1 | 27 | MyNetworkTV | Channel Communications | January 1, 2019 | Nightside Edition only |
South Carolina | |||||||
| Beaufort (Savannah) | WSCG-LD | 14.11 | 14 | Court TV | Winemiller Television, LLC | Fall 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
Tennessee | |||||||
| Nashville | WJDE-LD | 31.4 | 31 | Heroes & Icons | Word Broadcasting Network | January 1, 2019 | Replaced HSN |
Texas | |||||||
| Beaumont | KUMY-LD | 22.1 | 22 | SETX Public Television Corporation | May 20, 2019 | Replaced Mexicanal | |
| Dallas | KLEG-CD | 44.1 | 28 | DV Broadcasting, LLC | April 10, 2020 | Replaced Swagat TV (moved to 44.4) | |
| Houston | KBPX-LD | 46.12 | 27 | NuestraVisión | Word Broadcasting Network | January 1, 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| San Antonio | KGMM-CD | 24.1 | 36 | CNZ Communications | August 26, 2019 | ||
Utah | |||||||
| Logan (Salt Lake City) | KUTA-LD | 8.3 | 8 | Youtoo America | Airwaves, Inc. | March 4, 2019 | Replaced local programming |
| Ogden (Salt Lake City) | KQTI-LD | 8.2 | 31 | Youtoo America | Airwaves, Inc. | March 4, 2019 | Replaced Biz TV |
Washington | |||||||
| Seattle | KYMU-LD | 6.3 | 6 | Cozi TV | Seattle 6 Broadcasting LLC | 2019 | Launched on new subchannel |
| Yakima | KGFZ-LD | 31.3 | 31 | Ron Bevins | Fall 2019 | Launched on new subchannel | |
References
- ^ a b c "Stations for Network – NewsNet". RabbitEars. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ a b "LNN - A News Channel without Pundits, Panels or Shout Shows". Kickstarter. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Entrepreneur turns to Kickstarter to launch no-nonsense news channel". TVNewsInsider. September 29, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Phil Kurz (October 6, 2017). "Broadcast Entrepreneur Turns To Crowdfunding For New Effort". TVTechnology. Future plc. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "MI News 26 looks to launch Northern Michigan based national news station". Boyne City Gazette. Paine Press. September 29, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Phil Kurz (March 15, 2018). "New 24/7 News Channel To Make National Launch By Year-End". TVTechnology. Future plc. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Adam Jacobson (March 22, 2018). "Now Available For Local TV: A 24/7 News Channel". Radio-Television Business Report. Streamline-RBR, Inc. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Headline-Driven NewsNet Readies For Launch". Radio-Television Business Report. Streamline-RBR, Inc. October 5, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ Staff, B&C. "NewsNet Breaks Ground on New Studios, Expanding Production Capabilities of America's Newest 24/7 News Channel". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
- ^ a b Eric Wotila (October 2, 2018). "Learn More About Our Format". NewsNet. NewsNet, LLC. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ "Another National News Service Has Launched". FTVLive.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "MI News 26 Founder Starting National News Network". TVNewsTalk.net. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "New 24/7 NewsNet Designed For TV Stations". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. March 20, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.