WGTU

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WGTU / WGTQ
WGTU: Traverse City, Michigan WGTQ: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Branding	ABC 29&8
Slogan	The One To Watch
Channels	WGTU: 29 (UHF) WGTQ: 8 (VHF) analog, WGTU: 31 (UHF) WGTQ: 9 (VHF) digital
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Max Media
Founded	WGTU: January 23, 1971 WGTQ: January 12, 1976
Call letters meaning	WGTU: Grand Traverse UHF WGTQ: Grand Traverse Quality
Former affiliations	none
Website	wgtu.com

WGTU is the ABC television affiliate serving the Traverse City / Cadillac / Sault Ste. Marie (Northern Michigan) television market, the largest geographic television market east of the Mississippi River. WGTU broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 29 and a digital signal on UHF channel 31 from a tower located east of Kalkaska and shared with WCMV and WFQX. WGTU is licensed to Traverse City and has studios in a downtown historic building that once housed Northwestern Bank.

Like other network affiliates serving this vast, rural area, the station operates a full-time satellite, WGTQ, which is licensed to Sault Ste. Marie. WGTQ broadcasts an analog signal on VHF channel 8 and a digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a tower (shared with CBS affiliate WWUP) located 30 miles SSE of Sault Ste. Marie, near Goetzville in Chippewa County. Master control and operations of WGTQ are located at WGTU's studios. There is no separate logo or website for WGTQ. It is a straight, full-time simulcast of WGTU. Together, the two stations, known on-air as "ABC 29&8" serve 23 counties in the Northern Lower Peninsula, and three counties in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

WGTU & WGTQ are owned by Max Media, which also owns several other stations throughout the United States. Max Media also represents and has a sales agreement with cable-only "WBVC", Northern Michigan's CW affiliate. As a result of being a cable-only station, WBVC is part of The CW Plus. It shares and broadcasts out of WGTU & WGTQ's studios. WBVC also shares the WGTU & WGTQ website. Before becoming a CW affiliate, WBVC was a WB affiliate and part of The WB 100+ Station Group, which is similar to the current CW Plus. WBVC is a sister station to WGTU & WGTQ and, unlike most stations in the U.S. that operate cable-only affliates of The CW, it is not carried on a digital subchannel of WGTU & WGTQ.

WGTU & WGTQ air 24 hours a day during the week. It airs a test pattern for a short period overnight on the weekends.

Contents 1 History 2 Newscasts 3 Programming 4 Administration 5 Logos 6 External Links

[edit] History

WGTU began broadcasting on January 23, 1971. Before that, ABC programming in Northern Michigan was split between the area's CBS affiliate WWTV & WWUP (soap operas / game shows) and the area's NBC affiliate WPBN & WTOM (weekend sporting events). On January 12, 1976, the station added WGTQ in Sault Ste. Marie to bring the full ABC schedule to the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

WGTQ has not been available on cable in Canada since the early 2000s. In Sudbury, Ontario, the Persona cable system pulled WGTQ in favor of Detroit's ABC affiliate WXYZ. In Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or, Quebec, Cablevision replaced WGTU with Boston's ABC affiliate WCVB. In the Canadian Sault, local cable provider Shaw Communications opted for Flint's ABC affiliate WJRT, though it was later replaced by WXYZ.

The station was locally owned and operated, most recently by Tom Scanlon (who also owned Marquette's ABC affiliate WBUP), until its 2003 sale to Max Media of Traverse City, LLC. The addition of mandatory digital equipment, along with mediocre syndicated programming, a wavering ABC primetime line-up, and poor management have contributed to WGTU & WGTQ continuing to be a station that has long been one of ABC's lowest rated affiliates. It has long been notorious for its low budget and poor on-air quality, which may be why it is no longer seen on cable in Canada.

In early November 2006, WGTU & WGTQ upgraded their facilities to begin offering ABC programs in HDTV. WGTU & WGTQ's HDTV signal can also be seen via Charter digital cable systems on channel 788.

[edit] Newscasts

WGTU & WGTQ had a news department when each station signed on, but was unable to compete with those of WWTV and WPBN. Since 1984, there have been virtually no local newscasts. However, there are local news, weather, and sports updates that are provided at :25 and :55 past the hour during the weekday edition of ABC's Good Morning America. Lori Puckett, who is also the Production / Promotion / Community Affairs Manager for the station, provides local news and weather. Master Control operator Nick Bank provides local sports. There is also a weekday 10 minute news update, known as the ABC 29&8 News Break, at 11 PM that is also anchored by Lori Puckett. In terms of newscast ratings, WGTU & WGTQ are currently a distant fourth behind WFQX, WPBN, and WWTV.

• Good Morning America (7 to 9 AM)
  • with local news and weather by Lori Puckett and local sports by Nick Bank

• ABC 29&8 News Break (11 to 11:10 PM)
  • with local news, weather, and sports by Lori Puckett

[edit] Programming

WGTU clears the entire ABC schedule. However, they do pre-empt whatever ABC is showing the Sunday afternoon before the Super Bowl - usually sporting events - to show a six-hour pledge-a-thon from The 700 Club. The pre-emptions have created controversy, and people have written to the local newspaper, the Traverse City Record-Eagle, questioning 29 & 8's ability to serve the northern Michigan audience as its ABC affiliate. The station has aired the show since at least the 1980s, but, the station's parent, Max Media, is partially owned by Pat Robertson's son, Tim Robertson, who helped his father legally (albeit barely) make The Family Channel a for-profit company. Most Max Media stations air The 700 Club, making some wonder if the company is an umbrella company to increase Robertson's affiliation base.

The station's poor ratings have also cost them affiliation contracts with top-rated shows, such as Oprah, Live! With Regis and Kelly, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!. They do, however, air The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Tyra Banks Show and The Rachael Ray Show.

[edit] Administration

• Jeff Cash - Max Media President
• Betsy Bard - General Sales Manager
• Chris Holz - Business Manager
• Craig Toomey - Local Sales Manager
• Ginny Billings - Sales Research Assistant
• Nick Bank - Master Control
• Kim Wolfe - Accountant
• Leah Singer - Commercial / Promotions Producer
• Leon Vietzke - Commercial Producer
• Patrick Black - Commercial Producer
• Lori Puckett - Production / Promotion / Community Affairs Manager
• Lynne Bennett - Traffic Manager
• Ronald Stark - Chief Engineer

Account Executives

• Stephen Adcock
• Charlie Stratton
• Jay Lovendusky
• Kristin Kukhahn
• Maureen Maxwell

[edit] Logos

Station coverage area map from 1996.

Station logo from 1984 to 1996.

Earlier version of current logo.

Current station logo.

[edit] External Links

• Station Website
• ABC Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WGTU
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WGTQ

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