{{Short description|Television station in Manchester, New Hampshire}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} {{More citations needed|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox television station | callsign = WMUR-TV | city = | logo = WMUR 9 (2014, with 2021 ABC logo).svg | logo_size = 225px | branding = WMUR ABC 9; ''WMUR News 9'' | digital = 9 ([[VHF]]) | virtual = 9 | affiliations = {{ubl|'''9.1:''' [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}} | translators = | owner = [[Hearst Television]] | licensee = Hearst Properties Inc. | location = [[Manchester, New Hampshire]] | country = United States | airdate = {{start date|1954|3|28}} | last_airdate = | callsign_meaning = [[Governor of New Hampshire|Governor]] [[Francis P. Murphy]] (founder) | sister_stations = [[WCVB-TV]] | former_callsigns = | former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 9 (VHF, 1954–2009)|'''Digital:''' 59 ([[UHF]], 1998–2009)|'''Translators:'''|W27BL 27 [[Berlin, New Hampshire|Berlin]]|WMUR-LP 29 [[Littleton, New Hampshire|Littleton]]|W38CB 38 Littleton}} | former_affiliations = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] (1994–2001, secondary on main channel, primary on two repeaters) | erp = {{ubl|7.35 [[kW]]|51 kW (application)}} | haat = {{convert|312.4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} | facility_id = 73292 | coordinates = {{nowrap|{{coord|42|59|1.3|N|71|35|23.2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000_region:US-NH|display=inline,title}}}} | licensing_authority = [[FCC]] | website = {{URL|https://www.wmur.com/}} }}
'''WMUR-TV''' (channel 9) is a [[television station]] licensed to [[Manchester, New Hampshire]], United States, serving as the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate to most of New Hampshire. Owned by [[Hearst Television]], the station maintains studios on South Commercial Street in downtown Manchester, and its transmitter is located on the south peak of [[Mount Uncanoonuc]] in [[Goffstown]].
Manchester is part of the larger [[Boston]] [[television market]], making WMUR-TV part of a nominal [[duopoly (broadcasting)|duopoly]] with that city's ABC affiliate, [[WCVB-TV]] (channel 5); however, the two stations maintain separate operations. As a result, WMUR is the only New Hampshire–based television station with a news operation. In addition to WCVB-TV, WMUR-TV shares common coverage areas with four [[sister station]]s: the [[Portland, Maine]], duopoly of ABC affiliate [[WMTW (TV)|WMTW]] and [[The CW|CW]] affiliate [[WPXT]]; and the [[Burlington, Vermont]], duopoly of CW affiliate [[WNNE]] in [[Montpelier, Vermont|Montpelier]] and [[Plattsburgh, New York]]–based [[NBC]] affiliate [[WPTZ]].
== History == ===Early years=== The station signed on the air on March 28, 1954, as the first television station in New Hampshire. It was founded by former governor [[Francis P. Murphy]], owner of WMUR radio (610 AM; now [[WGIR (AM)|WGIR]]) through a company known as the Radio Voice of New Hampshire, Inc. Murphy beat out several challengers, including [[William Loeb III]], publisher of the ''[[Manchester Union-Leader]]''. It broadcast from a Victorian-style house on Elm Street in Manchester, alongside its sister radio station.<ref name="nhab-wmurtvbegin">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhab.org/alumni/murphy.html|title=NHAB Alumni: Francis P. Murphy|date=October 29, 2001|publisher=New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters|access-date=February 14, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723123323/http://www.nhab.org/alumni/murphy.html|archive-date=July 23, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="th-history">{{cite news|last=Rapsis |first=Jeff |date=March 4, 2004 |title=WMUR At 50 |work=The Hippo |url=http://www.hippopress.com/features/cover040304.html |access-date=February 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217182427/http://www.hippopress.com/features/cover040304.html |archive-date=December 17, 2004 }}</ref> In addition to carrying ABC programming (the station having been affiliated with the network since its sign-on), WMUR aired daily newscasts, local game shows and movies. The station's name, WMUR, is in reference to the first three letters of Murphy's last name.<ref>Wetherbee, Fritz. [https://www.wmur.com/article/fritz-wetherbee-robert-o-blood/46552285 "Fritz Wetherbee: Robert O. Blood"]. ''WMUR''. Published January 25, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2023.</ref>
In 1955, channel 9 boosted its signal significantly, providing a strong signal extending into portions of the Boston area. Murphy was well aware of this and began airing programming that had previously not been available in Boston. The following year, however, Murphy decided to retire. While a buyer was found immediately for WMUR radio, there were few takers for channel 9. Finally, in early 1957, he agreed in principle to sell WMUR-TV to [[Storer Broadcasting]]. However, Storer came under fire when it announced plans to move the station's transmitter to just outside [[Haverhill, Massachusetts]]—only {{convert|20|mi|km|0}} north of Boston. It soon became apparent that Storer intended to move all of channel 9's operations across the border to Massachusetts and reorient it as the Boston market's third VHF station. The outcry led regulators to reject Storer's request to build a new tower near Haverhill. Storer then backed out of the deal, and the station remained in Murphy's hands until his death in December 1958. His estate finally sold the station a few months later to Richard Eaton's United Broadcasting.<ref name="th-history"/><ref name="tt-saletounited">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NK8rAAAAIBAJ&dq=wmur%20radio-voice&pg=4527%2C2416448|title=Authorize WMUR-TV Sale|date=February 4, 1959|agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[The Telegraph (Nashua)|The Telegraph]] |location=Nashua, NH |page=5|access-date=February 16, 2010}}</ref> Storer eventually fulfilled their Boston ambitions in 1966 with the purchase of the channel 38 license as [[WSBK-TV]].
Soon after taking over, United laid off all but nine of WMUR's employees and reduced local programming to its two daily newscasts. For the next 22 years, United ran channel 9 on a shoestring budget, devoting most of its efforts to managing Manchester's cable franchise. It paid almost no attention to the station even as equipment broke down. The studio's upkeep also suffered; the floor was so slanted that cameras rolled on their own. WMUR continued to broadcast in black-and-white until 1973, long after the Boston stations had all upgraded to color capability. Two of the few things the station had going for it during this period were ''The Uncle Gus Show'', hosted by Gus Bernier for more than 20 years, and an increasingly active news department led by Tom Bonnar and Fred Kocher.<ref name="th-history"/>
Throughout the 1970s, Eaton's entire chain of radio and television stations, including WMUR, were under constant scrutiny by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC). In the cases involving two other television stations ([[WOOK-TV]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[WMET-TV]] in [[Baltimore]]),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1974/1974-05-13-BC.pdf|title=Shuttering of third Eaton outlet proposed: Group broadcasters get triple blow to add to earlier problems at FCC|date=May 13, 1974|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|access-date=December 25, 2019|page=28}}</ref> as well as two other radio stations ([[WOOK (AM)]] in Washington and [[WFAB (Miami)|WFAB]] in [[Miami]]), their licenses were revoked entirely, each for different reasons.<ref name="mourn">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40056486/|title=Listeners mourn sign-off of Cuban radio station|last=Silva|first=Helga|date=February 21, 1977|work=Miami News|access-date=December 4, 2019|page=5-A}}</ref><ref name="tangled">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/04/20/tangled-case-to-silence-voice-of-spanish-radio-station/051d1493-3926-47af-acb7-1c83f8370e46/|title=Tangled case to silence voice of Spanish radio station|last=Dickey|first=Christopher|date=April 20, 1978|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=December 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205171751/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/04/20/tangled-case-to-silence-voice-of-spanish-radio-station/051d1493-3926-47af-acb7-1c83f8370e46/|archive-date=December 5, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> (An [[administrative law judge]] recommended the licenses of two other radio stations, [[WERE|WJMO (1490 AM)]] and [[WKRK-FM|WCUY (92.3 FM)]] in [[Cleveland Heights, Ohio]], be revoked as well, but this was not acted upon by the commission due to Eaton's death in June 1981.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1977/BC-1977-02-28.pdf|title=In Brief|date=February 28, 1977|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|access-date=December 24, 2019|page=22}}</ref>) WMUR, [[KECY-TV|KECC-TV]] in [[El Centro, California]], and WMET-TV were investigated over allegations of [[bribery]] by Eaton of ABC-TV employees so WMUR and KECC would get more favorable terms in their ABC affiliations contracts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1972/1972-03-06-BC.pdf|title=FCC mixup, tardiness claimed by Friendly|date=March 6, 1972|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|access-date=December 24, 2019|page=40}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1971/1971-11-08-BC.pdf|title=Renewals clouded by bribe charges|date=November 8, 1971|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|access-date=December 24, 2019|page=44}}</ref>
The station continued to be run very cheaply into the early 1980s, but a change in ownership marked the beginning of a new era for WMUR.
=== 1980s and 1990s === In July 1981, following Richard Eaton's death, WMUR was sold to [[Columbus, Mississippi]], businessman Birney Imes Jr. and his company, Imes Communications, which also owned that city's [[WCBI-TV]], as well as [[WBOY-TV]] in [[Clarksburg, West Virginia]]. Years later, several veterans, including Bonnar, said they only stayed at the station in hopes a wealthier owner would see its potential. Imes made WMUR a significant influence in New Hampshire by giving it a badly needed technical overhaul, as well as upgrading its news department.<ref name="th-history"/> In September 1987, the station moved from its original Elm Street studios to facilities in the historic Millyard area of the city.<ref name="th-history"/>
In 1994, WMUR became both a primary and secondary affiliate of [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]. They also launched three low-powered repeaters in the northern portion of New Hampshire, one of them (W38CB in [[Littleton, New Hampshire|Littleton]]) carried WMUR's full ABC schedule, while the other two (W27BL in [[Berlin, New Hampshire|Berlin]] and W16BC, later WMUR-LP, in Littleton) were full-time primary affiliates of Fox. All of them, including its main channel, carried WMUR's newscasts as well as [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]] telecasts. While WMUR and W38CB continued to carry the full ABC schedule, W27BL and W16BC offered a different lineup that, while including WMUR's newscasts and some of its syndicated fare, replaced ABC programs with additional syndicated programming, as well as Fox's [[Fox Kids|children's block]] and prime time lineup. W16BC was the only Fox affiliate to serve a portion of the [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]]–[[Plattsburgh]] media market until [[WFFF-TV]] began broadcasting on August 31, 1997. On December 19, 2001, WMUR dropped all Fox programming after the Hearst acquisition (Hearst has never affiliated any of their stations with Fox, a rarity in American broadcasting); in early 2002, W27BL and WMUR-LP began to carry WMUR-TV's full schedule, including ABC programming.
In 1995, WMUR purchased land and a building at its current location. This building was rebuilt as an {{convert|80000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} state-of-the-art broadcast center; it moved to this new location in January 1996.
WMUR was the first television station in the country to develop a significant Internet presence beginning on October 8, 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wmur.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961220193106/http://www.wmur.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 20, 1996|title=Welcome to WMUR NewsNine in Manchester, NH!|date=December 20, 1996|access-date=October 16, 2018}}</ref> It was the first television station to hire a full-time employee dedicated to streaming its newscast live and archived online for later viewing. It was also the first television station to use the Internet to supplement its broadcast news by posting additional information online like the [[Megan's Law]] list. After posting a 3D virtual tour of its TV studio facilities online, it briefly became the most visited attraction online in the world. Beginning in 1998, the station made significant financial, technical and staff investments into its Internet strategy. This included 24-hour original news segments, weather coverage by a professional meteorologist and sales executive dedicated to TV and online advertising. In 2000, WMUR, [[CNN]] and WMUR.com simulcast the [[New Hampshire presidential primary]] debates held at the TV station. This was the first widely promoted and executed worldwide live streaming video event.
===Since 2000=== [[File:WMUR.svg|190px|thumb|left|Versions of this logo were used from 2002 through June 2014; it is a modified version of a logo used starting in 1994.]] In September 2000, Imes Communications reached an agreement to sell the station to [[Emmis Communications]], who then traded WMUR to Hearst-Argyle Television, now Hearst Television, in exchange for that company's three radio stations in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]—[[KTAR (AM)|KTAR]], [[KNAI (AM)|KMVP]], and [[KMVP-FM|KKLT]].<ref name="b&c-saletoha">{{cite news|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/92705-Emmis_H_A_deal.php|title=Emmis, H-A deal|date=September 10, 2000|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|access-date=February 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001181525/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/92705-Emmis_H_A_deal.php|archive-date=October 1, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2004, WMUR-TV celebrated fifty years of broadcasting.<ref name="th-history"/>
On September 24, 2005, WMUR became available on satellite via [[DirecTV]] in [[Coös]], [[Carroll County, New Hampshire|Carroll]], [[Grafton County, New Hampshire|Grafton]], and [[Sullivan County, New Hampshire|Sullivan]] counties in northern and west-central New Hampshire.<ref name="wmur-directvnnh">{{cite news|url=http://www.wmur.com/station/5013678/detail.html|title=WMUR Available On DirecTV In North Country|date=September 23, 2005|work=WMUR.com|access-date=February 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229084024/http://www.wmur.com/station/5013678/detail.html|archive-date=February 29, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Coös and Carroll counties are part of the [[Portland, Maine]], market and thus had [[WMTW (TV)|WMTW]] as their ABC affiliate, while Grafton and Sullivan counties are part of the Burlington–Plattsburgh market and hence received ABC programming from [[WVNY]]; these areas had no source of in-state news until WMUR's uplinking.
The station was featured in a fictional manner in the sixth season of ''[[The West Wing]]''. Congressman [[Matt Santos]], running in the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] Presidential primary, went to the WMUR studios to run a live ad for his campaign.
WMUR-TV began broadcasting on [[UHF]] channel 59 in November 1998.{{cn|date=July 2024}} The station shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 59, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition to its analog era VHF channel 9.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=June 26, 2024}}</ref>
In February 2010, WMUR introduced a new slogan, "It's how you know." This slogan often promoted its local news, weather, its photo-sharing site, "uLocal", and other ideas of interest that would lead to its website. WMUR's Hearst-owned sister stations [[KCRA]] and [[KSBW]] also used this slogan, which was seen at the beginning of each video segment on YouTube.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/004473.php|title=Hearst-Argyle Television on YouTube a big success|access-date=September 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621102347/http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/004473.php|archive-date=June 21, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2007/06/03/youtube-hearst-argyle/|title=YouTube to Split Revenue with Hearst-Argyle's Local TV Stations|first=Kristen|last=Nicole|website=Mashable|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219163752/https://mashable.com/2007/06/03/youtube-hearst-argyle/|archive-date=December 19, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
In July 2012, during a [[retransmission consent]] dispute, [[Hallmark Movie Channel]] was a substitute for Hearst Television's ABC affiliates, WMUR-TV and WMTW on [[Time Warner Cable]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jones|first1=Lloyd|title=Hallmark Movie Channel to replace ABC for the foreseeable future|url=https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/hallmark-movie-channel-to-replace-abc-for-the-foreseeable-future/article_d27ec8ab-101f-5077-9330-35cd4284cd48.html|access-date=February 14, 2018|work=[[The Conway Daily Sun]]|date=July 11, 2012|language=en}}</ref>
In December 2015, the [[Democratic National Committee]] announced that WMUR would not be included as a co-sponsor of the [[Democratic Party presidential debates, 2016#December 19.2C 2015 .E2.80.93 Goffstown.2C New Hampshire|Democratic debate]] due to a labor dispute between that station and its unionized employees.<ref>{{cite news |last=Corasaniti |first=Nick |url=https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/11/democrats-revoke-debate-sponsorship-of-wmur-new-hampshire-tv-station/ |title=Democrats Revoke Debate Sponsorship of WMUR, New Hampshire TV Station |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 11, 2015 |access-date=December 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212000903/http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/11/democrats-revoke-debate-sponsorship-of-wmur-new-hampshire-tv-station/ |archive-date=December 12, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== New Hampshire network affiliates == [[File:Michael Bennet on WMUR.jpg|thumb|Adam Sexton (right) interviewing senator [[Michael Bennet]] during the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]]]] Manchester is about {{convert|45|mi|km}} north from Boston while [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]] is about {{convert|60|mi|km}}. Boston's VHF stations have Grade A signals in Manchester and Grade B signals in Concord, while the UHF stations have Grade B signals in Manchester but spotty signals in Concord. On paper, southern New Hampshire is large enough to be a market in its own right. If it were ever to break off from Boston, it would rank in the top 100 of all U.S. [[media market]]s. However, [[CBS]]'s ownership of [[WBZ-TV]] (channel 4) makes this unlikely as it would result in the dilution of that station's advertising revenue, along with viewer upheaval at the loss of newscasts from the Boston area. This has been seen when [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]]'s stations in the southern portion of the Boston market attempted to claim market exclusivity resulting in some complaints from area cable customers. In the early 1990s, WBZ operated a [[news bureau]] in Manchester which was re-established on Elm Street in November 2006.
Prior to 1988, the sub-market was served by WMUR and [[PBS]] [[network affiliate#Member stations|member station]] WENH-TV (which was part of the [[New Hampshire Public Television]] state network). On February 1, 1988, [[WNHT (TV)|WNHT]] (channel 21, now occupied by [[WPXG-TV]]), an [[independent station]] based in Concord, became southern New Hampshire's first CBS affiliate and began to produce local newscasts. WNHT lost the affiliation and ceased operations on March 31, 1989, due to insufficient viewership. There has not been a CBS affiliate in the state since then. The situation with WMUR and sister station [[WCVB-TV]] is not unlike that of [[WHAG-TV]] in [[Hagerstown, Maryland]], which operated as an [[NBC]] affiliate until 2016 even though it is part of the Washington, D.C., market and competed with that city's NBC owned-and-operated station, [[WRC-TV]].
The only NBC affiliate to be based in the state was [[WRLH (New Hampshire)|WRLH]] (channel 31) out of [[Lebanon, New Hampshire|Lebanon]], which operated from 1966 to 1968 and 1971 to 1974. Channel 31 returned to the air under a new license in 1978 as [[WNNE]], now based in [[White River Junction, Vermont]]. WNNE broadcast NBC programming into parts of western New Hampshire from then until 2018, when it moved to [[Montpelier, Vermont]], and became the [[The CW|CW]] affiliate for the Burlington–Plattsburgh market. Much of this area is considered part of the Burlington–Plattsburgh market, although WMUR is still available. The rest of the state receives NBC from that network's affiliates in either Boston or Portland. On January 1, 2017, [[Merrimack, New Hampshire|Merrimack]]-licensed [[Telemundo]] owned-and-operated station [[WNEU]] (channel 60) began simulcasting NBC programming via its new Boston O&O WBTS-LD (channel 8, now Telemundo O&O [[WYCN-LD]] in Providence) on its second digital subchannel; however, the new station, known on-air as [[NBC Boston]], is focused on Boston and eastern Massachusetts rather than New Hampshire. NBC also operates [[WBTS-CD]] (channel 15), licensed to serve [[Nashua, New Hampshire|Nashua]]; however, under a channel sharing agreement, it broadcasts from [[Needham, Massachusetts]], over the transmitter of Boston-based [[WGBX-TV]] (channel 44). There were no [[UPN]] or [[The WB|WB]] affiliates in the state during the existence of those networks; likewise, The CW and [[MyNetworkTV]] do not have any affiliates in New Hampshire, and the state receives Fox from the network's affiliates in [[WFXT|Boston, Massachusetts]], [[WPFO|Portland, Maine]], or Burlington, Vermont.
WMUR has always promoted the fact that it is the only local television news source in the state; the station's slogan since 2002—"No One Covers New Hampshire Like We Do"—reflects this. At various points, channel 50 (as WNDS, WZMY-TV, and WBIN-TV) and WGOT (channel 60, now WNEU), as well as the aforementioned WNHT, have offered New Hampshire-focused local newscasts in competition with WMUR; the most recent of these operations, on [[WBIN-TV]], was canceled in 2017 after that station sold its spectrum in an FCC auction, leaving WMUR once again as the only television news source in New Hampshire.
== Programming == WMUR was one of the longest-serving affiliates of the [[Muscular Dystrophy Association]]'s "Love Network", having carried ''The [[Jerry Lewis]] [[MDA Labor Day Telethon]]'' and its successors annually on [[Labor Day]] and/or the night before since the late 1960s.<ref name="th-history"/><ref name="tty-wmurtelethon">{{cite news|url=http://www.thetelethonyears.com/showhistory.htm|title=How it all began?|work=The Telethon Years|access-date=February 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100220043946/http://www.thetelethonyears.com/showhistory.htm|archive-date=February 20, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> MDA moved the [[telethon]] from syndication to ABC in 2013 as the ''MDA Show of Strength''; as a result, WMUR continued to broadcast the program for two more years until the telethon ended in 2014.
During the 1960s and 1970s, one of the station's well-known local programs was a weekday children's program known as ''The Uncle Gus Show''. Unlike Boston's astronaut Major Mudd or the widely franchised [[Bozo the Clown|Bozo]], host Uncle Gus Bernier wore no costume except an angler's hat. For many years, WMUR's nighttime sign-off was accompanied by "New Hampshire Naturally" by The Shaw Brothers. The music was synchronized to bucolic scenes of a [[fly fisherman]] casting his line into a mountain stream, a [[covered bridge]], the [[Old Man of the Mountain, New Hampshire|Old Man of the Mountain]], flowers, [[fall foliage]] and other images. This theme was replaced at some point{{when|date=August 2020}} by "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]".
===News operation=== [[File:WMUR News Truck 2014.jpg|300px|thumb|left|alt=The mobile WMUR News vehicle at the 2015 Boston Marathon|The mobile WMUR News vehicle at the 2015 [[Boston Marathon]]]] WMUR-TV broadcasts {{frac|30|1|2}} hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with {{frac|4|1|2}} hours each weekday and four hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). In addition, WMUR produces ''New Hampshire Chronicle'', a regional version of the ''[[Chronicle (American TV program)|Chronicle]]'' newsmagazine series that originated on Boston sister station WCVB-TV, which airs weeknights at 7 p.m.; and the [[public affairs (broadcasting)|political talk program]] ''Close Up'', which airs on Sundays at 10 a.m.
During election seasons, WMUR is well known for organizing and producing candidate debates for [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]], as well as CNN, before the first United States [[President of the United States|presidential]] primary; the debates have been held at [[Saint Anselm College]]. In addition to its main studios, WMUR operates two news bureaus in New Hampshire. The station's [[Lakes Region (New Hampshire)|Lakes Region]] Bureau is based at The Inn at Bay Point in [[Meredith, New Hampshire|Meredith]], and the [[Seacoast Region (New Hampshire)|Seacoast]] Bureau is based at Harbor Place in [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]]. In addition, WMUR and WCVB share news footage for stories occurring within the other station's coverage area; WCVB also operates a live truck for news gathering that is based at WMUR's studios in Manchester.
In lieu of its own [[weather radar]], WMUR uses live radar data from several regional sites operated by the [[National Weather Service]]. During weather segments, the radar system used by WMUR that utilizes this data is presented on-screen as "Storm Watch 9 Storm Tracker", which is provided through a graphics system by Weather Services International. A live video feed of this radar is offered on WMUR's website. During instances of severe weather year-round, the station may extend local newscasts to provide coverage; this coverage is sometimes streamed live on the website.
On August 2, 2011, WMUR began broadcasting its local newscasts in [[high-definition television|high definition]] and introduced a new set and graphics package, which are styled differently from those of WCVB to avert any confusion between the two stations (along with its news music). WMUR began producing a half-hour weeknight 10 p.m. newscast for its MeTV subchannel on March 5, 2012, which competed with a 10 p.m. newscast on WBIN-TV until early 2017, when that station went off the air as a result of the FCC's spectrum auction.<ref name=wmur-newsonmetv>{{cite news|title=WMUR 10 P.M. Newscast Launches|url=http://www.wmur.com/WMUR-10-P-M-Newscast-Launches/11835658#!0geEU|access-date=June 17, 2014|publisher=WMUR.com|date=March 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014085959/http://www.wmur.com/WMUR-10-P-M-Newscast-Launches/11835658#!0geEU|archive-date=October 14, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 5, 2018, WMUR introduced another new graphics package, this time for the full [[16:9]] [[widescreen]] presentation, but like the previous version, they are styled differently from those of WCVB to avert any confusion between the two stations (and their other sister stations that have a news operation).
====Notable current on-air staff==== * [[Erin Fehlau]] – anchor; also host of ''New Hampshire Chronicle''
====Notable former on-air staff==== * [[Jack Edwards (sportscaster)|Jack Edwards]] – sports anchor * [[Chris Wragge]] – sports reporter
==Technical information== ===Subchannels=== The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]: {| class="wikitable" |+Subchannels of WMUR-TV<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WMUR|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WMUR|website=RabbitEars|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828122704/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WMUR|archive-date=August 28, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> ! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]] ! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]] ! scope = "col" | Short name ! scope = "col" | Programming |- ! scope = "row" | 9.1 | [[1080i]] || WMUR || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- ! scope = "row" | 9.2 | rowspan="2"|[[480i]] || WMUR Me || [[MeTV]] |- ! scope = "row" | 9.5 | QVC || [[QVC]] ([[4:3]]) |}
On October 3, 2011, WMUR added subchannel 9.2 with programming from classic television network [[MeTV]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://metv.com/wheretowatch/affiliate/602|title=Where do I watch MeTV in Chicago?|website=Me-TV Network|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219165442/https://metv.com/wheretowatch/affiliate/602|archive-date=December 19, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
In October 2021, WMUR added subchannel 9.3 carrying [[Shop LC]] programming (and later QVC) on subchannel 9.5.
===Former repeaters=== From August 22, 1994, until January 18, 2022, WMUR operated [[broadcast relay station#Broadcast translators|repeaters]] in northern New Hampshire. Until December 19, 2001, two of the stations were primarily affiliated with Fox but simulcast channel 9's newscasts and some syndicated programs (the third repeater carried all WMUR programming, including ABC network programs). The two Fox stations started simulcasting WMUR when WMTW (at that time separately owned) relocated its transmitter away from [[Mount Washington]].
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Call sign ! Channel ! City of license ! Notes |- | '''W27BL''' || 27 || [[Berlin, New Hampshire|Berlin]] || {{Bulleted list|Part of Portland [[media market|market]]|First on-air on August 22, 1994}} |- | '''WMUR-LP''' || 29 || [[Littleton, New Hampshire|Littleton]] || {{Bulleted list|Part of Burlington–Plattsburgh market|Tower formerly shared with W38CB on [[Cannon Mountain (New Hampshire)|Cannon Mountain]]|Formerly W16BC and (briefly) W29CM|First on-air on June 5, 1995}} |}
A third translator, W38CB, was also licensed to Littleton, sharing the Cannon Mountain transmitter site with WMUR-LP. It launched in May 1995 and, unlike the other Littleton facility, always aired ABC programming.
Since all three stations were low-powered, they were exempt from the transition to digital-only broadcasting on June 12, 2009. W38CB was removed from service on December 27, 2018, to enable [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]] to launch 600 MHz services; the license was surrendered for cancellation on February 10, 2020. W27BL and WMUR-LP turned off their analog signals on July 13, 2021. They had pending construction permits to convert to digital, until the FCC canceled those two licenses on January 18, 2022.<ref>[https://fccdata.org/?facid=73295 FCCdata.org Info On DDWMUR-LP]</ref><ref>[https://fccdata.org/?facid=73291 FCCdata.org Info On DDW27BL]</ref>
== See also == * [[Channel 9 virtual TV stations in the United States]] * [[Channel 9 digital TV stations in the United States]] * [[List of television stations in New Hampshire]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|WMUR-TV}} *{{Official website|https://www.wmur.com/}}
{{Boston TV}} {{New England TV}} {{Hearst-Argyle}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wmur-Tv}} [[Category:1954 establishments in New Hampshire]] [[Category:American Broadcasting Company affiliates]] [[Category:Companies based in Manchester, New Hampshire]] [[Category:Hearst Television]] [[Category:MeTV affiliates]] [[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954]] [[Category:Television stations in New Hampshire|MUR-TV]]