WSAW-TV

{{Short description|Television station in Wausau, Wisconsin}} {{update|date=August 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox television station | callsign = WSAW-TV | city = | logo = 180px ---- 150px ---- | branding = {{ubl|''NewsChannel 7''|MeTV Wausau (7.2)|Fox WZAW (7.3)|Central Wisconsin CW (7.4)}} | analog = | digital = 7 (VHF) | virtual = 7 | subchannels = | translators = W21DS-D 21 (UHF) Sayner/Vilas County, WI | affiliations = {{ubl|'''7.1:''' CBS|'''7.2:''' MyNetworkTV/MeTV|'''7.3:''' Fox|'''7.4:''' CW+}} | airdate = {{start date|1954|10|24}} | location = Wausau, Wisconsin | country = United States | former_callsigns = WSAU-TV (1954–1981) | former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 7 (VHF, 1954–2009)|'''Digital:''' 40 (UHF, until 2009)|'''Translators:''' 57 & 42 W57AR/W42DH Sayner/Vilas County, WI}} | callsign_meaning = phonetically short for "Wausau, Wisconsin"; also similar to original calls | owner = Gray Media | licensee = Gray Television Licensee, LLC | former_affiliations = {{ubl|DuMont (secondary, 1954–1956)|ABC (secondary, 1954–1965)|NBC (secondary, 1954–1966)}} | erp = 72 kW | haat = {{convert|373|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} | facility_id = 6867 | class = | coordinates = {{coord|44|55|14.2|N|89|41|28.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}} | licensing_authority = FCC | website = {{URL|https://www.wsaw.com/}} | embed_header = Satellite station | embedded = {{Infobox television station | child = yes | callsign = WYOW | city = Eagle River, Wisconsin | digital = 28 (UHF) | virtual = 34 | subchannels = | affiliations = {{ubl|'''7.10:''' CBS|'''33.10:''' Fox|'''34.1:''' CW+}} | translators = | founded = January 4, 1997 | location = Eagle River–Rhinelander, Wisconsin | callsign_meaning = disambiguation of former parent station WAOW | former_channel_numbers = '''Analog:''' 34 (UHF, 1997–2009) | former_affiliations = {{ubl|ABC (via WAOW, 1997–2021)|Fox (NFL games, 1997–1999)|CW+ (DT2, 2006−2021)|Fox (DT3, via WFXS-DT, February−March 2009)}} | erp = {{ubl|70 kW|80 kW (application)}} | haat = {{convert|163|m|ft|abbr=on}} | facility_id = 77789 | coordinates = {{nowrap|{{coord|45|46|29.9|N|89|14|56.1|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}}} | licensing_authority = FCC }} }} '''WSAW-TV''' (channel 7) is a television station in Wausau, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with CBS, MyNetworkTV, MeTV, and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Media alongside low-power Fox affiliate WZAW-LD (channel 33). The two stations share studios on Grand Avenue/US 51 in Wausau; WSAW-TV's transmitter is located on Rib Mountain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TV Query Results -- Video Division (FCC) USA |url=https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WSAW |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305015154/https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WSAW |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=transition.fcc.gov }}</ref>

To serve the Northwoods area of Northern Wisconsin, it operates a digital fill-in translator in Sayner ('''W21DS-D''') that also covers Eagle River. This station broadcasts on UHF channel 21 (also mapping to virtual channel 7) from a transmitter on Razorback Road in unincorporated Vilas County (north of Sayner). The low-power repeater also serves the western portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula although the broadcasting radius is limited to Marenisco and Watersmeet.

==History== The station launched on October 24, 1954, as WSAU-TV, a sister station to WSAU radio (550 AM) and the original WSAU-FM (95.5, now WIFC; the current WSAU-FM is on 99.9 FM). It was originally owned by two groups who merged their applications in hearing: the radio station and the Wisconsin Valley Television Corporation, a consortium of North-Central Wisconsin newspapers that also included the ''Wausau Daily Record-Herald''.<ref name="Waus540329">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102719426/agree-on-merger-of-tv-interests-wsau-sa/|date=March 29, 1954|page=1|title=Agree on Merger of TV Interests, WSAU Sale to Valley Television Corp.|newspaper=Wausau Daily Record-Herald|location=Wausau, Wisconsin|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wikimapia.org/9788556/Site-of-the-Plumer-Mansion|title=Site of the Plumer Mansion - Wausau, Wisconsin|website=wikimapia.org}}</ref>

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 blackletter "7" logo along with an accompanying cartoon mascot, the fully armored knight "Sir Seven".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Behrens |first=Matt |title=The History of NewsChannel 7 |work=WSAW |url=https://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/39682167.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201103432/https://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/39682167.html |archive-date=February 1, 2016}}</ref> The logo and mascot served as representations of the station for several decades. Wisconsin Valley expanded with WMTV in Madison and radio station WKAU in Kaukauna. In 1965, Wisconsin Valley purchased its first media holding outside of the state, KVTV in Sioux City, Iowa; as a consequence of doing business in other states, the firm renamed itself Forward Communications in January 1967.<ref name="Waus670109">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102710726/tv-corporation-has-new-name/|date=January 9, 1967|page=7|title=TV Corporation Has New Name|newspaper=Wausau Daily Herald|location=Wausau, Wisconsin|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref>

Forward sold off WSAU and WIFC radio in 1980. Since the radio station retained the WSAU call sign, Forward immediately applied to change channel 7's call sign to the similar-sounding WSAW-TV.<ref name="Waus801122">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102719656/fcc-approval-pending-forward-sells-two/|date=November 22, 1980|page=3|title=FCC approval pending: Forward sells two local radio stations|newspaper=Wausau Daily Herald|location=Wausau, Wisconsin|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> The WSAW-TV call sign became effective on March 8, 1981.<ref name="hc">{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=86790 |title= History Cards for WSAW-TV|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards)</ref>

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 [now WJFW-TV] launched in 1966). On September 5, 2006, WSAW added MyNetworkTV to a second digital subchannel.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

WSAW-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 7, at 11:55 pm on February 17, 2009,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wsaw.com/dtv/misc/37840189.html |title=Notification of Analog Signal Termination |access-date=July 31, 2024 |website=WSAW |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615135934/http://www.wsaw.com/dtv/misc/37840189.html |archive-date=June 15, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009); the station concluded its analog broadcasts with a sign-off message from Sir Seven.<ref>Archived at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20240801003424/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOi6N3R0w1c Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgH2dZ0l-BY | title = WSAW Analog Signoff | website=YouTube| date = June 13, 2009 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 40 to its analog era VHF channel 7.<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> On April 2, 2011, WSAW became the first station in the market to broadcast local newscast in high definition.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Levin |first=Phil |title=NewsChannel7 Newscasts Now in HD |work=WSAW |url=https://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/NewsChannel7__119226799.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723112103/http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/NewsChannel7__119226799.html |archive-date=July 23, 2011}}</ref> With the switch to HD came a revamp of their news set and new graphics, along with a return of Sir Seven as the station's mascot in a newly CGI-rendered form.<ref>{{Cite news |last=DesRivieres |first=John |title="Sir 7" is Coming Back to Newschannel 7 |work=WSAW |url=http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/Sir_7_is_Coming_Back_to_Newschannel_7_119221189.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723112113/http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/Sir_7_is_Coming_Back_to_Newschannel_7_119221189.html |archive-date=July 23, 2011}}</ref>

On July 1, 2015, Gray bought the non-license assets of the market's Fox affiliate WFXS-DT (channel 55, owned by Davis Television, LLC). Due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership restrictions, a new low-power station (WZAW-LD, channel 33) was established to become the area's Fox affiliate. All of WFXS's program streams including WFXS's existing virtual channel numbering were then moved to the low-power outlet. Subsequently, WFXS ceased broadcasting after nearly sixteen years on-the-air and its studios on North 3rd Street in Wausau were shut down.<ref name="tvnc-wfxsclosure">{{cite news |date=July 1, 2015 |title=Gray in 4 New Deals, Closes 3 Earlier Ones |work=TVNewsCheck |url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/86603/gray-in-4-new-deals-closes-3-earlier-ones |url-status=live |access-date=July 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305021559/https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/gray-in-4-new-deals-closes-3-earlier-ones/ |archive-date=March 5, 2023 }}</ref>

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.<ref name=fcc-wfxstoclose>{{cite web|last1=Raff|first1=Robert|title=Interference Consent|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=101680064&qnum=5410&copynum=1&exhcnum=2|website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=July 3, 2015|format=PDF|date=June 9, 2015}}</ref> 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 (which aired on WFXS before July 1, 2015).

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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Caldwell |first=Sean |date=October 1, 2015 |title=WSAW, WZAW debut new, state-of-the-art Wausau studios |publisher=WSAW-TV |url=https://www.wsaw.com/content/misc/WSAW-WZAW-debut-new-state-of-the-art-Wausau-studios-330335291.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305023821/https://www.wsaw.com/content/misc/WSAW-WZAW-debut-new-state-of-the-art-Wausau-studios-330335291.html |archive-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref> Eventually, the WZAW-LD simulcast on WSAW's third subchannel was upgraded to high definition to provide full-market access to Fox programming in HD.

On February 1, 2021, Gray announced that they would purchase Quincy Media's radio and TV properties for $925 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldsmith |first=Jill |date=February 1, 2021 |title=Gray Television Acquires Quincy Media For $925 Million In Cash |url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/gray-television-quincy-media-for-925-million-in-cash-1234684531/ |access-date=July 18, 2025 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> At the time, Quincy owned WAOW in the market, so Gray had agreed to divest WAOW and its Wisconsin sister stations to Allen Media Group for $380 million on April 29 in order to satisfy FCC requirements.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Media |first=Gray |date=April 29, 2021 |title=Gray Sells Divestiture Stations From Quincy Media Transaction to Allen Media for $380 Million |url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/04/29/2220067/0/en/Gray-Sells-Divestiture-Stations-From-Quincy-Media-Transaction-to-Allen-Media-for-380-Million.html |access-date=July 18, 2025 |website=GlobeNewswire News Room |language=en-us}}</ref> WSAW added The CW as a subchannel on August 2, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Poltrock |first=Heather |date=August 2, 2021 |title=WSAW adds CW to TV lineup, StartTV moves to 33.5 |url=https://www.wsaw.com/2021/08/02/wsaw-adds-cw-tv-lineup-starttv-moves-335/ |access-date=July 18, 2025 |website=www.wsaw.com |language=en}}</ref>

==News operation== WSAW presently broadcasts {{frac|22|1|2}} hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with {{frac|4|1|2}} hours each weekday, and two hours each on Saturdays and Sundays).

==Technical information== The stations' signals are multiplexed:

{| class="wikitable" |+Subchannels of WSAW-TV<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WSAW|title=RabbitEars.Info|website=rabbitears.info}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/NewsChannel7/photos/a.434442178659.230075.49134238659/1015057644208660/?type=1&theater|title=Facebook|website=www.facebook.com}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://wsaw.titantv.com/apg/ttv.aspx|title=TitanTV Programming Guide|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012150525/http://wsaw.titantv.com/apg/ttv.aspx|archive-date=October 12, 2017|access-date=September 17, 2023}}</ref> ! scope = "col" | Channel ! scope = "col" | Res. ! scope = "col" | Aspect ! scope = "col" | Short name ! scope = "col" | Programming |- ! scope = "row" | 7.1 | 1080i || rowspan=6| 16:9 || CBS || CBS |- ! scope = "row" | 7.2 | 480i || MeTV+ || MyNetworkTV/MeTV |- ! scope = "row" | 7.3 | rowspan=2|720p || style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|FOX || style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|Fox (WZAW-LD) |- ! scope = "row" | 7.4 | style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|CW || style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|CW+ (WYOW) |- ! scope = "row" | 7.5 | rowspan=2|480i || Quest ||Quest |- ! scope = "row" | 7.6 | Outlaw ||Outlaw |} {{legend|#E6FFF7|Simulcast of subchannels of another station}}

{{further|WAOW#WYOW}} {| class="wikitable" |+Subchannels of WYOW<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto2"/> ! scope = "col" | Channel ! scope = "col" | Res. ! scope = "col" | Aspect ! scope = "col" | Short name ! scope = "col" | Programming |- ! scope = "row" | 7.10 | 1080i || rowspan=3| 16:9 || style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|WSAW-DT || style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|CBS (WSAW-TV) |- ! scope = "row" | 33.10 | rowspan=2|720p || style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|Fox || style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|Fox (WZAW-LD) |- ! scope = "row" | 34.1 | WYOW-DT || The CW Plus |} {{legend|#E6FFF7|Simulcast of subchannels of another station}}

===Translators=== {| class="wikitable" ! City of license ! Callsign ! Channel ! ERP ! HAAT ! Facility ID ! Transmitter coordinates |- || Sayner ||'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|167156|3=W21DS-D}}''' || 21 || 15 kW || {{convert|138|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} || 167156 || {{coord|46|01|55.0|N|89|31|49.0|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=W21DS-D}} |- |}

==References== {{Reflist}} *[https://www.transdiffusion.org/2001/06/14/pond From Transdiffusion: A look at WSAW from the early-1980s and how it compares to British television] *[https://wistvhistory.webs.com/index.htm The history of channel 7] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730020640/https://wistvhistory.webs.com/index.htm |date=July 30, 2018 }}

==External links== *[https://www.wsaw.com/ Official website] *[https://www.yourcwtv.com/partners/wausau/ The CW Central Wisconsin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311220741/https://www.yourcwtv.com/partners/wausau/ |date=March 11, 2022 }}

Category:CBS affiliates Category:The CW affiliates Category:Gray Media Category:MeTV affiliates Category:MyNetworkTV affiliates Category:Quest (American TV network) affiliates Category:Start TV affiliates Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954 SAW-TV