History of WMUR-TV in Timeline

WMUR-TV is an ABC-affiliated television station serving most of New Hampshire. It is licensed to Manchester, New Hampshire, and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located in downtown Manchester on South Commercial Street, while its transmitter is situated on Mount Uncanoonuc in Goffstown. As a major media outlet in the state, WMUR plays a significant role in local news and broadcasting.

March 28, 1954: WMUR-TV Signs On

On March 28, 1954, WMUR-TV, owned by former governor Francis P. Murphy, began broadcasting as the first television station in New Hampshire from a Victorian-style house on Elm Street in Manchester. The station, affiliated with ABC, aired daily newscasts, local game shows and movies, in addition to network programming.

1955: WMUR Boosts Signal

In 1955, WMUR channel 9 significantly boosted its signal, which extended into the Boston area, allowing it to air programming not previously available in Boston.

1957: Storer Broadcasting Deal Falls Through

In early 1957, Francis P. Murphy agreed to sell WMUR-TV to Storer Broadcasting. However, the deal fell through due to controversy over Storer's plan to move the transmitter closer to Boston, and the station remained under Murphy's ownership.

December 1958: Francis P. Murphy's Death

In December 1958, WMUR-TV's founder, Francis P. Murphy, passed away. His estate later sold the station to Richard Eaton's United Broadcasting a few months later.

1966: Storer Purchases WSBK-TV

In 1966, Storer Broadcasting fulfilled its Boston ambitions by purchasing the channel 38 license and creating WSBK-TV.

1966: WRLH operates from Lebanon

WRLH operated from Lebanon, New Hampshire, from 1966 to 1968 and 1971 to 1974.

1968: WRLH operates from Lebanon

WRLH operated from Lebanon, New Hampshire, from 1966 to 1968 and 1971 to 1974.

1971: WRLH operates from Lebanon

WRLH operated from Lebanon, New Hampshire, from 1966 to 1968 and 1971 to 1974.

1973: WMUR Continues Broadcasting in Black-and-White

In 1973, WMUR continued to broadcast in black-and-white while other Boston stations had upgraded to color capability.

1974: WRLH operates from Lebanon

WRLH operated from Lebanon, New Hampshire, from 1966 to 1968 and 1971 to 1974.

1978: Channel 31 returns to air as WNNE

In 1978, Channel 31 returned to the air under a new license as WNNE, based in White River Junction, Vermont.

June 1981: Richard Eaton's Death

Richard Eaton died in June 1981. Earlier, an administrative law judge recommended the licenses of two radio stations, WJMO and WCUY in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, be revoked, but the commission did not act upon this due to Eaton's death.

July 1981: WMUR Sold to Imes Communications

In July 1981, WMUR was sold to Birney Imes Jr. and his company, Imes Communications.

September 1987: WMUR Moves to Millyard

In September 1987, WMUR moved from its original Elm Street studios to facilities in the historic Millyard area of the city.

February 1, 1988: WNHT Becomes CBS Affiliate

On February 1, 1988, WNHT became southern New Hampshire's first CBS affiliate and began to produce local newscasts.

March 31, 1989: WNHT Ceases Operations

On March 31, 1989, WNHT lost its CBS affiliation and ceased operations due to insufficient viewership.

August 22, 1994: WMUR Operated Repeaters in Northern New Hampshire

From August 22, 1994, WMUR operated repeaters in northern New Hampshire.

1994: WMUR Affiliates with Fox

In 1994, WMUR became both a primary and secondary affiliate of Fox and also launched three low-powered repeaters in northern New Hampshire.

May 1995: W38CB Launched

In May 1995, a third translator, W38CB, was launched in Littleton, sharing the Cannon Mountain transmitter site with WMUR-LP. This translator always aired ABC programming.

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October 8, 1995: WMUR Develops Internet Presence

On October 8, 1995, WMUR became the first television station in the country to develop a significant Internet presence.

1995: WMUR Purchases Land and Building

In 1995, WMUR purchased land and a building at its current location to construct a state-of-the-art broadcast center.

January 1996: WMUR Moves to New Broadcast Center

In January 1996, WMUR moved to its new 80,000-square-foot state-of-the-art broadcast center.

August 31, 1997: WFFF-TV Begins Broadcasting

On August 31, 1997, WFFF-TV began broadcasting, becoming the first Fox affiliate to serve a portion of the Burlington–Plattsburgh media market, prior to which W16BC was the only Fox affiliate in that market.

November 1998: WMUR-TV Begins Broadcasting on UHF Channel 59

In November 1998, WMUR-TV began broadcasting on UHF channel 59.

1998: WMUR Invests in Internet Strategy

Beginning in 1998, WMUR made significant financial, technical, and staff investments into its Internet strategy, including original news segments and weather coverage.

September 2000: Imes Communications Sells WMUR to Emmis Communications

In September 2000, Imes Communications agreed to sell WMUR to Emmis Communications, who then traded it to Hearst-Argyle Television in exchange for radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona.

2000: WMUR Simulcasts Presidential Primary Debates

In 2000, WMUR, CNN, and WMUR.com simulcast the New Hampshire presidential primary debates held at the TV station, marking the first widely promoted and executed worldwide live streaming video event.

December 19, 2001: WMUR Drops Fox Programming

On December 19, 2001, WMUR dropped all Fox programming after the Hearst acquisition.

2002: New Slogan

In 2002, WMUR adopted the slogan "No One Covers New Hampshire Like We Do", reflecting its focus on local news coverage.

2002: W27BL and WMUR-LP Begin Carrying Full WMUR Schedule

In early 2002, W27BL and WMUR-LP began to carry WMUR-TV's full schedule, including ABC programming.

2004: WMUR Celebrates 50 Years of Broadcasting

In 2004, WMUR-TV celebrated fifty years of broadcasting.

September 24, 2005: WMUR Available on DirecTV

On September 24, 2005, WMUR became available on satellite via DirecTV in Coös, Carroll, Grafton, and Sullivan counties in northern and west-central New Hampshire.

November 2006: WBZ Re-establishes News Bureau in Manchester

In November 2006, WBZ re-established a news bureau on Elm Street in Manchester.

June 12, 2009: WMUR-TV Shut Down Analog Signal

On June 12, 2009, WMUR-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9, as part of the US transition to digital broadcasts.

February 2010: WMUR Introduces "It's how you know." Slogan

In February 2010, WMUR introduced a new slogan, "It's how you know," to promote its local news, weather, and website.

August 2, 2011: Newscasts Broadcast in High Definition

On August 2, 2011, WMUR began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition and introduced a new set and graphics package.

October 3, 2011: MeTV Added to Sub-Channel

On October 3, 2011, WMUR added sub-channel 9.2 with programming from the classic television network MeTV.

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March 5, 2012: MeTV Subchannel Newscast Launched

On March 5, 2012, WMUR began producing a half-hour weeknight 10 p.m. newscast for its MeTV subchannel.

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July 2012: Hallmark Movie Channel Substituted on Time Warner Cable

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.

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2013: MDA Telethon Moved to ABC

In 2013, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) moved the telethon from syndication to ABC as the MDA Show of Strength.

2014: End of WMUR Telethon Broadcast

In 2014, WMUR broadcasted the MDA telethon for the last time, as the telethon ended its run.

December 2015: WMUR Not Included as Debate Co-Sponsor

In December 2015, the Democratic National Committee announced that WMUR would not be included as a co-sponsor of the Democratic debate due to a labor dispute with its unionized employees.

2016: WHAG-TV operated as NBC affiliate

Until 2016, WHAG-TV in Hagerstown, Maryland, operated as an NBC affiliate even though it is part of the Washington, D.C., market and competed with that city's NBC owned-and-operated station, WRC-TV.

January 1, 2017: WNEU Begins Simulcasting NBC Programming

On January 1, 2017, Merrimack-licensed Telemundo owned-and-operated station WNEU began simulcasting NBC programming via its new Boston O&O WBTS-LD on its second digital subchannel.

2017: WBIN-TV Newscast Canceled

In 2017, WBIN-TV, a competitor offering New Hampshire-focused local newscasts, canceled its operations after selling its spectrum in an FCC auction. This left WMUR as the only television news source in New Hampshire.

2017: WBIN-TV Went Off Air

In early 2017, WBIN-TV went off the air as a result of the FCC's spectrum auction. This affected the 10 p.m. newscast competition with WMUR's MeTV subchannel.

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