History of WMUR-TV in Timeline

WMUR-TV is an ABC-affiliated television station serving most of New Hampshire. Licensed to Manchester, it is 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. WMUR-TV is a significant media outlet for news and entertainment in the New Hampshire region.

March 28, 1954: WMUR-TV Signs On Air

On March 28, 1954, WMUR-TV signed on the air as the first television station in New Hampshire. It was founded by former governor Francis P. Murphy, owner of WMUR radio. The station broadcast from a Victorian-style house on Elm Street in Manchester and carried ABC programming, daily newscasts, local game shows, and movies.

1955: WMUR boosts signal strength

In 1955, WMUR channel 9 significantly boosted its signal, providing a strong signal extending into portions of the Boston area, and started airing programming that hadn't been available in Boston previously.

1957: Sale of WMUR-TV to Storer Broadcasting 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, which regulators rejected.

December 1958: Sale of WMUR-TV After Murphy's Death

In December 1958, after the death of founder Francis P. Murphy, his estate sold WMUR-TV to Richard Eaton's United Broadcasting.

1966: WRLH goes on the air

In 1966 WRLH (channel 31) out of Lebanon went on the air.

1966: Storer Broadcasting Purchases WSBK-TV

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

1968: WRLH ceases operations

In 1968, WRLH out of Lebanon ceases operations.

1971: WRLH returns to air

In 1971, WRLH out of Lebanon returns to the air.

1973: WMUR Continues Broadcasting in Black-and-White

In 1973, WMUR continued to broadcast in black-and-white, long after the Boston stations had upgraded to color capability.

1974: WRLH ceases operations again

In 1974, WRLH out of Lebanon ceases operations again.

1978: Channel 31 returned to the air

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

June 1981: Eaton's Death

Richard Eaton died in June 1981, leading to unresolved FCC actions regarding his radio stations WJMO and WCUY.

July 1981: WMUR Sold to Imes Communications

In July 1981, following Richard Eaton's death, WMUR was sold to Birney Imes Jr.'s 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 Manchester.

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 the CBS affiliation and ceased operations due to insufficient viewership.

August 22, 1994: WMUR Operated Repeaters

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 launched three low-powered repeaters in the northern portion of New Hampshire.

May 1995: W38CB Launched

In May 1995, W38CB was launched, sharing the Cannon Mountain transmitter site with WMUR-LP, and always aired ABC programming.

October 8, 1995: WMUR's Internet Presence Begins

On October 8, 1995, WMUR became the first television station in the country to develop a significant Internet presence, hiring a full-time employee dedicated to streaming newscasts live and archived online.

1995: WMUR Purchases Land and Building

In 1995, WMUR purchased land and a building at its current location to rebuild as 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, ending W16BC's status as the only Fox affiliate serving a portion of the Burlington–Plattsburgh media 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 24-hour original news segments and weather coverage.

September 2000: Emmis Communications Trades WMUR to Hearst-Argyle Television

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

2000: WMUR, CNN, and WMUR.com Simulcast NH Primary Debates

In 2000, WMUR, CNN and WMUR.com simulcast the New Hampshire presidential primary debates held at the TV station, 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" to emphasize its position as the only local television news source in the state.

2002: W27BL and WMUR-LP Carry Full WMUR Schedule

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

2004: WMUR-TV Celebrates 50 Years

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, providing in-state news to these areas.

November 2006: WBZ Re-establishes News Bureau

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

June 12, 2009: WMUR Shuts Down Analog Signal

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

February 2010: WMUR Introduces New 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: WMUR Begins Broadcasting in High Definition

On August 2, 2011, WMUR started broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition and introduced a new set and graphics package, styled differently from WCVB.

October 3, 2011: WMUR Adds MeTV Sub-Channel

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

March 5, 2012: MeTV Subchannel Newscast

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

July 2012: Hallmark Movie Channel Substitutes Hearst Channels on Time Warner Cable

In July 2012, during a retransmission consent dispute, Hallmark Movie Channel was used as 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 its annual telethon, "The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon", from syndication to ABC and renamed it "MDA Show of Strength".

2014: End of MDA Telethon on WMUR

In 2014, WMUR broadcast the MDA telethon for the last time, as the "MDA Show of Strength" came to an end.

December 2015: WMUR Excluded from Democratic Debate Sponsorship

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 between the station and its unionized employees.

2016: WHAG-TV operates as an NBC affiliate until 2016

WHAG-TV in Hagerstown, Maryland, operated as an NBC affiliate until 2016 even though it is part of the Washington, D.C., market and competed with WRC-TV.

January 1, 2017: WNEU Simulcasts NBC Programming via WBTS-LD

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

2017: WBIN-TV Newscast Canceled

In 2017, WBIN-TV canceled its New Hampshire-focused local newscast after selling its spectrum in an FCC auction, solidifying WMUR's position as the sole television news source in New Hampshire.

2017: WBIN-TV Goes Off the Air

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