TVW

TVW is a television subchannel brand associated with WISC-TV, the CBS-affiliated broadcast station serving Madison, Wisconsin. It is operated by Morgan Murphy Media, the locally based broadcasting company that has owned WISC-TV since the station launched. TVW is not a standalone national network or an independent corporate media company; it is a branded service carried primarily through WISC-TV's second digital subchannel, WISC-DT2, and through selected cable systems in the Madison area. The service began on January 1, 1996, under the name WiSC2. Its original format resembled that of a general-entertainment independent station. Programming included syndicated situation comedies and dramas, talk and game shows, children's programs, local news and community-affairs content, regional sports, and a morning simulcast of Bloomberg Information Television. Early distribution was limited. The channel was primarily cable-only, was not initially carried by Marcus Cable in the immediate Madison market, and also used a low-power broadcast facility. That restricted reach made it difficult for the service to compete for a broad audience during its first years. In 1998, WiSC2 was renamed the Television Wisconsin Network, or TVW, after Television Wisconsin, Inc., the licensee associated with WISC-TV. The same year, it became Madison's local outlet for The WB. This affiliation was strategically important because The WB had previously reached much of the area indirectly through out-of-market stations and superstation feeds. TVW's WB affiliation helped secure carriage on Marcus Cable and gave the service a more recognizable network schedule, while it continued to supplement that schedule with syndicated shows, Wisconsin Badgers sports, and locally produced programming. WISC-TV began simulcasting TVW on digital subchannel 3.2 in September 2000, when the station launched its digital service. The move made TVW available over the air to the still relatively small number of households with digital television equipment and made the service an early example of a permanent digital subchannel operation. During the early 2000s, the channel used additional cable-oriented brands, including WB14 and UPN14, reflecting its placement on local cable systems and its changing network affiliations. On August 26, 2002, WISC-DT2 became Madison's UPN affiliate following an affiliation change involving WHPN-TV, which was sold to ACME Communications and later became associated with The WB's successor, The CW. TVW consequently adopted the UPN14 identity for its UPN programming. In 2006, after CBS and Warner Bros. announced The CW and News Corporation introduced MyNetworkTV as a programming service for stations left outside The CW arrangement, WISC-DT2 was selected as Madison's charter MyNetworkTV affiliate. It used the on-air name My Madison TV from August 2006 and joined MyNetworkTV when that service launched on September 5, 2006. UPN programs continued in a delayed overnight slot until UPN ended national operations later that month. The subchannel returned to the TVW identity on July 1, 2009. The rebrand emphasized its Madison and Wisconsin connection rather than a network affiliation. As a MyNetworkTV outlet, TVW combined syndicated entertainment with college sports, Badgers hockey, high-school athletics under the PrepMania banner, and locally produced shows such as Urban Theater and Sidelines. It also served as a backup outlet for CBS programs preempted on WISC-TV's main channel because of breaking news, severe weather, special events, or extended local coverage. The channel has additionally carried delayed WISC newscasts and weather updates. In February 2019, TVW acquired selected syndicated programs and much of the locally produced programming displaced when WIFS changed its format and became an Ion Plus outlet with limited advance notice. The acquired programming included the Saturday-night horror presentation Bordello of Horror and the talk program Talk Wis…

TVW developed from WISC-TV's effort to create a broader entertainment service around its Madison broadcast operation. The service began on January 1, 1996, as WiSC2. It was primarily cable-only and initially had limited distribution, with carriage absent from Marcus Cable's immediate Madison-area system. A low-power broadcast outlet provided some additional reach, but the channel's potential audience remained constrained. The service initially followed a general-entertainment independent-station model. Its schedule mixed syndicated sitcoms, dramas, talk shows, game shows, children's programs, local news and public-affairs content, regional sports, and a Bloomberg Information Television morning simulcast. In 1998, the channel was renamed the Television Wisconsin Network, shortened on air to TVW, using the name of the WISC-TV licensee, Television Wisconsin, Inc. It also became a local affiliate of The WB. That affiliation improved the service's visibility and helped persuade Marcus Cable to add it to its Madison-area lineup. TVW continued to supplement network programs with syndicated series, Wisconsin Badgers sports, and programming produced by WISC-TV and Charter. In September 2000, WISC-TV began transmitting a simulcast of TVW on digital subchannel 3.2. This gave the service an over-the-air presence and made it one of the early permanent digital-subchannel operations in American television. The station later used the WB14 name to match its cable channel position. In 2002, WISC-DT2 became Madison's UPN outlet after an affiliation change involving WHPN-TV. Its branding changed to UPN14, while the service's underlying TVW identity remained associated with the subchannel. The next major transition followed the creation of The CW and MyNetworkTV in 2006. Because WISC-DT2 was not selected for The CW, Morgan Murphy Media designated it as Madison's charter MyNetworkTV affiliate. The subchannel used My Madison TV as its on-air identity from August 2006 and began carrying MyNetworkTV programming on September 5. UPN programs remained in delayed overnight slots until UPN ended operations on September 15. WHPN-TV subsequently became the area's CW outlet under new ownership and branding. As a MyNetworkTV affiliate, WISC-DT2 carried syndicated entertainment alongside college sports supplied through ESPN Plus, occasional Badgers hockey, high-school sports under the PrepMania name, and local programs including Urban Theater and Sidelines. The subchannel also became a practical extension of WISC-TV's news and programming operation. It could carry CBS programs displaced from the primary channel by breaking news, weather, or special events, and it aired delayed versions of WISC-TV newscasts and weather updates. A short news update began in 2004 under the UPN14 News at Nine name; it expanded to a half-hour in 2005 and continued through 2011, when WISC-TV entered a separate arrangement to produce WMSN-TV's 9 p.m. newscast. On July 1, 2009, the service returned to the TVW brand with a blue, white, and black circular logo. The change emphasized a local Wisconsin identity rather than dependence on a network label. In February 2019, TVW added selected syndicated and locally produced programs displaced by WIFS's abrupt conversion to an Ion Plus affiliate. The additions included Bordello of Horror and Talk Wisconsin, formerly titled Talk of the Town. TVW remains a WISC-TV digital subchannel and local programming brand. Its role has changed repeatedly—from cable entertainment service, to WB and UPN outlet, to MyNetworkTV affiliate, and back to a locally oriented TVW identity—but its continuing function is to extend Morgan Murphy Media's Madison programming footprint. In 2024, its schedule also included selected Milwaukee Bucks games distributed through an arrangement involving Weigel Broadcasting and Bally Sports Wisconsin.

1. 2024Selected Bucks games air on the WISC-TV operation

   Some Milwaukee Bucks games from a Weigel and Bally Sports Wisconsin arrangement air on TVW.

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2. 2019Programming from WIFS moves to TVW

   TVW takes on selected syndicated and locally produced programs displaced by WIFS's format conversion.

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3. 2009TVW identity is restored

   The subchannel returns to TVW branding and highlights its Madison and Wisconsin orientation.

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4. 2006MyNetworkTV affiliation begins

   WISC-DT2 becomes a charter MyNetworkTV affiliate and uses My Madison TV on air.

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5. 2002TVW becomes UPN14

   WISC-DT2 assumes Madison's UPN affiliation and uses the UPN14 brand.

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6. 2000Digital subchannel simulcast begins

   WISC-TV adds TVW to digital subchannel 3.2, creating an over-the-air distribution path.

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7. 1998The service becomes TVW and joins The WB

   The channel adopts the Television Wisconsin Network identity and becomes Madison's local WB outlet.

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8. 1996WiSC2 begins operations

   WISC-TV launches a primarily cable-oriented general-entertainment sister service under the WiSC2 name.

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A Madison-focused secondary television service using a digital subchannel and cable distribution to provide syndicated entertainment, sports, local programs, secondary-network content, and overflow programming from WISC-TV.

• TVW on WISC-DT2Digital television subchannel2000

  TVW is primarily distributed through WISC-TV's second digital subchannel, WISC-DT2, transmitted in high definition on virtual channel 3.2. The service provides a flexible schedule combining syndicated entertainment, sports, local programs, weather information, delayed newscasts, and programming displaced from WISC-TV's main CBS service.

• MyNetworkTV programmingSecondary network programming2006

  From 2006, TVW's WISC-DT2 service carried MyNetworkTV programming as Madison's charter affiliate. The affiliation followed the creation of The CW and provided a network schedule for the subchannel after WISC-DT2 was not selected for The CW.

• PrepManiaHigh-school sports

  PrepMania was the branding used for TVW's high-school sports coverage. It formed part of the subchannel's locally relevant sports offering alongside college athletics and other Wisconsin-focused programming.

• Talk WisconsinLocal talk programming2019

  Talk Wisconsin is a locally produced talk program carried by TVW after selected programming moved from WIFS in 2019. The program had previously been known as Talk of the Town before relocating.

• Bordello of HorrorLocal entertainment programming2019

  Bordello of Horror is a Saturday-night horror-movie showcase among the locally produced programs acquired by TVW after WIFS changed its format in 2019.

• 2009Return to TVW

  Madison, Wisconsin · South-central Wisconsin

  The subchannel returned to the TVW name with a refreshed blue, white, and black visual identity designed to reinforce its local Wisconsin connection.

  Outcome. TVW again became the principal public-facing brand for the subchannel.

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• 2001WB14 branding

  Madison, Wisconsin

  TVW used WB14 as a cable-facing brand tied to its channel position, while continuing to retain TVW as its official identity.

  Outcome. The service later adopted UPN14 and then My Madison TV as its affiliations changed.

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• 2019Absorb programming displaced by WIFS format changeStrategy

  WIFS changed its format and became an Ion Plus affiliate, displacing selected syndicated and locally produced programming.

  What changed. TVW acquired selected programs, including Talk Wisconsin and Bordello of Horror.

  Aftermath. The move broadened TVW's locally oriented and entertainment schedule.

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• 2006Choose MyNetworkTVStrategy

  The launch of The CW and MyNetworkTV reorganized the former UPN and WB affiliate landscape.

  What changed. Morgan Murphy Media designated WISC-DT2 as Madison's charter MyNetworkTV affiliate and temporarily branded it My Madison TV.

  Aftermath. The subchannel carried MyNetworkTV from its September 2006 launch while retaining delayed UPN programming until UPN shut down.

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• 2002Switch to UPN affiliationStrategy

  An affiliation change connected to the sale and repositioning of WHPN-TV altered Madison's local network distribution.

  What changed. WISC-DT2 became the market's UPN affiliate and used the UPN14 identity.

  Aftermath. TVW provided over-the-air access to UPN programming for viewers who lacked cable, satellite, or early digital television access.

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• 1998Adopt The WB affiliationStrategy

  The cable-oriented service had limited reach and needed a stronger programming proposition and broader carriage.

  What changed. TVW joined The WB and continued supplementing the network schedule with syndicated, sports, and locally produced programming.

  Aftermath. The affiliation helped TVW obtain carriage on Marcus Cable's Madison-area system.

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• 2024WISC-TV and TVW carry selected Milwaukee Bucks games

  The station group aired selected Bucks games through an arrangement involving Weigel Broadcasting and Bally Sports Wisconsin, with some games assigned to TVW.

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• 2019TVW expands programming after WIFS format change

  TVW acquired selected syndicated and locally produced programs displaced when WIFS changed to an Ion Plus format.

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• 2009TVW returns to its local brand

  The subchannel abandoned the My Madison TV identity and returned to TVW, with branding intended to stress its Madison and Wisconsin connection.

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• 2006TVW selected as Madison's charter MyNetworkTV affiliate

  WISC-DT2 was chosen for MyNetworkTV and began using the My Madison TV brand when the programming service launched.

  Product launch
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• 2002WISC-DT2 becomes Madison's UPN affiliate

  Following an affiliation change involving WHPN-TV, WISC-DT2 adopted the UPN14 identity and carried UPN programming.

  Other
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• 2001TVW changes cable-facing identity to WB14

  The service used the WB14 brand to reflect its channel placement on Charter's Madison-area cable systems while retaining TVW as its official identification.

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• 2000WISC-TV adds an over-the-air TVW simulcast

  WISC-TV began carrying TVW on digital subchannel 3.2, expanding the service beyond its earlier cable and low-power distribution.

  Product launch
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• 1998TVW becomes Madison's WB outlet

  The service adopted the TVW identity and joined The WB, helping it obtain broader local cable distribution.

  Other
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• 1996TVW launches as WiSC2

  WISC-TV introduced a primarily cable-oriented general-entertainment sister service under the WiSC2 name.

  Other
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1. WISC-TV
2. TVW official page