branding wisconsin s 57 general wi57 alternate slogan your home for local channels digital 32 uhf virtual 57 psip subchannels 57.1 independent 57.2 movies 57.3 heroes & icons affiliations independent 2016 present owner byrne acquisition group llc first air date 1999 ; 17 years ago 1999 1 call letters meaning the wb former affiliation university of wisconsin madison former callsigns whpn tv 1999 2002 former channel number s analog 57 uhf 1999 2009 former affiliations upn 1999 2002 the wb 2002 2006 the cw 2006 2016 transmitter power 200 kw height 387 m facility id 26025 transmitter coordinates 43 3 3 n 89 29 13 w 43.05083 n 89.48694 w 43.05083 ; 89.48694 licensing authority fcc public license information profile cdbs website wi57.tv wbuw digital channel 32 or virtual channel 57 is an independent television station licensed to janesville wisconsin and serving madison south central wisconsin and portions of northern illinois . the station is owned by byrne acquisition group operates from offices and studios at 2814 syene road on madison s far south side and transmits a high definition video signal from a tower located on madison s southwest side . contents 1 history 1.1 as a network affiliate 1.2 as an independent station 2 programming 2.1 local news and features 3 digital television 3.1 digital channels 3.2 analog to digital conversion 4 references 5 external links history edit as a network affiliate edit the station s original construction permit was granted on may 2 1998 with the call letters wjnw . after delays and an aborted attempt to become wisconsin s first digital only tv station the station now under the whpn call sign would begin analog broadcasting on channel 57 in the summer of 1999 with partial test airings occurring the week before the station s full time launch on july 5 1999 . 2 3 the location of its then transmitter outside the rock county community of evansville accorded whpn to serve as the upn affiliate for both the madison and rockford tv markets . prior to whpn s launch upn programming in madison had aired on cbs affiliate wisc tv on a secondary basis . in the spring of 2002 after whpn s owners had declared bankruptcy the station s assets were acquired by acme communications a station group run by jamie kellner a founder of the the wb network and former ceo of that network and tbs . 4 though they would not close on the acquisition until the end of 2002 5 acme took over operations immediately through a local marketing agreement the results of which included an affiliation change the final week of august 2002 when whpn joined the wb and adopted the new wbuw call sign madison s former wb affiliate wisc owned cable channel digital subchannel wb14 took the upn affiliation and upn14 branding . in 2004 wbuw moved its transmitter to its current location a new tower located on property owned by gray television and next to gray owned wmtv in the greentree neighborhood of madison s southwest side . 6 the stronger signal the new tower provided wbuw allowed the station s coverage reach to extend throughout south central wisconsin and well into northern illinois allowing wbuw to remain rockford s default wb affiliate until the launch of the cw in september 2006 when rockford s wrex tv channel 13 added the cw to its secondary subchannel . wbuw s logo under the madison s cw branding c. 2006 2012 wbuw s final logo as a cw affiliate c. 2014 2016 in march 2006 wbuw was confirmed 7 as madison s affiliate of the cw television network the result of the the wb and upn networks amalgamating ; wbuw as madison s cw was one of eight acme owned wb affiliates who joined the cw as a group in september 2006 . on december 13 2011 acme announced it reached a deal to sell wbuw to byrne acquisition group for 1.8 million 8 a move that was part of acme s gradual exit from the tv business . 9 the deal which was approved by the federal communications commission fcc and consummated in february 2012 10 11 gave the byrne group its second tv property after low power station whhi tv in hilton head island south carolina . the byrne group would rebrand wbuw from madison s cw to cw 57 later in 2012 and subsequently upgrade the station s master control to accommodate local and syndicated high definition ; expand its locally focused content see below ; and add two digital subchannels in the summer of 2015 . as an independent station edit wbuw s affiliation agreement with the cw reached by then owner acme communications at the network s 2006 launch was for a ten year period lasting until september 2016 . 12 an affiliation agreement announced by the cw and gray television in december 2015 included the addition of the network to the dt2 subchannel of gray owned madison nbc affiliate wmtv an arrangement that would take effect after wbuw s deal with the network expired . 13 the move meant the departure of the cw from wbuw on september 10 2016 with that date s airing of the one magnificent morning e i block ending with calling dr. pol being the final network programming on the station penn & teller fool us airing the night before was the final cw prime time show on wbuw . the cw s affiliation with wmtv which formally began on september 12 2016 14 means wbuw now operates as an independent station retaining its mix of locally produced and syndicated programming and utilizing the latter to fill the cw prime time void . 15 the station had already begun a gradual phase in of a new network free brand during the first quarter of 2016 when it applied a simple channel 57 brand to its local programming . the station unveiled a new branding wisconsin s 57 during its final week as a cw affiliate . programming edit some syndicated programming on wbuw includes the insider tmz friends family guy and bones . wbuw also carries live college football and basketball broadcasts from the acc network and is also part of the chicago bears preseason television network . 16 local news and features edit in september 2003 wbuw launched the wb57 nine o clock news a 35 minute monday thru friday newscast produced in partnership with the news operations at nbc affiliate wmtv . 17 geared toward the wb s younger female skewing audience the newscast offered what wbuw station manager tom keeler called a different energy than that found on other newscasts in madison . 18 presented with anchors standing in a desk free studio wbuw s newscast featured a fast paced format most stories lasted no more than 30 to 60 seconds in length that largely emphasized entertainment and lifestyle features . nightly e mail contests and sweeps month free gas giveaways were also included as were in studio performances by local musicians during friday editions of the newscast . never gaining ratings ground against competing 9pm newscasts on wmsn tv and upn14 wbuw cancelled the wb57 nine o clock news and its news share relationship with wmtv in december 2005 returning syndicated programming to the time slot . 19 20 at the beginning of 2007 local content on wbuw resumed in the form of buzzed into madison . airing each day during wbuw s broadcasts of the daily buzz usually around 20 minutes after each hour the buzzed into madison vignettes included positive the station s term features on madison area news events and personalities as well as features with and promotions from station sponsors . the success of buzzed into madison would lead acme communications the daily buzz s then producer and wbuw s then owner to permit other daily buzz affiliates to insert their own local segments if they so desired . 21 emmy fink served as the original host and producer of buzzed into madison from the feature s 2007 launch until her june 2011 departure from wbuw . 22 buzzed would air on a limited basis after that with content including entertainment previews from the isthmus newspaper and during the 2011 2012 academic year a series of junior reporters from area schools with a different student reporter each month . emmy fink would resurrect buzzed into madison for madison cbs affiliate wisc tv in summer 2016 . 23 when it acquired wbuw in 2012 the byrne group would begin a gradual expansion of the station s local content . a notable portion of wbuw s weekly schedule now mirrors that of its south carolina sister station with airings of locally oriented discussion programs sporting events and other content featuring station sponsors other businesses and organizations from madison and southern wisconsin . such past and current programs have included current features bordello of horror a mainstay of local cable access channel wyou freakshow the deacon of darkness hosts presentations of classic and independent horror movies girl talk discussions on issues and topics affecting women as well as showcases of women owned or women oriented businesses high school sports tape delayed football in the fall and basketball in winter broadcasts airing in their entirety on saturday and sunday afternoons and primarily featuring high schools from the big eight and badger conferences a 1 furniture & mattress bowl series broadcasts airing each fall late august thru october ; since 2014 the broadcasts feature a different bowl game title each week e.g. the isthmus bowl the beltline bowl big time basketball broadcasts airing each january and february since 2015 maximized living with dr. patrick andersen advice and insight on health nutrition fitness and personal wellness from the chiropractic orthopedist based at madison s maximized living clinic the real estate news information about the real estate industry and advice from southern wisconsin realtors the restaurant show profiles menu items and recipe tips from area restaurants and culinary experts the sports news a sportscast spotlighting southern wisconsin sports primarily focusing on high school and college athletics talk of the town interviews with and profiles of local newsmakers personalities businesses organizations and upcoming events wisconsin doctors information advice and discussions on health fitness and well being from area physicians and health experts wisconsin family advice and business profiles oriented to helping families live better lives past features community connections two minute features on local events and businesses throughout the broadcast day destination profiles of businesses in specific communities in madison and southern wisconsin e.g. destination monona destination wisconsin dells fusin it with joe perkins a dinner and a movie style film showcase with cutaway studio features on recipes and menu offerings presented by joe perkins owner of the cold fusion restaurants . inside badger nation a weekly half hour show produced with badger nation magazine that offered highlights and profiles of university of wisconsin madison athletics madison in the morning a partial simulcast of wiba radio s weekday morning news and information show open seating a precursor to the restaurant show hosted by brian lee of the website eatdrinkmadison.com and emphasizing interviews and profiles of madison area restaurateurs 24 digital television edit digital channels edit the station s digital channel is multiplexed channel video aspect psip short name programming 25 57.1 1080i 16 9 wbuw hd main wbuw programming 57.2 480i 16 9 movies movies 57.3 h & i heroes & icons analog to digital conversion edit wbuw discontinued regular programming on its analog signal over uhf channel 57 on february 17 2009 the original target date in which full power television stations in the united states were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate the date was later pushed back to june 12 2009 . the analog channel which was among the high band uhf channels 52 69 that were removed from broadcasting continued as a temporary nightlight broadcasting a loop of digital transition