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WLMT
Memphis, Tennessee
Branding	CW 30 (general) Eyewitness News (newscasts) VTV: The Variety Channel (on DT2)
Slogan	Eyewitness News Everywhere
Channels	Analog: 30 (UHF) Digital: 31 (UHF)
Affiliations	The CW The Variety Channel (on DT2)
Owner	Clear Channel Communications (sale pending to Providence Equity Partners)
Founded	April 3, 1983
Call letters meaning	We Love Memphis, Tennessee
Former affiliations	Independent (1983-1987 and 1990-1995) FOX (1987-1990) UPN (1995-2006) The WB (secondary, 2003-2006)
Transmitter Power	3,020 kW (analog) 871 kW (digital)
Website	myeyewitnessnews.com

WLMT is the CW-affiliated television station for Memphis, Tennessee. Licensed to the city, the station broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 30 and a digital signal on UHF channel 31. WLMT's transmitter is located in Brunswick. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications as part of a duopoly with the area's ABC affiliate WPTY-TV. The two stations share studios located on Union Avenue Extension near the Aulon section of Memphis. WLMT is known on-air as "CW 30".

WLMT offers The Variety Channel on its DT2 digital subchannel.

The station began broadcasting on April 3, 1983 as the market's second independent station. it had the call letters WMKW-TV (the "KW" referring to Kemmons Wilson founder of Holiday Inn which is based in Memphis). Right from the start, WMKW began a rivalry with WPTY for viewership. WMKW was founded by the TVX Broadcast Group, which at that time, owned several medium market UHF independent stations. WMKW had a general entertainment format featuring cartoons, sitcoms, old movies, drama shows, and some sports.

In April 1987, along with the rest of the TVX stations, WMKW became the market's first affiliate of FOX and became known on-air as "FOX 30".

In 1987, WMKW was put on the market by TVX to finance the company's purchasing of other television stations. The station was bought in 1988 by MT Communications and the call letters were changed to the current WLMT. FOX pulled WLMT's affiliation in 1990, and gave it to WPTY. This returned WLMT to an independent format.

MT Communications sold the station to Mass Media, Inc in 1992. WLMT then established a local marketing agreement with WPTY and the two pooled resources and programming.

WLMT became a UPN affiliate at the network's launch on January 16, 1995. Later that year, when WPTY became an ABC affiliate, the stations began operating a news department. WPTY began producing a newscast on WLMT called "News Watch 30". It would later be referred to simply as "UPN 30 News". Newscasts on WLMT currently use the "Eyewitness News" branding.

WLMT was sold in 1996 to Max Media. In 2001, the station was bought outright by Clear Channel making WPTY and WLMT sisters.

In 2003, programming from The WB moved from WPTY (where it was a secondary affiliation and shown during late nights slots) to WLMT where it also aired out of pattern.

On January 24, 2006, the WB and UPN networks announced that they would cease broadcasting and merge to create a new network. The new combined network would be called The CW, the letters representing the first initial of its corporate parents: CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner.

On February 22, 2006, News Corporation announced that they would start up another new broadcast television network called MyNetworkTV. The new network, which would be sister to FOX, would be operated by FOX Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also created to compete against The CW.

The area's ION Television affiliate, WPXX-TV, began broadcasting MynetworkTV on September 5, 2006. WLMT began broadcasting The CW on September 18, 2006.

On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Providence Equity Partners. [1]

Starting on March 26, 2007, WLMT began broadcasting The Variety Network on its DT2 digital subchannel.

WPTY produces three newscasts for WLMT. During the week, there are ones at 7 AM and 9 PM. On the weekends, there is one at 9 PM. WPTY's weather radar is known as "Live ExacTrack Doppler" and it is used on WLMT.

Weekday Mornings

• Anchors:
  • Terrance Bates
  • Bonny Kinney
• Weather:
  • Mark Walden
• Traffic:
  • Ursula Jones
• Entertainment:
  • Rae Lyn Hartley

Weeknights

• Anchors:
  • Cameron Harper
  • Dee Griffin
• Weather:
  • Brian Teigland
• Sports:
  • Rob Petrone
• Entertainment:
  • Rae Lyn Hartley

Weekends

• Anchors:
  • Darryl Hood
  • Joyce Peterson
• Weather:
  • Henry Rothenberg
• Sports:
  • Rob Petrone

WLMT uses additional news personnel from WPTY, see the WPTY article for a complete listing

• Station Website (shared with WPTY)
• WLMT-DT2 "The Vareity Channel" Website
• The CW Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WLMT

v • d • e Broadcast television in the Memphis market  (Nielsen DMA #47)
WREG 3 (CBS) - WMC 5 (NBC) (WX+ on DT2) - WKNO 10 (PBS) - WMAE 12 / WMAV 18 (PBS/MPB) - WPRQ-LP 12 (A1) - WHBQ 13 (Fox) - W18BL 18 (UBN) - WBII 20 (A1) - WPTY 24 (ABC) - WLMT 30 (The CW) - WBUY 40 (TBN) - W42BY 42 (3ABN) - WPXX 50 (MyNetworkTV/ION) - W57CG 57 (Ind.) - WJRJ 59 (Daystar)
See also broadcast television in Jonesboro, Jackson TN, Greenwood / Greenville and Columbus/Tupelo/West Point markets

v • d • e Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
Corporate officers	Lowry Mays • Mark Mays • Randall Mays • Tom Hicks
Board of directors	Alan Feld • Perry Lewis • Lowry Mays • B.J. McCombs • Phyllis Riggins • Theodore Strauss • J. C. Watts • John H. Williams
Local radio, TV, and satellite radio assets	Further information: List of broadcast stations owned by Clear Channel
Radio Networks	Australian Radio Network (50%) • Fox Sports Radio • National Lampoon Comedy Radio (dist./sales)• Premiere Radio Networks • The Radio Network (50%)
Miscellaneous assets	Clear Channel Outdoor • Clear Channel UK • Format Lab