WTMJ-TV - News Operation

News Operation

Currently, WTMJ broadcasts a total of 40½ hours of local news each week (with seven hours on weekdays, three hours on Saturdays and 2½ hours on Sundays), the second-highest newscast output in the Milwaukee market and the state of Wisconsin (behind Fox affiliate WITI). WTMJ-TV is one of the very few Big Three affiliates in the United States to produce 35+ hours a week of local newscasts, and is one of three stations in the Milwaukee market to carry a midday newscast (WITI's newscast airs at 11 a.m.; WTMJ and WDJT both air a noon newscast. WISN used to carry a noon newscast). The station maintains a news and weather content agreement with its associated radio stations; WTMJ Radio and WLWK-FM (which both based at Radio City with WTMJ-TV), also partners with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the newspaper which founded the station, with news stories seen in the Journal Sentinel and to provide weather forecasts; as such, an auxiliary studio is maintained by the station in the newspaper's State Street headquarters and is used for a regular segment called "JSOnAir", which is featured during the station's 3 p.m. newscast. WTMJ is also one of ten television stations that air consumer reports from John Matarese of ABC affiliate WCPO in Cincinnati.

Since the launch of the extended Today Show in September 2007, the station's programming focus has shifted very heavily towards local news, as replacement syndicated programming for Martha, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! after their moves to other stations in the market, and the August 2008 ending of Montel have failed to spark viewer interest outside of local/network hours. As of September 8, 2008, the station launched a 3 pm news hour, and before then on August 25, extended the 6 p.m. newscast to a full hour (except Tuesday nights for Mike McCarthy's coach's show during the NFL season) before NBC primetime with the move of Extra to WITI's late night schedule, giving the station eight hours of local news every weekday tying WITI's daily news output.

On April 11, 2011 the station dropped the 6:30 p.m. newscast, replacing it with Access Hollywood, which moved to WTMJ from WISN after that station began airing an hour-long 10pm newscast in January 2011. A consequence of this was WISN moving longtime 10:30 p.m. slotholder Access Hollywood to 12:30am, and program producer NBCUniversal Television Distribution asking for an early release from their contract so that the show could move to 6:30 p.m. on WTMJ. Access previously aired on WTMJ at 11:35 p.m. from its 1995 debut, until the move of Conan to the network mandated slot in 2000; the new agreement also allows WTMJ to begin carrying Access Hollywood Live in the 2 p.m. slot in the fall of 2011.

Daybreak, Live at 6:00 and Live at 10:00 are available on Time Warner Cable's VOD service, "Wisconsin on Demand 411" throughout southeastern Wisconsin, two hours after each program's original airing and for three days after. Also available through this service are specific WTMJ reports, I-Team investigations and consumer stories, along with Sunday public affairs program Sunday Insight with Charlie Sykes, a Sunday morning "week in review" debate program featuring the WTMJ radio host which follows Meet the Press. The station also utilizes and promotes Time Warner Cable's Start Over for its locally-based and select local programs, allowing viewers to restart a program from the beginning if they tune in late in a program.

Some of WTMJ's morning and noon newscasts aired on Green Bay sister station WGBA-TV (Channel 26) beginning on July 14, 2008, after that station ended its own newscasts at 5 am, 9 am, and the first half-hour of the noon newscast. The simulcasting ended early 2009 due to viewer disinterest in Milwaukee-focused news. The station also began to provide forecasts to that station during weekend newscasts. All sportscasts are provided by WTMJ; station staff continues to film video and freelance announcers (some formerly with WGBA) provide commentary for Green Bay sporting events on WGBA and WACY. WGBA relaunched a local morning newscast in January 2011.

Since April 7, 2009, WTMJ has broadcasted all of its newscasts in HD. With the change to HD came new music, High Velocity from 615 Music and new graphics from Renderon Broadcast Design, the main graphics company for all Journal Broadcast Group stations. Studio shots and recorded remote video are in the format, while two of the station's live units are equipped for the format, with the remainder of the news equipment, "Chopper 4", and the station's skycam system outputting in digital widescreen upconverted for HD broadcast.

On August 13, 2012, WTMJ moved all newscasts from Studio A to a temporary set in Studio D, with the new set in Studio A being launched on September 9, 2012 during the 5 p.m. newscast.