Morgan Murphy Media said it was combining the newsroom operations of WBUP Marquette, Michigan, with those of WJMN under an agreement with WJMN owner Sullivan’s Landing LLC.

Both stations will air newscasts under the My UP News brand, starting September 9. Weekend newscasts will be relaunched later.

WBUP had been known as ABC 10; WJMN had been branded Local 3.

Combined, the two stations will be offering 20 hours of live local news per week.

“We are thrilled to expand our local news offering and share something uniquely designed for people in the Upper Peninsula,” said Mark Overstreet, general manager at WPUB and WJMN. “We know people who live here care deeply about the U.P. and we wanted to build a local news product just for them.”

Both stations are improving their over-the-air signals to give viewers better reception. 

The Milwaukee Bucks have made another broadcast deal, agreeing to have ten of its games this season broadcast in Madison, Wisconsin on Morgan Murphy’s WISC and its TW digital channel.

The deal is a result of agreement made between the NBA and Bally Sports Wisconsin’s bankrupt owner Diamond Sports, and with Weigel Broadcasting, which will air Bucks games in Milwaukee. 

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The Bucks on Thursday  announced a deal to have its games air on Tegna’s WQAD in the Quad Cities market 

NBA and NHL teams are moving some games to broadcast as viewers cut the cord, eroding the number of viewers on regional sports networks.

“We’re thrilled to reach Bucks fans statewide on broadcast television stations,” said Peter Feigin, President of the Bucks and Fiserv Forum. “Over-the-air is an easy and affordable way for Bucks fans to watch our games, and we’re excited to work with Weigel to make them widely available in Wisconsin.” 

The first Bucks game to air in Madison will come when the team plays the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 23.

“For the first time in many years, Milwaukee Bucks games will be available, free and over-the-air, to the viewers of Southwestern Wisconsin and WISC-TV is proud to be the home of them! WISC-TV is also honored to collaborate with Weigel Broadcasting to make this historic 10 game airing possible,” said Lyle Banks,VP  & GM of Morgan Murphy Media.

Morgan Murphy Media said it is buying three TV stations and five radio stations in Michigan from Marks Media Group.

The TV stations involved in the deal are WBKB Alpena, Mich.; WBUP Ishpeming/Marquette, Mich. and WBKP Calumet-Marquette, Mich.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The transaction follows the death of Marks Media founder Stephen A. Marks last year.

“I believe Morgan Murphy Media will carry on our family legacy in Michigan and build upon our service to the local communities, which were so important to Steve,” said Mary Marks, who became the CEO following the passing of her husband.

After the acquisition, Morgan Murphy Media will operate in eight TV markets and four radio clusters serving communities in Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. 

"For more than 100 years and through four generations, our company has been committed to small market journalism and community service. We are thrilled to carry forward the tremendous legacy built by the Marks family,” Morgan Murphy executive VP and chief operating officer Brian Burns said.

“We continue to search for ways to smartly grow our footprint in line with our demonstrated track record of success,” Burns said. “We are excited to meet the needs of our new audiences and advertisers in Michigan.”

Morgan Murphy Media said it is launching two programs aimed at attracting and training TV journalists and other station staffers.

“Throughout our history, the company’s success has been rooted in the quality of our people,” said Morgan Murphy executive VP and chief operating officer Brian Burns. “These investments are unique in our  industry and are intended to send a strong message — Morgan Murphy Media is committed to your growth.”  

One program, Journalism 365, is designed to give fledgling journalists on-the-job training. It offers participants the opportunity to earn $5,250 a year on top of their salaries for three years in order to pay back student loans and other expenses.

“The fight for talent is immense right now,” Morgan Murphy VP of news Colin Benedict said. “Many journalists want flexibility, help with student loans and a clear development path, and we are providing all three.” 

The Journalism 365 program will be available to multimedia journalists at KOAM Pittsburg, Kansas/Joplin, Missouri. The news content producer program will be housed at WKBT La Crosse-Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  

The second program, called Grow with MMM, creates a new investment fund for staffers in all departments who want additional training and personal development programs. 

Morgan Murphy, which has TV stations in six markets, is making it easy to apply for the Grow with MMM program by setting up a dedicated website that will showcase the training opportunities available inside and outside the company.

“We are closely focused on our team members’ growth and success,” Kate Doty, director of talent and team development for Morgan Murphy, said. “These programs are core building blocks for us to develop the next generation of journalists and leaders.” ■

Morgan Murphy Media named James Loftus as VP and general manager for its operations in Yakima-Kennewick, Washington, effective next month.

Loftus, who had been director of sales at Gray Television’s KOLD-TV, Tucson, will oversee KAPP-TV, KVEW-TV, YakTriNews.com and the Phase 3 Digital Agency for Morgan Murphy.

He succeeds Brian Lubanski, who left to join a radio group in the Yakima area.

Morgan Murphy said that while Loftus hasn’t been a general manager before, he’s been successful in his sales management roles, particularly in the digital area. The company also noted that Loftus’ wife Wendi is from the pacific northwest and that the family is eager to relocate. Loftus grew up in a small town in Virginia.

“I couldn’t be happier to welcome James to Morgan Murphy Media,” said Brian Burns, Morgan Murphy Media executive VP and COO. “James makes a great addition to our family-owned company. With his past leadership roles in selling digital and traditional media, we expect to raise the bar for the whole market.”

Before KOLK, Loftus had jobs at WTOC-TV, Savannah, Georgia and KLSA-TV, Shreveport, Louisiana. ■

Morgan Murphy Media named veteran broadcaster Lyle Banks as VP and general manager of WISC-TV, the company’s flagship station in Madison, Wisc. 

Banks, most recently VP and GM of Meredith’s WGLC-TV, Atlanta, succeeds Tom Keeler, now GM at Nexstar Media’s KOIN-TV, Portland, Ore.

“We’ve known each other for decades and he shares our company values,” said Elizabeth Murphy Burns, CEO of family-owned Morgan Murphy. “Our success is rooted in public service with a sharp focus on helping viewers, readers and partners improve their lives and businesses. Lyle is a perfect fit and I’m delighted to welcome him to our team.”

Banks will run the day-to-day business operations for WISC-TV, TVW, Channel3000.com, Phase 3 Digital and Madison Magazine.

“Lyle has the right track record to help us build on our 64-year tradition of community leadership,” said Morgan Murphy executive VP and chief operating officer Brian Burns. “We are thrilled to bring his experience and insight to southern Wisconsin.”

Before running WGLC, Banks was general manager at WMAQ-TV, Chicago and WAVY-TV Norfolk, Va. He also owned and operated broadcast and media companies over the past decade.

“I’ve long admired Morgan Murphy Media for its unwavering commitment to serving local communities through top-rated news organizations, forward-leaning digital efforts and impactful community engagement,” said Banks. “Its legacy of success is directly related to an engaged, talented and loyal team, at all levels, and I am thrilled to be part of this culture.”

Morgan Murphy Media’s WISC-TV, a CBS affiliate in Madison, Wisc., went dark to AT&T U-verse customers on Jan. 8 after the parties failed to renew a retransmission consent agreement.

According to the WISC website, the station went dark at 7 p.m. on Jan. 8. AT&T’s DirecTV and AT&T TV Now customers were not affected.

“We’re disappointed to see Morgan Murphy Media suspend WISC-CBS/MNT from our local U-verse customers’ lineups,” AT&T said in a statement. “We must have Morgan Murphy’s permission to offer WISC-CBS/MNT and asked Morgan Murphy to keep WISC-CBS/MNT available while we conclude a new business agreement privately. Morgan Murphy refused and chose to withhold WISC-CBS/MNT instead. We remain on the side of consumer choice and value, whereas Morgan Murphy is known to withhold its stations to try to increase its fees for free broadcast TV. ...We share our Madison U-verse customers’ frustration, regret any inconvenience and appreciate their patience while we work to settle this matter as soon as possible.”

On its website, WISC said it was “committed to good faith negotiations on a new, fair agreement to provide its popular programming to viewers in southern Wisconsin.”

The service disruption comes days before CBS is scheduled to air the next round of the NFL Playoffs, Saturday’s (Jan. 11) divisional match up between the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens.