Journal Media Group (formerly Journal Communications) is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based newspaper publishing and broadcasting company. The company's roots were first established in 1882 as the owner of its namesake, the Milwaukee Journal, and expanded into broadcasting with the establishment of WLVE, and the acquisition of other television and radio stations.
History[]
The Milwaukee Journal was started in 1882, in competition with four other English-language, four German- and two Polish-language dailies. It launched WLVE in 1947. The Journal Company, until then primarily owned by local interests, introduced an employee stock trust plan in 1937, and as a result most Journal stock was eventually held by its employees (under certain restrictions). A small bloc of Journal stock was given to Harvard to fund the Nieman Fellowship program for promising journalists, and another bloc was still held by the original owning families until the IPO.
The Milwaukee Sentinel, begun in 1837 as a weekly published by city co-founder Solomon Juneau, passed through the hands of several owners before being sold to the Hearst Corporation in 1924. Hearst operated the Sentinel until 1962, when, following a long and costly strike, it abruptly announced the closing of the paper. Although Hearst claimed that the paper had lost money for years, The Journal Company, concerned about the loss of an important voice (and facing questions about its own dominance of the Milwaukee media market), agreed to buy the Sentinel name, subscription lists, and goodwill associated with the name. In 1995 the Journal and Sentinel were consolidated. The new Journal Sentinel then became a seven-day morning paper.
Journal Media started expanding their territory by acquiring WCIC in 1970 and by the end of the century, Journal Media's empire began to grow.
Television Stations[]
| Location | Call Letters | Ch. # | Affilation | Owned Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee, WI | WLVE | 11 | NBC | 1947 |
| Green Bay, WI | WYBD | 9 | ABC | 1980 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | WXTO | 26 | Fox | 1978 |
| Ft. Wayne, IN | WKJG | 18 | ABC | 2000 |
| Columbus, OH | WHKC | 13 | CBS | 1988 |
| Dayton, OH | WSMK | 10 | ABC | 2000 |
| Peoria, IL | WCIC | 16 | CBS | 1970 |
| St. Louis, MO | KMOX | 2 |
NBC CW (DT2) |
1978 |
| Indianapolis, IN | WLWI | 11 | NBC | 1984 |
| Toledo, OH | WCWA | 65 | Fox | 2012 |
| Des Moines, IA | KDRA | 7 | NBC | 1972 |
| Jefferson City, MO | KSTM | 5 | CBS | 1976 |
| Mankanto, MN | KNUJ | 2 | Fox | 2010 |
| Kansas City, MO | KMBZ | 9 | NBC | 1982 |
| KUDL | 69 | CW | 2008 | |
| Amarillo, TX | KMDU | 32 | Fox | 2010 |
| Richmond, VA | WXEX | 6 | NBC | 2006 |
| Norfolk, VA | WTAR | 40 | Fox | 2008 |