WNTE

WNTE
Location	Nashville, TN
Branding	Channel 9 (general) Channel 9 News (newscasts)
Slogan	Coverage You Can Count On.
Channel(s)	Digital: 29 (UHF) Virtual: 9 (PSIP)
subchannel(s)	9.1 NBC 9.2 Cozi TV 9.3 Bounce TV 9.4 The Works 9.5 The Nashville Network
Affiliation	NBC
First air date	May 3, 1950
Former call letters	none
Former channel number	none
Former Affiliation	none
Owner	Berfield/Willis Broadcast Corporation

WNTE is the NBC affiliated station serving Nashville, TN, and the greater Nashville area. Broadcasting on channel 9, WNTE was owned and operated by Lady Luck Communications until they traded the station to Krueger Broadcasting in exchange for KTSA in Tulsa and KRVJ in Brownsville, TX. WNTE started broadcasting on May 3, 1950 and became an NBC affiliate. WNTE had CBS as a secondary affiliate until WSIX signed on in 1954 and became a CBS affiliate. WNTE was also an ABC secondary affiliate until WNAM signed on in 1972. Being owned by the Newspaper Paper Corporation, WNTE enjoyed a 17-year winning streak (from 1955–72) as the top newscast in Nashville. However, since 2009, the newscast has finished a distant third in the news race in Nashville. In addition to running the NBC schedule, WNTE also airs syndicated programming, including, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Steve Harvey, and Match Game. WNTE carries Sunday Night Football and also all Tennessee Titans preseason games and coaches shows. It was sold to Galaxy Broadcasting on June 23, 2016. Galaxy subsequently sold WNTE to Septic Communications. Septic sold WNTE to Berfield/Willis Broadcast Corporation on June 3, 2017.

History

WNTE was launched on May 3, 1950 by Silliman Evans, Sr., founder of the Newspaper Paper Corporation, which also owned the local newspaper The Tennessean. From launch, WNTE became an NBC affiliate. WNTE was a CBS secondary affiliate until WSIX signed on in 1954 and they were an ABC secondary affiliate until WNAM signed on in 1972. From 1955-72, WNTE enjoyed a 17-year winning streak as the top newscast in Nashville, which was became they shared the same news source with The Tennessean.

In 1972, as CBS' ratings started rising to the top, NBC ratings started falling. As a result, WSIX finally broke the streak and became the top newscast in Nashville. WNTE lost the ABC affiliation when WNAM signed on and became a CBS affiliate. As NBC's ratings were falling, so was WNTE's. And by 1980, WNTE found themselves near the bottom of the market. In 1980, the Newspaper Paper Corporation put WNTE on the market, and Moon Broadcasting bought the station. From 1980-85, the station of marred with a high turnover rate as the newscast received the lowest ratings in the station's history. Finally in 1985, as NBC was becoming the no. 1 rated network on television, WNTE's ratings started picking up, and by 1989, WNTE was back at the spot where they lost in 1972: the top newscast in Nashville.

WNTE remained the top newscast until 2000 when once again, WSIX became the top newscast in Nashville. WNTE and WSIX traded spots from 2000-2004, but after that, WSIX became no. 1 for good. WNTE's newscast remained respectable until The Jay Leno Show debuted in 2009. Since then, WNTE has finished no higher than third in the market. In 2010, WNTE had a new owner when Lady Luck Communications bought the station. On December 30, 2015, Lady Luck Communications traded WNTE for KTSA in Tulsa and KRVJ in Brownsville. In 2017, WNTE was sold to Septic Communications. On June 3, 2017, WNTE was sold by Septic Communications to Berfield/Willis Broadcast Corporation, owners of YesNet O&O WELG (channel 10).

Newscast

Newschannel 9 enjoyed a 17-year winning streak as the top newscast in the market. After going through a very downward period, Newschannel 9 once again became the no. 1 rated newscast in 1989, and they stayed there untill 2000 when WSIX overtook it. From 2000-04, WNTE and WSIX traded spots for the top spot (WNTE winning it in 2001, 2002 and 2003). However, since 2009, WNTE's newscast has finished no higher than 3rd.

Programming Schedule

All Times Central	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN
7:00 AM	Today					Weekend Today
7:30 AM
8:00 AM
8:30 AM
9:00 AM	Megyn Kelly TODAY					The More You Know Block	Meet the Press
9:30 AM
10:00 AM	Today						Various Religious Programming
10:30 AM
11:00 AM	Rachael Ray
11:30 AM
12:00 PM	Channel 9 News at Noon					NBC Weekend Schedule (programs vary by season)
12:30 PM	Days of Our Lives
1:00 PM
1:30 PM	Card Sharks
2:00 PM	Catch 21
2:30 PM	Tic Tac Dough
3:00 PM	Steve
3:30 PM
4:00 PM	The Ellen DeGeneres Show
4:30 PM
5:00 PM	Channel 9 News at Five
5:30 PM	NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt					NBC Nightly News Weekend
6:00 PM	Channel 9 News at Six						NBC Programming
6:30 PM	Match Game
7:00 PM	NBC Programming
7:30 PM
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM	Channel 9 News Tonight
10:30/10:34/10:29 PM	The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon					Saturday Night Live	The Vanderbilt Coach's Show
11:00 PM							The Tennessee Coach's Show
11:30/11:37 PM	Late Night with Seth Meyers						Glee
12:00 AM	Glee	Late Night with Seth Meyers					Glee
12:30/12:37 AM	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Last Call with Carson Daly
1:00/1:07 AM		Mama's Family					Law & Order: Criminal Intent
1:30 AM	The Closer
2:00/2:07 AM		Paid Programming					The Closer
2:30 AM	Paid Programming	NBC Nightside
3:00 AM	NBC Nightside					Paid Programming
3:30 AM	Early Today
4:00 AM	Channel 9 News Today
4:30 AM
5:00 AM						Channel 9 News Today
5:30 AM
6:00 AM
6:30 AM