WASHINGTON, D.C.—As the presidential race heats up in the hotly contested swing state of Wisconsin, PurpleTV has announced that it will launch an over-the-air (OTA) broadcast TV service focusing on politics. The service will be available starting June 27 on Channel 16.1 in the evenings on Roseland Broadcasting’s WWMW in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
At launch it will provide bite-sized videos and informational text covering politics to what the station is calling the "purple majority"—those who aren't, politically speaking, all red or all blue.
Roseland had previously announced plans to launch a politically focused OTA service on its low power TV station when it changed the call letters of its Milwaukee station to WWMW.
The channel will also be streamed on PurpleTV.com.
"Purple people want to get on with their lives. They want politicians to work together and compromise, they don't want angry performance artists," said PurpleTV's president, Matthew Davidge.
The company also stressed that PurbleTV will not offer a conventional TV watching experience. PurpleTV will look more like an internet feed or a social media stream and will be a place for viewers to perch during commercial breaks on other channels. Viewing is designed to be measured in seconds, not minutes. It will broadcast from 7pm to 11pm, Monday through Friday, during TV Primetime.
In addition, PurpleTV will test the interactivity of QR codes to connect viewers to the channel. In addition to offering bite-sized political information, the channel will cover the nuts and bolts of politics, such as voter registration, down-ballot races, voter turnout, and more.
In launching the service, the station highlighted the high interest in politics in its coverage area. Wisconsin is a purple state, that has swung between supporting red and blue politicians. Donald Trump lost Wisconsin by 20,000 votes in the 2020 Presidential Election. Trump won the State by 23,000 votes in the 2016 Presidential Election. The margin of victory was less than 1% in both elections.
Milwaukee also has, at 27%, one of the highest percentages of over-the-air (OTA) audiences in America as measured by the percentage of TV households. Channel 16 reaches 2.25 million people, so approximately 600,000 people will be able to view the channel. Milwaukee will also host the 2024 Republican National Convention from July 15th – 18th.
"We are realistic about the channel's impact but if we can reach even a few thousand voters in Milwaukee it could make the difference," said Ken Switzer, director of marketing and communications. "The stakes are so high in the 2024 Presidential Election. Every vote will matter, especially in the purple states."
Over-the-air (OTA) viewers need only an inexpensive TV antenna to watch PurpleTV for free, alongside ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, as well as Univision and Telemundo.
