What WISN does

WISN (Channel 12) is a local broadcast television station licensed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operating as an ABC network affiliate owned by Hearst Television (a division of Hearst Stations Inc.). Founded in 1954, the station produces and distributes local news, weather, and sports content across the Milwaukee metropolitan area and Southeast Wisconsin, serving residents in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, and Racine counties. Core products include the WISN 12 News mobile application for iOS/Android, the Weather Watch 12 forecasting service with neighborhood-level weather tracking, branded content verticals (Stitch for lifestyle and Matter of Fact for political affairs), and a video footage licensing service operated through Hearst Television. The station's technology stack centers on over-the-air digital broadcast transmission supplemented by cable/satellite carriage agreements and owned digital platforms (wisn.com, mobile apps, social media channels).

WISN generates revenue primarily through two advertising streams: local broadcast television advertising (commercials, sponsorships, promotional content during news programs) and digital advertising through wisn.com (display ads, sponsored content, digital packages). The station sells to a diversified advertiser base including local SMBs, healthcare providers, automotive dealers, and regional brands seeking to reach Milwaukee-area consumers. Pricing operates on a quote-based model determined by ratings, time slots, and package configurations, with rates not publicly disclosed. Distribution channels include over-the-air broadcast (Channel 12), regional cable carriage, satellite distribution via DIRECTV and Dish Network, and digital streaming through wisn.com and mobile applications.

The station operates with 51-100 employees from its headquarters at 759 N. 19th St., Milwaukee, WI. Its competitive positioning rests on decades of brand recognition as "WISN Channel 12," Hearst Television's centralized resources and content sharing, ABC network programming affiliation, and journalistic credentials including three Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. Audience-facing distribution spans traditional broadcast plus owned digital properties, email newsletters, and active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter/X, and YouTube, with community engagement activities including charity drives and event sponsorships.

Name

WISN

Legal name

WISN-TV (Hearst Television/Hearst Stations Inc.)

Website

https://wisn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WISN (Channel 12) is a Milwaukee ABC-affiliate broadcast television station owned by Hearst Television, providing local news, weather, and sports content to Southeast Wisconsin viewers and generating revenue through broadcast and digital advertising sales to local businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Television advertising sales
• Local news production
• Weather forecasting services
• Digital news platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Television Advertising: Revenue generated from local television commercial advertising, sponsorships, and promotional content aired during news programs and programming. The station serves local businesses, healthcare providers, automotive dealers, and regional brands seeking to reach Milwaukee-area viewers.
2. Digital Advertising: Revenue from online advertising through wisn.com including display ads, sponsored content, and digital promotional packages offered to local advertisers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WISN operates Channel 12, the ABC-affiliated local broadcast television station for the Milwaukee DMA and Southeast Wisconsin, producing daily local news, weather (Weather Watch 12), sports, investigative, and political programming. The station monetizes its audience by selling broadcast television advertising and digital advertising on wisn.com and the WISN 12 News mobile app to local businesses and regional brands. Additional offerings include a video footage licensing service (via Hearst Television) and branded content properties such as Stitch (lifestyle) and Matter of Fact (political affairs).

Product overview

WISN (Channel 12) is a broadcast television station owned by Hearst Television, serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area and southeastern Wisconsin. The station operates as a traditional broadcast media company with a core television broadcast product supplemented by a mobile news application, video licensing services, and branded content programs. The primary offering is local news broadcasting covering politics, sports, weather (Weather Watch 12), and community stories. Additional products include the Stitch lifestyle content brand and Matter of Fact political affairs program, both distributed through the station's digital platforms. The station also offers a video footage licensing service through Hearst Television for archival and documentary content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WISN-TV Channel 12 Broadcast Local ABC-affiliated broadcast television station providing daily local news, weather, sports, investigative reporting, and ABC network programming to Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin viewers on Channel 12.
• WISN 12 News Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing local news, weather updates, breaking news alerts, and on-demand content for Milwaukee-area users.
• Weather Watch 12 (Neighborhood Weather Network) Weather forecasting and alert service providing local forecasts, radar maps, severe weather alerts, and the Neighborhood Weather Network for communities across Southeast Wisconsin.
• Video Footage Licensing Service Licensing service for archival and current video footage from WISN's news archive, distributed through Hearst Television to documentary producers and commercial clients.
• Stitch Content Brand Lifestyle and entertainment video content brand featuring human-interest stories, community features, and cultural coverage distributed through WISN digital platforms.
• Matter of Fact Political Affairs Program Political affairs and public policy news program featuring correspondents covering national and local political topics, distributed on WISN-TV and digital platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Three Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards received
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hearst TelevisioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWISN is owned and operated by Hearst Television, which provides centralized news content sharing, technical resources, advertising sales support, and network programming affiliations. The station operates as an ABC network affiliate under the Hearst Television umbrella.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WITI: FOX affiliate serving Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin. Direct competitor with overlapping news, weather, and sports coverage against WISN's ABC programming.
• WVTV: CW/MyNetwork affiliate in the Milwaukee market. Competes with WISN for younger demographics and entertainment-oriented advertising, while also carrying local news.
• WDJT-TV: CBS affiliate in Milwaukee. Competes with WISN for local news audiences and ad budgets in the same DMA, with comparable broadcast and digital distribution model.
• WTMJ-TV: NBC affiliate serving the Milwaukee DMA. Direct head-to-head competitor to WISN for local news viewership, advertising dollars, and sports rights within the same market.
• WCCO-TV: CBS affiliate in Minneapolis–St. Paul, owned and operated by Hearst Television. Sister station to WISN under the same parent, with shared content infrastructure, ad-sales support, and syndicated programming.
• WBAL-TV: Hearst Television NBC affiliate in Baltimore. Sister station leveraging the same corporate ad-sales, news-gathering, and technical support framework as WISN.
• KCCI: Hearst Television CBS affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa. Sister station to WISN; WISN personnel such as reporters have moved between the two stations, reflecting the shared talent pipeline within Hearst.
• WMUR-TV: Hearst Television ABC affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire. Sister station sharing WISN's ABC network affiliation, programming, and Hearst back-office infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin: Charter's local 24/7 news channel covering Wisconsin, including Milwaukee. Emerging digital/cable-native competitor to traditional broadcast affiliates like WISN for hyperlocal news audiences and advertiser attention.

Broad incumbents

• TMJ4 News / Journal Communications Group: Journal Communications (now part of the E.W. Scripps Company) operates WTMJ-TV and other Midwest broadcast properties. Comparable broadcast group structure and regional advertising strategy to Hearst's WISN operation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WISN12News
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wisn
• Facebookfacebook.com/wisn12
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisn-tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WISN