Two stations in the upper peninsula of Michigan are combining newsrooms and newscast branding in September 2024.
WBUP, owned by Morgan Murphy Media, and WJMN, currently a Nexstar station with sale pending to Sullivan’s Landing, will officially launch “My UP News” Sept. 9, 2024, according to an announcement.
WBUP, the ABC affiliate in Marquette, Michigan, is currently known as “ABC10” and MyNetworkTV station WJMN goes by “Local 3” on air.
The stations’ newscast schedule will include morning news on WBUP form 5 to 7 a.m., as well as a 30-minute 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscast for the station. News will run from 6 to 7 p.m. — a full hour — on WJMN, presumably with the first half hour being a simulcast of what’s airing on WBUP. A 10 p.m. newscast will also air on WJMN.
Weekend newscasts will be temporarily discontinued but the station plans to resume them later, according to the announcement.
The stations’ new brand, “My UP News,” is a reference to the “UP” abbreviation for “upper peninsula” nickname given to the region the stations serve. When referencing the region above the “mitten” of Michigan, it is typically pronounced as two letters — as in “U-P” — rather than the word “up,” and that is how the brand was referred to in the announcement.
After the brand is launched, the stations will switch to a shared website at myupnews.com.
For a logo, the newscasts will use a a stacked logotype that decidedly puts the emphasis on the “UP.” These letters are rendered in a bold, condensed typeface at over twice the height of the other typography. The counter-negative space in the “P” has been replaced by an outline of the upper peninsula, which extends to the left into the “U.” Using a state or region shape is a common practice in TV station logos.
Meanwhile, the word “My” appears floating in the upper left in a steel blue shade with a wave accent under it, a nod to the region’s plentiful aquatic habitats, while “News” is placed in the lower right in orange. The font for the final word appears to be more of a humanist sans serif.
Once the Nexstar transaction is finalized, the two stations will both be operated by Morgan Murphy Media under a shared services agreement.