NewsNet
| File:NewsNet logo.svg Final logo used from April 18, 2022 to August 2, 2024 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | January 1, 2019 in Cadillac, Michigan, United States |
| Founder | Eric Wotila |
| Defunct | August 2, 2024 |
| Fate | Ceased operations; stations switched affiliation to ShopHQ (now also defunct) |
| Headquarters | Cadillac, Michigan , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Manoj Bhargava (owner), Eric Wotila (founder, retained 10% stake post-acquisition) |
| Products | Television news programming, local news production services |
| Owner | Bridge Media Networks (subsidiary of Manoj Bhargava) |
| Parent | Bridge News, LLC |
| Website | newsnet |
NewsNet (presented as NEWSnet) was an American news-focused free-to-air television network and newscast production entity under Bridge News, LLC, a subsidiary of Manoj Bhargava's Bridge Media Networks. The channel featured a concise, 30-minute newswheel airing around the clock, providing timely updates on national news, sports, entertainment, weather, and business sectors. Breaking news segments were continuously refreshed in real time.
Programming distribution occurred through digital subchannels of partner stations and via livestreams accessible on its website and mobile app in markets lacking terrestrial affiliates. Additionally, it delivered Custom Newsroom Solutions, a comprehensive local news production service for broadcasters without in-house news departments, creating local inserts or complete newscasts. The main studio and master control were situated in Cadillac, Michigan—home to flagship WMNN-LD and dual MyNetworkTV/Cozi TV affiliate WXII-LD—with supplementary facilities located in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Background and history
On September 28, 2017, Eric Wotila—founder of the low-power all-news station WMNN-LD in Cadillac, Michigan, and associated with News Channel Nebraska—initiated a Kickstarter campaign to finance a 24-hour national news channel named the Local News Network (LNN). The concept targeted broadcast, online, and mobile platforms with a simple, commentary-free news wheel format designed to avoid the politically charged panel discussions prevalent on cable news. Although the campaign aimed to raise $100,000, it secured only $8,012 from 78 supporters. Subsequently, Wotila sought investment capital.
On March 15, 2018, Wotila and his partners announced NewsNet, preserving LNN’s foundational approach. The network officially launched on January 1, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. ET with its first program titled Evening Edition. In May 2019, construction commenced on new facilities featuring three studios and a master control room managing NewsNet alongside sister stations WMNN-LD and WXII-LP; this complex opened on December 9.
Because of Wotila’s involvement with News Channel Nebraska, NewsNet did not operate or affiliate within that state.
In response to economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, NewsNet entered agreements with Coastal Television’s ABC and FOX outlets in Alaska (Anchorage and Fairbanks) and later Wyoming (Casper and Cheyenne) to produce newscasts. Coastal terminated these contracts in early 2022 following its acquisition of Waypoint Media’s NewsHub. Marquee Broadcasting partnered with NewsNet to air a 9 PM newscast on its Georgia stations WPGA-TV (Macon) and WGTA (Toccoa); the Macon agreement concluded after its sale to Gray Television shifted production to WANF-TV. Production for Toccoa ended in 2023.
On January 13, 2022, investor Manoj Bhargava acquired NewsNet along with Freelancer Television Broadcasting’s assets—including WMNN-LD and WXII-LD—with Wotila retaining a 10% stake in Bridge News, LLC. Bridge News manages these stations through a time brokerage arrangement. Bhargava viewed this acquisition as an advertising vehicle for his product 5-hour Energy.
On April 18, 2022, NewsNet introduced a refreshed logo and adopted the slogan News... as it used to be. Shortly thereafter, Phillip Hendrix was appointed news director; he was replaced by Peter Ziemelis in July. On May 16, the network launched a secondary studio in Farmington Hills and recruited Detroit news veterans Jill Washburn and Glenn Ray. Schedule adjustments included moving Mornings to start at 6:00 a.m. ET; halving weekday hours of Continuing Coverage; extending Evening Edition to six hours beginning at 6:00 p.m.; and lengthening Nightside Edition to six hours including an early morning segment.
On August 6, 2022, NewsNet debuted Weekend Edition, an all-weekend rolling news block that replaced weekend airings of other programs.
In September 2022, Bridge Media Networks acquired several low-power television stations in Las Vegas (KDNU-LD), South Florida (WDGT-LD, WHMR-LD, WKIZ-LD), and Detroit (WHNE-LD), converting them into owned-and-operated outlets for NewsNet.
In August 2023, Bhargava announced a merger between Bridge Media Networks and Ross Levinsohn's The Arena Group—a publisher known for Sports Illustrated among other titles—with Bhargava as the majority stakeholder. Plans to incorporate Sports Illustrated content into NewsNet were abandoned due to unresolved trademark conflicts following the network’s closure.
On August 2, 2024, citing insufficient viewership despite its commitment to impartial news coverage, NewsNet abruptly terminated all 80 employees and ceased broadcasting operations. Streaming platforms briefly continued airing recent programs before discontinuation. Subsequently, the network’s owned stations switched affiliation to ShopHQ—a shopping channel also owned by Bhargava—which itself ceased operations in April 2025.
Broadcast Feeds
At the time of its shutdown, NewsNet maintained two distinct broadcast feeds:
- Domestic – This primary U.S. feed provided 165 hours per week of continuous news coverage. It featured content tailored specifically for American viewers during commercial intervals, including regional advertisements, network promotional spots, and a 90-minute segment of educational children's programming on weekend mornings to comply with federal regulations. This feed was distributed over-the-air through local affiliate stations.
- Online – This feed closely resembled the domestic version but allowed for opt-outs during segments exclusive to U.S. audiences. It included an extended 90-minute Weekend Edition segment and a short Top Stories from the Newsroom feature during commercial breaks, which could be interrupted by online advertising. The online feed was accessible within the United States via OTT platforms and applications on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, as well as worldwide through the network’s website and mobile apps for iOS and Android devices.
Programming
NewsNet utilized a rolling news wheel format, presenting major national and international headlines in 30-minute cycles. Each half-hour commenced with an "A" block consisting of an approximately 12-minute news briefing that was updated promptly to reflect breaking news.
Other segments included national weather updates at 12 and 42 minutes past the hour under the title Weather Report, sports recaps at 17 and 47 minutes featuring talent from its sister channel Sports News Highlights, and specialized segments covering topics such as health, business, and entertainment at 24 and 54 minutes.
Former Programs
- Rolling News Blocks
- NewsNet Continuing Coverage (Dec 9, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- NewsNet Evening Edition (Jan 1, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- NewsNet Midday Edition (Jan 2, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- NewsNet Morning Edition (Jan 2–Dec 8, 2019)
- NewsNet Mornings (Dec 9, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- NewsNet Nightside Edition (Jan 2, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- NewsNet Weekend Edition (Aug 6, 2022 – Aug 2, 2024)
- E/I Programming
- America's Heartland (Jan 6, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- Animal Rescue (Jan 5, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- Biz Kid$ (Jan 6, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- Dog Tales (Jan 5, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- Missing (Jan 5, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
- Think Big (Jan 6, 2019 – Aug 2, 2024)
Affiliates
As of April 2023, NewsNet had established full-time affiliation agreements with a total of 59 television stations spanning across 49 markets in 24 states. These stations collectively reached approximately 27.21% of the U.S. population. Most affiliates were low-power broadcasters serving specific portions of their markets rather than entire metropolitan areas.
The network granted affiliates four minutes per hour for local advertising and permitted them to replace the national weather segment with locally produced weather forecasts generated either by the network or the affiliate itself. Furthermore, NewsNet provided a five-minute local headline update at each half-hour mark to supply timely regional news coverage.
Final Affiliates
| City/Market | Station | Channel | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | KDMD | 33.5 | Bridge Media Networks |
| Auburn–Columbus, GA | W04DN-D | 4 | |
| Cusseta–Columbus, GA | WQMK-LD | 18.3 | Ben Jordan Communications Corporation |
| Dothan, AL | WJJN-LD | 49.2 | Wilson Broadcasting Company, Inc. |
| Montevallo–Birmingham, AL | WOTM-LD | 19 | Joseph Earley |
| Phoenix, AZ | KVPA-LD | 42 | Bridge Media Networks |
| Cathedral City–Palm Springs, CA | KRET-CD | 45 | |
| Los Angeles, CA | KFLA-LD | 8 | |
| Reedley–Fresno–Visalia, CA | KVBC-LP | 13.9 | Ventura Broadcasting Company |
| Ridgecrest–Bakersfield, CA | KZGN-LD | 21.2 | Wiknich Broadcasting Corporation |
| Sacramento, CA | KSAO-LD | 49 | Bridge Media Networks |
| San Diego, CA | KSDX-LD | 9 | |
| Grand Junction, CO | KLML | 20.14 | Ventura Broadcasting Company |
| Jacksonville, FL | WWRJ-LD | 27 | Bridge Media Networks |
| Jupiter–West Palm Beach, FL | WEWF-LD | 47 | |
| Key West–Miami–Fort Lauderdale, FL | WKIZ-LD | 49 | |
| Miami–Fort Lauderdale, FL | WDGT-LD | 14 | |
| Ocala–Orlando, FL | WQFT-LD | 17 | |
| St. Augustine–Jacksonville, FL | WQXT-CD | 22.6 | A1A TV, Inc. |
(Additional affiliate entries continue similarly with emphasis on station location, channel number, and ownership.)
External links
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- Television networks in the United States
- 24-hour television news channels in the United States
- Defunct television networks in the United States
- Lists of American television network affiliates
- Television channels and stations established in 2019
- Television channels and stations disestablished in 2024
- 2019 establishments in Michigan
- 2024 disestablishments in Michigan
- Digital multicast television networks in the United States
- Cadillac, Michigan