WCAN-TV
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Defunct | 1955 |
| Fate | Ceased operations; facilities sold to CBS |
| Headquarters | Milwaukee, Wisconsin , United States |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
| Owner | Midwest Broadcasting Company (majority shareholder Lou Poller) |
WCAN-TV (channel 25) was a television broadcaster based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operating between 1953 and 1955. It held the distinction of being Milwaukee’s second television station and the first to transmit on an ultra high frequency (UHF) channel. Owned by Midwest Broadcasting Company, WCAN-TV maintained a continuous affiliation with CBS. The station ceased operations after CBS purchased its primary competitor, WOKY-TV (channel 19), subsequently transferring the CBS affiliation to that station. Lou Poller, the owner, sold the physical facilities to CBS, while WCAN-TV’s construction permit remained active until 1969.
Establishment
After the FCC lifted its 1952 moratorium on new television station licenses, Milwaukee was allocated UHF channels 19, 25, and 31. Initially, radio station WCAN (1250 AM) sought to secure VHF channel 12 but shifted its application to channel 25 due to competition from three other applicants. Similarly, WFOX (860 AM) redirected its pursuit from channel 12 to channel 25, leading to potential licensing hearings. Another contender, Northwestern Television Company owned by Harry Balaban, applied for channel 19.
When WFOX moved its application to channel 19—under the mistaken impression that WOKY’s Madison permit would disqualify them—WCAN found itself unopposed for channel 25. On February 5, 1953, WCAN received the first new television construction permit in Milwaukee in five years. Initial plans placed studios at WCAN’s Third Street radio location with a transmitter at Hales Corners; however, by July those plans shifted to studios within the Towne Hotel and an antenna atop the Schroeder Hotel. In August 1953, WCAN secured a CBS network affiliation, relieving WTMJ-TV, which had carried CBS programming since before the freeze. Construction delays caused by rain postponed tower completion and test broadcasts.
WCAN-TV officially began transmission at 11:30 p.m. on September 6, 1953, featuring a mix of local productions and CBS network content from launch. Lou Poller had become majority shareholder of Midwest Broadcasting Company alongside partners Cy Blumenthal and Alex Rosenman. The station initially broadcast at an effective radiated power of 22,000 watts but upgraded to 212,000 watts early in 1954 with a new transmitter.
In October 1953, Hearst Radio Inc., owner of WISN, proposed introducing channel 6 in Milwaukee amid ongoing disputes over channel 12; Poller opposed this move and spearheaded an association of UHF broadcasters.
Despite a limited number of households equipped with UHF-capable receivers (estimated between 62% and 70%), WCAN-TV achieved ratings above market averages. An April 1954 Billboard article highlighted WCAN-TV’s superior performance compared to WTMJ-TV during key time slots featuring CBS and local programming—a notable accomplishment during a period when many UHF stations struggled financially. Both WCAN-TV and fellow UHF station WOKY-TV, which carried ABC and DuMont programming on channel 19, were profitable ventures. The Towne Hotel filed a lawsuit against WCAN-TV for overuse of its lobby after the station frequently brought large groups of teenagers into the building.
Demise and activity after shutdown
On October 21, 1954, CBS agreed to acquire WOKY-TV for $335,000 following regulatory changes permitting ownership of up to five VHF and two UHF stations by a single entity. CBS’s decision to establish a UHF presence in Milwaukee was influenced partly by WCAN-TV’s vigorous promotion of UHF set conversions. Although this acquisition threatened ABC’s position on channel 19, the impending launch of another VHF station—WTVW (channel 12)—changed competitive conditions. CBS compensated Lou Poller $786,000 for WCAN-TV’s facilities located atop the Schroeder Hotel and paid an additional $286,000 for WOKY-TV’s studios and transmitter site where WCAN-TV would relocate operations. Poller was also entitled to an early termination fee if WOKY-TV assumed the CBS affiliation before April 22—the expiration date of WCAN-TV’s contract with CBS. Concurrently, WCAN radio was sold to WEMP (1340 AM), which acquired its transmitter and license to move operations to the 1250 frequency. After WCAN-TV ended broadcasts on February 26, 1955, WOKY-TV became Milwaukee’s new CBS affiliate under the call letters WXIX on February 27, absorbing portions of WCAN-TV’s staff.
Following the shutdown, Poller filed an antitrust lawsuit against CBS seeking $4.35 million in damages for alleged conspiratorial efforts aimed at driving him out of business. He asserted that Storer Broadcasting had offered $2 million for WCAN-TV and that CBS had induced him to renew a $500,000 studio lease through misleading assurances. The case proceeded to trial in February 1962 after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled narrowly (5–4) that Poller was entitled to trial due to errors in a lower court's summary judgment decision. However, later that year Poller faced perjury charges that overshadowed his legal action.
In 1958, the FCC reassigned Milwaukee’s UHF channels from their original allocations of 19, 25, and 31 to new channels 18, 24, and 30 in order to minimize interference with WXIX reception; nevertheless, WCAN-TV’s construction permit remained valid throughout this period. In 1966 Poller sold this permit to Field Communications, which had recently launched Chicago’s WFLD and intended to establish a Milwaukee rebroadcast facility with up to one-quarter original programming content. Field planned constructing new studios and transmission facilities in Mequon but announced in 1969 plans to sell WFLD to Metromedia and divest itself of the Milwaukee permit.
A new station assigned channel 24—WCGV-TV—received its construction permit in 1973 and commenced broadcasting in March of 1980.