Grit TV returns to Milwaukee's airwaves — on Channel 4.4

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Shary Marshal and Ronald Reagan appear in a 1965 episode of the television series "Death Valley Days," a staple of Grit TV. Reagan also hosted the series before he became governor of California.

Grit TV is back on Milwaukee airwaves, exactly two months after the digital subchannel programming service galloped off into the sunset.

WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) announced Thursday that it had begun airing Grit on its 4.4 digital subchannel. One of a herd of programming packages built from older television and movie content, Grit specializes in old Westerns and action fare, with daytime hours filled with TV staples such as "Death Valley Days" and evenings with movies ranging from "The Virginian" to "Delta Force."

For several years, Grit had aired in Milwaukee on Channel 24.3. On Jan. 8, Sinclair Broadcasting, which owned WVTV-TV (Channel 18) and WCGV-TV (Channel 24), dropped Grit and Get TV, another digital programming service airing on 18.2, following the sale of Channel 24's bandwidth in a spectrum auction last year.

The departures of Get and Grit were the most dramatic changes in a reshuffling of Milwaukee's digital subchannel lineup following the FCC spectrum auction. Several other channels relocated to other spots on the dial as part of the frequency consolidation.

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When it was showing over the air on Channel 24.3, Grit had been carried on Spectrum cable. There's no indication that any of the cable or satellite services in the Milwaukee area will be picking up Channel 4.4.