The station is owned by Gray Media and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Forward Drive in the Greentree neighborhood on Madison's southwest side.

[4][5] WMTV signed on the air with a test pattern on July 8, 1953,[6] and began normal operation 11 days later with a dedication program.

[9] The WMTV facility along the Beltline contained a main studio complete with revolving stage, claimed to be the only one east of California, as well as a permanently installed kitchen for cooking shows.

[21] The FCC only narrowly approved the transaction on a 4–3 vote in May 1963, in large part because the firm was being investigated for its relationship with efforts to start an educational television station in Wausau on the only other VHF channel in that city so as to prevent it from going into commercial use; a condition was attached that allowed the FCC to order the sale of WMTV to another group at no profit to Wisconsin Valley were it to find that the firm abused its processes.

[22] That September, the FCC voted 5–0 to allow the sale to stand after Midcontinent Broadcasting, owner of WKOW-TV, asked it to reconsider its earlier ruling.

[23] Wisconsin Valley gave channel 15 a significant technical overhaul, including an upgraded transmitter facility which increased the effective radiated power to 950,000 watts in 1965.

Prior to the sale, WMTV competed with WISC for the lead in local news ratings, finding stronger viewership outside the Madison Beltline in Dane County itself.

[34] The departures of sports director Jack Eich, who was fired, and Paula Dilworth, who was passed over for a promotion and bolted for Las Vegas, made headlines and put general manager Leslie Leonard in the news.

[40] Four years later, in a $270 million merger, Brissette was folded into Benedek Broadcasting after the company was unable to expand by adding stations.

The early 2000s recession reduced ad sales and caused the company to be unable to pay interest on a set of bonds issued in 1996, prompting a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.