WLNM-LD first signed-on the air in 1991 as W69BJ on channel 69, as a translator of Saginaw-based WAQP (channel 49), a station owned by Tri-State Christian Television (TCT). The station relocated to channel 27 as W27CN in November 2003.
The station was an owned-and-operated transmitter of TCT, which also carried many programs from the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). In 2007, TCT discontinued carriage of TBN programming, instead relying on productions of its own programs and direct carriage of programs from other ministries.
In July 2009, the station's digital transmitter was put into service with a flash-cut, ending its analog service and adding a "-D" suffix to its callsign at that time. The station's callsign changed to the lettered WLNM-LD on February 8, 2016.
On February 14, 2020, TCT agreed to sell WLNM-LD to Gray Television for $175,000;[2] the sale, which was completed on May 1,[3] includes a lease agreement allowing TCT to continue carrying a subchannel on the station for five years after closing.[4] WLNM-LD has since operated as a translator of WILX-TV, serving mainly to improve WILX's reception in the few areas of the market without cable or satellite that lost access to the main WILX signal after the digital transition. In June 2024, WLNM moved to a new tower that significantly increased its over-the-air footprint.[5]
(*) – indicates station is in one of Michigan's primary TV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of Michigan
1WPBN's signal is rebroadcast on WTOM; WGTU's signal is rebroadcast on WGTQ; both WGTU and WGTQ carry WPBN's programming on a digital subchannel.
