WGN America made headlines this spring when it presented its first-ever scripted project, a historical look at witchcraft in early America with “Salem.” The channel found that a large part of promoting the new show was simply informing viewers about the channel itself (and where to find it).

Debuting this July, WGN America’s second scripted series, “Manhattan,” takes on the same challenges, though this time with the success of “Salem” under its belt.

“Manhattan” takes place in 1940s Los Alamos, New Mexico, telling the story of the scientists and their families who inhabited the town. Viewers enter Los Alamos with Charlie and Abby Isaacs, a young couple who move to the town to contribute to its mysterious mission. The show’s story is told through their eyes as well as that of another family, Frank and Liza Winter. “Manhattan” tells both sides of the tale, through the scientists working on the world’s first atomic bomb (known as The Manhattan Project) and the families who move to the desert for reasons they’ll never be trusted enough to know. The series, set to debut Sunday, July 27, is produced by Lionsgate Television, Skydance Television and Tribune Studios.

Brian Dollenmayer, EVP of marketing and promotions at WGN America and Tribune Studios, says that the show is definitely not just a historical retelling of the events at Los Alamos. “It’s a drama that tries to capture the emotional truth of these people who lived and worked there,” he said. “It’s really the story beyond the bomb.”

Dollenmayer compares it to “Mad Men” – AMC’s hit is not just a show about advertising in the same way that “Manhattan” will not only be about The Manhattan Project. It delves into how families could live with a secret for so long and change history while keeping their relationships intact.

With that in mind, WGN America launched a campaign that centers largely on family dynamics – the tagline “Nuclear. Family.” graces key art posters and teaser spots, presenting the idea of lying to one’s wife of 20 years, keeping secrets from one’s family and making sacrifices for the war – all while trying to keep one’s family together.

Posters and outdoor ads took on a wartime propaganda feel, which Dollenmayer says was to make sure that people were fully immersed in the world of “Manhattan” – propaganda posters, warnings and all. The show is using the hash tag #Don’tTalk on social platforms, furthering the show’s message of keeping secrets and staying with the propaganda theme. This will also carry over into a marketing stunt over the Fourth of July weekend when aerial banners will fly over beaches in select cities with “Don’t Talk” messaging.

Dollenmayer also says that even though “Manhattan” will be WGN America’s second scripted series, they feel as though they’re starting from scratch on this one. This means that not only is the campaign focused on hyping awareness for the show, but for WGN America as a channel as well. “Before the ‘Salem’ campaign began, everything on social media was ‘What is WGN America? Do I even get this on my cable?’” said Dollenmayer. “And then the messaging became ‘Where can I get it?’”

“It’s almost like we’re starting over again,” said Dollenmayer. “We’re not taking anything for granted. We’re beginning as if this is our first original series again, with WGN America front and center.” WGN America has an extensive roll out planned, which includes a July 27 on-air debut, along with encore presentations across 33 Tribune stations that same night.

“Manhattan” is targeting an entirely different audience than “Salem,” according to Dollenmayer, which makes it more important than ever to bring the attention back to the channel. This means that print ads feature “WGN America presents” in bold lettering, online ads also feature channel finders, hash tags ensure people know what network to find the show on, and on-air spots remind people to DVR the show. “I would love if people put this show into their DVR,” he said. “The more people that begin watching our show, they’ll talk, and that chatter will far surpass our advertising dollars.”

“As small as we are, everything is a challenge,” said Dollenmayer. “But we love challenges.”

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