WBBM-TV

WBBM-TV
Chicago, Illinois
United States
Branding
  • CBS 2 (general)
  • CBS 2 News (newscasts)
Slogan Original Reporting (newscasts)
Channels Digital: 12 (VHF)
Virtual: 2 (PSIP)
Translators
  • 26 (UHF) Chicago
  • Operational March 2014
Affiliations
Owner CBS Corporation
(CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)
Founded
  • August 5, 1940 (1940-08-05)
  • (as experimental station W9XBK)
First air date September 6, 1946 (1946-09-06)
Call letters' meaning World's Best Battery Maker
Derived from sister station WBBM radio
Sister station(s)
Former callsigns WBKB (1946–1953)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:
  • 4 (VHF, 1940–1953)
  • 2 (VHF, 1953–2009)
  • Digital:
  • 3 (VHF, 2003–2009)
Former affiliations
Transmitter power 8 kW
Height 497 m (1,631 ft)
Facility ID 9617
Transmitter coordinates 41°52′44″N 87°38′8″W / 41.87889°N 87.63556°W / 41.87889; -87.63556Coordinates: 41°52′44″N 87°38′8″W / 41.87889°N 87.63556°W / 41.87889; -87.63556
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website chicago.cbslocal.com

WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 (VHF digital channel 12), is a CBS owned-and-operated television station located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The station is owned by the CBS Television Stations subsidiary of CBS Corporation. WBBM-TV maintains studio and office facilities located on West Washington Street as part of the development at Block 37 in the Loop district, and its transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower on South Wacker Drive.

History

Early history

WBBM-TV traces its history to 1940 when Balaban and Katz, a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, signed on experimental station W9XBK, the first all-electronic television facility in Chicago. Balaban and Katz was already well known for owning several movie theaters in the Chicago area. In order to establish the station, the company hired television pioneer William C. "Bill" Eddy away from RCA's experimental station W2XBS in New York City. When World War II began, Eddy used the W9XBK facilities as a prototype school for training Navy electronics technicians.[1] While operating the Navy school, Eddy continued to lead W9XBK and wrote a book that defined commercial television for many years.[2]

On September 6, 1946,[3] the station received a commercial license as WBKB (for Balaban and Katz Broadcasting) on VHF channel 4, becoming the first commercial station located outside the Eastern Time Zone; it was also the sixth TV station in the United States. WBKB aired some of the earliest CBS programs, including the 1947 debut of Junior Jamboree (later renamed Kukla, Fran and Ollie after it moved to NBC in 1948). Channel 4 originally operated as an independent station, since at the time it was not clear that it would be an affiliate of the CBS television network; eventually, WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee became the first television station west of the Eastern Time Zone to affiliate with a major network. One of the station's early highlights was its telecast of the National Football League's championship game between the Chicago Cardinals and the Philadelphia Eagles on December 28, 1947.[4]

In April 1948, WBKB began sharing the market's CBS affiliation with WGN-TV (channel 9), after that station signed on. In 1949, Balaban and Katz became part of United Paramount Theatres, after Paramount Pictures was forced to divest its chain of movie theaters by order of the United States Supreme Court.[5]

WBKB played an indirect role in the demise of the DuMont Television Network. At the time, Paramount Pictures owned a stake in DuMont, however the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considered DuMont to be a firm that was controlled by the studio. Paramount also owned KTLA in Los Angeles; however as DuMont already owned WABD (now WNYW) in New York City, WTTG in Washington, D.C. and WDTV (now sister station KDKA-TV) in Pittsburgh, the FCC's decision meant neither Paramount nor DuMont could acquire any more television stations.[6] Paramount even launched a short-lived programming service, the Paramount Television Network, in 1949, with KTLA and WBKB as its flagship stations;[7][8] however, the service never gelled into a true television network.

As a CBS owned-and-operated station

In February 1953, United Paramount Theaters merged with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which already owned WENR-TV (channel 7). As the newly merged entity could not keep both stations since FCC regulations enforced during that time forbade the common ownership of two television stations licensed to the same market, WBKB was sold to CBS for $6.75 million. On February 12, one day after the merger was finalized, the station changed its call letters to WBBM-TV, after WBBM radio (AM 780 and FM 96.3), which CBS has owned since 1929. The WBKB call letters were subsequently assumed by channel 7 (that station would eventually change its callsign to WLS-TV in 1968). While the old WBKB's talent remained with the new WBBM-TV under the radio station's longtime general manager, H. Leslie Atlass, the UPT-era management of the old WBKB moved to channel 7.

As a result of WBBM-TV's purchase by CBS, it picked up all CBS programming previously carried by WGN-TV, after a two-month cancellation clause in channel 9's affiliation contract with CBS; this left channel 9 with the quickly crumbling DuMont as its sole network affiliation.

WBBM-TV's studios at Washington Boulevard and Dearborn Street, across from Daley Plaza.

In accordance to the VHF channel allocation realignments imposed by the FCC in its issuance of the Sixth Report and Order, WBBM-TV relocated to channel 2 on July 5, 1953, in order to eliminate interference with WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee.[9] WTMJ-TV concurrently moved to VHF channel 4 – from channel 3 – to avoid interference with fellow CBS affiliate WKZO-TV (now WWMT) in Kalamazoo, Michigan (on the other side of Lake Michigan), which itself broadcast on channel 3. The channel 2 allocation was coincidentally freed up at the same time as the state capital of Springfield was forced to let the allocation relocate to St. Louis, Missouri, where the allocation was assigned to KTVI.

In 1956, CBS consolidated its Chicago operations into the former Chicago Arena, a renovated 62,000-square-foot (5,800 m2), three-story building on North McClurg Court in the Streeterville neighborhood; the property was built in 1924 as a horse stable, and had operated as an ice rink and bowling alley prior to CBS' approximately $1.3 million purchase of the building.[10]

That year, an episode of What's My Line? originated from the WBBM studios, airing one day prior to the start of the 1956 Democratic National Convention. Between the late 1940s and early 1970s, Columbia Records housed an office and recording studio in the building. On September 26, 1960, WBBM's McClurg Court studios served as the site of the first televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.[11] WBBM-TV also served as production home to the syndicated programs Donahue (from 1982 to 1985) and Siskel & Ebert (from 1986 to the late 1990s, when production migrated to the studios of WLS-TV on State Street).

In October 1987, Center City Communications – a locally based investor group led by attorney Brenda Minor – filed a challenge to the FCC's renewal of WBBM-TV's station license. However, in asking the agency not to renew the station's license through 1992, Center City never detailed any specific objections to the station's license renewal, although it had been speculated that the challenge may have been related to the then-recent boycott by Operation PUSH surrounding the lack of diversity with the station's staff and allegations that WBBM's hiring practices were not fair towards blacks; Minor (who is African American) later cited that the station did not fulfill obligations to public affairs programming. Center City dropped its challenge three months later in July, after reaching a settlement agreement with CBS in which Center City agreed not to challenge the license renewal of any CBS station for a five-year period, in return for a $187,500 payment by CBS. The challenge sparked calls for the FCC to reform its comparative renewal process, which certain broadcasters claim was used solely for the purpose of "extort[ing]" large cash settlements from stations.[12][13]

The station was brought back under common ownership with Paramount Pictures when Viacom – which acquired the studio from Gulf and Western in 1994 – merged with (the original) CBS Corporation in a $36 billion deal in February 2000. This union was broken up again in December 2005 when Viacom became CBS Corporation and spun off Paramount Pictures into a separate company that assumed the Viacom name.[14][15]

In 2003, WBBM signed a lease agreement with Chevy Chase, Maryland-based developer Mills Corporation to build a "media center" for the station in the "Block 37" developments in the Loop business district, with plans to include a street-level studio that would overlook Daley Plaza.[10][16] WBBM had earlier considered selling the McClurg Court facility with the intent to relocate into a new studio complex in 1998 (with areas on North Fairbanks Court, North Michigan Avenue and West Jackson Street as potential sites for the planned facility); however, the plans were postponed due to transition to high-definition broadcasting.[10]

On September 21, 2008, WBBM-TV moved to new facilities in the "Block 37" studio at the corner of Dearborn and Washington Street, with a 30-by-19-foot (9.1 m × 5.8 m) LED screen that adorns the lower facade of the 17-story building (which some residents complained is "tacky and visually hyperactive").[17][18] This move coincided with the upgrade of channel 2's newscasts to high definition, making WBBM the fourth television station in the Chicago market to begin broadcasting their newscasts in the format (only footage recorded in-studio is presented in high definition; the remote field footage is shot in 16:9 widescreen standard definition); in early 2006, the WBBM radio stations moved into new studio facilities within Two Prudential Plaza on North Stetson Avenue. The former McClurg Court facility building was demolished over a two-month period from February to April 2009.

Digital television

Digital channel

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[19]
2.1 1080i 16:9 CBS2-HD Main WBBM-TV programming / CBS
2.2 480i 4:3 Decades Decades

WBBM-DT2

On October 21, 2014, CBS and locally based Weigel Broadcasting announced that they would partner to launch Decades, a digital subchannel network focusing on classic television series from the 1950s to the 1980s sourced from the CBS Television Distribution library, along with some historically-focused original programming using archival footage from CBS News; most of CBS Television Stations' outlets serving as charter affiliates, with Weigel being responsible for distribution to non-CBS-owned stations. The network soft launched in the Chicago market on WBBM digital channel 2.2, when that subchannel launched on February 1, 2015, with the network making its formal national debut four months later on May 25.[20][21]

Analog-to-digital conversion

In May 2007, WBBM-TV filed a last-minute request with the FCC to broadcast its post-transition digital signal at high power on channel 12, after analog shutdown in June 2009. The station filed a request to upgrade its signal to 13.8 kW at 520 m above ground level from the Sears Tower. Following the digital transition, WBBM is one of only three CBS O&Os (and the only full-powered Chicago station) to broadcast on the VHF dial (the other two are KTVT in Fort Worth and WJZ-TV in Baltimore); however, one of these three (KTVT) has been granted FCC approval to permanently move to a UHF frequency due to reception problems which adversely affected viewership.

WBBM-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 2, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal moved from its pre-transition VHF channel 3 to VHF channel 12.[22] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 2.

WBBM-TV is currently the only "full-power" television station in Chicago that operates its digital signal on the VHF band (as it had done prior to the June 2009 digital transition). WBBM-TV's rival station, WLS-TV, was the only other station to have operated its full-power digital signal on a VHF allocation until the station moved its digital broadcasts to UHF channel 44, in order to alleviate reception problems, although it retained VHF channel 7 as the allotment for its digital fill-in translator when it launched on October 31, 2009. Some viewers have had trouble picking up VHF signals after the June 12 transition; as a result, WBBM's newscasts were simulcast over WWME-CA (channel 23), which served as a low-power analog nightlight service on its analog signal following the transition.[23]

In addition, WBBM-TV applied for a construction permit to build a low-power fill-in repeater on UHF channel 26 (the former allocation of the analog signal of WCIU-TV). However, the FCC notified WBBM that the channel 26 allocation would interfere with low-power station W25DW; on April 1, 2010, WBBM was given a 30-day notice by the agency to address the issue or have the application dismissed.[24] It applied only for a repeater on that channel and not a full-powered signal move (as WLS-TV did). The FCC granted WBBM-TV a construction permit for the channel 26 repeater on January 18, 2012.[25] WBBM's translator on UHF channel 26 signed on the air on March 13, 2014, with its signal operating at low power to prevent signal interference with ABC affiliate WKOW in Madison, Wisconsin.

Programming

As is typical for a network-owned station, WBBM-TV airs the entire CBS network schedule; however as with most of CBS' owned-and-operated stations, the network carries Let's Make a Deal at 9:00 a.m. weekdays (instead of the program's default 2:00 p.m. timeslot, a scheduling inherited from Guiding Light following the soap opera's September 2009 cancellation) and airs The Young and the Restless at 11:30 a.m. following its midday newscast. Syndicated programs broadcast on WBBM-TV (as of September 2016) include Dr. Phil, Judge Judy, Blue Bloods(via their respective weekend syndication packages; first-run episodes of both series also air on the station through CBS), CSI: Miami and Entertainment Tonight.[26]

For most of the time since the mid-1990s, WBBM-TV has been one of CBS' weakest owned-and-operated stations, generally rating behind WLS-TV, NBC owned-and-operated station WMAQ-TV (channel 5) and at times behind WGN-TV and Fox-owned WFLD (channel 32), despite the strong ratings of CBS' daytime and prime time shows in recent years. The station made some viewership gains during 2009, but has generally remained in third place in the ratings, partially due to its digital signal on low-band VHF channel 3, which operated at a lower power than the Chicago market's other full-power television stations in order to avoid interfering with the analog signal of WWMT in Kalamazoo (the same station that indirectly forced the 1953 allocation switch from channel 4 to channel 2).

Sports programming

From 1946-51, WBKB telecasted Chicago Cubs' home games.[27][28] Cubs' owner Philip K. Wrigley believed baseball could benefit from television if a system could be developed that would appeal to housewives as well as their husbands. Wrigley gave the rights to WBKB to air the Cubs for the first two years for free.[29] The first attempt to telecast a Cubs' game, on April 21, 1946, was unsuccessful, due to electrical interference in the State-Lake building where the station's transmitter was located.[30] The July 13, 1946 contest between the Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers marked Chicago's first successful telecast of a Major League game.[31]

In 1956, when CBS began televising National Football League games, WBBM became the primary station for the Chicago Bears, carrying most of the team's regular-season games; this partnership continued until the end of the 1993 season, when the network lost the rights to the National Football Conference to Fox with the majority of games being carried since then by that network's Chicago O&O WFLD. Presently, WBBM-TV carries Bears regular season games only during weeks in which the team is scheduled to host an American Football Conference (AFC) opponent at Soldier Field in a Sunday afternoon timeslot or as part of a CBS' Thursday Night Football telecast. However, beginning in 2014 with the introduction of "cross-flex" scheduling (and with it the end of determining broadcast rights by conference), exceptions exist for certain game telecasts that CBS originally held rights to which are shifted to Fox (such as the 2014 home game against the Buffalo Bills), and NFC vs. NFC games that are conversely shifted from Fox to CBS.

From 2003 to 2007, WBBM-TV serves as the host broadcaster of the Chicago Marathon, which is held annually in October, taking over from NBC owned-and-operated station WMAQ-TV; because of its commitments to air the event, the station has had to reschedule CBS News programs pre-empted or delayed by the telecast of the marathon, the preemptions was lasted until 2007, when the marathon coverage reverted back to WMAQ-TV beginning in 2008.

News operation

WBBM-TV broadcasts 33 ½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 4 ½ hours on weekdays, two hours on Saturdays and 2 ½ hours on Sundays). In the late 1970s, WBBM-TV's newscasts surged past WMAQ-TV for first place; its news department during that time had become one of the most respected local news operations in the country, and was considered a bastion of serious journalism. Led by anchors Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson, weatherman John Coughlin and sports director Johnny Morris, WBBM dominated the news ratings during the late 1970s and early 1980s. At one point, its dominance was so absolute that the station titled its 10:00 p.m. newscast, THE Ten O'Clock News.

Kurtis and Jacobson were first teamed together in 1973 by general manager Robert Wussler and news director Van Gordon Sauter, who introduced a hard news format and began using the newsroom as the set for all of channel 2's newscasts. Kurtis became known for his "Focus Unit" in-depth reports, and Jacobson for his "Perspective" commentaries. Among the other news staffers employed with WBBM-TV during this period were film critic Gene Siskel; police and crime reporter John "Bulldog" Drummond; women and consumer issues reporter Susan Anderson; feature reporter Bob Wallace; investigative reporter Pam Zekman; medical reporter Roger Field; political reporter Mike Flannery; and reporter/weekend news anchor Mike Parker. Bob Sirott and Phil Ponce – who would both later host the newsmagazine program Chicago Tonight on PBS member station WTTW (channel 11) – were also employed as reporters for WBBM-TV during this period. Zekman and Parker remain with the station, and Drummond also still contributes occasional reports.

In 1982, Kurtis left WBBM-TV to join CBS News as anchor of the CBS Morning News; he was replaced as anchor of WBBM's weeknight newscasts by former WMAQ-TV anchor Don Craig. When Kurtis returned to channel 2 three years later in October 1985, he was teamed with Craig on the hour-long 6:00 p.m. newscast; Harry Porterfield, who had co-anchored that newscast for several years, was concurrently demoted to weekend evenings. Porterfield – who is African American – later left to become a reporter and part-time anchor at WLS, but his earlier demotion led Jesse Jackson and his locally based civil rights organization Operation PUSH to begin a boycott of WBBM-TV (at one point, drafting a proposal to CBS and WBBM-TV station management that called for the station to implement a 40% minority hiring quota, hire two black male anchors to its news staff and have CBS grant a financial commitment of $11 million to minority interests) that lasted until August 1986; in the midst of the boycott, Gary Cummings resigned as WBBM vice president and general manager in March 1986, and was replaced two weeks later by one-time assistant news director Johnathan Rodgers, who became the first African American GM at the station.[32][33][34] WBBM-TV later hired African-American journalist Lester Holt (later of NBC News) to replace Porterfield as evening anchor. Kurtis left WBBM for the second time in 1996.

In March 1986, WLS-TV, which had been third for many years, overtook WBBM at number 1. In 1990, WBBM hired Bill Applegate, who had taken WLS to first place as its news director, as general manager. Applegate took Jacobson off the anchor desk (Jacobson eventually left for WFLD in April 1993) and controversially made the newscasts much flashier than they had previously been; the reporting staff during this period notably included Elizabeth Vargas (now at ABC News), Rob Stafford (now at WMAQ-TV), Jim Avila (now at ABC), Larry Mendte (now a commentator at WPIX in New York City) and Dawn Stensland (a former 10:00 p.m. anchor at Fox-owned WTXF-TV in Philadelphia). It was enough for a rebound the station to a first-place tie with WLS-TV by 1993. The momentum did not last as Vargas, Avila, Mendte, Stafford and Stensland all left the station within a short time; by the mid-1990s, however, WBBM-TV had fallen to last place. For most of the next decade, WLS and WMAQ fought for first place, while WBBM-TV's news division languished, with its newscasts often trailing syndicated reruns on WFLD. The station has undergone several different on-air branding schemes over the years – from its longtime brand of Channel 2 News to the present CBS 2 News.

The most notable of many changes WBBM-TV has made to its news operation occurred in 2000, when it revamped its 10:00 p.m. newscast by ditching the traditional news format in favor of a focus on in-depth "hard news" features, a staple of the station's glory days. Anchored by former longtime WMAQ anchor Carol Marin, the newscast was hailed as a return to quality in-depth journalism in the best CBS tradition at a time when tabloid journalism and "soft news" were becoming the norm in broadcast news. However, plummeting ratings led to the newscast's format being dropped in October after only nine months, with the program reverting to a more traditional late news format.[35][36][37][38]

In April 2002, the station eliminated its year-old computer-intensive graphics and "newsplex" studio in favor of a simpler studio and corresponding graphics set.[39] That March, former Good Morning America newsreader Antonio Mora were appointed as WBBM's main anchor; former WLS-TV anchor Diann Burns joined Mora at the anchor desk in October 2003.[40][41][42] In January 2006, WBBM-TV earned its best finish at 5:00 p.m. in 13 years, when it surpassed WMAQ for second place in the timeslot, although it was still far behind WLS. Channel 2's 10:00 p.m. news remained in last place, however it was the only late newscast to increase its audience share during the first month of 2006. WBBM-TV also finished second from sign-on to sign-off (from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.), leapfrogging from fourth for its best monthly performance in 23 years. In August 2006, WBBM-TV added Rob Johnson (who had previously served as weekend anchor at WLS-TV beginning in 1998) to co-anchor the 5:00 p.m. newscast alongside Burns, while Mora and Burns continued to co-anchor at 6:00 and 10:00. In May 2007, WBBM-TV slipped to fourth from sign-on to sign-off behind WLS-TV, CW affiliate WGN-TV and NBC station WMAQ, and just barely ahead of Fox station WFLD.

Immediately following that, WBBM replaced Antonio Mora on the 10:00 p.m. newscast with Johnson. Mora continued to co-anchor the 6:00 p.m. newscast and hosted Eye on Chicago, before leaving WBBM-TV in January 2008 to become evening anchor at Miami sister station WFOR-TV; Johnson then added the 6:00 p.m. newscast and Eye On Chicago to his duties.[43] On March 31, 2008, WBBM announced that Diann Burns' contract would not be renewed; she, along with medical editor Mary Ann Childers, sports director Mark Malone, and reporters Rafael Romo and Katie McCall were among the 18 staffers laid off from the station due to budget cuts enforced by CBS Television Stations.[44] That month, WBBM hired Ryan Baker (formerly of WMAQ-TV) to serve as its sports director.

On April 30, 2009, WBBM-TV laid off an undisclosed number of additional employees; in addition, the station cancelled its weekend morning newscasts and the public affairs program Eye On Chicago, while also restructuring its weeknight 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. newscasts to a solo anchor format with Anne State being relegated to the 5:00 p.m. newscast, while Rob Johnson continued as anchor of the later editions.[45][46] With its 10:00 p.m. newscast committed to enterprise reporting, that newscast began year-to-year growth that continues to this day. Harry Porterfield returned to WBBM-TV after 24 years at WLS-TV on August 3, 2009 to anchor the 11:00 a.m. news with Roseanne Tellez, and also to continued "Someone You Should Know", the series of feature reports he began at WBBM in 1977.[47]

On November 13, 2009, as main anchor Rob Johnson was away on vacation, Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson returned to channel 2 to anchor the 10:00 p.m. newscast; Jacobson later remained to continue his trademark "Perspective" commentaries.[48] During the November 2009 sweeps period, WBBM-TV's 10:00 p.m. newscast overtook WMAQ-TV for second place, behind market dominant WLS-TV, and was the only late-night newscast in Chicago to see a viewership increase over the November 2008 sweeps period.[49]

In January 2010, ratings for the 10:00 p.m. newscast remained in second place, increasing from the previous year from a 4.3 to 6.0 rating.[50] During the February 2010 Nielsen ratings sweeps period, the 10:00 p.m. news slipped back to third place behind WMAQ due in large part to the latter network's airing of the 2010 Winter Olympics. By May 2012, WBBM-TV's 10:00 p.m. newscast finished second behind WLS. On February 1, 2010, WBBM replaced its weekday morning newscast with Monsters and Money in the Morning, a roundtable talk show hosted by Mike North and Dan Jiggetts (former hosts at radio station WSCR (670 AM) and of Comcast SportsNet Chicago's Monsters in the Morning) that focused on sports and financial topics, along with news and weather segments. The program – which was produced independently from the news department to allow revenue from endorsements and product placement – was cancelled due to low ratings after seven months later, ending on August 27; it was replaced on August 30 by a more conventional morning news program, anchored by former WCBS-TV anchor Steve Bartelstein.[51][52][53]

In March 2010, Anne State's contract was not renewed, while longtime meteorologist and technology reporter Ed Curran was relieved of his duties (though he continued to be paid for the remaining 14 months of his contract).[54] Longtime political editor Mike Flannery also left the station after 30 years to join rival WFLD.[55] On September 1, 2010, Kurtis and Jacobson were paired together again as anchors of WBBM's 6:00 p.m. newscast, where they remained until February 2013, at which time Rob Johnson and former WCBS-TV morning anchor Kate Sullivan – the latter of whom joined WBBM on September 13, 2010, to co-anchor the 5:00 and 10:00 p.m. newscasts, where she remained until September 2014 – assumed anchor duties for the program.[56][57][58] WBBM's evening newscasts showed significant growth afterward, often battling with WMAQ-TV for second place behind dominant WLS-TV. Weekend morning newscasts returned to WBBM on September 22, 2012; with the relaunch, Ed Curran also returned to the station as meteorologist for the new Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts.[59][60] Following the station's best ratings turnout on Sunday morning since the introduction of Nielsen's Local People Meters, WBBM expanded its Sunday morning newscast to two hours – with an additional hour-long broadcast at 6:00 a.m. – on September 22, 2013.[61][62]

"The Enforcer"

In 1975, Chicago-based jingle composer Dick Marx wrote a theme music piece for WBBM-TV's newscasts that was based on "I Love Chicago, Chicago My Home", a folk song written by Chicago folk singer Tary Rebenar. The popular theme, known as "Channel 2 News", and several variations on it have been used by WBBM for all but six years since then (with the periods from 1992 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, and 2009 as said exceptions). The tune has also been adopted by several other stations across the country – mostly CBS-owned-and-operated stations and affiliates – and has become the de facto official newscast theme package for CBS's O&Os. From 1994 to 1997, 2000 to 2001, 2002 to 2008 and since 2010, WBBM-TV used an updated and synthesized version of the original theme specially written for the station titled The CBS Enforcer Music Collection, composed by Frank Gari. From 2006 to 2008, WBBM-TV used an updated version of the theme, composed by Frank's son Christian Gari. Following the station's upgrade to high-definition newscasts, WBBM-TV commissioned a new theme ("Heart of the City") composed by inthegroovemusic. On June 21, 2010, with the adoption of a new standardized graphics package that was rolled out across CBS' O&Os, WBBM-TV brought back "Enforcer" with an orchestrated "New Generation" version originally commissioned by New York City sister station WCBS-TV.

Ratings

With the station's aforementioned weaknesses in total day ratings since the mid-1990s, WBBM-TV's newscasts are among the lowest-rated out of the news departments operated by CBS' owned-and-operated stations, generally rating fourth among the market's English language stations behind WLS-TV, WMAQ-TV and (particularly with that station's expansion of news programming since 2008) WGN-TV, but still ahead of perennial last placer WFLD; this is despite the strong lead-in by CBS' prime time lineup, which nationally has placed first among the major broadcast networks for most of the time since the 2005-06 season.

In the May 2015 local Nielsen ratings, WBBM's newscasts placed fourth overall among Chicago's television stations. The 10:00 p.m. newscast saw continued decline in viewership among the market's late newscasts, scoring a 3.5 rating (down .1 from the May 2014 sweeps period) and at a distant third in the timeslot in the coveted demographic of adults ages 25–54, earning a 0.9 (with prime time newscasts factored in, WBBM-TV's 10:00 p.m. newscast placed fourth among the Chicago market's late-evening newscasts, behind WGN-TV's 9:00 p.m. newscast).[63] The distant third-place standing for the 10:00 p.m. newscast among the market's late newscasts was also apparent in the February 2015 local ratings, with the program earning a 4.3 rating (down a share of 0.7 compared to February 2014).[64]

On-air staff

Notable current on-air staff

Notable former on-air staff

^[†] Indicates deceased

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Loop Sailors", Time, March 23, 1942
  2. ↑ Captain William C.; Eddy (1945). Television: The Eyes of Tomorrow. Prentice Hall.
  3. ↑ "A U. S. Television Chronology, 1875-1970". Xmarks.
  4. ↑ "(photo caption)" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 12, 1948. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Paramount; radio, video interests definitely split" (PDF). Broadcasting - Telecasting. March 7, 1949. p. 66. WBKB (TV) Chicago, licensed to the Paramount subsidiary Balaban & Katz, will go to a firm to be known as New Theatre Co.". New Theatre Co. would later be formally named as United Paramount Theatres.
  6. ↑ David Weinstein (2004). The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television. Philadelphia: Temple University. pp. 24–25.
  7. ↑ Timothy R. White (Spring 1992). "Hollywood on (Re)Trial: The American Broadcasting-United Paramount Merger Hearing". Cinema Journal. pp. 19–36.
  8. ↑ Steve Jajkowski (2001). "Advertising on Chicago Television". Chicago Television History. Museum of Broadcast Communications.
  9. ↑ "TV coverage; RTMA predicts expansion." (PDF). Broadcasting - Telecasting: 78. May 19, 1952.
  10. 1 2 3 Thomas A. Corfman (July 26, 2002). "WBBM-TV considers relocating its studios". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  11. ↑ William Hageman (February 5, 2009). "WBBM-Ch. 2 shares a piece of Kennedy-Nixon debate history". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  12. ↑ "TV License Challenged". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. May 4, 1988. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  13. ↑ Charles Storch (July 15, 1988). "Channel 2 License Challenge Settled". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  14. ↑ Geraldine Fabrikant (June 15, 2005). "Viacom Board Agrees to Split of Company". The New York Times. The New York Times Company.
  15. ↑ Paul R. La Monica (December 19, 2005). "SpongeBob or Survivor?". CNN Money. Time Warner.
  16. ↑ Gary Washburn; Jim Kirk; Thomas A. Corfman (May 17, 2003). "WBBM-Ch. 2 eyes Block 37". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  17. ↑ Ted Cox (March 20, 2008). "Channel 2 hopes to be No. 1 with new studios". Daily Herald. Paddock Publications. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  18. ↑ Blair Kamin (July 31, 2008). "Keeping an eye on WBBM-Ch. 2 broadcast screen". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  19. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for WBBM-TV". RabbitEars. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  20. ↑ Michael Malone (October 21, 2014). "CBS Stations, Weigel Partner on Oldies Digi-Net Decades". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media.
  21. ↑ Robert Feder (May 25, 2015). "Decades opens 'daily time capsule' today". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  22. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  23. ↑ John Eggerton (June 17, 2009). "Weigel's Analog Nightlight Could Help Chicago Stations With Reception Issues". Broadcasting & Cable. Reed Business Information.
  24. ↑ "Construction Permit". U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
  25. ↑ "Approval of Construction Permit" (PDF). U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
  26. ↑ "WBBM-TV schedule". Titan TV. Broadcast Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  27. ↑ http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1946/04/20/page/19/article/television-eye-to-follow-cub-fortunes-today
  28. ↑ http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/04/20/page/180/article/baseball-time-is-brickhouse-time-on-tv
  29. ↑ http://chicagotelevision.com/WBKB.htm
  30. ↑ http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1946/04/21/page/16/
  31. ↑ http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1946/07/14/page/25/article/telecast-enables-distant-fan-to-see-hear-dodgers-beat-cubs
  32. ↑ Steve Daley (March 28, 1986). "PUSH Sends Strong Signal To Channel 2". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  33. ↑ Steve Daley (August 4, 1986). "PUSH Ends Boycott Against WBBM-TV". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  34. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (August 5, 2009). "Harry Porterfield's exit helped open door for minorities". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  35. ↑ Steve Johnson; Jim Kirk (February 6, 2000). "With Carol Marin, Channel 2 Shakeup Newsworthy Gamble". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  36. ↑ Steve Johnson (February 8, 2000). "Marin Debut Makes Good On Promise Of Substance". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Chicago News Experiment Is Calling It Quits". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. October 31, 2000. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Cod Liver Oil At 10 O'clock". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. November 1, 2000. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  39. ↑ Steve Johnson (April 12, 2002). "No news is good news for WBBM". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  40. ↑ Steve Johnson (January 9, 2002). "ABC rising star hired as Channel 2 anchor". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  41. ↑ Allan Johnson (February 20, 2002). "Mora will start WBBM anchor job March 18". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  42. ↑ Jim Kirk (October 12, 2003). "2's bet on Burns rich in risk, too". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  43. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (January 15, 2008). "Antonio Mora leaving Channel 2 to become CBS Miami TV station's chief anchor". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  44. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (April 1, 2008). "Channel 2 cuts from the top". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  45. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (May 1, 2009). "WBBM-Ch.2 cuts jobs in station reorganization". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  46. ↑ Lewis Lazarre. "Chicago - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009.
  47. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (August 4, 2009). "Porterfield set to return to WBBM-Ch. 2 roots". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  48. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (November 13, 2009). "Kurtis, Jacobson reunion for Channel 2 newscast just in time for ratings". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  49. ↑ Lewis Lazarre. "Chicago - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Archived from the original on December 4, 2009.
  50. ↑ Lewis Lazarre. "Chicago - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010.
  51. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (December 3, 2009). "'Monsters and Money in the Morning' to debut on WBBM-Ch. 2 in February". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  52. ↑ Gregory Karp (August 12, 2010). "'Monsters and Money' not mixing". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  53. ↑ "A Look At WBBM-TV's New Morning Show". Chicagoland Radio and Media. August 13, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  54. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (March 26, 2010). "WBBM anchor Anne State out, weatherman Ed Curran off". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing.
  55. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (March 29, 2010). "WFLD gets Mike Flannery, WBBM political ace since '80". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing.
  56. ↑ Phil Rosenthal (July 30, 2010). "Kurtis, Jacobson offer a bridge to WBBM-Ch. 2's past and future". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  57. ↑ "Kurtis, Jacobson To Anchor CBS 2 News At 6 PM". CBS2 Chicago (Press release). CBS Interactive. July 29, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  58. ↑ Robert Channick (August 21, 2012). "Bill & Walter to end latest run at Ch. 2 in February". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
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  60. ↑ Merrill Knox (August 15, 2012). "WBBM Launches Weekend Morning Newscasts". TVSpy. Mediabistro Holdings. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  61. ↑ "WBBM-Channel 2 to expand Sunday morning local newscast". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. August 20, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
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  63. ↑ "ABC 7 Wins May Sweeps For Evening Newscasts; NBC 5 & WGN Also Winners". Chicagoland Radio and Media. May 22, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  64. ↑ Lewis Lazare (February 26, 2015). "WLS-Channel 7 gets a win in February sweeps ratings book". Chicago Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved September 3, 2015.

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