WBFF

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WBFF
Baltimore, Maryland
Branding	FOX45
Channels	45 (UHF) analog, 46 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	Fox "Good TV" (on digital 45.2 / 46.2)
Owner	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Founded	April 11, 1971
Call letters meaning	We're Baltimore's Finest Features or Baltimore Forty-Five
Former affiliations	Independent (1971-1987)
Website	foxbaltimore.com

WBFF, "FOX45" is the Fox television affiliate in Baltimore, Maryland, broadcasting on channel 45 (digital channel 46). The station is the flagship of Sinclair Broadcast Group, its owner, and half of a duopoly with CW affiliate WNUV.

Contents 1 History 2 "Good TV" 3 Newscasts 3.1 Lineup 4 Personalities 5 Trivia 6 External links

[edit] History

Although WBFF is the only Baltimore television station never to change its network affiliation, there was a time before the Fox network was launched. WBFF began broadcasting on April 11, 1971. The station was started by Jullian Smith, under a company known as Commercial Radio Institute. At that time, it was an average American independent station, airing old sitcoms and movies. The call letters stand for "We're Baltimore's Finest Features," and come from the fact that the station aired mostly old movies when it first signed on the air. Alternatively, the call letters might derive from Baltimore Forty Five, the UHF channel number it airs on. The station also ran a number of classic sitcoms and a few cartoons, which were packaged in the afternoon in a show hosted by, and named for, Captain Chesapeake.

The station was a low budget operation, but also a very profitable one, which prompted Commercial Radio Institute to launch WPTT (Pittsburgh Twenty-Two) (now WPMY) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. David Smith took a more prominent role in the operations of WBFF by the 1980s.

Most of the newer off-network sitcoms went to WBAL-TV, WJZ-TV or WMAR-TV, resulting in WBFF having a weaker programmming lineup even into the early 1980s. The station also began to receive more competition within the decade, with WNUV signing on in 1984 (and going full-time in 1986), and WJKL signing on in 1986 (although it became a Shop At Home station by the end of the year; it is now WUTB).

Commercial Radio Institute became Sinclair in 1985. When the Fox network was launched in 1986, WBFF became Baltimore's affiliate.

In 1991, Sinclair attempted to buy WMAR-TV with plans to move WBFF to that station, making Channel 2 Baltimore's Fox affiliate. However, those plans never materialized.

WNUV was sold by Abry to Eddie Edwards in 1993. Sinclair then began operating WNUV in tandem with WBFF under a local marketing agreement in 1994, though Edwards retained ownership of WNUV.

In November, 2002, Fox Television Stations Group, owner of WUTB, was considering moving Fox's programming to WUTB, which would have left WBFF to become a UPN affiliate. However, Sinclair signed a contract to keep Fox on channel 45 at least until mid-2005. WBFF Fox45 is currently the only television station in Baltimore that has not changed network affiliation, having been with FOX since the network was launched. It was speculated between January 24, 2006 and February 22, 2006 that WBFF might be losing its Fox affiliation due to Fox-owned WUTB losing its status as a UPN affiliate when The CW forms; however, this was confirmed not to be when Fox announced that WUTB will become an affiliate of their new My Network TV network. On May 2, 2006, the same day Sinclair committed its eight remaining WB and independent stations to the CW (17 of its WB, UPN and independent stations have already committed to My Network TV), Sinclair and Fox cut a six-year affiliation contract extension for Sinclair's 19 Fox affiliates; thus, Fox will remain on WBFF at least through March 2012.

The deal also includes flagship WBFF/Baltimore, despite Fox having a O&O, My Network TV affiliate WUTB, in the same market.

[edit] "Good TV"

On May 1, 2006, WBFF started its special digital service on channel 45.2 / 46.2 -- originally called "WBFF-2", it was later renamed Good TV. ([1], [2]) This digital channel features classic TV programming like Magnum PI, Mission: Impossible, All in the Family, Sanford and Son, In the Heat of the Night and Good Times. In addition, Good TV offers expanded coverage of church services on Sunday mornings, plus other local events.

[edit] Newscasts

WBFF launched a 10pm newscast on June 1, 1991, then added a morning newscast in March 2000.

In February 2003, the station added an 11pm newscast sourced from News Central, Sinclair's centralized news service based in Hunt Valley. Newscasts at 5:30am and 5:30pm were subsequently added to WBFF in January 2005.

Tony Harris, later a CNN anchor, was once the station's lead anchor.

[edit] Lineup

• FOX45 Early Edition - 5:30AM-6AM Monday-Friday
• FOX45 Morning News - 6AM-9AM Monday-Friday
• FOX45 News at 5:30 - 5:30PM-6PM Monday-Friday
• FOX45 News at Ten - 10PM-10:50PM Monday-Saturday, 10PM-10:30PM Sundays
• Sports Unlimited - 10:50PM-11PM Monday-Saturday, 10:30PM-11PM Sundays
• FOX45 Late Edition - 11PM-11:30PM Monday-Friday

[edit] Personalities

• Jeff Abell
• Gabrielle Abiera
• Jeff Barnd
• Kathleen Cairns
• Bruce Cunningham
• Keith Daniels
• Craig Demchak
• Steve Fertig
• Jennifer Gilbert
• Jennifer Gladstone
• Patrice Harris
• Morris Jones
• Alison Kosik
• Joy Lepola
• Steve Levine
• Jenna Maloney
• Megan McHale
• Karen Parks
• Vytas Reid
• John Rydell
• Lisa Teachman
• Amber Theoharis
• Christy Wicks

[edit] Trivia

The station was featured in an episode of the third season of The Simple Life. On that episode, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie took control of Fox 45's morning newscast, reading the weather forecast and messing with the teleprompter.

The late George Lewis was a staple of WBFF's afternoon lineup for many years, playing Captain Chesapeake and presenting the station's cartoon programs in the era before nationally provided Fox children's shows.

Every Wednesday morning during the regular school year, a randomly selected child, nominated by his or her teacher, is selected to help the morning's meteorologist during the 6:30 and 6:40 AM forecasts. The child usually helps with the weather report, gets a tour of the news station, and receives a video copy of their performance. It is called "Weather Kid Wednesday".

[edit] External links

• Station Website
• WNUV Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WBFF