WBOC-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WBOC-TV
Salisbury, Maryland
Branding	WBOC-TV: WBOC 16 WBOC-DT2: Fox 21 Delmarva
Slogan	Delmarva's News Leader
Channels	16 (UHF) analog, 21 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	CBS (Fox on Digital subchannel 21.2)
Owner	Draper Holdings Business Trust
Founded	July 15, 1954
Call letters meaning	W Between Ocean and Chesapeake
Former affiliations	WBOC-TV: DuMont (secondary, 1954-56) NBC (secondary, 1954-80) ABC (secondary, 1954-80) WBOC-DT2: UPN (2003-06)
Transmitter Power	4070 kW/302 m (analog) 635 kW/279 m (digital)
Website	WBOC-TV 16 Fox 21 Delmarva

WBOC-TV, channel 16, is a CBS affiliate based in Salisbury, Maryland. WBOC-TV is owned by the Draper Holdings Business Trust, with its main studios in Salisbury, secondary studios/office facilities in Dover and Milton, Delaware, and transmitter in Laurel, Delaware. The station's signal covers the areas of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia which make up the region known as the Delmarva Peninsula.

WBOC-TV also carries an affiliation with the Fox Broadcasting Company on its second digital subchannel. This station is branded as Fox 21 Delmarva, and is also available on local cable systems.

Contents 1 History 2 Fox 21 Delmarva 3 Personalities 4 External links

[edit] History

WBOC Television began operations on July 15, 1954, owned originally by Peninsula Broadcasting, which started Salisbury's WBOC-AM (960 kHz., now WTGM) in 1940. As the only television station serving the Delmarva Peninsula, channel 16 carried programming from all four networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and DuMont) during its early years. The station also featured local programming consisting of variety shows, talent contests, and children's programs.

In 1961, Peninsula Broadcasting sold the WBOC stations to the A.S. Abell Company, publishers of the Baltimore Sun and owners of Baltimore's then-CBS affiliate WMAR-TV. WBOC-TV also evolved into a primary affiliate of CBS, though it continued to carry various programs from ABC and NBC through a method called "cherry-picking": the highest-rated programs from all three networks would be shown on the station, sometimes either in-pattern (on schedule with the rest of the network) or on a tape-delayed basis.

For example, channel 16 regularly carried the Today Show and the Tonight Show from NBC, and Monday Night Football from ABC. Primetime programming consisted of at least one night of all CBS, other evenings with programs from both CBS and ABC, and others with shows from CBS and NBC. Despite carring NBC's morning show (which pre-empted CBS's morning news and Captain Kangaroo), WBOC-TV aired all of CBS's other newscasts, as well as most of CBS's daytime programming and Saturday morning cartoons. The cherry-picking arrangement also affected network sports coverage.

In 1980, WBOC-TV received competition for the first time when WMDT-TV (channel 47) signed on. The new station also took a dual ABC/NBC affiliation, allowing channel 16 to become a full-time CBS station.

Local ownership of channel 16 resumed in November 1980 when local entrepreneur Thomas H. Draper purchased the station. Since Draper took over, local news coverage increased, as well as local advertising revenue which allowed for technical upgrades, such as a new 4-million watt transmitter and tower located near Laurel, Delaware.

In 2005, the station became the first in the market to own a news helicopter. The helicopter, used frequently in news programs, is known as "Chopper 16."

[edit] Fox 21 Delmarva

In March of 2003, WBOC-TV began carrying UPN programming on its digital subchannel 16.2 (or 21.2), known as UPN 21 Total TV. In January 2006, the UPN and WB networks announced they would merge into a single network called the CW. WBOC-TV did not seek the CW affiliation, and on May 9, 2006, announced that UPN 21 would become a Fox affiliate, beginning on August 21, 2006. WBOC-TV produces a newscast for the station, currently known as Fox 21 Delmarva News at 10.

For viewers unable to receive the digital-only signal, both Salisbury-area cable systems, operated by Comcast and Mediacom, carry Fox 21 Delmarva on channel 5 and 10.

[edit] Personalities

Current:
Paul Butler returned to WBOC in July, 2005 as Sports Director. Originally from the Salisbury area, he spent 12 years in radio before switching to television. He worked for stations WPMI-TV in Mobile, AL; KTBS-TV in Sheveport, LA; and WCCB in Charlotte NC. Then for 3 years he worked for the NFL On Fox as a sideline reporter, interviewing many sports celebrities.
Dan Lee returned to WBOC in July of 2006 as the noon meteorologist. Dan Lee was the Chief Meteorologist at WBOC from 1993 to 1995. He left Delmarva to become the morning and noon meteorologist at WWTV in Cadillac, Mich. for 11 years. Then he changed careers that led him to Georgetown, Delaware, and he rejoined the WBOC Weather Team as the Noon Meteorologist.

Former:
Mike Seidel worked as a chief meteorologist at the station just before beginning his current position at The Weather Channel. He was born in Salisbury, and started his career at rival station WMDT in 1980.
Scorchy Tawes a 25-Year Veteran of WBOC, retired in 1998. His Monday night segment "Scorchy's Corner" is fondly remembered by viewers as a glimpse of the simple lifestyle of Delmarva.
Chris Thomas - Sports Anchor at WBOC in the 1970's.
Melanie Lawson former noon and 7pm anchor is now with independent station WJXT in Jacksonville, FL.
Bob Laun served as sports reporter, and later director from 1993 to June 2005, left to work in Pharmaceutical Sales.
Amy Alligham formerly from CNNSI & WBAL-TV served as Weekend Sports Anchor through March 2006.
Brian Olson worked for WBOC for 4 years where he earned a 3 regional Emmy awards for his dry-witted 'The Weather Detective'. He is now with WKOW in Madison, Wisconsin.
Kerry Cavanaugh served as a weekend anchor as well as a general assignment reporter until her departure in 2002 for WVUE in New Orleans. She stayed at WVUE in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina destroyed the station. She left WVUE and landed a position at WBAL-TV in Baltimore, MD as a reporter.

[edit] External links

• WBOC-TV 16
• Fox 21 Delmarva
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WBOC