WMDT

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WMDT-TV
Salisbury, Maryland
Branding	WMDT 47 Delmarva's CW 3 (on DT2)
Slogan	Delmarva's Choice
Channels	47 (UHF) analog, 53 (UHF) digital
Translators	27 WEVD-LP Dover, Delaware
Affiliations	ABC The CW via The CW Plus (on DT2)
Owner	Delmarva Broadcast Service
Founded	1980
Call letters meaning	Maryland Delaware Television
Former affiliations	NBC, The WB (cable-only, 2000-September 2006)
Transmitter Power	2190 kW/304 m (analog) 250 kW/292 m (digital)
Website	wmdt.com

WMDT-TV, channel 47, is a television station affiliated with ABC, that serves the Delmarva Peninsula, and is based in Salisbury, Maryland. The station, which is known on-air as "WMDT 47", is also broadcasted over the air in Dover, Delaware by a low power translator: WEVD-LP channel 27. WMDT operates a local cable-only station "WBD", known on-air as "Delmarva's CW 3". The station, which is affiliated with The CW via The CW Plus, can also be seen on WMDT's DT2 digital subchannel. The WBD call letters are fictional and the station airs The Daily Buzz newscast weekday mornings from 6 to 9 AM.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Programming Rights 2 "WBD" 3 Programming and Personalities 4 Newscasts 5 News Team 6 External Links

[edit] History

WMDT initiated broadcast operations in the Salisbury market in 1980, as a primary ABC affiliate, with a secondary affiliation for NBC programming. In more recent years, it has exclusively carried ABC network programming, as well as a mix of syndicated programs and local news and information.

In July 2003, WMDT-TV's tower experienced a fire after a severe storm, causing extensive damage to its transmitter. The UHF channel 47 signal was unavailable for many weeks, though its cable channel, digital signal, and WB station were unaffected. The station's tower is the second tallest structure in the state of Maryland.

In October of 2003, Senior Anchor Kelley Rouse and Chief Photographer Freddie Mithell went to Iraq with the Dover Airforce Base to bring back airmen.

In 2004, WMDT won the top award for small market stations for "Service to Children", from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Education Foundation. The station also has a "Teachers Who Make A Difference" program and a "Summer Reading Challenge" among other community-service activities.

[edit] Programming Rights

WMDT has twice filed a petition seeking a waiver of the FCC's network nonduplication and syndicated program exclusivity rules. The petition involved the carriage of two stations: WMAR [1] (filed in 1999) and WTTG [2] (filed in 2000). The petitions were filed by Comcast, a cable provider in the area which WMDT is located on within a 35 mile radius of the station. Both stations carried programming that WMDT held exclusive programming rights for, either by syndication or by network distribution, within its market catchment area. In both cases, the FCC ruled in favor of WMDT, in that the stations in question failed to meet the cretiera set by the FCC for "distant stations" with "significant" level of over-the-air viewership. The effct of the ruling is that when either station broadcasts programming which WMDT also has exclusive rights to, specifically in the communities of Salisbury, Delmar, Fuitland, Hebron and unincorporated areas of Wicomico County, Maryland, and unincorporated areas of Sussex County, Delaware, that the cable provider would have to blackout those channels while the programs are being shown. [3]

[edit] "WBD"

In 2000, WMDT launched a cable-only WB affiliate "WBD", known on-air as Delmarva's WB 3, which was available on both Comcast and Mediacom cable systems on channel 3. The station was part of The WB 100+, though frequent cross-promotions for WMDT's ABC channel were used, primarily for its evening news programs. There was no website for WBD.

In February of 2006, The WB and UPN networks announced that they would merge in September of 2006 to form The CW. UPN was offered in the Delmarva television market on cable and WBOC's DT2 digital subchannel. The WBOC digital subchannel ended up become the area's FOX affiliate. It was then announced on March 28, 2006, that WBD would be an affiliate of The CW, via The CW Plus, and WMDT would create a digital subchannel for WBD to be broadcasted over-the-air in addition to being on cable. The CW began airing on September 18, 2006. At that time, the station became known as Delmarva's CW 3. It remains to be seen if the fictional WBD call letters will change with the network switch. With CW affiliation, there is now a website for the station.

[edit] Programming and Personalities

WMDT carries the full line-up of ABC network programs, and a number of popular syndicated programs including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Judge Judy, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. For many years, WMDT was the only station in the market that broadcasted Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune before moving to WBOC's DT2 UPN subchannel. WMDT started its WMDT News at Noon newscast on September 4, 2006.

Many well-known television personalities have worked at WMDT early on in their careers. Among these are Bonnie Bernstein of ESPN, Mike Seidel of The Weather Channel, and Gregg Jarrett of the FOX News Channel.

[edit] Newscasts

The station's radar is called "Sky Trak Doppler". When WBD became a CW affiliate on September 18, 2006, the station began to simulcast the Noon newscast. Also, a new daily 10 PM WMDT newscast began to air on WBD.

Weekdays

• WMDT 47 News at 5 (5-7 AM)
• WMDT 47 News at Noon (12-12:30 PM)
• WMDT 47 News at 6 (6-6:30 PM)
• CW News at 10 (10-10:30 PM)
• WMDT 47 News at 11 (11-11:35 PM}

Weekends

• WMDT 47 News at 6 (6-6:30 PM)
• CW News at 10 (10-10:30 PM)
• WMDT 47 News at 11 (11-11:30 PM}

(no morning news on weekends)

[edit] News Team

• Kenny Beck - weekday 6 PM anchor
• Stacy Sakai - weekday 6 and 11 PM anchor, host of "Good Things Delmarva", education reporter
• Danya Bacchus - weekend anchor
• Justin Drabick - Chief Meteorologist seen weeknights
• Stacey Kaiser - weekend weathercaster, weekday news reporter
• Kira Kanitra - weekend meteorologist, weekday news reporter
• Sherelle Roberts - reporter
• Rob Inderrieden - reporter seen Tuesday to Saturday at 11 PM
• Keira Benson - reporter
• Katherine Amenta - reporter

[edit] External Links

• Station Website
• Delmarva's CW 3 Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WMDT
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WEVD-LP