| Binghamton, New York | |
|---|---|
| Branding | NBC 5 (general) NewsChannel 34 WETM 18 News |
| Slogan | Coverage You Can Count On |
| Channels | Analog: 20 (UHF) Digital: WIVT-DT 34.2 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | NBC |
| Owner | Newport Television (Newport Television License, LLC) |
| Founded | September 10, 1995 |
| Call letters' meaning | BinGHamton |
| Sister station(s) | WIVT, WETM-TV, WWTI, WSYR-TV, WHAM-TV, WXXA-TV |
| Former callsigns | W08DL (1995-1997) WBGH-LP (1997-2001) |
| Former channel number(s) | 8 (VHF, 1995-1998) |
| Transmitter power | 0.161 kW 345 kW (WIVT-DT2) |
| Height | 204 m 278 m (WIVT-DT2) |
| Facility ID | 15569 11260 (WIVT-DT2) |
WBGH-CA is the Class A NBC-affiliated television station for New York's Eastern Southern Tier licensed to Binghamton. It broadcasts a low-powered analog signal on UHF channel 20 from a transmitter at its studios on Ingraham Hill Road. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 5 (hence the NBC 5 branding) and in high definition on digital channel 700. Owned by Newport Television, WBGH is sister to ABC affiliate WIVT and the two share studios.
However, master control and some internal operations are based at centralcasting facilities within WSYR-TV's studios on Bridge Street in East Syracuse. Syndicated programing on this channel includes: The Dr. Oz Show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, The Doctors, and Family Feud. It can be seen in high definition over-the-air on WIVT's second digital subchannel from the same transmitter at the studios. There is no separate website for this station.
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The station began broadcasting on September 10, 1995. It aired an analog signal on VHF channel 8 with the call sign W08DL. The sign-on occurred after the market's long time NBC affiliate WICZ-TV switched to Fox in wake of similar affiliation switches in other parts of the country. W08DL was initially a semi-satellite of WETM in Elmira owned by Smith Broadcasting. In 1997, this station upgraded to low-powered status and changed its calls to WBGH-LP. As time went on, it largely separated from the WETM partial simulcast but continued to air that station's newscasts. In 1998, WBGH moved to UHF channel 20 to make way for WICZ's digital signal on channel 8.
In 2000, Smith Broadcasting sold the station (along with Watertown's ABC affiliate WWTI) to the Ackerley Group of Seattle, Washington which also entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) to take over operations of WETM. With this sale, WBGH's last ties with WETM were severed as Ackerley already owned WIVT. WBGH moved its operations into WIVT's studios on Ingraham Hill south of Binghamton. Shortly after, it upgraded to Class A status and changed call letters to WBGH-CA. Ackerley was bought out by Clear Channel Communications in 2002. On April 20, 2007, the company entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Providence Equity Partners with the group deal closing on March 14, 2008.
It is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a low-powered Class A analog station and does not provide its own digital over-the-air transmission. However, WIVT's second digital subchannel carries WBGH in 1080i high definition as of February 9, 2010. The official plan is to broadcast WBGH in high definition in the future with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) roll-out plan for low-power digital stations. In the meantime, Newport decided to take its analog signal off-the-air to determine options for its future. However, it is unknown if this actually happened because television listings and its entry with the FCC continue to mention WBGH's analog channel.
Throughout its existence, WBGH has never had its own news operation. In the late-1990s as a semi-satellite of WETM, it simulcasted that station's local newscasts. After severing its ties with that station, WIVT's weeknight newscasts at 5:30 and 6 as well as an update at 11 were simulcasted on WBGH. On June 5, 2009, the two stations announced there would be consolidation of news operations with sister station WETM in Elmira. [1] WBNG reported all but two people from the news staff and all production personnel for the news department would be terminated. [2]
The Press & Sun-Bulletin identified the two personnel remaining as news anchor Peter Quinn and News Director Jim Ehmke but also said fifteen other members of the original 28 person staff, including non-news personnel, would remain based in Binghamton. [3] The two stations continue to be locally operated from studios on Ingraham Hill Road. Currently, WIVT simulcasts WETM's newscasts on weekday mornings (second hour only), weekdays at noon, and weeknights at 11. On weekends, WETM's show at 11 is the only broadcast seen on WIVT. WBGH carries the Elmira station's early evening news at 6 on Sundays and late broadcast at 11 on both nights.
On June 28, WBGH and WIVT brought back a separate newscast weeknights at 6 focusing on Binghamton. WETM produces this broadcast from a secondary set at its studios on East Water Street in Downtown Elmira. It replaced a simulcast of WETM's show seen at that time on WIVT and WBGH. [4] In the long run, having local broadcasts produced by a station in another market could hurt ratings of these two stations. An example of the phenomenon is in Utica where WUTR's arrangement to simulcast newscasts from WSYR in 2003 (after the former stopped producing its own local news) ended within a few months.
+ denotes personnel not seen on WETM
Anchors
Reporters
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