WBKB-TV

This article is about WBKB-TV in Alpena, Michigan. For the stations in Chicago, Illinois that formerly used the call sign, see WBBM-TV and WLS-TV.

WBKB-TV
Alpena, Michigan

Branding	WBKB 11.1 CBS WBKB News WBKB 11.2 Fox & MNT WBKB 11.3 ABC
Slogan	The News That Affects You
Channels	Digital: 11 (VHF) Virtual: 11 (PSIP)
Subchannels	.1 WBKB-DT1 .2 WBKB-DT2 .3 WBKB-DT3
Affiliations	.1 CBS .2 Fox 2ndary: MyNetworkTV .3 ABC
Owner	Marks Radio Group (Thunder Bay Broadcasting Corporation)
First air date	September 22, 1975
Sister station(s)	WBUP, WBKP
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 11 (VHF, 1975-2009) Digital: 13 (VHF)
Transmitter power	20 kW
Height	202 m
Facility ID	67048
Transmitter coordinates	44°42′11″N 83°31′26″W / 44.70306°N 83.52389°W / 44.70306; -83.52389
Website	wbkb11.com

WBKB-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Northern Lower Peninsula of Northeastern Michigan. Licensed to Alpena, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter in Alcona County (near M-72) south of Hubbard Lake. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 10 and in high definition on digital channel 781. Owned by the Marks Radio Group, WBKB has studios on North Bagley Street in Alpena. WBKB is the only commercial television station in one of the smallest media markets in the United States.

Digital channels

Channel	Video	Aspect	Programming
11.1	1080i	16:9	Main WBKB-TV programming / CBS
11.2	480i	4:3	WBKB 11.2 Fox & MyNetworkTV
11.3	480i	4:3	WBKB 11.3 ABC

History

The station first went on-the-air September 22, 1975 as the first of two stations in Alpena to sign-on that year (the other being WCMU-TV satellite WCML that launched in November). The Alpena market consists of Alpena and Alcona Counties, and is the third smallest media market in the United States. It is also served by portions of the Northern Michigan (Traverse City, Cadillac, and Sault Ste. Marie) as well as the Mid-Michigan (Bay City, Saginaw, Midland, and Flint) markets. The station originally aired a digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter at the station's studios.

After the switch to digital-only broadcasting on June 12, 2009, it moved its digital signal to channel 11. WBKB signed-on a new second digital subchannel to serve as the area's primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate in November 2009. Until this point, Cadillac's WFQX-TV had been serving as the default Fox affiliate. That station actually operated a low-powered repeater in Alpena, W31BO channel 31, for a period of time. In addition, WFQX's full-powered satellite WFUP in Vanderbilt served areas around greater Alpena although not in the city proper.

Despite the existence of WBKB-DT2, Charter systems still carry WFQX in standard and high definition to this day. On January 14, 2013, WBKB added a new third digital subchannel to be the area's ABC affiliate. Until this point, WJRT-TV in Flint had been serving as the market's default affiliate on Charter with standard and high definition feeds. ^[1] ^[2] ^[3]

Legacy of WBKB callsign

The WBKB call letters originally belonged (from 1946 until 1953) to channel 4 in Chicago. That station was owned by the Balaban and Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of Paramount Pictures and is now CBS owned-and-operated affiliate WBBM-TV. WBKB then transferred to Chicago's ABC owned-and-operated station on channel 7 from 1953 to 1968 until it was renamed WLS-TV.

Newscasts

News open weeknights at 6.

Shortly after Stephan Marks acquired WBKB, newscasts known as UGN News (with "UGN" meaning "Upper Great <Lakes> Network") began to be simulcasted with WBKP/WBUP in Marquette. Likewise, the programs featured regional news and weather coverage from the entire Upper and Northern Lower Peninsulas. In 2006, UGN News was re-focused to the Upper Peninsula and only originated from WBKP/WBUP. Currently, WBKB only airs local news weeknights at 6 and every night at 11. All on-air personnel at the station perform "one-man-band" journalism duties such as shooting video, editing coverage, and producing the newscasts. With the addition of ABC programming to its third digital subchannel, WBKB will finally launch its first ever weekday morning show in February. The nightly newscasts will be simulcasted on WBKB's CBS and ABC channels.

References

External links

Broadcast television serving Alpena, Michigan

Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Local stations	WCML 6 (.1 PBS, .2 PBS SD, .3 Create) WBKB 11 (.1 CBS, .2 Fox/MNTV, .3 ABC)

Northern Michigan adjacent locals	WTOM-TV 4 (.1 NBC, .2 ABC) WGTQ 8 (.1 ABC, .2 NBC) WWUP-TV 10 (.1 CBS, .2 Fox) WLLZ-LP 12 (MNTV / RTV / A1) WFUP (45.1 Fox, 45.2 CBS)

Cable channels	Fox Sports Detroit ACC 3 (Alpena Community College) "WBAE 21" (The CW) MGTV CBMT (CBC, Montreal)

Defunct/Silent	W18BT 18 (silent) WNYD-LP 26 W31BO 31 (Fox)

Michigan Broadcast television areas by city Alpena Detroit Duluth, MN Flint-Saginaw-Bay City Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo Green Bay, WI Lansing/Jackson Marquette Northern Michigan South Bend, IN Toledo, OH

Broadcast television in Northern Lower Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, including Traverse City

Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Traverse City and Cadillac	WPBN (7.1 NBC, 7.2 ABC) WWTV (9.1 CBS, 9.2 Fox) WLLZ-LP 12_Analog (MNTV / RTV / A1) W23EB-D (23.1 3ABN) WMNN-LD (26.1 News, 26.2 Ind. → ATV, 26.3 Cinema 26) WGTU (29.1 ABC, 29.2 NBC) WFQX (32.1 Fox, 32.2 CBS) / WFUP (45.1 Fox, 45.2 CBS)

Roscommon	WURO-LD (18.1 Me-TV, 18.2 Movies!, 18.3 This TV, 18.4 FGO, 18.5 Heartland, 18.7 Classifieds/WKJC-FM, 18.8 Classifieds/WUPS-FM)

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac	WTOM (4.1 NBC, 4.2 ABC) WGTQ (8.1 ABC, 8.2 NBC) WWUP (10.1 CBS, 10.2 Fox) W28DY-D (28.1 3ABN)

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario	CHBX 2_Analog (CTV) CIII-DT (12.1 Global) CHCH 38_Analog (Ind.)

Public television	WCMU 14 / WCMW 21 / WCMV 27 (.1 PBS (HD), .2 PBS (SD), .3 Create)

Adjacent locals	Alpena WCML (6.1 PBS (HD), 6.2 PBS (SD), 6.3 Create) WBKB (11.1 CBS, 11.2 Fox/MNTV, 11.3 ABC) Grand Rapids WWMT (3.1 CBS, 3.2 The CW) WOOD (8.1 NBC, 8.2 Bounce TV, 8.3 WX radar) WZZM (13.1 ABC, 13.2 AccuWX) WXMI (17.1 Fox, 17.2 Antenna TV, 17.3 This) WGVU (35.1 PBS, 35.2 Create, 35.3 MHz, 35.4 schedules/WGVU-AM audio) Mid-Michigan WNEM (5.1 CBS, 5.2 MNTV) WJRT (12.1 ABC, 12.2 Me-TV, 12.3 WxN) WDCQ (19.1 PBS, 19.2 MHz WV, 19.3 Create, 19.4 Kids) WEYI (25.1 NBC, 25.2 CW, 25.3 Bounce TV) WBSF (46.1 CW, 46.2 NBC) WSMH (66.1 Fox, 66.2 Get TV, 66.3 ZUUS) Marquette WJMN (3.1 CBS) WLUC (6.1 NBC, 6.2 Fox/A1) WNMU (13.1 PBS, 13.2 PBS HD, 13.3 Create) Green Bay WBAY (2.1 ABC) WFRV (5.1 CBS) WLUK (11.1 Fox)

Cable-only stations	FOX Sports Detroit MGTV "WBVC" 61 (The CW) CBMT (CBC, Montreal)

Defunct	CJIC-TV / CBLT-5 5 (CBC) CICO 20 (TVO) CBLFT 26 (Radio-Canada) W46AD 46 (PBS) W54CR 54 (Fox) W69AV 69 (PBS)

Michigan Broadcast television areas by city Alpena Detroit Duluth, MN Flint-Saginaw-Bay City Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo Green Bay, WI Lansing/Jackson Marquette Northern Michigan South Bend, IN Toledo, OH See also Ontario TV Milwaukee TV

CBS Network Affiliates in the state of Michigan

WJMN 3¹ (Escanaba) WWMT 3 (Kalamazoo) WNEM 5 (Bay City) WLNS 6 (Lansing) WWTV 9 / WWUP 10 (Cadillac / Sault Sainte Marie) WBKB 11 (Alpena) WWJ 62 (Detroit) ¹Satellite of WFRV-TV, Green Bay, Wisconsin

See also ABC CBS CW Fox ION MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Michigan

Stations of the Marks Radio Group

Radio stations	KDSR KDZN KGCX KIKC KIKC-FM KMTA KXDI KXGN KYUS WVES

Television stations	KXGN (CBS/MTN, NBC) KYUS (NBC) WBKB (CBS, Fox/MNTV, ABC) WBKP (The CW) WBUP (ABC, The CW)