WBBH-TV explained

Callsign:WBBH-TV
City:Fort Myers, Florida
Logo Alt:The NBC peacock overlapping a blue italicized sans serif 2
Branding:NBC2
Digital:15 (UHF)
Virtual:20
Owner:Hearst Television
Licensee:Fort Myers-Naples HTV LLC
Location:Fort Myers–Cape Coral–Naples, Florida
Country:United States
Callsign Meaning:Buerry, Burgess, and Hoffman, original investors in the station
Sister Stations:WZVN-TV
Former Channel Numbers:Analog: 20 (UHF, 1968–2009)
Former Affiliations:ABC (secondary, 1968–1974)
Erp:1,000 kW
Haat:454.50NaN0
Facility Id:71085
Coordinates:26.8229°N -81.7649°W
Licensing Authority:FCC

WBBH-TV (channel 20) is a television station licensed to Fort Myers, Florida, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for Southwest Florida. It is owned by Hearst Television, which provides certain services to Naples-licensed ABC affiliate WZVN-TV (channel 26) under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Montclair Communications. The two stations share studios on Central Avenue in Fort Myers; WBBH-TV's transmitter is located along SR 31 in unincorporated southeastern Charlotte County. The station is known as "NBC 2", reflecting its primary channel number on local cable television systems.

WBBH-TV went on the air in December 1968 as the second station in Fort Myers; it has been an NBC affiliate since its first day on air. Waterman Broadcasting owned WBBH from 1979 to 2023; WBBH took over most of the operations of what is now WZVN-TV in 1994. It has generally fought CBS affiliate WINK-TV for first place in local news ratings.

History

Buerry, Burgess, and Hoffman: Early years

In 1967, two companies petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to add channels in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band to the table of usable TV channels in Fort Myers. Acting on the proposals from Kenneth Schwartz and Hubbard Broadcasting, the FCC allotted channel 20 in January 1968.[1] That May, Broadcasting-Telecasting Services, Inc., headed by former WMYR sales director and announcer Joseph Buerry Jr., applied for channel 20, proposing a station with an intensive focus on local programming,[2] and an emphasis on local news. No other group applied, and Broadcasting-Telecasting Services received a construction permit in July. It announced its intention to be a primary NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation.[3] Buerry, along with investors Jackson Burgess and Howard Hoffman (also formerly of WMYR), gave the station its call letters—WBBH-TV.[4]

The studios were finished by the start of December, with erection of the station's transmitting tower in Lehigh Acres still ongoing.[5] The station began broadcasting on December 18, 1968. Previously, Miami's WCKT had imported NBC programming into Fort Myers by way of a translator on channel 70; Tampa's WFLA-TV had been carried alongside WCKT on most area cable systems.[6] [7]

After nearly six years, Buerry resigned as president in August 1974; he had been visible on air presenting station editorials.[8] Hoffman became the general manager at a time when the station was suffering financially, though it had begun to turn a profit in 1972.[9] The station lost ABC programs to a new station in Naples, WEVU (channel 26), at this time as well.[10]

Waterman ownership

In 1978, Waterman Broadcasting Corporation, which at the time only owned two radio stations in San Antonio, Texas, began negotiating to buy WBBH-TV after the stockholders of Broadcasting-Telecasting Services opted to put the station on the market. A sale agreement was reached in April 1979.[11] Waterman activated a new tower in 1983; the station began broadcasting at the UHF maximum effective radiated power of five million watts and improved its signal in the northern part of its coverage area.[12] In 1987, an expansion was completed to the Central Avenue studio; the original, 7000ft2 building was wrapped around a two-story building with an internal atrium.[13]

Waterman Broadcasting attempted to expand the station's presence in the early 1990s. It first thought it had an agreement with WNPL-TV (channel 46) to program the second station under a time brokerage agreement.[14] However, WNPL was in turmoil at the time. The agreement was reached during a period in which the station manager left; he then came back and ignored the agreement, with station officials calling the issue a misunderstanding.[15] Waterman then sued WNPL, which in turn filed for bankruptcy protection.[16]

On June 1, 1994, Ellis Communications, the owner of WEVU, entered into a local marketing agreement with WBBH-TV, which began providing the station's news programming.[17] Some WEVU staffers were not retained by WBBH;[18] in all, there were 20 staff firings, including WEVU's main news, weather and sports anchors.[19] That September, WBBH began branding as channel 2 after its position on local cable systems; WEVU did likewise with channel 7 and changed its call sign to WZVN-TV the next year.[20] [21]

Ellis Communications merged with Raycom Media in 1996; under a deal previously made by Ellis, WZVN-TV's license was sold to Montclair Communications, which continued the LMA with WBBH. Montclair was founded by Lara Kunkler, station manager for WBBH and WZVN and the goddaughter of Bernie Waterman, owner of Waterman Broadcasting.[22] The deal allowed a once-unprofitable station to become profitable.[23] In 2001, Waterman attempted to merge with Montclair by way of a stock swap.[24] However, instead of allowing the deal, the FCC let the application languish;[25] at one point, it ordered it unwound by 2004.[26]

Sale to Hearst

Waterman Broadcasting announced on April 5, 2023, that it would sell WBBH-TV to Hearst Television, the first sale of the station in 44 years. The $220 million[27] deal marked the sale of the company's last media property after having been founded in 1956.[28] Company executives cited Edith Waterman's desire to sell the station before her 100th birthday.[29] The sale was completed on June 30;[30] Hearst would also continue programming WZVN-TV on Montclair's behalf.

News operation

WINK-TV (channel 11), which had been the only local station prior to channel 20 signing on the air, remained the news leader in the market until 1974, when WBBH rose to the top and provided serious competition for WINK.[31] However, by the early 1980s, it had slipped behind WINK, though it was well ahead of WEVU, whose news ratings were typically anemic.[32] Beginning in January 1994, WBBH experimented with producing newscasts for air on local cable systems' local origination channels: these included 7 p.m., 10 p.m., and midnight broadcasts branded as the Eyewitness News Network.[33] [34]

In the wake of the WEVU LMA in 1994, equipment investments were made for the joint operation. WBBH–WZVN had the market's first Doppler weather radar installed in the mid-1990s, and in 1997, a studio expansion was completed allowing both stations to present simultaneous 11 p.m. newscasts.[35] The stations have dedicated anchors but share reporters;[36] during major hurricane coverage, the stations have often aired a single telecast using their combined news and weather resources.[37] [38] [39] [40] Despite the shared resources, news viewership has tilted strongly toward WBBH—which continues to compete with WINK for first—over WZVN.[41] [42]

In 2018, the Waterman stations cut back their sports department; weeknight sportscasts were eliminated, along with the position of sports director for WBBH-TV.[43] That same year, WBBH added a 3 p.m. newscast, giving it three and a half straight hours of local news leading into the NBC Nightly News.[44]

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Channel! scope = "col"
Res.AspectShort nameProgramming
20.1 WBBH NBC
20.2 H&I Heroes & Icons
20.3 Nosey Nosey
WWDT Telemundo (WWDT-CD)

Analog-to-digital conversion

On October 31, 2002, WZVN-TV and WBBH-TV began broadcasting high-definition television, the first stations in the market to do so.[50] The conversion to digital required the construction of a new tower, as the 1983-built mast did not meet more stringent wind loading requirements.[51]

WBBH-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 20, on February 17, 2009, the original date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009).[52] [53] As part of the SAFER Act,[54] WBBH-TV kept its analog signal on the air until February 21 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 15, using virtual channel 20.

WBBH-TV broadcast WZVN-TV from its transmitter between October 2019 and March 2020 while repack work was conducted on that station's own transmitter equipment.[55]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: FCC Allocates Channel 20 to Fort Myers. January 19, 1968. 2-C. News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315190742/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113119046/fcc-allocates-channel-20-to-fort-myers/. live.
  2. News: New Local TV Station Seeks FCC License. May 25, 1968. 5-B. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315190744/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120923245/new-local-tv-station-seeks-fcc-license/. live.
  3. News: FCC Authorizes New Television Station In City. July 14, 1968. 10-A. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060203/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120923359/fcc-authorizes-new-television-station/. live.
  4. News: WBBH's history becomes a little clearer. October 17, 2005. D2. Chris. Wadsworth. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315190750/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120924195/wbbhs-history-becomes-a-little-clearer/. live.
  5. News: Stars Attend Opening of Studio Here. December 1, 1968. 3-A. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315190743/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120923517/stars-attend-opening-of-studio-here/. live.
  6. News: New TV Station On Air Tonight. December 18, 1968. 3-A. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315190741/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120923639/new-tv-station-on-air-tonight/. live.
  7. News: Channel 10 (ABC) Will Be Carried By Leeco-TV Here. December 14, 1968. 5-B. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060152/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120923893/channel-10-abc-will-be-carried-by/. live.
  8. News: Buerry Resigns Office As President Of WBBH. August 2, 1974. 1A, 2A. David. Osier. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060237/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120924052/buerry-resigns-office-as-president-of/. live.
  9. News: Howard Hoffman: Taking The Helm At Troubled WBBH-TV. September 12, 1974. 1D, 5D. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060152/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120924586/howard-hoffman-taking-the-helm-at/. live.
  10. News: New TV Station Opens . 2-B . News-Press . live . October 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191026053243/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37842061/new_tv_station_opens/ . October 26, 2019 . Newspapers.com.
  11. News: Accord reached on sale of WBBH. April 11, 1979. 1A. Barbara. Johnson. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315190751/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120924827/accord-reached-on-sale-of-wbbh/. live.
  12. News: Tall order: New WBBH-TV tower rises to challenge of expansion. March 20, 1983. 1G, 18G. Steve. Kaskovich. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 15, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060219/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120925141/tall-order-new-wbbh-tv-tower-rises-to/. live.
  13. News: WEVU moving to new studios in Bonita Bay by mid-1987. September 29, 1986. Business 14. Prudy. Taylor Board. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060221/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37842645/wevu-moving-to-new-studios-in-bonita/. live.
  14. News: WBBH will manage Naples TV station. August 19, 1993. 3B. Clay W. Cone. The Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316043854/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120927565/wbbh-will-manage-naples-tv-station/. live.
  15. News: Bankrupt WNPL-TV may go up for auction: Naples station expected to sell for $4 million. January 14, 1995. 1A, 4A. Michael. Rinker. The Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316043909/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120927797/bankrupt-wnpl-tv-may-go-up-for-auction/. live.
  16. News: Parent of WNPL files for bankruptcy. September 28, 1993. 1A, 3A. Michael. Rinker. The Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316043907/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120927642/parent-of-wnpl-files-for-bankruptcy/. live.
  17. News: Patterson . Demetrius . May 27, 1994 . WBBH taking over WEVU newscasts . 1A . News-Press . live . October 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191026053221/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37843060/wbbh_taking_over_wevu_newscasts/ . October 26, 2019 . Newspapers.com.
  18. News: Patterson . Demetrius . June 4, 1994 . Nervous tension grips WEVU staff . 11A . News-Press . live . October 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200710/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37843038/nervous-tension-grips-wevu-staff/ . March 2, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  19. News: Patterson . Demetrius . WEVU tosses anchors overboard as part of WBBH deal . 9A . News-Press . live . October 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200636/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37843053/wevu-tosses-anchors-overboard-as-part/ . March 2, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  20. News: Station Logos. September 14, 1994. 8A. News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316043903/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38418934/station-logos/. live.
  21. News: Out with WEVU, in with WZVN. October 18, 1995. 1D. Larry A.. Strauss. News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. Newspapers.com. March 22, 2024.
  22. News: Strauss . Larry A. . August 23, 1996 . WZVN-TV prepares for ownership shuffle . 1A . News-Press . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200629/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120031248/wzvn-tv-prepares-for-ownership-shuffle/ . March 2, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  23. News: Davis Hudson . Eileen . July 1, 2002 . Ft. Myers-Naples, Fla. . 12–16 . Mediaweek . . ProQuest.
  24. News: LaGuardia . Joan D. . December 4, 2001 . Waterman to take full control of ABC 7 . 1D, 2D . News-Press . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200632/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120031404/waterman-to-take-full-control-of-abc-7/ . March 2, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  25. News: Zitrin . Richard . February 20, 2006 . Ft. Myers-Naples, Fla. . 9, 12, 14 . Mediaweek . . ProQuest.
  26. News: McConnell . Bill . January 13, 2003 . Small broadcasters push big change . 45 . Broadcasting & Cable . . ProQuest.
  27. Web site: Asset Purchase Agreement. April 4, 2023. Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  28. News: Waterman Broadcasting selling WBBH-TV/NBC2 to Hearst Television. April 5, 2023. WBBH-TV.
  29. News: Waterman Broadcasting selling to New York-based Hearst. Gulfshore Business. April 6, 2023. David. Dorsey.
  30. Web site: Notification of Consummation. Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. June 30, 2023. July 1, 2023.
  31. News: Stations Wage Electronic Battle For Local Viewers. February 8, 1975. 1D, 3D. Lesley. Darren. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060213/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120961574/stations-wage-electronic-battle-for/. live.
  32. News: Did personnel changes hurt WBBH?. June 18, 1983. 1D, 2D. Peter G.. Johnson. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316043901/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120962137/did-personnel-changes-hurt-wbbh/. live.
  33. News: New 'Network' on channel 20. December 17, 1993. 10D. The Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. Newspapers.com. March 17, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060154/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121030794/new-network-on-channel-20/. live.
  34. News: News on cable. January 31, 1994. 1D. News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. Newspapers.com. March 17, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060204/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121030811/news-on-cable/. live.
  35. News: West . Don . February 3, 1997 . Are two stations better than one? . . 5 . Broadcasting & Cable . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210308041204/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1997/BC-1997-02-03.pdf . March 8, 2021.
  36. News: Malone . Michael . October 3, 2011 . Market Eye: Fort-ified in Florida . Broadcasting & Cable . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211128053525/https://www.nexttv.com/news/market-eye-fort-ified-florida-43109 . November 28, 2021.
  37. News: Wadsworth . Chris . October 31, 2005 . Wilma tests endurance of TV newscasters . D2 . News-Press . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200639/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120036413/wilma-tests-endurance-of-tv-newscasters/ . March 2, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  38. News: Wadsworth . Chris . August 28, 2004 . Covering the storm: Local media rise to occasion when Charley hits . E1, E6 . News-Press . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200629/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120036545/covering-the-storm-local-media-rise-to/ . March 2, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  39. News: Kurz . Phil . September 13, 2017 . Fort Myers Stations Cover Storm, Provide Refuge . TV Technology . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220123193027/https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/fort-myers-stations-cover-storm-provide-refuge . January 23, 2022.
  40. News: Eck . Kevin . September 28, 2022 . Family Looks to Fort Myers Station for Help Escaping Hurricane Ian Floodwaters . TVSpy . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221004190003/https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/family-looks-to-fort-myers-station-for-help-escaping-hurricane-ian-floodwaters/244421/ . October 4, 2022.
  41. News: Taylor . Dave . August 25, 2000 . Who's watching what news? . 1B . The Naples Daily News . March 2, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  42. News: Wadsworth . Chris . September 26, 2011 . Local news stations continue to duke it out for ratings . D1, D4 . News-Press . Fort Myers, Florida . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200628/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120037279/local-news-stations-continue-to-duke-it/ . March 2, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  43. News: Tsoflias Siegel . Stephanie . January 11, 2018 . WBBH-WZVN Reduces Sports, Eliminates Sports Director Position . TVSpy . live . March 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180318034140/http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wbbh-reduces-sports-eliminates-sports-director-position/198919 . March 18, 2018.
  44. News: Fort Myers Station Launches 4-Hour News Block Starting at 3 P.M.. June 12, 2018. Stephanie. Tsoflias Siegel. TVSpy. March 19, 2023.
  45. News: Old faces in bigger places: Ex-area sportscasters dot nation's top markets. May 14, 1989. 7B. Glenn. Miller. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060221/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120961826/old-faces-in-bigger-places-ex-area/. live.
  46. Web site: John Muller and Tamsen Fadal to co-anchor PIX11 News at 5 and 10. June 3, 2014 . WPIX. April 25, 2015. August 13, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150813031254/http://pix11.com/2014/06/03/pix-veteran-john-muller-named-co-anchor-of-pix11-news-at-5-and-10/. live.
  47. News: Patricia. Brennan. The Washington Post. The Lively Host of 'TalkBack Live'. October 1, 1995. Y7. .
  48. News: Shepard Smith hassled in Haiti: Former local TV reporter held by gunmen. October 13, 1993. 14A. Bob. Normal. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060221/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120962730/shepard-smith-hassled-in-haiti-former/. live.
  49. News: Ukee! Ebullient WBBH sports anchor's charisma is unmatched—and his popularity is, too. June 30, 1985. 1C, 4C. Rick. Moschella. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 16, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060206/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120961678/ukee-ebullient-wbbh-sports-anchors/. live.
  50. News: ABC, NBC stations unveil their HDTV broadcasts. November 1, 2002. 1D. News-Press. Newspapers.com. March 2, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060214/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120038734/abc-nbc-stations-unveil-their-hdtv/. live.
  51. News: WBBH-TV. Broadcast Engineering. December 2002. .
  52. News: Despite delay, digital D-Day looms. February 16, 2009. P1, P4. Neil. Hughes. Port Charlotte Sun. Newspapers.com. March 17, 2023. March 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230317060205/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121032508/despite-delay-digital-d-day-looms/. live.
  53. Web site: May 23, 2006 . DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf . August 29, 2013 . August 29, 2021 . Federal Communications Commission.
  54. Web site: UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program. Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009. June 4, 2012. February 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201225603/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/wnbc-ch-4-trims-promo-featuring-nypd-commissioner-ray-kelly-super-bowl-airing-article-1.1018204. live.
  55. Web site: September 27, 2019 . #82500 DTV Engineering STA Application . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191026053215/https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/draftcopy/DTV/25076f916aeaa74e016b0a62e7fd3afe . October 26, 2019 . October 26, 2019 . Licensing and Management System . Federal Communications Commission.

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