WBKP
Encyclopedia
WBKP is the CW-affiliated television station
for Michigan
's Central Upper Peninsula
licensed to Calumet
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on VHF channel 5 from a transmitter on Tolonen Hill in Atlantic Mine
. The station can also be seen on Charter
channel 2. Owned by the Marks Radio Group
, WBKP is sister to ABC
affiliate WBUP
and the two share studios on Ash Street in Ishpeming
. Although the station is technically a full-powered outlet, it receives all programming through The CW Plus
which is a special CW feed broadcasting on cable and/or over-the-air on a digital signal. WBKP can also be seen on WBUP's second digital subchannel
(VHF channel 10.2) from a transmitter in Humboldt Township
.
) signed-on October 30, 1996 from facilities in the historic Calumet and Hecla Bath House
. Monday Night Football
was the first ABC program shown. Before it launched, the Central Upper Peninsula could see the network from affiliations of WLUC-TV
in Marquette. This was originally seen through a secondary nature from that station's launch in 1956 until 1992 at which point ABC began to be carried as a primary affiliation.
WLUC eventually dropped ABC completely in 1995. WBKP was locally-owned by the Scanlan family as sister to Traverse City
ABC affiliate WGTU
(and full-time satellite WGTQ in Sault Ste. Marie
) as well as CBS
affiliate WBKB-TV
in Alpena
. At its sign-on, WBKP was the first station in the market
to broadcast in stereo
and remain on-the-air 24 hours a day.
In August 1997, repeater station W28BX on channel 28 in Marquette
was launched to cover Marquette proper. Since this low-powered over-the-air signal was very weak, it could only be picked up in that city and Negaunee
. In 2001, the station moved its studios to the Marquette Mall. However, four employees remained based at the Calumet facilities which began operating as a bureau. In Spring 2003, WBKP replaced the low-powered repeater with full-time satellite WBUP in Ishpeming. This aired a full-powered analog signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter southeast of Republic
in Marquette County
. At this point, WBKP and WBUP took the on-air branding "ABC 5&10". Eventually, WBUP's transmitter was moved to the tower of PBS
affiliate WNMU in Ely Township
and then to its current location in Humboldt Township.
In January 2004, the Scanlan family sold WBKP/WBUP and WBKB to Lake Superior
Community Broadcasting which is a company owned by Stephan Marks of Maryland
. In July 2007, the two stations split with WBKP becoming a CW affiliate as part of The CW Plus while WBUP remained with ABC. Since it was granted an original construction permit
after the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) finalized the DTV
allotment plan on April 21, 1997, this station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station
.
Instead around June 12, 2009 (which was the end of the digital television conversion period for full-service stations), WBKP turned-off its analog signal
and turned on its digital signal
though a "flash-cut
". It then began offering a standard definition simulcast of WBUP on a new second digital subchannel
in order to expand its reach. WBKP's over-the-air signal can be received across Lake Superior in Thunder Bay
, Ontario
and the surrounding areas in Canada
.
stations. Shortly after Stephan Marks acquired WBKP/WBUP, a second attempt at airing newscasts was launched. This time, shows known as UGN News (with "UGN" meaning "Upper Great News ") were simulcasted on WBKB in Alpena. The broadcasts 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.
At some point after becoming a separate station and taking over primary news production, WBUP re-branded its newscasts to ABC 10 News NOW. Currently, WBKP offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
on weekdays from 6 until 9 like all CW Plus stations in the Eastern Time Zone
. In December 2007, WBUP began producing the market
's first prime time newscast at 10 on WBKP. Known as CW 5 News NOW, this can be seen on weeknights for thirty minutes. As of September 8, 2009, the broadcast competes with another one airing at the same time on Fox affiliate WLUC-DT2
. Although WBUP does not have a meteorologist on its staff, the station subscribes to AccuWeather
allowing the news anchor to give a brief forecast. It also shares resources with The Mining Journal
in Marquette.
Reporters
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
's Central Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
licensed to Calumet
Calumet, Michigan
Calumet is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County, in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, that was once at the center of the mining industry of the Upper Peninsula. Also known as Red Jacket, the village includes the Calumet Downtown Historic District, listed on the National...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on VHF channel 5 from a transmitter on Tolonen Hill in Atlantic Mine
Adams Township, Houghton County, Michigan
Adams Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,747.-Communities:...
. The station can also be seen on Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 2. Owned by the Marks Radio Group
Stephan Marks
Stephan Marks, a Maryland native, is owner and operator of radio and television stations in three small United States markets.-Television:* KXGN-TV channel 5 , Glendive, Montana...
, WBKP is sister to ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate WBUP
WBUP
WBUP is the ABC-affiliated television station for Michigan's Central Upper Peninsula licensed to Ishpeming. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Humboldt Township. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 10 and in high definition on digital...
and the two share studios on Ash Street in Ishpeming
Ishpeming, Michigan
Ishpeming is a city in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,686 at the 2000 census. This is down from a higher population in the 1950s and 1960s when the economically supportive iron ore mines had a much higher employment level...
. Although the station is technically a full-powered outlet, it receives all programming through The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
which is a special CW feed broadcasting on cable and/or over-the-air on a digital signal. WBKP can also be seen on WBUP's second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
(VHF channel 10.2) from a transmitter in Humboldt Township
Humboldt Township, Michigan
Humboldt Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 469 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
History
WBKP (standing for Beautiful Keweenaw PeninsulaKeweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northern-most part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was roughly 43,200...
) signed-on October 30, 1996 from facilities in the historic Calumet and Hecla Bath House
Calumet and Hecla Industrial District
The Calumet and Hecla Industrial District is a historic district located in Calumet, Michigan and roughly bounded by Hecla and Torch Lake railroad tracks, Calumet Avenue, Mine and Depot Streets...
. Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
was the first ABC program shown. Before it launched, the Central Upper Peninsula could see the network from affiliations of WLUC-TV
WLUC-TV
WLUC-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Michigan's Central Upper Peninsula licensed to Marquette. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter on South Helen Lake Road southeast of Republic in rural Marquette County. The station can also be seen...
in Marquette. This was originally seen through a secondary nature from that station's launch in 1956 until 1992 at which point ABC began to be carried as a primary affiliation.
WLUC eventually dropped ABC completely in 1995. WBKP was locally-owned by the Scanlan family as sister to Traverse City
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
ABC affiliate WGTU
WGTU
WGTU is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Northern Lower and Eastern Upper Peninsulas of Michigan that is licensed to Traverse City. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 from a transmitter east of Kalkaska. Like other network affiliates in this vast rural...
(and full-time satellite WGTQ in Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
) as well as CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate WBKB-TV
WBKB-TV
WBKB-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Alpena area of Michigan's Northern Lower Peninsula. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter south of Hubbard Lake near M-72 in Alcona County. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 10 and...
in Alpena
Alpena, Michigan
Alpena is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Alpena County. It is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is located in the city. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census...
. At its sign-on, WBKP was the first station in the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
to broadcast in stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
and remain on-the-air 24 hours a day.
In August 1997, repeater station W28BX on channel 28 in Marquette
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
was launched to cover Marquette proper. Since this low-powered over-the-air signal was very weak, it could only be picked up in that city and Negaunee
Negaunee, Michigan
Negaunee is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,576 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township. The city is home to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum...
. In 2001, the station moved its studios to the Marquette Mall. However, four employees remained based at the Calumet facilities which began operating as a bureau. In Spring 2003, WBKP replaced the low-powered repeater with full-time satellite WBUP in Ishpeming. This aired a full-powered analog signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter southeast of Republic
Republic, Michigan
Republic is an unincorporated community in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also a census-designated place for statistical purposes, covering a narrow, roughly crescent-shaped area along several miles of M-95...
in Marquette County
Marquette County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Hiawatha National Forest * Huron National Wildlife Refuge* Ottawa National Forest -University:Northern Michigan University is a four-year university, established in 1899, located in Marquette, Michigan, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula...
. At this point, WBKP and WBUP took the on-air branding "ABC 5&10". Eventually, WBUP's transmitter was moved to the tower of PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
affiliate WNMU in Ely Township
Ely Township, Michigan
Ely Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,010 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...
and then to its current location in Humboldt Township.
In January 2004, the Scanlan family sold WBKP/WBUP and WBKB to Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
Community Broadcasting which is a company owned by Stephan Marks of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. In July 2007, the two stations split with WBKP becoming a CW affiliate as part of The CW Plus while WBUP remained with ABC. Since it was granted an original construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
after the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) finalized the DTV
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
allotment plan on April 21, 1997, this station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
.
Instead around June 12, 2009 (which was the end of the digital television conversion period for full-service stations), WBKP turned-off its analog signal
Analog signal
An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
and turned on its digital signal
Digital signal
A digital signal is a physical signal that is a representation of a sequence of discrete values , for example of an arbitrary bit stream, or of a digitized analog signal...
though a "flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
". It then began offering a standard definition simulcast of WBUP on a new second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
in order to expand its reach. WBKP's over-the-air signal can be received across Lake Superior in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and the surrounding areas in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Newscasts
In July 1997, the station established its first news department and began offering local newscasts weeknights at 6 and 11. After moving to the Marquette Mall, a new set and graphics package were introduced along with an updated logo. In March 2002, WBKP dropped news due to low ratings and budget cuts. This was also due in part to the continual dominance of WLUC which a much larger news department unlike WBKP. The station maintains a smaller local news operation compared with most other big threeBig Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
stations. Shortly after Stephan Marks acquired WBKP/WBUP, a second attempt at airing newscasts was launched. This time, shows known as UGN News (with "UGN" meaning "Upper Great
Lower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people...
. In 2006, UGN News was re-focused to the Upper Peninsula and only originated from WBKP/WBUP.
At some point after becoming a separate station and taking over primary news production, WBUP re-branded its newscasts to ABC 10 News NOW. Currently, WBKP offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
on weekdays from 6 until 9 like all CW Plus stations in the Eastern Time Zone
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. In December 2007, WBUP began producing the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
's first prime time newscast at 10 on WBKP. Known as CW 5 News NOW, this can be seen on weeknights for thirty minutes. As of September 8, 2009, the broadcast competes with another one airing at the same time on Fox affiliate WLUC-DT2
WLUC-DT2
WLUC-DT2 is the Fox-affiliated television station for Michigan's Central Upper Peninsula. It is a second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate WLUC-TV owned by Barrington Broadcasting...
. Although WBUP does not have a meteorologist on its staff, the station subscribes to AccuWeather
AccuWeather
AccuWeather is an American media company that provides for-profit weather forecasting services worldwide.AccuWeather was founded in 1962 by Joel N. Myers, then a Penn State graduate student working on degrees in meteorology. His first customer was a gas company in Pennsylvania. While running the...
allowing the news anchor to give a brief forecast. It also shares resources with The Mining Journal
The Mining Journal
The Mining Journal is the predominant daily newspaper of Marquette, Michigan and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.Like most market-dominant daily papers, the MJ is a seven-day morning paper. The Mining Journal is distributed over a wide area, in part because Marquette is the largest city for a...
in Marquette.
News team
Anchors- Jerry Taylor - weeknight sports anchor and sports reporter
- Jen Kotaniemi - weeknight news anchor and reporter
- Brandi Williams - The Daily Buzz host
- Andy Campbell - The Daily Buzz host
- Mitch English - The Daily Buzz host
- Kia Malone - The Daily Buzz host
Reporters
- Eli Gardiner - sports photographer and "The Scene With Sensitive E" segment producer
- Stacy JohnsonStacy JohnsonStacy Johnson is an author and creator and host of Money Talks, a nationally syndicated consumer/personal finance news series.-Early life and education:...
- "Money Talks NewsMoney Talks NewsMoney Talks News is a nationally syndicated consumer/personal finance news series offering tips and advice on saving money and avoiding rip offs in the United States market. It is hosted by Stacy Johnson. News segments are approximately 1.5 minutes in length and air as part of local news programs...
" segment producer - Melissa Beauchamp - photographer
- Spinach Bentley - The Daily Buzz
- Bill Stivers - photographer
- Tim Eagan - photographer
- Mike Hoey - Senior
- Dan Gualdoni