WGBA
Encyclopedia
WGBA-TV is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for Northeastern Wisconsin
's Fox River Valley
licensed to Green Bay
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 41 (PSIP virtual channel
26) from a transmitter in the Shirley
section of De Pere
. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
and CenturyLink
channel 7. There is a high definition signal offered on CenturyLink digital channel 126 and Time Warner
Cable digital channel 1007. Owned by the Journal Broadcast Group, the station operates MyNetworkTV
affiliate WACY-TV (owned by Ace TV Incorporated) through a local marketing agreement
(LMA).
The two share studios on North Road along Airport Drive/WIS 172 in Ashwaubenon
(with a Green Bay postal address). Syndicated
programming on WGBA includes: Inside Edition
, Access Hollywood
, Family Feud
, and America's Funniest Home Videos
. The second and third shows can also be seen as part of MyNetworkTV's Tuesday night prime time lineup on WACY.
After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion
, WGBA continued to broadcast its digital signal on channel 41 and continues to identify via PSIP as virtual channel
26.
WGBA's subchannel is carried on Time Warner Cable
's Northeastern Wisconsin systems over digital channel 994. Some Time Warner markets where both WTMJ and WGBA are transmitted to viewers instead air WTMJ's Live Well Network subchannel, depending on where an individual market falls in terms of ACNielsen
classifications, though those systems also already carry Me-TV flagship WBME-TV from Milwaukee on the basic lifeline tier under must-carry
rules.
The subchannel previously carried TheCoolTV
. On September 7, Journal and Weigel Broadcasting
announced that WGBA would carry the classic television network Me-TV beginning October 1, 2011.. Me-TV replaced TheCoolTV on 26.2, as Journal has brought a lawsuit against TheCoolTV's parent company for non-payment of services; WTMJ-TV, along with Journal's other stations dropped the network on October 1, 2011 to carry Live Well Network or Me-TV, depending on market.
address open for years and advertise an offer of a free pamphlet describing installation of a UHF television antenna
to interested viewers until the early 90's.
During that period, residents of Northern Door County
and the southern portion of Michigan
's Upper Peninsula could easily receive the three Green Bay network stations on VHF and WFRV semi-satellite WJMN-TV
from Escanaba, Michigan
, along with PBS member station WNMU from Marquette, Michigan
, but not WGBA and Wisconsin Public Television
's WPNE-TV (Channel 38). Although its calls do not reflect this, W22BW channel 22 is officially licensed as a Class A
station. Before it became an NBC affiliate, WGBA was repeated in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on W02AM channel 2 in Gwinn
, W09BA channel 9 in Felch, W49AF channel 49 in Crystal Falls
, and W56BF channel 56 in Iron Mountain
. The last translator was encrypted and part of the now-defunct over-the-air cable system in the area.
court in which investors lost money. In 1985, it was bought by Family Group Broadcasting Incorporated for only pennies on the dollar. On October 3 of that year, the call letters were changed to WGBA-TV. The station, then known on-air as "TV 26", was well known in its early years for children programming host "Cuddles the Clown" who stayed with the station until it acquired an NBC affiliation and moved to WACY before retiring.
In the wake of a bankruptcy, Green Bay's original Fox
affiliate WXGZ went dark February 14, 1992. WGBA became the new affiliate the following day changing its identification to "Fox 26". In 1994 during the first year of NFL on Fox
, the station had to contract with ABC
affiliate WBAY-TV
to do a pregame show before Green Bay Packers
games since it lacked a local sports department. WGBA relaunched WXGZ with Ace TV though a local marketing agreement
in June 1994. That station became a charter affiliate of UPN
and changed its call letters to WACY-TV in 1995.
WGBA became an NBC affiliate in August 1995 in the wake of WLUK-TV
's switch to Fox after an ownership change and the network's acquisition of the NFL's National Football Conference
contract enabling the station to be the Packers' home station. WGBA then became known on-air as "NBC 26". As an NBC affiliate, it struggled to find a constant identity. Green Bay's other three stations have been been on-the-air since the 1950s and had loyal audiences. Relief did not come until October 2004 when the Journal Broadcast Group bought it for $
43.2 million after Aries Telecommunications sold the station. Journal had long wanted a station in Northeastern Wisconsin alongside its flagship station, WTMJ-TV
in Milwaukee, that market
's NBC affiliate and dominant news station.
The purchase also included the LMA with WACY. Although Journal has wanted to buy WACY outright, this had been unlikely since Green Bay has only six full-power stations (not enough to legally permit a duopoly). However in September 2010, WLUK owner LIN TV Corporation exercised an option to purchase CW affiliate WCWF
from ACME Communications
, and asked for a "failing station waiver" which would allow LIN to own WLUK and WCWF, which is possible if the petitioner can prove the station is in an economically non-viable position. Because WCWF was hampered for years by several factors, including low cable carriage and an analog signal originating more towards their city of license, Suring
than Green Bay, the waiver was granted in February 2011. It is unlikely however Journal could argue the same for WACY, as ACE TV has maintained the license without incident since 1995 and WACY has always transmitted from Glenmore with good cable coverage, making a failing station waiver difficult to attain.
Since being acquired by Journal, WGBA and WTMJ have become close sister stations and now share the same news theme and graphics package. The stations share resources which allows WGBA to use WTMJ's resources for breaking news, live events, and sports coverage. This became more evident in 2008 when WGBA outsourced sports and weekend weather reports to WTMJ and simulcasted WTMJ's morning and noon newscasts for a short time. Prior to November 2010, WGBA did not utilize any subchannel services at all and never associated with NBC Weather Plus
. The station finally launched a new second digital subchannel
in that month carrying TheCoolTV (an automated music video
network) which began airing on the WTMJ subchannel since the summer of 2009. The establishment of WGBA-DT2 marks the second commercial station in the market to launch a subchannel service after WBAY. TheCoolTV was replaced with Me-TV on October 1, 2011.
On September 7, Journal and Weigel Broadcasting
announced that WGBA would carry the classic television network Me-TV on a subchannel, with cable coverage currently unknown.
, WGBA established a news department and began airing local newscasts every night at 6 and 10. Current Fox Business Network
journalist Ashley Webster
was the station's first News Director
and weeknight anchor. Eventually as the operation grew, the station added shows in other dayparts. On June 3, 2008, Journal announced WGBA's sports department would shut down and the sports team, Ted Stefaniak and John Burton, would be laid-off by the company. All sports segments now pre-taped in advance originate from WTMJ's facilities (on East Capitol Drive/WIS 190 in Milwaukee's Far North Side section) using its personnel. WGBA's staff continues to film sports video and freelance announcers (some formerly with this station) provide commentary for Green Bay sporting events.
On July 14, 2008 due to low ratings and inconsistent viewership, WGBA discontinued its weekday morning show and noon newscast while leting go some of its staff. In place of those shows, WTMJ's Live at Daybreak and Live at Noon newscasts were simulcasted on this station with local weather cut-ins from WGBA in Green Bay. In January 2009, the weekday morning simulcast was cancelled and turned into a WGBA-produced rolling weather block called Non-Stop Weather. WTMJ's weekday noon broadcast later moved to WACY in order to allow WGBA's carriage of paid programming, which for a time in 2008, filled some of the station's early afternoon schedule due to syndicated program cancellations or low ratings. The midday news on WACY and paid programming on WGBA were eventually dropped as well.
On April 7, 2009, WTMJ became the first station in Milwaukee to upgrade local broadcasts to high definition. However, the pre-taped nightly sports and weekend weather segments originating from WTMJ were not included in the change. This is because WGBA has not yet converted its news department or syndicated programming to high definition (though none of WGBA's syndicated programs are even offered in HD at the present time). On July 24, it was announced some of WGBA's reporter and photojournalist jobs would be eliminated and the remaining staff would be retrained as "one man band" videojournalists handling reporting, camera work, and editing stories themselves. In September 2009, Bonnie Kirschman was let go and she was the final employee to remain with WGBA's news operation since the 1996 launch.
In mid-August 2009, the weekday morning weather block was canceled entirely with Better
moving to the 5 a.m. hour followed by encores of the previous night's NBC 26 News Live at 10 broadcast and Early Today
before Today. On January 10, 2011, WGBA brought back a weekday morning show under the slightly revised title of NBC 26 News Today from a new morning-exclusive set. In addition to its main studios, the station operates a Fox Cities
Bureau in Downtown Appleton
on West College Avenue. WGBA operates its own weather radar
at the main facilities in Ashwaubenon.
Anchors
NBC 26 Precision Weather Team
Sports
Videojournalists
Other staff
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-affiliated 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...
for Northeastern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
's Fox River Valley
Fox River (Wisconsin)
The Fox River is a river in eastern and central Wisconsin in the United States. Along the banks is a chain of cities, including Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Appleton, Little Chute, Kimberly, Combined Locks, and Kaukauna. Except for Oshkosh, these cities refer to themselves as the Fox Cities...
licensed to Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
. 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 UHF channel 41 (PSIP virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
26) from a transmitter in the Shirley
Shirley, Wisconsin
Shirley is an unincorporated community, in the town of Glemore, in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on Wisconsin Highway 96.-Notes:...
section of De Pere
De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere is a city located in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,559 at the 2000 census. De Pere is a suburb of Green Bay and is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Registered historic places:...
. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
and CenturyLink
CenturyLink
CenturyLink, Inc. is a United States telecommunications firm, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. The company, founded as Central Telephone & Electronics Corporation in 1968, later changed its name to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. in 1971, and then was called CenturyTel, Inc. from 1999 to 2010...
channel 7. There is a high definition signal offered on CenturyLink digital channel 126 and Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
Cable digital channel 1007. Owned by the Journal Broadcast Group, the station operates MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WACY-TV (owned by Ace TV Incorporated) through a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LMA).
The two share studios on North Road along Airport Drive/WIS 172 in Ashwaubenon
Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
Ashwaubenon is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 17,634, however many village signs still reflect the 1990 census figure of 17,777. Ashwaubenon is a suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin and is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan...
(with a Green Bay postal address). Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WGBA includes: Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
, Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, and America's Funniest Home Videos
America's Funniest Home Videos
America's Funniest Home Videos is an American reality television program on ABC in which viewers are able to send in humorous homemade videotapes. The most common videos usually feature slapstick physical comedy arising from incidents, accidents and mishaps...
. The second and third shows can also be seen as part of MyNetworkTV's Tuesday night prime time lineup on WACY.
Digital television
The station's digital channel 41 is multiplexed;| Channels | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26.1 | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
Main WGBA programming / NBC |
| 26.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | Me-TV Green Bay-Appleton |
After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion
Digital television transition
The digital television transition is the process in which analog television broadcasting is converted to and replaced by digital television. This primarily involves both TV stations and over-the-air viewers; however it also involves content providers like TV networks, and cable television...
, WGBA continued to broadcast its digital signal on channel 41 and continues to identify via PSIP as virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
26.
WGBA's subchannel is carried on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
's Northeastern Wisconsin systems over digital channel 994. Some Time Warner markets where both WTMJ and WGBA are transmitted to viewers instead air WTMJ's Live Well Network subchannel, depending on where an individual market falls in terms of ACNielsen
ACNielsen
ACNielsen is a global marketing research firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City. Regional headquarters for North America are located in Schaumburg, Illinois. As of May 2010, it is part of The Nielsen Company.-History:...
classifications, though those systems also already carry Me-TV flagship WBME-TV from Milwaukee on the basic lifeline tier under must-carry
Must-carry
In cable television, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally-licensed television stations must be carried on a cable provider's system.- Canada :...
rules.
The subchannel previously carried TheCoolTV
TheCoolTV
THECOOLTV is a United States over-the-air digital subchannel launched in March 2009. The network's current program schedule consists of an all-music video lineup that can be customized to meet an affiliate's preference, along with the three hours per week of E/I programming as required by the...
. On September 7, Journal and Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.- History :The company was founded by Chicago...
announced that WGBA would carry the classic television network Me-TV beginning October 1, 2011.. Me-TV replaced TheCoolTV on 26.2, as Journal has brought a lawsuit against TheCoolTV's parent company for non-payment of services; WTMJ-TV, along with Journal's other stations dropped the network on October 1, 2011 to carry Live Well Network or Me-TV, depending on market.
Translators
In addition to its main signal, WGBA operates two translators to extend the station's coverage northward. The translators are a remnant of the analog era when it was Green Bay's only major UHF commercial television station. The station in fact had to keep a post office boxPost Office box
A post-office box or Post Office box is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office station....
address open for years and advertise an offer of a free pamphlet describing installation of a UHF television antenna
Television antenna
A television antenna, or TV aerial, is an antenna specifically designed for the reception of over the air broadcast television signals, which are transmitted at frequencies from about 41 to 250 MHz in the VHF band, and 470 to 960 MHz in the UHF band in different countries...
to interested viewers until the early 90's.
During that period, residents of Northern Door County
Door County, Wisconsin
Door County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 27,961. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. Door County is a popular vacation and tourist destination, especially for residents of Wisconsin and Illinois....
and the southern portion of 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 Upper Peninsula could easily receive the three Green Bay network stations on VHF and WFRV semi-satellite WJMN-TV
WJMN-TV
WJMN-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Michigan's Central Upper Peninsula licensed to Escanaba. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter in unincorporated Northern Delta County south of the Alger County line. The station can also be seen on...
from Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...
, along with PBS member station WNMU from Marquette, Michigan
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...
, but not WGBA and Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television is a state network of public television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Extension...
's WPNE-TV (Channel 38). Although its calls do not reflect this, W22BW channel 22 is officially licensed as a Class A
Class A television service
The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...
station. Before it became an NBC affiliate, WGBA was repeated in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on W02AM channel 2 in Gwinn
Gwinn, Michigan
Gwinn is an unincorporated community in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is in Forsyth Township at on M-35 near the forks of the east and middle branches of the Escanaba River. Gwinn is a census-designated place for statistical purposes, and the CDP includes the...
, W09BA channel 9 in Felch, W49AF channel 49 in Crystal Falls
Crystal Falls, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,791 people, 795 households, and 470 families residing in the city. The population density was 530.6 per square mile . There were 913 housing units at an average density of 270.5 per square mile...
, and W56BF channel 56 in Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain, Michigan
Iron Mountain is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,154. It is the county seat of Dickinson County, in the state's Upper Peninsula....
. The last translator was encrypted and part of the now-defunct over-the-air cable system in the area.
| Call letters | Channel | City of license City of license A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.... |
Transmitter location |
|---|---|---|---|
| W22BW | 22 | Sturgeon Bay Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,437 at the 2000 census. It is located at the natural end of Sturgeon Bay, although the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was built across the remainder of the Door Peninsula.-Geography:Sturgeon Bay is... |
north of downtown |
| W31BK | 31 | Menominee, Michigan Menominee, Michigan Menominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,131. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba... |
northeast of downtown |
History
The station signed-on as WLRE on December 31, 1980 broadcasting an analog signal on UHF channel 26. The call letters stood for station co-founder Lyle R. Evans. It was Green Bay's first Independent outlet as well as the first new commercial station to sign-on in the area in 25 years. In late-1984, the station's partnership was dissolved in a bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
court in which investors lost money. In 1985, it was bought by Family Group Broadcasting Incorporated for only pennies on the dollar. On October 3 of that year, the call letters were changed to WGBA-TV. The station, then known on-air as "TV 26", was well known in its early years for children programming host "Cuddles the Clown" who stayed with the station until it acquired an NBC affiliation and moved to WACY before retiring.
In the wake of a bankruptcy, Green Bay's original Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate WXGZ went dark February 14, 1992. WGBA became the new affiliate the following day changing its identification to "Fox 26". In 1994 during the first year of NFL on Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
, the station had to contract with 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 WBAY-TV
WBAY-TV
WBAY-TV is the ABC television affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin, broadcasting on UHF digital channel 23 from a transmitter located in the town of Ledgeview, Wisconsin, and master control based in its building in downtown Green Bay...
to do a pregame show before Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
games since it lacked a local sports department. WGBA relaunched WXGZ with Ace TV though a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
in June 1994. That station became a charter affiliate of UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
and changed its call letters to WACY-TV in 1995.
WGBA became an NBC affiliate in August 1995 in the wake of WLUK-TV
WLUK-TV
WLUK-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Fox River Valley area and Northeastern Wisconsin. Licensed to Green Bay, Wisconsin, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter on Scray's Hill in Ledgeview; the station also broadcasts in...
's switch to Fox after an ownership change and the network's acquisition of the NFL's National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
contract enabling the station to be the Packers' home station. WGBA then became known on-air as "NBC 26". As an NBC affiliate, it struggled to find a constant identity. Green Bay's other three stations have been been on-the-air since the 1950s and had loyal audiences. Relief did not come until October 2004 when the Journal Broadcast Group bought it for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
43.2 million after Aries Telecommunications sold the station. Journal had long wanted a station in Northeastern Wisconsin alongside its flagship station, WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV, digital channel 28 ; branded as "Today's TMJ4", is the NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha,...
in Milwaukee, that 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 NBC affiliate and dominant news station.
The purchase also included the LMA with WACY. Although Journal has wanted to buy WACY outright, this had been unlikely since Green Bay has only six full-power stations (not enough to legally permit a duopoly). However in September 2010, WLUK owner LIN TV Corporation exercised an option to purchase CW affiliate WCWF
WCWF
WNMN is the RTV-affiliated television station for Upstate New York that is licensed to Saranac Lake. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on the WYZY-FM tower north of the village along the Essex and Franklin County line. The station can also be seen on Burlington...
from ACME Communications
ACME Communications
ACME Communications is a United States-based television broadcasting company. The company was co-founded by current Chairman and former CEO Jamie Kellner, who previously served as a Fox Television Network executive and was founding CEO of The WB Television Network. Kellner used the name Acme as a...
, and asked for a "failing station waiver" which would allow LIN to own WLUK and WCWF, which is possible if the petitioner can prove the station is in an economically non-viable position. Because WCWF was hampered for years by several factors, including low cable carriage and an analog signal originating more towards their city of license, Suring
Suring, Wisconsin
Suring is a village in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Suring is located at ....
than Green Bay, the waiver was granted in February 2011. It is unlikely however Journal could argue the same for WACY, as ACE TV has maintained the license without incident since 1995 and WACY has always transmitted from Glenmore with good cable coverage, making a failing station waiver difficult to attain.
Since being acquired by Journal, WGBA and WTMJ have become close sister stations and now share the same news theme and graphics package. The stations share resources which allows WGBA to use WTMJ's resources for breaking news, live events, and sports coverage. This became more evident in 2008 when WGBA outsourced sports and weekend weather reports to WTMJ and simulcasted WTMJ's morning and noon newscasts for a short time. Prior to November 2010, WGBA did not utilize any subchannel services at all and never associated with NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus was a 24-hour, commercially sponsored, weather-oriented broadcast/cable television network jointly owned by NBC Universal and the local affiliates of the NBC network. It debuted on November 15, 2004 and shut down on December 31, 2008...
. The station finally launched 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 that month carrying TheCoolTV (an automated music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
network) which began airing on the WTMJ subchannel since the summer of 2009. The establishment of WGBA-DT2 marks the second commercial station in the market to launch a subchannel service after WBAY. TheCoolTV was replaced with Me-TV on October 1, 2011.
On September 7, Journal and Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.- History :The company was founded by Chicago...
announced that WGBA would carry the classic television network Me-TV on a subchannel, with cable coverage currently unknown.
News operation
During NBC coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympics1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, WGBA established a news department and began airing local newscasts every night at 6 and 10. Current Fox Business Network
Fox Business Network
Fox Business Network is an American cable news and satellite news television channel that began broadcasting on October 15, 2007. It is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
journalist Ashley Webster
Ashley Webster
Ashley Webster is a business news journalist for the Fox Business Network, a business news channel he joined in September 2007 as its Overseas Markets Editor...
was the station's first News Director
News Director
A news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
and weeknight anchor. Eventually as the operation grew, the station added shows in other dayparts. On June 3, 2008, Journal announced WGBA's sports department would shut down and the sports team, Ted Stefaniak and John Burton, would be laid-off by the company. All sports segments now pre-taped in advance originate from WTMJ's facilities (on East Capitol Drive/WIS 190 in Milwaukee's Far North Side section) using its personnel. WGBA's staff continues to film sports video and freelance announcers (some formerly with this station) provide commentary for Green Bay sporting events.
On July 14, 2008 due to low ratings and inconsistent viewership, WGBA discontinued its weekday morning show and noon newscast while leting go some of its staff. In place of those shows, WTMJ's Live at Daybreak and Live at Noon newscasts were simulcasted on this station with local weather cut-ins from WGBA in Green Bay. In January 2009, the weekday morning simulcast was cancelled and turned into a WGBA-produced rolling weather block called Non-Stop Weather. WTMJ's weekday noon broadcast later moved to WACY in order to allow WGBA's carriage of paid programming, which for a time in 2008, filled some of the station's early afternoon schedule due to syndicated program cancellations or low ratings. The midday news on WACY and paid programming on WGBA were eventually dropped as well.
On April 7, 2009, WTMJ became the first station in Milwaukee to upgrade local broadcasts to high definition. However, the pre-taped nightly sports and weekend weather segments originating from WTMJ were not included in the change. This is because WGBA has not yet converted its news department or syndicated programming to high definition (though none of WGBA's syndicated programs are even offered in HD at the present time). On July 24, it was announced some of WGBA's reporter and photojournalist jobs would be eliminated and the remaining staff would be retrained as "one man band" videojournalists handling reporting, camera work, and editing stories themselves. In September 2009, Bonnie Kirschman was let go and she was the final employee to remain with WGBA's news operation since the 1996 launch.
In mid-August 2009, the weekday morning weather block was canceled entirely with Better
Better (TV series)
Better is a syndicated lifestyle television show. It airs weekdays on 80 stations across the United States. The program is produced and distributed by Meredith Corporation which was first founded as a publishing company back in 1902. Better gets its name from Meredith's flagship publication, Better...
moving to the 5 a.m. hour followed by encores of the previous night's NBC 26 News Live at 10 broadcast and Early Today
Early Today
Early Today is an American morning news programme airing on the NBC television network. The program goes out live at 4:00am Eastern Time Zone for those few stations which start their local news at 4:30am, and is transmitted in a continuous half-hour tape delay loop until 10:00am ET, when Today...
before Today. On January 10, 2011, WGBA brought back a weekday morning show under the slightly revised title of NBC 26 News Today from a new morning-exclusive set. In addition to its main studios, the station operates a Fox Cities
Fox Cities
The Fox Cities of northeastern Wisconsin are the cities, towns and villages along the Fox River as it flows from Lake Winnebago northward into Green Bay. Together they form the core of the third largest metropolitan area of Wisconsin, with a population exceeding 360,000...
Bureau in Downtown Appleton
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
on West College Avenue. WGBA operates its own weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
at the main facilities in Ashwaubenon.
Station slogans
- "The Great Entertainer" (1980–1985)
- "Where Local News Comes First" (2000–2002)
- "Going Places" (2002–2004)
- "See for Yourself" (2004–2009; general slogan)
- "You Ask. We Investigate." (2004–2009; news slogan, still used as secondary)
- "In Your Corner" (2009–present)
- "NBC 26, More Colorful." (2011-present; local version of NBC ad campaign)
Current on-air staff
+ denotes personnel based at WTMJAnchors
- Jenny Evans - weekday mornings "NBC 26 News Today"
- Stacy Engebretson - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Bob Healey - News DirectorNews DirectorA news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
and fill-in anchor - + Melissa McCrady - weekend morning cut-ins
- Todd Hicks - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also reporter
NBC 26 Precision Weather Team
- Cameron Moreland (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5,6 and 10 p.m. - Brian Niznansky - meteorologist; weekday mornings "NBC 26 News Today"
- + Jesse Ritka - meteorologist; weekend morning cut-ins
- + Michael Fish - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
Sports
- + Lance Allan - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10
- + Rod Burks - weekend sports anchor and reporter
- + Jessie Garcia - sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor
Videojournalists
- Heather Burke
- Chad Doran
- Brian Miller
- Eric Peterson
Other staff
- + Melinda Myers - "Melinda's Garden Moment" segment producer
External links
- WGBA-TV "NBC 26" (can be entered into wireless devices for mobile access)
- WTMJ-TV "Today's TMJ 4"