WHBF-TV
Encyclopedia
WHBF-TV, channel 4, is a television station licensed to Rock Island, Illinois
, which serves as the CBS affiliate for the Quad Cities
television market (comprising Rock Island and Moline, Illinois
, and Davneport
and Bettendorf, Iowa
). WHBF-TV is owned by Citadel Communications
(no relation to the Citadel Broadcasting Corporation), with studios located in the Telco Building in downtown Rock Island, and transmitter located in Bettendorf.
. It was owned by the Potter family, publishers of the Rock Island Argus, along with WHBF radio (1270 AM, now WKBF
; and 98.9 FM, now WLKU
).
WHBF-TV has been a CBS affiliate since its inception, but carried secondary affiliations with ABC
and the DuMont Television Network
. After DuMont's demise in 1956, WHBF shared ABC programming with WOC-TV (channel 6, now KWQC-TV
) until WQAD-TV
(channel 8) signed on as an ABC affiliate in 1963. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network
.
The Potters broke up their media holdings in 1986; at that time, Citadel acquired WHBF-TV, and the radio stations moved out of the Telco Building.
On January 29, 2007, WHBF-TV rebranded as CBS4. It also adopted a variation of the circle logo shared with Citadel's other major network affiliates.
WHBF-TV was the first station in the area to use color radar, and now uses the state-of-the-art weather system known as ESP: Live (Exclusive Storm Prediction). This allows the station to alert the Quad Cities about any potential weather hazards. Citadel's other stations also use the ESP: Live branding.
On December 1, 2008, WHBF-TV launched an affiliation with Retro Television Network
on its DT2 subchannel. Prior to this date, the station had been simulcasting its main programming in SDTV
on the DT2 subchannel. As of March 5, 2011, WHBF-TV's subchannel affiliation with Retro Television Network now has a local competitor in the Quad Cities as the DT2 subchannel of WQAD-TV
became an affiliate of Antenna TV
after WQAD discontinued their "Quad Cities Weather Channel" service on that date.
or its predecessor, CBS News Nightwatch. Instead the station joined its fellow Citadel stations in signing off every night, one of the few stations in the country to still do so. However, as of the mid-2000s, WHBF ran its transmitters all night, airing a test pattern
with station identification
superimposed over the pattern. The RTV affiliation on digital channel 4.2 has operated 24/7 since its debut on December 1, 2008, but the operations originate from video servers at RTV's headquarters, and not WHBF's master control
center. WHBF was the last Quad Cities television station to sign-off.
WHBF broadcasts the large majority of CBS
' network programming in high definition, with the exception of The Bold and the Beautiful
, Let's Make a Deal
, Up to the Minute, and 48 Hours Mystery, which are not currently broadcast in HD by CBS. In addition, two syndicated programs available on WHBF's schedule are broadcast in HDTV
: the weekday and weekend editions of Entertainment Tonight
, which is produced and distributed by CBS Television Distribution
; a corporate sibling of the CBS
Television Network under CBS Corporation
, and The Dr. Oz Show
, which is distributed by Sony Pictures Television
.
Digital channels>
Virtual
Channel
Physical
RF
Channel
Video
Aspect
Name
Programming
4.1
4.1
1080i
16:9
WHBF-DT
Main WHBF Programming/CBS
HDTV
4.2
4.2
480i
4:3
RTV 4
Retro Television Network
At 6:01am on Friday, June 12, 2009, WHBF-TV terminated its analog signal and moved its digital signal to channel 4. WHBF-TV is now one of the very few TV stations in the United States
to broadcast its digital signal on a low VHF
channel assignment, alongside sister station
WOI-DT in Des Moines
, Iowa
and ABC
O&O station
WPVI-TV
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
Even though the "WHBF-TV" callsign was transferred from analog channel 4 to digital channel 4 on the morning of June 12, 2009, and the "WHBF-DT" callsign was discontinued simultaneously, the PSIP
identifier for the main channel 4.1 still identifies the station's main channel as "WHBF-DT." Also, as of the digital transition, Retro Television Network on channel 4.2 is abbreviated "RTV" and not "RTN" like it was prior to the digital transition, and as of late summer 2009, WHBF's PSIP has been identifyting its secondary channel as "RTV 4" instead of the previous "RTN 4" although the local branding was immediately changed over at the transition.
on a low VHF
channel assignment, encountered numerous reception problems, and received several reception related complaints in its first two months alone of being broadcast digitally on VHF channel 4. As a result, the station's owner filed an application for a digital UHF fill-in translator
on channel 47 and also sought permission to increase the ERP
output of its main digital signal on VHF channel 4 from 24.1 kW to 33.7 kW. The fill-in translator is located on the station's Rock Island tower at the telco building-based studios in downtown and operates at an ERP of 2300 watt
s. Sister stations WOI-DT in Des Moines
, KLKN
in Lincoln
, and KCAU-TV
in Sioux City
, all of which returned their digital broadcasts to their former analog channel assignments in the VHF spectrum at the end of the digital transition in 2009 as well, are going through a similar process and they have all set up fill-in translators themselves.
As of September 8, 2009, WHBF has been operating its main digital signal on VHF channel 4 at an effective radiated power
of 33.7 kW. Also, as of October 22, 2009, WHBF has been operating its digital fill-in translator on UHF channel 47 from its studio location in downtown Rock Island
.
and The Early Show
each weekday morning between 6 and 9 a.m. Previously, WHBF had local news updates during the CBS Morning News and The Early Show but later on it was simply a repeat of the weather update that aired earlier in the half-hour during CBS Morning News and The Early Show. The CBS Morning News was aired at 6 a.m. and repeated itself at 6:30 a.m. weekdays on WHBF. WHBF also had not aired a 6 p.m. newscast during the week since 1997, although a 6 p.m. newscast has always aired on Saturday evenings.
WHBF has noticeable turnover with its on-air talent. Sports director Jay Kidwell has currently been at the station the longest, since 2001. Jay is known for his energetic personality and is becoming the Quad Cities' favorite for local sports coverage.
On December 21, 2010, WHBF-TV became the second in the Quad Cities market, behind KWQC, to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition
, beginning with the 5 p.m. newscast.
During the summer of 2011, WHBF announced morning newscasts would be coming to the channel. Meredith Dennis will anchor and Travis Michels will provide weather information starting on September 12, 2011. Also, the 6 p.m. news will return after a 14-year absence on September 26, 2011. The morning local newscast, known as the CBS 4 Morning News, is aired from 5:30 to 7 am. The CBS Morning News
was moved back to 5 am and the station's daily paid religious programming was discontinued.
ESP: Live Weather
Sports team
Reporters
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
, which serves as the CBS affiliate for the Quad Cities
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...
television market (comprising Rock Island and Moline, Illinois
Moline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
, and Davneport
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
and Bettendorf, Iowa
Bettendorf, Iowa
Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Bettendorf is the fifteenth largest city in the U.S. state of Iowa and the fourth largest city in the "Quad Cities". As of the 2010 United States Census the population grew to 33,217. Bettendorf is one of the Quad Cities, along with...
). WHBF-TV is owned by Citadel Communications
Citadel Communications
Citadel Communications Ltd. is a Bronxville, NY-based private broadcasting company that operates 5 full-power television stations and 1 low-power station...
(no relation to the Citadel Broadcasting Corporation), with studios located in the Telco Building in downtown Rock Island, and transmitter located in Bettendorf.
History
WHBF-TV signed on the air on July 1, 1950. It is the fifth-oldest surviving station in Illinois and the oldest outside ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It was owned by the Potter family, publishers of the Rock Island Argus, along with WHBF radio (1270 AM, now WKBF
WKBF (AM)
WKBF is a radio station licensed to Rock Island, Illinois, and carries a Spanish Regional Music format. The station's frequency is 1270 kHz, and broadcasts at a power of 5 kW...
; and 98.9 FM, now WLKU
WLKU
WLKU is a radio station licensed to Rock Island, Illinois, with a Christian contemporary format. The station's frequency is 98.9 MHz, and broadcasts at a power of 39 kW.WLKU is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.-Early history:...
).
WHBF-TV has been a CBS affiliate since its inception, but carried secondary affiliations 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...
and the DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
. After DuMont's demise in 1956, WHBF shared ABC programming with WOC-TV (channel 6, now KWQC-TV
KWQC-TV
KWQC-TV, virtual channel 6 , is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Quad Cities television market . It is licensed to Davenport and is owned by Young Broadcasting...
) until WQAD-TV
WQAD-TV
WQAD-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Quad Cities area of West-Central Illinois and Eastern Iowa that is licensed to Moline, Illinois...
(channel 8) signed on as an ABC affiliate in 1963. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network
NTA Film Network
The NTA Film Network was an early American television network founded by Ely Landau in 1956. The network was not a full-time television network like CBS, NBC, or ABC. Rather, it operated on a part-time basis, broadcasting films and several first-run television programs from major Hollywood studios...
.
The Potters broke up their media holdings in 1986; at that time, Citadel acquired WHBF-TV, and the radio stations moved out of the Telco Building.
On January 29, 2007, WHBF-TV rebranded as CBS4. It also adopted a variation of the circle logo shared with Citadel's other major network affiliates.
WHBF-TV was the first station in the area to use color radar, and now uses the state-of-the-art weather system known as ESP: Live (Exclusive Storm Prediction). This allows the station to alert the Quad Cities about any potential weather hazards. Citadel's other stations also use the ESP: Live branding.
On December 1, 2008, WHBF-TV launched an affiliation with Retro Television Network
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
on its DT2 subchannel. Prior to this date, the station had been simulcasting its main programming in SDTV
Standard-definition television
Sorete-definition television is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either enhanced-definition television or high-definition television . The term is usually used in reference to digital television, in particular when broadcasting at the same resolution as...
on the DT2 subchannel. As of March 5, 2011, WHBF-TV's subchannel affiliation with Retro Television Network now has a local competitor in the Quad Cities as the DT2 subchannel of WQAD-TV
WQAD-TV
WQAD-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Quad Cities area of West-Central Illinois and Eastern Iowa that is licensed to Moline, Illinois...
became an affiliate of Antenna TV
Antenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
after WQAD discontinued their "Quad Cities Weather Channel" service on that date.
Programming
WHBF carries the complete CBS schedule. However, until 2011, it did not carry CBS News Up to the MinuteUp to the Minute
Up to the Minute is a CBS overnight broadcast which offers hard news, features, interviews, weather, sports, business and commentary. Up to the Minute draws from the full resources of CBS News, including the CBS Evening News, Newspath, affiliate stations, the CBS Radio Network and Reuters Television...
or its predecessor, CBS News Nightwatch. Instead the station joined its fellow Citadel stations in signing off every night, one of the few stations in the country to still do so. However, as of the mid-2000s, WHBF ran its transmitters all night, airing a test pattern
SMPTE color bars
The SMPTE color bars are a type of television test pattern, and is most commonly used in countries where the NTSC video standard is dominant, such as those in North America. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers refers to this test pattern as Engineering Guideline EG 1-1990...
with station identification
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
superimposed over the pattern. The RTV affiliation on digital channel 4.2 has operated 24/7 since its debut on December 1, 2008, but the operations originate from video servers at RTV's headquarters, and not WHBF's master control
Master control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room in television studios where the activities such as switching from camera to camera are coordinated...
center. WHBF was the last Quad Cities television station to sign-off.
WHBF broadcasts the large majority of 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...
' network programming in high definition, with the exception of The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
, Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
, Up to the Minute, and 48 Hours Mystery, which are not currently broadcast in HD by CBS. In addition, two syndicated programs available on WHBF's schedule are broadcast in HDTV
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...
: the weekday and weekend editions of Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, which is produced and distributed by CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
; a corporate sibling of the 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...
Television Network under CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
, and The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show is an American syndicated television talk show, hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and teaching professor at Columbia University who became famous for his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show from 2004 until 2009....
, which is distributed by Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
.
Digital television
WHBF TV's signal is multiplexed: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....
RF
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
Channel
Display resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
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,...
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...
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...
HDTV
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...
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...
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
At 6:01am on Friday, June 12, 2009, WHBF-TV terminated its analog signal and moved its digital signal to channel 4. WHBF-TV is now one of the very few TV stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to broadcast its digital signal on a low VHF
Band I
Band I is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band I ranges from 47 to 88 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting....
channel assignment, alongside sister station
Citadel Communications
Citadel Communications Ltd. is a Bronxville, NY-based private broadcasting company that operates 5 full-power television stations and 1 low-power station...
WOI-DT in Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and 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...
O&O station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Even though the "WHBF-TV" callsign was transferred from analog channel 4 to digital channel 4 on the morning of June 12, 2009, and the "WHBF-DT" callsign was discontinued simultaneously, the PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
identifier for the main channel 4.1 still identifies the station's main channel as "WHBF-DT." Also, as of the digital transition, Retro Television Network on channel 4.2 is abbreviated "RTV" and not "RTN" like it was prior to the digital transition, and as of late summer 2009, WHBF's PSIP has been identifyting its secondary channel as "RTV 4" instead of the previous "RTN 4" although the local branding was immediately changed over at the transition.
Post-transition digital signal issues
During the Summer of 2009, WHBF-TV, being broadcast as it is in digitalDigital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
on a low VHF
Band I
Band I is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band I ranges from 47 to 88 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting....
channel assignment, encountered numerous reception problems, and received several reception related complaints in its first two months alone of being broadcast digitally on VHF channel 4. As a result, the station's owner filed an application for a digital UHF fill-in translator
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
on channel 47 and also sought permission to increase the ERP
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
output of its main digital signal on VHF channel 4 from 24.1 kW to 33.7 kW. The fill-in translator is located on the station's Rock Island tower at the telco building-based studios in downtown and operates at an ERP of 2300 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s. Sister stations WOI-DT in Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, KLKN
KLKN
KLKN, channel 8, is the ABC-affiliated television station in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. It is owned by Citadel Communications...
in Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, and KCAU-TV
KCAU-TV
KCAU-TV is a television station in Sioux City, Iowa, broadcasting digitally on VHF channel 9 as an affiliate of the American Broadcasting Company.-History:...
in Sioux City
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, all of which returned their digital broadcasts to their former analog channel assignments in the VHF spectrum at the end of the digital transition in 2009 as well, are going through a similar process and they have all set up fill-in translators themselves.
As of September 8, 2009, WHBF has been operating its main digital signal on VHF channel 4 at an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 33.7 kW. Also, as of October 22, 2009, WHBF has been operating its digital fill-in translator on UHF channel 47 from its studio location in downtown Rock Island
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
.
News operation
Prior to the Fall of 2011, WHBF, unllike most CBS affiliates, did not air a morning newscast and had not done so for many years. Instead, a weather forecast was aired during the CBS Morning NewsCBS Morning News
For CBS's main morning news program, formerly known as CBS Morning News, see The Early Show.CBS Morning News is the half-hour daily television broadcast from CBS News that airs following Up to the Minute and features late-breaking news stories, weather forecasts, and sports scores...
and The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
each weekday morning between 6 and 9 a.m. Previously, WHBF had local news updates during the CBS Morning News and The Early Show but later on it was simply a repeat of the weather update that aired earlier in the half-hour during CBS Morning News and The Early Show. The CBS Morning News was aired at 6 a.m. and repeated itself at 6:30 a.m. weekdays on WHBF. WHBF also had not aired a 6 p.m. newscast during the week since 1997, although a 6 p.m. newscast has always aired on Saturday evenings.
WHBF has noticeable turnover with its on-air talent. Sports director Jay Kidwell has currently been at the station the longest, since 2001. Jay is known for his energetic personality and is becoming the Quad Cities' favorite for local sports coverage.
On December 21, 2010, WHBF-TV became the second in the Quad Cities market, behind KWQC, to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in 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...
, beginning with the 5 p.m. newscast.
During the summer of 2011, WHBF announced morning newscasts would be coming to the channel. Meredith Dennis will anchor and Travis Michels will provide weather information starting on September 12, 2011. Also, the 6 p.m. news will return after a 14-year absence on September 26, 2011. The morning local newscast, known as the CBS 4 Morning News, is aired from 5:30 to 7 am. The CBS Morning News
CBS Morning News
For CBS's main morning news program, formerly known as CBS Morning News, see The Early Show.CBS Morning News is the half-hour daily television broadcast from CBS News that airs following Up to the Minute and features late-breaking news stories, weather forecasts, and sports scores...
was moved back to 5 am and the station's daily paid religious programming was discontinued.
Ratings
WHBF was a solid, if distant, runner-up to rival WOC-TV until the mid-1970s, when it surged to first place. It lost the lead to WOC-TV around 1980. The station was able to hold up the number 2 spot for most of the 1980s until WQAD passed it. Since the late 1980s, WHBF has clearly been the 3rd ranked station in the Quad Cities market.Newscast titles
- Action News (1970s-1985; used "Move Closer to Your WorldMove Closer to Your WorldMove Closer to Your World is a television news music package composed by jingle writer Al Ham under his Mayoham Music label. In the 1970s it was considered an anthem for local television news, and is considered the anthem of WPVI-TV in Philadelphia for its Action News programs to the current day...
" as its music package) - 4 News (1985–1990)
- Channel 4 News (1990–1996)
- News 4 WHBF (1996-2002)
- Channel 4 Eyewitness News (2002–2007)
- CBS 4 News (2007–present)
- Ten at 10 on CBS 4 (10 p.m. newscast; 2010–present)
Station slogans
- You'll Say I See (2002–2005)
- News For The Quad Cities (news slogan; 2007–present)
- CBS For The Quad Cities (general slogan; 2007–present)
Current on-air staff
Current anchors- Chloe Morroni - weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m. (weeknights at 6 p.m. starting September 26, 2011)
- Concetta Callahan - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
- Meredith Dennis - weekdays mornings (starting September 12, 2011)
ESP: Live Weather
- Andy McCray (NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. - Chris Gilson - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
- Travis Michels - meteorologist; weekday mornings (starting September 12, 2011)
Sports team
- Jay Kidwell - sports director; weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m.
- Steve Campbell - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
Reporters
- Courtney Baker - general assignment reporter
- Katie Jones - general assignment reporter
- Johnna Klossing - general assignment reporter
- Marissa Pendergrass - general assignment reporter