WIBW-TV
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| Topeka, Kansas | |
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| Branding | WIBW-TV 13 (general) 13 News (newscasts) My Network Topeka (on DT2) |
| Slogan | Kansas' News Leader |
| Channels | Digital: 13 (VHF) |
| Subchannels | 13.1 CBS 13.2 MyNetworkTV |
| Translators | 44 (UHF) Topeka |
| Affiliations | CBS |
| Owner | Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, Inc.) |
| First air date | November 15, 1953 |
| Call letters' meaning | Indiana Broadcast Works (original owner of WIBW-AM's predecessor in Logansport, Indiana) |
| Sister station(s) | Former Sisters: WIBW-AM, WIBW-FM |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 13 (VHF, 1953-2009) Digital: 44 (UHF, 2002-2009) |
| Former affiliations | DuMont (1953-1955) NBC (1953-1967) ABC (1953-1983) all secondary Colours TV (secondary, on DT2) |
| Transmitter power | 27 kW |
| Height | 413 m |
| Facility ID | 63160 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°0′21.8″N 96°2′58.3″W / 39.006056°N 96.049528°W |
| Website | wibw.com |
WIBW-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Topeka, Kansas. It broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 13 and its digital translator on UHF channel 44. Both operating frequencies are transmitted in Maple Hill. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios at Southwest Commerce Place next to the I-70/I-470/U.S. 40/U.S. 75/KS 4 interchange. Syndicated programming on WIBW includes: Wheel Of Fortune, Two and a Half Men, Swift Justice with Nancy Grace, and Let's Make a Deal.
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[edit] Digital programming
On digital subchannel 13.2 and Cox channel 11 is MyNetworkTV affiliate My Network Topeka; syndicated programming on WIBW-DT2 includes: Scrubs, America's Funniest Home Videos, George Lopez and The People's Court.
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | main WIBW-TV programming / CBS |
| 6.2 | 480i | 4:3 | "MyNetworkTopeka" (MyNetworkTV) |
[edit] History
WIBW-TV, the second television station in Kansas, debuted on November 15, 1953. It was originally owned by the family of the late Senator Arthur Capper along with the Topeka Daily Capital and WIBW-AM 580. The station carried programming from all four networks at the time but was a primary CBS affiliate. Although Topeka was originally part of the Kansas City market, the Cappers persuaded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make Topeka its own market. While the city itself and its close-in suburbs receive the Kansas City stations very well, some parts of Northeastern Kansas get a marginal signal at best. The TV station's original studio was located on Wanamaker Road in west Topeka, near the Menninger Clinic. That building was severely damaged by fire January 5, 2012. [1]
It was the only commercial station in town for fifteen years. This was largely because the only other VHF frequency in the Topeka area, channel 11, had been designated as noncommercial; that allocation eventually became KTWU, which took to the air in 1965. However, area viewers did not have to worry about missing their favorite shows since the Kansas City stations all decently cover Topeka and started appearing on cable in the rest of the market in the 1960s. It lost DuMont when that network shut down in 1955, lost NBC when KTSB (now KSNT) signed-on in 1967, and lost ABC when KLDH (now KTKA) signed-on in 1983.
In 1957, Stauffer Publications (owner of Topeka's other newspaper the Topeka State Journal) bought Capper Publications. The two newspapers, which later merged as the Topeka Capital-Journal, and WIBW-AM-FM-TV remained the flagships of Stauffer Publications (later renamed Stauffer Communications) until 1995 when the company merged with Morris Communications of Augusta, Georgia. As a condition of the sale, Morris had to sell Stauffer's television holdings. Most of the former Stauffer television holdings, including WIBW, were sold to Benedek Broadcasting in 1996. In 2002, Benedek merged with this station's current owner, Gray Communications, now Gray Television. The radio stations are still owned by Morris today along with the Capital-Journal.
Beginning on September 18, 2006, its second digital subchannel signed-on with programming from MyNetworkTV (a network launched by Fox parent News Corporation) and a secondary affiliation with Colours TV which was eventually dropped. On February 16, 2009, WIBW moved back to its pre-analog allotment for their digital operations from UHF channel 44 to VHF channel 13. [2][3] But since the transition, some viewers in the urban areas are having difficulty receiving their signal over-the-air on channel 13. The FCC granted WIBW a construction permit for a fill-in digital translator on their pre-transition channel 44. [4] The translator serves the immediate part of the city and the nearby areas west of Topeka from the same transmitter as the main signal.
On February 23, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. WIBW-TV became the first television station in Northeast Kansas to broadcast local HD newscasts. WIBW has led every major technological transition in the Topeka, and Northeast Kansas market since going on the air in 1953. WIBW was the first to broadcast in color. The first station in the market to use microwave LNC live trucks, and the first and only that purchased a satellite SNG live truck.
It is still the only commercial station in Topeka on the VHF band (Public Broadcasting System affiliate KTWU is on channel 11). It has dominated the market for as long as records have been kept. WIBW, along with co-owned Wichita ABC affiliate KAKE-TV and Cox Communications, were one of two partners in "Kansas Now 22", a cable channel that aired throughout Kansas. WIBW and KAKE would originate five minute segments of taped news every fifteen minutes then an additional three minute taped weather segment. The two stations had alternating time slots for both news and weather segments. Live news or weather bulletins from KAKE in Wichita would interrupt normal taped operations on the channel. This service ended on January 2, 2009. The channel was relaunched on January 28, 2009 as "Kansas 22" with content originating from New Vision Television stations KSNW and KSNT (both NBC affiliates).
WIBW is one of the few stations west of the Mississippi River whose call sign begins with the letter "W". There are two explanations for this anomaly. One dates to WIBW-AM's roots as a station in Logansport, Indiana. It moved to Topeka in 1927. The move was sponsored by Capper, who added a "W" to the initials of the Indiana station's owner, Indiana Broadcast Works. However, the "W/K" divide for call signs was not always the Mississippi River and Kansas was on the eastern side of the original call divide. Thus it was perfectly acceptable to have a "W" in Kansas.
[edit] Programming
Currently, Wheel of Fortune airs on WIBW. Jeopardy!, on the other hand, airs on rival ABC affiliate KTKA. Topeka is one of the very few markets to carry Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune on separate stations.
[edit] News operation
[edit] News/station presentation
[edit] Newscast titles
- News 13 (1970s-1985)
- WIBW News (1985-1994)
- 13 News (1994-present)
[edit] Station slogans
- "The Spirit of Kansas on WIBW" (1985-1988)
- "13, The Original!" (1988-1990?)
- "Where Northeast Kansas Turns For News" (1996-2000)
- "Where News Comes First" (2000-2005)
- "Kansas' News Leader" (2005-present)
[edit] News team[5]
Anchors
- Melissa Brunner - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10 p.m.
- Chris Fisher - weekday mornings and noon
- Ralph Hipp - weeknights at 4, 6 and 10 p.m., and 9 p.m. on WIBW-DT2
- Amanda Lanum - weekday mornings and noon
- Stephanie Ramos - weekend evenings
- Marques White - weekend evenings; also weeknight reporter
SkyWatch 13 Weather
- Jeremy Goodwin (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m., and 9 p.m. on WIBW-DT2
- Rob Peppers (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend evenings
- Drew Switzer (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings and noon
- Doug Meyers - meteorologist; fill-in
Sports team
- J.B. Bauersfeld - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m., and 9 p.m. on WIBW-DT2
- Matt Blanchette - sports anchor; weekend evenings, also sports reporter
- Kinch O'Kelly - sports reporter; also fill-in sports anchor
- Adam Runyan - sports reporter
Reporters
- Doug Brown - chief photographer
- Rick Felsburg - photographer
- Eric Ives - photographer
- Suzie Gilbert - 5 and 6 p.m. reporter; also fill-in anchor
- Giang Nguyen - general assignment reporter
- Belinda Post - general assignment reporter
- Lindsey Rogers - Manhattan/Junction City bureau reporter
[edit] Former on-air staff
- Gary Bender
- Kevin Harlan (1979 summer sports intern, now at CBS Sports and Westwood One radio)
- Jim Hollis (also News Director)
- John Holt (later at WDAF-TV in Kansas City, Missouri)
- Mike Jerrick (now at Fox News Channel)
- Dave Johnson
- Gordon Jump
- Bill Kurtis
- Ron Paradis
- Tom Parmley (also News Director)
- Steve Physioc
- Ann Rubenstein (later at NBC News)
- Devin Scillian (now at WDIV in Detroit, Detroit and a children's author)
- Gerry Wallace
- Fred White (also broadcaster of Kansas City Royals baseball games)
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/fire-in-topeka-destroys-former-wibw-building_b35206
- ^ http://cjonline.com/stories/021409/loc_387794849.shtml
- ^ FCC list of full-service US TV stations, February 16, 2009
- ^ https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101346622&formid=346&fac_num=63160
- ^ WIBW Bios
[edit] External links
- WIBW-DT channel 13
- WIBW-DT mobile
- WIBW-DT2 "My Network Topeka"
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WIBW-TV
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