WMBB

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WMBB
WMBBlogo.png
Panama City, Florida
Branding WMBB News 13
This TV Panama City
(on DT2)
Slogan On Your Side
Channels Digital: 13 (VHF)
Subchannels 13.1 ABC
13.2 This TV
Affiliations ABC (1982-Present)
Owner Hoak Media Corporation
(Hoak Media Of Panama City License, LLC)
First air date October 4, 1973
Call letters' meaning World's Most
Beautiful Beaches
Former callsigns WDTB-TV (1973-1977)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
13 (VHF, 1973-2009)
Digital:
19 (UHF, 2003-2009)
Former affiliations NBC (1973-1982)
weather radar (on DT2)
Transmitter power 42 kW
Height 434 m
Facility ID 66398
Transmitter coordinates 30°21′8″N 85°23′28″W / 30.35222°N 85.39111°W / 30.35222; -85.39111
Website www.wmbb.com

WMBB is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Florida Panhandle that is licensed Panama City. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter in Youngstown along the Bay and Calhoun County line. Owned by Hoak Media Corporation, the station has studios on Harrison Avenue (U.S. 231/FL 75) in Downtown Panama City. Syndicated programming on WMBB includes: Entertainment Tonight, Oprah, Dr. Phil, and The Dr. Oz Show.

Contents

[edit] Digital television

On WMBB-DT2, Knology digital channel 133, and Comcast digital channel 209 is This TV which uses the fictional calls "NMBB-TV".

Channel Video Aspect Programming
13.1 720p 16:9 main WMBB programming / ABC (HD)
13.2 480i 4:3 "NMBB-TV" "This TV Panama City"

[edit] History

It first began broadcast operations on October 4, 1973 as WDTB-TV started by Panhandle Broadcasting Corporation (run by attorney Denver T. Brannen), financed by local businessman/car dealer Tommy Thomas, and attorneys Julian Bennett and Dick Arnold. When it first took to the air, the channel was originally an NBC network affiliate. On February 28, 1977, WDTB was sold to Octagon Broadcasting, an Atlanta-based outfit. Upon the change, Octagon changed the station's call sign to the current WMBB (which stands for "The World's Most Beautiful Beaches").

Originally, the station was positioned to be the NBC affiliate for Tallahassee as well since the market did not have one until April 21, 1983, when WTWC began. At the time, its transmitter was in Frink, Calhoun County, well over fifty miles (80 km) away from Tallahassee at approximately 30°22′9″N 85°12′29″W / 30.36917°N 85.20806°W / 30.36917; -85.20806. In addition, many viewers in the capital city already received NBC from Albany, Georgia's WALB which provided a better signal to the area.

On January 4, 1982, WMBB made the affiliation switch to ABC swapping with crosstown rival WJHG, which had been the market's original NBC station prior to 1973. Then on December 5, 1986, Buford Television of Tyler, Texas purchased the station and began investing in equipment and news talent in order to make the station more competitive, not only with WJHG, but also with Dothan, Alabama's WTVY, the CBS station serving the eastern part of the Northwestern Florida Panhandle region. It was also around this time that this station moved from its location in Downtown Panama City to its current location on Harrison Avenue that formerly housed a Buick dealership. The new facilities offered three times the space of the previous location.

Unexpectedly at 2:03 p.m. Central Time on May 18, 1989, an Air Force F-15 fighter jet clipped a wire at WMMB's Frink tower. This caused the tower, antenna, and transmitter to be completely destroyed. Not long after this incident, the channel was sold once again. This time, it joined Spartan Communications of Spartanburg, South Carolina as construction of new transmission equipment got underway. The company completed the acquisition on April 12, 1990. On August 6 of that same year, WMBB began broadcasting from a new 1,500-foot (457 m) state-of-the-art antenna and transmitter tower now in Youngstown. This allowed for better viewing of the station in the western half of the market including the rapidly growing southern Walton County area and Destin.

In 1993, WMBB refused to air the ABC show NYPD Blue due to its violence, harsh language, and partial nudity. Instead, it aired syndicated programming during the timeslot. It was one of several ABC affiliates across the country that refused clearance to the program. Then-General Manager Hugh Roche kept the show off the station until 1997 when the parental ratings system was adopted by the networks. By the time WMBB finally allowed the program to air, it was the last station in the country to lift its ban on the show.

In March 2000, this station became one of thirteen in a package acquired by Media General worth $605 million. Later that year, Media General purchased the Jackson County Floridan newspaper. WMBB then established a Jackson County Bureau and used the resources of the Floridan to cover Jackson County as well. This caught the eye of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) because of the common ownership of a newspaper and television station in the same market. With the sale of WMBB to Hoak Media, this is no longer an issue. By the time Media General sold the station, Media General was granted a permanent waiver by the FCC to operate both properties in the same market. Even after the sale, both properties remain media partners.

On March 14, 2008, it was announced that Media General would sell the station (and sister KALB-TV in Alexandria, Louisiana) to Hoak Media Corporation.[1] The deal was closed on July 16.[2] WMBB is Hoak's first television station east of the Mississippi River. In July 2010, the station replaced its second digital subchannel broadcast of weather radar with This TV. That network originally aired on WBIF after that channel stopped airing content from the Retro Television Network (RTV). Its replacement was supposed to be WPGX-DT2 but this never made it to air. "NMBB-TV" will air collegiate games from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) starting in the Fall.

[edit] News operation

WMBB made history during Hurricane Dennis in July 2005 when it became the first station in Panama City to broadcast live storm coverage over the internet. It was one of the first stations in the country to use the Titan forecasting tool (a 3D forecasting system which showed the collapse of the storm just before it struck Santa Rosa Island).

As of January 2010, this station (who is across the street from Fox affiliate WPGX) has begun to produce weather cut-ins for that channel. WMBB offers live streams of its newscasts regional weather radar on its website. In May 2011, WMBB debuted widescreen newscasts, becoming the second station in the Panama City area to do so. New graphics, music and a modified set design were a part of the upgrade. On July 21, 2011, WMBB announced on their Facebook page that they would add another newscast starting September 12, "News 13 Midday" that will run from 11 a.m. until noon each day. This is actually a return to doing a news program at Midday since the station used to produce a midday program until the late 1990s.

[edit] Newscast titles

[edit] Station slogans

  • "TV-13, 13 Strong" (1990–1994, general slogan)[3]
  • "Coverage You Can Count On" (1990–1996, news slogan)
  • "Your News Station" (1996–2001)
  • "On Your Side" (2001–2011)
  • The station no longer uses a defining brand, instead, creating subbrands.
    • "Sports. Done Right."
    • "The Most Experienced Weather Team in the Panhandle"

[edit] News team[5]

Anchors

  • Jerry Brown - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also "Problem Solver" segment producer
  • J. Michael Brown - weekend evenings
  • Jessica Foster - weekday mornings; also "Modern Medicine" segment producer
  • Amy Hoyt - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also assistant news director and "The Wheel" segment producer
  • Greg Sherrod - weekday mornings

Titan 13 Weather Team

  • Justin Kiefer (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Jerry Tabatt - senior forecaster; weekday mornings, also community outreach coordinator
  • Elissia Wilson (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend evenings

Sports team

  • Chris Marchand - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Alison Posey - sports anchor; weekend evenings, also sports reporter

Reporters

  • Jay Granberg - photographer
  • Jason Hackett - general assignment reporter
  • Alyssa Hyman - general assignment reporter
  • Marc McAfee - general assignment reporter
  • Andrew Ruiz - general assignment reporter
  • Allyson Walker - general assignment reporter
  • Nadeen Yanes - general assignment reporter

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6540825.html
  2. ^ Hoak Closes Purchase of WMBB, KALB/NALB - 7/16/2008 10:59:00 AM - Broadcasting & Cable
  3. ^ a b WMBB-TV, Tom Lewis, Kathy Oliver & Leif Pedersen-Diaz 1994
  4. ^ WMBB News 13 This Morning 7/15/09
  5. ^ News Team

[edit] External links
Stations

WPAF 2 (Ind) • WTVY (4.1 CBS, 4.2 MNTV, 4.3 CW) • W06CQ 6 (Ind) • WJHG (7.1 NBC, 7.2 CW, 7.3 MNTV, 7.4 VIPIR Weather) • WMBB (13.1 ABC, 13.2 This TV) • WPFN 22 (A1) • WWEO 24 (FN) • WPGX (28.1 Fox) • W34DH 34 (Silent) • WPCT (46.1 Tourist) • WBIF (51.1 Daystar) • WFSG (56.1 PBS)
ABC Network Affiliates in the state of Florida
ABC network affiliates
KAQY1 · KSFY/KABY/KPRY · WMBB
CBS network affiliates
CW network affiliate
Fox network affiliates
K11TW · KFQX1
MyNetworkTV network affiliate
NBC network affiliates
ThisTV network affiliates
KHAS-DT2 · KVLY-DT2 · WMBB-DT2
1KAQY, KFQX and KXJB-TV are owned by Parker Broadcasting and operated by Hoak under a local marketing agreement.
2Hoak owns KAUZ-TV's license but management capabilities belong to the Drewry Communications Group, the owner of KSWO-TV in the same market.
Website: Hoak Media
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WMBB&oldid=477246258"
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