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*''NEWS 2'' (1994-1996)
*''NEWS 2'' (1994-1996)
*''NBC 2 News'' (1996-present)
*''NBC 2 News'' (1996-present)

===Station Slogans====
*''Count On Us!'' 1996-2008
*''Count On Us in High Definition!'' 2008-Present


==News team==
==News team==

Revision as of 07:04, 2 November 2008

{{Infobox broadcast}} may refer to:

{{Template disambiguation}} should never be transcluded in the main namespace.

WBBH-TV, channel 20, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southwest Florida that is licensed to Fort Myers. Its transmitter is located north of Fort Myers Shores near the Lee and Charlotte County line. Owned by Waterman Broadcasting Corporation, WBBH operates ABC affiliate WZVN-TV (which is owned by Montclaire Communications) through a local marketing agreement (LMA). The two stations share studios on Central Avenue in Fort Myers. WBBH is offered on Comcast cable channel 2 which is reflected on its on-air branding, NBC 2. Syndicated programming on the station includes: Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Rachael Ray, and Ellen.

History

Channel 20 was the second television station in Southwest Florida signing on as the area's NBC affiliate on December 18, 1968. Started by local businessmen, the station originally used a 1,000 foot tower in Lehigh Acres which increased to 1,500 feet in 1983. Waterman Broadcasting purchased the station in 1978 and the -TV suffix was removed from the call letters on October 16 of that year (they were later bought back). In 1994, ABC affiliate WEVU changed its calls to WZVN and entered into a local marketing agreement with WBBH. That station then moved into WBBH's facilities. At that time, both stations began identifying by their cable channels. WBBH and WZVN began broadcasting high definition signals on October 31, 2002. They were the first two stations in the market to offer network programming in high definition. WBBH's HDTV signal can also be seen on Comcast digital cable channel 232. WBBH began offering NBC Weather Plus on its second digital subchannel in September of 2006. It is also offered on Comcast digital cable channel 245.

News operation

File:Wbbh open 2008.png
WBBH's nightly 6 o'clock news open.

In 1994, when WBBH and WZVN begin their partnership, reporters would appear on either station. The combined forces of the two stations were billed as the "Eyewitness News Network". However, each station used its own primary personalities, news set, and on-air style. Today this continues with Darrel Adams as current News Director for both stations. Although the two have separate on-air identities, it is not unusual for news personnel to share video. WBBH tends to cover more news from Charlotte County while WZVN has a slight Collier County focus. WBBH is the primary competitor with CBS affiliate WINK-TV which has been and continues to be the market leader. The station's best known former personality is Harry Horn who was also a veteran of WZVN and WINK-TV. He lost his battle with ALS in August of 2005. During major hurricanes, recently Charley and Wilma, the news teams of WBBH and WZVN join together to put on 24-hour coverage.

There is a simulcast on both stations and a common live video stream on both of their websites. During previous years, WBBH's anchor desk was used along with both station's weather centers. As of the 2007 season, WZVN's high definition studio will be used in the event of a hurricane as it provides the best protection against damaging winds. Commercial breaks are dropped for several hours preceding and following landfall. Since March of 2007, WBBH's website has been offering live streaming video of its weekday Noon and 4 P.M. newscasts. In June, the station added local news segments to its NBC Weather Plus subchannel. On July 12, WZVN began broadcasting its news in widescreen 16x9 standard definition. The station branded it as "enhanced digital definition" which is not the same as full high definition. On October 20, competitor WINK-TV became the first Southwest Florida station to broadcast local news in full high definition.

In early-February 2008 following the lead of WZVN, WBBH also upgraded to enhanced digital definition. On July 19, the two stations started broadcasting their local newscasts in high definition becoming the second and third stations respectively in Fort Myers to do so (WZVN upgraded five hours after WBBH). On October 26, several changes occurred at both stations. WZVN dropped the first hour of its weekday morning news as well as their 10 A.M. broadcast. WBBH debuted a new 11 A.M. newscast while keeping its Noon broadcast. Unlike most NBC affiliates, the station airs news at Noon on the weekends. In addition to their main studios, WZVN and WBBH share two news bureaus. The Collier County Bureau is located on Tamiami Trail North in Naples. The Charlotte County Bureau is located in Punta Gorda. The two stations own and share a Baron weather radar. It is located near their studios and is known on WBBH as "First Alert Power Doppler HD". The radar has a range of 300 miles and can survey approaching storms in three dimensions.

Newscast titles

  • The Sixth Hour Report / The Eleventh Hour Report (1968-1974)
  • First Edition News (1974-1977)
  • TV-20 Eyewitness News (1977-1994)
  • NEWS 2 (1994-1996)
  • NBC 2 News (1996-present)

Station Slogans=

  • Count On Us! 1996-2008
  • Count On Us in High Definition! 2008-Present

News team

File:Wbbh tv anchors.png
Kellie Burns and Craig Wolf anchor weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 6.
File:Wbbh 20 weather.png
WBBH's Chief Meteorologist.

Anchors

  • Clay Miller - weekday mornings and Noon
  • Heather Turco - weekday mornings and Noon
  • Eric Weisfeld - weekdays at 11 A.M. and weekday mornings on WZVN-TV
  • Nancy Alvarez - weekdays at 11 A.M
    • consumer and investigative reporter
  • Paul LaGrone - weeknights at 4 and 11 and investigative reporter
  • Jamie Yuccas - weeknights at 4 and 11 and investigative reporter
  • Craig Wolf - weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 6
  • Kellie Burns - weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 6
  • Grant Lodes - weekend mornings
    • weekend evening sports anchor and host of NBC 2 Sports Machine
    • sports reporter
  • Jessica Stilwell - weekend mornings and Noon
    • fill-in anchor and medical reporter
  • Brandon Gunnoe - weekend evenings and reporter
  • Michelle Burdo - weekend evenings and reporter

NBC 2 First Alert Storm Team

  • Robert Van Winkle - Chief seen on weeknights
  • Haley Webb - weekday mornings
  • John Patrick (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - weekdays at 11 A.M. and weekday mornings on WZVN-TV
  • Morgan Palmer (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - weekdays at Noon and 4
  • Chris Lambert (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) - weekends
  • Michelle Cunningham - fill-in

Sports

  • Chris Long - Director seen on weeknights at 6 and 11
    • sports reporter and videojournalist

Reporters

  • Marisa Brahney - Collier County Bureau
  • Adam Freeman - Collier County Bureau
  • Meaghan Smith - Charlotte County Bureau
  • Kate Eckman - Cape Coral
  • Kara Kenney - investigative
  • Jason Pawloski - weekday morning traffic
  • Jillian Windham - weeknight 4 and 5 o'clock traffic
  • Todd Ofenbeck - Photojournalist Director
  • Grant Boxleitner
  • Kegan Feeny
  • Ryan Hughes
  • Amie McLain
  • Cara Sapida
  • Anne Imanuel
  • Chad Oliver

Former personalities

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