WBKO
Encyclopedia
WBKO is the ABC
-affiliated television station
for South Central
Kentucky
licensed to Bowling Green
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter along KY 185
/Richardsville Road in unincorporated
Northern Warren County
. The station can also be seen on Insight
channel 9 and in high definition on digital channel 908. Owned by Gray Television
, WBKO has studios on US 68/KY 80/Russellville Road in Bowling Green along the William H. Natcher Parkway
. Syndicated
programming on the station includes Wheel of Fortune
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, and Live with Regis and Kelly
among others.
digital subchannel
. Known on-air as WBKO Fox, this can also be seen on Insight channel 8 and in high definition on digital channel 910. Syndicated programming on WBKO-DT2 includes How I Met Your Mother
, New Adventures of Old Christine, Everybody Loves Raymond
, and Judge Joe Brown along with others. Overnight, the station airs Jewelry Television
. WBKO also operates the area's CW
affiliate on a third digital subchannel. Known on-air as South Central Kentucky CW, this is offered on Insight channel 12. WBKO-DT3 receives all programming through The CW Plus
.
outlet to launch in Bowling Green and aired an analog signal on VHF channel 13. Joe Walters (a former RCA
engineer) and Mr. & Mrs. George Brown (local sales people) owned the station. It was an Independent owned by Argus Broadcasting and originally had studios at its transmitter in rural Warren County outside Bowling Green proper.
On March 6, 1967, WLTV became affiliated with ABC and aired all of its shows. After spending some time off the air in late 1969 due to an explosion destroying its transmitter, the station changed hands to Professional Telecasting Systems in 1970. The new owner adopted the current WBKO (meaning Bowling Green, Kentucky's Own) call sign and instituted color telecasting for local in-studio programming and newscasts in 1971. Also by this time, the station had moved to studios in Downtown Bowling Green. Five years later, a local group known as Bluegrass Media bought WBKO from Professional Telecasting. It remained in Bluegrass's hands until 1983 when broadcaster A. Richard Benedek
took over. Under Benedek's management, WBKO built its present studios on Russellville Road in 1985.
In September 1998, an agreement between this station and the area's cable provider allowed WBKO to launch cable-exclusive WB affiliate "WBWG". The arrangement was established during a period The WB deployed various network stations outside the top 100 market
s as cable-only channels. "WBWG" was programmed through The WB 100+
as the Bowling Green market had a rank of 183. Since it was a cable-exclusive outlet, the call sign was not officially recognized by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). WBKO provided sales and promotional opportunities to "WBWG".
In 2000, the station began broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 33. In 2002, Benedek sold most of his stations (including WBKO) to current owner Gray Television. Due to its fairly close proximity to Nashville, Tennessee
(about sixty miles), WBKO has often competed with that market
's ABC affiliate WKRN for viewing allegiances. The station was one of the few ABC stations nationwide that refused to broadcast NYPD Blue
in its first season in 1993. On January 24, 2006, UPN
and The WB announced the two networks would cease broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS
(the parent company of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros.
unit of Time Warner
.
Meanwhile on September 5, WBKO signed-on a new second digital subchannel to serve as a Fox affiliate. This filled a gap created in 2001 when WNKY
dropped its Fox affiliation and switched to NBC
. The CW launched on September 18 and WBWG became affiliated with The CW via The CW Plus
(a similar operation to The WB 100+). After becoming available on a new third digital subchannel of WBKO, it dropped the faux calls in favor of official WBKO-DT3. As a result of adding Fox, Bowling Green now offers every major network except MyNetworkTV
. If that network ever comes to Bowling Green, the city would be able to sustain its own complete television market without relying on other markets for programming except for ION Television.
On December 8, 2008 at 1:15 in the morning, WBKO shut down its analog signal in a flash-cut
procedure. This allowed the station to begin the process of installing a new digital antenna and other equipment. Originally, its digital signal was scheduled to move to VHF channel 13 on or immediately after December 22. However, due to inclement weather and the holiday season, the construction took longer than anticipated with eight more days of construction resuming on January 3, 2009. Due to the installation of the equipment at the transmitter site, the digital signal (on UHF channel 33) was off-the-air during daytime hours so that installation work could be completed. Until the completion of the over-the-air transition, WBKO was seen non-stop on several area cable systems.
According to Weather Director Chris Allen's official Facebook
page on May 20, 2010, he posted Dish Network
was in the process of adding WBKO's main signal and Fox subchannel to its system (the actual addition occurred June 3). Viewers living in Warren, Butler
, Hart
, Edmonson
, Barren
, and Metcalfe
Counties in South Central Kentucky are eligible to switch to Bowling Green local stations. This was made possible by the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010
signed into law by President
Barack Obama
the week prior. WBKO and other local Bowling Green stations are still unavailable on DirecTV
at this time.
As the first commercial television station to launch in Bowling Green, WBKO has been a longtime leader according to Nielsen ratings
. Even after the sign-on of WQQB (now WNKY) in 1989, the station has remained the dominant outlet for South Central Kentucky. However, it has also competed with Nashville stations transmitting rimshot signals into parts of the Bowling Green area. WBKO's first newscasts were branded as Channel 13 News Report and began airing in 1963. In 1973, the news operation became NewsCenter 13. Most recently, the broadcasts were re-branded to WBKO 13 News.
As the area's original Fox affiliate in the mid-1990s, WNKY established its own news department. Unable to gain consistent viewership and ratings against WBKO, that station's short lived full news operation was eventually shut down. In the early-2000s, WNKY slowly re-entered the market with an unusual weather-only approach. Instead of full newscasts, it offers weekday morning and nightly local weather forecast cut-ins provided through AccuWeather
of State College, Pennsylvania
.
In late-January 2009 in an attempt to increase its presence against WBKO, WNKY launched a weekday morning show. Airing for a half-hour at 6:30, the broadcast is produced in partnership with the Bowling Green Daily News
. The newspaper provides short local news updates and WNKY produces traditional weather segments. The show is replayed at 9 in the morning on WNKY's CBS-affiliated second
subchannel.
On October 21, 2007, current Fox affiliate WBKO-DT2 began airing a thirty minute prime time newscast on weeknights known as WBKO Fox News at 9. Sarah Goebel originally anchored the show until early-2008 when she was promoted to WBKO's main weeknight broadcasts. After this, Daniel Kemp was the news anchor until early-June when he moved to the weekend newscasts on the main channel. Julie Talley would host the prime time broadcast for a short time in mid-2008 after which reporter and internet producer Sam Provenzano anchored the show until its cancellation. WBKO Fox News at 9 stopped airing on November 28, 2008 as a result of financial issues. WBKO-DT2 continues to replay MidDay Live tapped delayed weekdays at noon.
Like all CW plus affiliates in the Central Time Zone
, WBKO-DT3 airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
on weekdays from 5 until 8. At its studios, WBKO operates a Doppler
weather radar
of its own known as "First Alert Live Doppler". Unlike most ABC affiliates, the station does not air a full two-hour weekday morning show and/or early evening news on weekends.
WBKO 13 First Alert Storm Team
Sports (both seen on The Sports Connection)
Reporters
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...
-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 South Central
South Central Kentucky
South Central Kentucky is a cultural region of 22 Kentucky counties located roughly between I-65 in the Bowling Green area and I-75 around the London area, but within three counties of the Tennessee border and south of the "Golden Triangle"...
Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
licensed to Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
. 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 VHF channel 13 from a transmitter along KY 185
Kentucky Route 185
Kentucky Route 185 is a north–south state highway traversing four counties in south-central Kentucky.-Route description:Route 185 begins at a junction with the cojoined US 68/KY 80 just north of downtown Bowling Green....
/Richardsville Road in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Northern Warren County
Warren County, Kentucky
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky, specifically the Pennyroyal Plateau and Western Coal Fields regions. It is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 113,792 in the 2010 Census. The county seat is Bowling Green...
. The station can also be seen on Insight
Insight Communications
Insight Communications is the 13th largest multiple system operator in the United States with approximately 692,000 customers in the three contiguous states of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio...
channel 9 and in high definition on digital channel 908. Owned by Gray Television
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
, WBKO has studios on US 68/KY 80/Russellville Road in Bowling Green along the William H. Natcher Parkway
William H. Natcher Parkway
The Wiliam H. Natcher Green River Parkway is a limited-access freeway from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Owensboro, Kentucky. The Natcher is one of nine highways that are part of Kentucky's parkway system. Conceived as the "Owensboro-Bowling Green Parkway," it was instead named the Green River...
. 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 the station includes Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, and Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
among others.
Digital programming
WBKO operates the area's Fox affiliate on a secondWBKO-DT2
WBKO-DT2 is the Fox-affiliated television station for South Central Kentucky. The station is a second digital subchannel of ABC affiliate WBKO owned by Gray Television. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on VHF channel 13.2 from a transmitter along KY 185/Richardsville...
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...
. Known on-air as WBKO Fox, this can also be seen on Insight channel 8 and in high definition on digital channel 910. Syndicated programming on WBKO-DT2 includes How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, New Adventures of Old Christine, Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
, and Judge Joe Brown along with others. Overnight, the station airs Jewelry Television
Jewelry Television
Jewelry Television is an American television network, similar to the Home Shopping Network. It was formerly called "America's Collectibles Network" . The privately-held company was founded in 1993 and broadcasts high definition programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to over 80 million unique...
. WBKO also operates the area's CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate on a third digital subchannel. Known on-air as South Central Kentucky CW, this is offered on Insight channel 12. WBKO-DT3 receives all programming through The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
.
| Channel | Name | Video 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.1 | WBKO-HD | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
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 WBKO programming/ABC |
| 13.2 | WBKO-FX | 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 | "WBKO Fox" |
| 13.3 | WBKO-CW | "South Central Kentucky CW" |
History
The station signed-on June 3, 1962 with the call letters WLTV (standing for Wonderful Live Television). It was the first commercialCommercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...
outlet to launch in Bowling Green and aired an analog signal on VHF channel 13. Joe Walters (a former RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
engineer) and Mr. & Mrs. George Brown (local sales people) owned the station. It was an Independent owned by Argus Broadcasting and originally had studios at its transmitter in rural Warren County outside Bowling Green proper.
On March 6, 1967, WLTV became affiliated with ABC and aired all of its shows. After spending some time off the air in late 1969 due to an explosion destroying its transmitter, the station changed hands to Professional Telecasting Systems in 1970. The new owner adopted the current WBKO (meaning Bowling Green, Kentucky's Own) call sign and instituted color telecasting for local in-studio programming and newscasts in 1971. Also by this time, the station had moved to studios in Downtown Bowling Green. Five years later, a local group known as Bluegrass Media bought WBKO from Professional Telecasting. It remained in Bluegrass's hands until 1983 when broadcaster A. Richard Benedek
Benedek Broadcasting
Benedek Broadcasting is a former television broadcaster, who owned and operated 22 network-affiliated television stations throughout the United States, all affiliated with major television networks, serving mainly small and medium-size markets. The company was founded in the late 1970s by A...
took over. Under Benedek's management, WBKO built its present studios on Russellville Road in 1985.
In September 1998, an agreement between this station and the area's cable provider allowed WBKO to launch cable-exclusive WB affiliate "WBWG". The arrangement was established during a period The WB deployed various network stations outside the top 100 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 as cable-only channels. "WBWG" was programmed through The WB 100+
The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group was a group of primarily non-broadcast local cable television outlets for The WB Television Network, for markets below the top 100 television media markets in the United States. Dayparts with no WB programming were programmed by the network...
as the Bowling Green market had a rank of 183. Since it was a cable-exclusive outlet, the call sign was not officially recognized by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC). WBKO provided sales and promotional opportunities to "WBWG".
In 2000, the station began broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 33. In 2002, Benedek sold most of his stations (including WBKO) to current owner Gray Television. Due to its fairly close proximity to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
(about sixty miles), WBKO has often competed with 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 ABC affiliate WKRN for viewing allegiances. The station was one of the few ABC stations nationwide that refused to broadcast NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
in its first season in 1993. On January 24, 2006, 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 The WB announced the two networks would cease broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS
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...
(the parent company of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
unit of 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...
.
Meanwhile on September 5, WBKO signed-on a new second digital subchannel to serve as a Fox affiliate. This filled a gap created in 2001 when WNKY
WNKY
WNKY is the NBC-affiliated television station for South Central Kentucky licensed to Bowling Green. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 16 from a transmitter on Pilot Knob in Smiths Grove along I-65. The station can also be seen on Insight channel 7 and in high definition...
dropped its Fox affiliation and switched to NBC
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...
. The CW launched on September 18 and WBWG became affiliated with The CW via The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
(a similar operation to The WB 100+). After becoming available on a new third digital subchannel of WBKO, it dropped the faux calls in favor of official WBKO-DT3. As a result of adding Fox, Bowling Green now offers every major network except MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
. If that network ever comes to Bowling Green, the city would be able to sustain its own complete television market without relying on other markets for programming except for ION Television.
On December 8, 2008 at 1:15 in the morning, WBKO shut down its analog signal in a flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
procedure. This allowed the station to begin the process of installing a new digital antenna and other equipment. Originally, its digital signal was scheduled to move to VHF channel 13 on or immediately after December 22. However, due to inclement weather and the holiday season, the construction took longer than anticipated with eight more days of construction resuming on January 3, 2009. Due to the installation of the equipment at the transmitter site, the digital signal (on UHF channel 33) was off-the-air during daytime hours so that installation work could be completed. Until the completion of the over-the-air transition, WBKO was seen non-stop on several area cable systems.
According to Weather Director Chris Allen's official Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page on May 20, 2010, he posted Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
was in the process of adding WBKO's main signal and Fox subchannel to its system (the actual addition occurred June 3). Viewers living in Warren, Butler
Butler County, Kentucky
Butler County is a county located in the US state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1810, becoming Kentucky's 53rd county. As of 2000, the population was 13,010. Its county seat is Morgantown, Kentucky. Butler is a prohibition or dry county.- History :...
, Hart
Hart County, Kentucky
Hart County is a county located in the U.S. state — or, more correctly, "Commonwealth" — of Kentucky. It was formed in 1819. , the population was 17,445. Its county seat is Munfordville. The county is named for Captain Nathaniel G. S. Hart, a Kentucky militia officer in the War of 1812...
, Edmonson
Edmonson County, Kentucky
Edmonson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1826. As of 2007, the population was 11,978. It is included in the Bowling Green Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is Brownsville...
, Barren
Barren County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,033 people, 15,346 households, and 10,941 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 17,095 housing units at an average density of...
, and Metcalfe
Metcalfe County, Kentucky
Metcalfe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 10,037. Its county seat is Edmonton. The county is named for Thomas Metcalfe, Governor of Kentucky from 1828-32...
Counties in South Central Kentucky are eligible to switch to Bowling Green local stations. This was made possible by the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010
Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010
The Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010 or STELA is one of the acts of the 111th United States Congress. It renewed the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004, which governs the retransmission of broadcast television content by satellite companies...
signed into law by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
the week prior. WBKO and other local Bowling Green stations are still unavailable on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
at this time.
News operation
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. Even after the sign-on of WQQB (now WNKY) in 1989, the station has remained the dominant outlet for South Central Kentucky. However, it has also competed with Nashville stations transmitting rimshot signals into parts of the Bowling Green area. WBKO's first newscasts were branded as Channel 13 News Report and began airing in 1963. In 1973, the news operation became NewsCenter 13. Most recently, the broadcasts were re-branded to WBKO 13 News.
As the area's original Fox affiliate in the mid-1990s, WNKY established its own news department. Unable to gain consistent viewership and ratings against WBKO, that station's short lived full news operation was eventually shut down. In the early-2000s, WNKY slowly re-entered the market with an unusual weather-only approach. Instead of full newscasts, it offers weekday morning and nightly local weather forecast cut-ins provided through AccuWeather
AccuWeather
AccuWeather is an American media company that provides for-profit weather forecasting services worldwide.AccuWeather was founded in 1962 by Joel N. Myers, then a Penn State graduate student working on degrees in meteorology. His first customer was a gas company in Pennsylvania. While running the...
of State College, Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
.
In late-January 2009 in an attempt to increase its presence against WBKO, WNKY launched a weekday morning show. Airing for a half-hour at 6:30, the broadcast is produced in partnership with the Bowling Green Daily News
The Daily News (Kentucky)
The Daily News is a daily newspaper based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is published Saturday and Sunday mornings and Monday through Friday evenings....
. The newspaper provides short local news updates and WNKY produces traditional weather segments. The show is replayed at 9 in the morning on WNKY's CBS-affiliated second
WNKY-DT2
WNKY-DT2 is the CBS-affiliated television station for South Central Kentucky. The station is a second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate WNKY owned by Max Media. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 16.2 WNKY-DT2 is the CBS-affiliated television station...
subchannel.
On October 21, 2007, current Fox affiliate WBKO-DT2 began airing a thirty minute prime time newscast on weeknights known as WBKO Fox News at 9. Sarah Goebel originally anchored the show until early-2008 when she was promoted to WBKO's main weeknight broadcasts. After this, Daniel Kemp was the news anchor until early-June when he moved to the weekend newscasts on the main channel. Julie Talley would host the prime time broadcast for a short time in mid-2008 after which reporter and internet producer Sam Provenzano anchored the show until its cancellation. WBKO Fox News at 9 stopped airing on November 28, 2008 as a result of financial issues. WBKO-DT2 continues to replay MidDay Live tapped delayed weekdays at noon.
Like all CW plus affiliates in the Central Time Zone
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
, WBKO-DT3 airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
on weekdays from 5 until 8. At its studios, WBKO operates a Doppler
Pulse-doppler radar
Pulse-Doppler is a 4D radar system capable of detecting both target 3D location as well as measuring radial velocity . It uses the Doppler effect to avoid overloading computers and operators as well as to reduce power consumption...
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...
of its own known as "First Alert Live Doppler". Unlike most ABC affiliates, the station does not air a full two-hour weekday morning show and/or early evening news on weekends.
Newscast titles
- Channel 13 News Report (1963–1973)
- NewsCenter 13 (1973–2003)
- WBKO 13 News (2003–present)
Station slogans
- "We're Still the One, on TV 13" (1977–1980, localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- "We're the Team" (mid-1980s)
- "Sharing Kentucky Pride" (1980s-1990s)
- "Your Hometown News Leader" (2003–2007)
- "When You Need To Know" (2007–?)
- "Stay Connected" (?-present)
News team
Anchors- Hayley Harmon - weekday mornings and weekdays at 11 a.m. (also producer weekdays at 11 a.m.)
- Gene Birk - Managing EditorManaging editorA managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
seen weeknights and reporter - Lauren Hansen - Assignment Manager seen weeknights also general assignment and education reporter
- Lacey Steele - weekends and reporter
- Don Russell - Inside Kentucky Golf host
WBKO 13 First Alert Storm Team
- Chris Allen (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) - Director seen weekday mornings and weekdays at 11 a.m. - Shane Holinde (NWA Seal of Approval) - weeknights
- Stephanie Midgett - weekends
Sports (both seen on The Sports Connection)
- Jeff Woods - DirectorSports DirectorA sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
seen weeknights at 6 and 10 - Andrew Dawson - weekends and sports reporter
Reporters
- Art Ginsburg - "Mr. FoodMr. FoodArt Ginsburg, commonly known as Mr. Food, is a television chef and best selling author of cookbooks who emphasizes simple recipes. He is the originator of "quick & easy cooking" who, for the past 30+ years, has paved the way for TV food personalities who have followed. With his enthusiastic style,...
" segment producer - Chris Garner - photographer
- Zakk Gammon - producer
- Kara Kirtley - producer
- Andrew Dawson