WBMM
Encyclopedia
WBMM is the CW-affiliated television station
for Central Alabama
's Black Belt
licensed to Tuskegee
. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter in unincorporated
Southeastern Bullock County
. The station can also be seen on Charter
channel 14 and Knology
channel 19. Owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting
, WBMM is sister to ABC
affiliate WNCF
and the two share studios on Harrison Road in North Montgomery
.
In addition, WNCF is operated by Bahakel Communications
through a shared services
agreement as a sister outlet to CBS
affiliate WAKA
. However, that station maintains a separate facility on Eastern Boulevard/US 80/US 231 in South Central Montgomery. Even though it is a full-powered outlet, WBMM is part of the national CW Plus
programming service. The station has a website typical of CW Plus affiliates with some custom localized content. The station can also be seen over-the-air on WNCF's second digital subchannel
(UHF channel 32.2) from a transmitter in Gordonville
.
as a Pax affiliate airing an analog signal on UHF channel 22. WBMM became an affiliate of Daystar
for a year in 2005 before eventually joining The CW (through The CW Plus) in 2006. The latter network switch was the result of The WB and UPN shutting down and merging to form The CW. Although there was no known WB affiliate in Montgomery, UPN was seen through Troy
's WRJM-TV (now WIYC).
It was announced on July 7, 2011 that Bahakel Communications will purchase WBMM from SagamoreHill Broadcasting for $
3.5 million. Even before the sale receives approval from the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), Bahakel will immediately enter into a shared services
agreement (SSA) with SagamoreHill resulting in WNCF being operated by WAKA. SagamoreHill will retain responsibility for WNCF's programming, personnel, and finances while Bahakel will provide that station with sales and administrative services as well as production and technical services.
Despite being the senior partner in the proposed agreement, WAKA will vacate its current location in South Central Montgomery and consolidate into WNCF's studios at some point in 2012. This is most likely due to the fact (and the irony) that Bahakel has always owned WNCF's facility and leasing it to SagamoreHill. Bahakel owned and operated WNCF (as WKAB-TV) until 1985 when it purchased the more desirable WAKA. FCC rules at the time prevented dual television station ownership in a market
, so the WKAB license was sold but the building and grounds retained. In addition, WNCF's property offers more space for a proposed expansion.
on weekdays from 5 until 8 (this practice continues today). Since January 2007, that station also maintained a news share agreement with WAKA allowing the latter to produce a thirty minute prime time broadcast. Known as CW News at Nine, the weeknight-only show originated from WAKA's studios and featured its on-air personnel.
On April 16, 2010, WNCF expanded its partnership with the Independent News Network and launched full half-hour newscasts on weeknights at 9 (on WBMM) and 10 in high definition still recorded in advance. As a result, WBMM terminated its outsourcing arrangement with WAKA. A news share agreement was established between WNCF/WBMM and sister station NBC affiliate WLTZ
in Columbus, Georgia
to share resources when covering East Central Alabama since Montgomery and Columbus have coverage areas bordering each other.
With the recently announced merge between WNCF and WAKA, it remains to be seen what becomes of newscast offerings on the two outlets as well as WBMM. Presumably since WAKA has a full news department based in Montgomery, this station will end its outsourcing agreement with INN and begin producing local news in-house for a third time. Consolidation of newscast production will take several months to complete. WAKA's eventual move into WNCF's facility will result in the former finally upgrading its newscasts to high definition after remaining the last station in Montgomery to have not made the change. Perhaps more uncertain is the news share agreement status between WAKA and Fox affiliate WCOV-TV
where the former produces a nightly half-hour prime time newscast at 9 on the latter directly competing with WBMM's weeknight show in the same time period. In addition, it is unknown what will become of the news share agreement with WLTZ.
Anchors
Reporters
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 Central Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
's Black Belt
Black Belt (region of Alabama)
The Black Belt is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, and part of the larger Black Belt Region of the Southern United States, which stretches from Texas to Maryland. The term originally referred to the region underlain by a thin layer of rich, black topsoil developed atop the chalk of the Selma...
licensed to Tuskegee
Tuskegee, Alabama
Tuskegee is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 11,846 and is designated a Micropolitan Statistical Area. Tuskegee has been an important site in various stages of African American history....
. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter 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...
Southeastern Bullock County
Bullock County, Alabama
Bullock County, Alabama is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel Edward C. Bullock of Barbour County. Living descendants of Colonel Bullock include prominent American cinema film actress, Sandra Bullock. As of 2010 the population was 10,914. In 1867, Union Springs...
. The station can also be seen on Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 14 and Knology
Knology
Knology Inc. is a cable company that formed in 1994 by ITC Holding Company, Inc, a telecommunications holding company in West Point, Georgia that also founded Internet service provider Mindspring. In late 1994, shortly after Knology's inception, two employees made a $600,000 investment to make...
channel 19. Owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting
SagamoreHill Broadcasting
SagamoreHill Broadcasting is a privately held American holding company that owns eleven television stations largely based in the southern United States...
, WBMM is sister to 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...
affiliate WNCF
WNCF
WNCF is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Alabama's Black Belt licensed to Montgomery. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in Gordonville. The station can also be seen on Knology and Charter channel 4. There is a high definition feed...
and the two share studios on Harrison Road in North Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
.
In addition, WNCF is operated by Bahakel Communications
Bahakel Communications
Bahakel Communications is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based communications company that owns radio and television stations in the United States...
through a shared services
Shared services
Shared services refers to the provision of a service by one part of an organization or group where that service had previously been found in more than one part of the organization or group. Thus the funding and resourcing of the service is shared and the providing department effectively becomes an...
agreement as a sister outlet to 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...
affiliate WAKA
WAKA
WAKA is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central Alabama's Black Belt region licensed to Selma. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 42 from a transmitter in Gordonville. The station can also be seen on Knology and Charter channel 8...
. However, that station maintains a separate facility on Eastern Boulevard/US 80/US 231 in South Central Montgomery. Even though it is a full-powered outlet, WBMM is part of the national 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....
programming service. The station has a website typical of CW Plus affiliates with some custom localized content. The station can also be seen over-the-air on WNCF's second 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...
(UHF channel 32.2) from a transmitter in Gordonville
Gordonville, Alabama
Gordonville is a town in Lowndes County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 318. It is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Gordonville is located at .According to the U.S...
.
Digital programming
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.1 | WBMM-HD | 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 | main WBMM programming/The CW |
| 22.2 | WBMM-DT2 | 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 ... |
WNCF "ABC 32" |
History
The station signed-on September 17, 19991999 in television
The year 1999 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1999.For the American TV schedule, see: 1999-00 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
as a Pax affiliate airing an analog signal on UHF channel 22. WBMM became an affiliate of Daystar
Daystar Television Network
The Daystar Television Network is an American evangelical Christian television religious broadcasting network headquartered near Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Bedford, Texas...
for a year in 2005 before eventually joining The CW (through The CW Plus) in 2006. The latter network switch was the result of The WB and UPN shutting down and merging to form The CW. Although there was no known WB affiliate in Montgomery, UPN was seen through Troy
Troy, Alabama
Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,003. Troy experienced a growth spurt of over 4,000+ people since 2000. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
's WRJM-TV (now WIYC).
It was announced on July 7, 2011 that Bahakel Communications will purchase WBMM from SagamoreHill Broadcasting for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3.5 million. Even before the sale receives approval from 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), Bahakel will immediately enter into a shared services
Shared services
Shared services refers to the provision of a service by one part of an organization or group where that service had previously been found in more than one part of the organization or group. Thus the funding and resourcing of the service is shared and the providing department effectively becomes an...
agreement (SSA) with SagamoreHill resulting in WNCF being operated by WAKA. SagamoreHill will retain responsibility for WNCF's programming, personnel, and finances while Bahakel will provide that station with sales and administrative services as well as production and technical services.
Despite being the senior partner in the proposed agreement, WAKA will vacate its current location in South Central Montgomery and consolidate into WNCF's studios at some point in 2012. This is most likely due to the fact (and the irony) that Bahakel has always owned WNCF's facility and leasing it to SagamoreHill. Bahakel owned and operated WNCF (as WKAB-TV) until 1985 when it purchased the more desirable WAKA. FCC rules at the time prevented dual television station ownership in a 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...
, so the WKAB license was sold but the building and grounds retained. In addition, WNCF's property offers more space for a proposed expansion.
News operation
Sister station WBMM aired the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily BuzzThe 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 (this practice continues today). Since January 2007, that station also maintained a news share agreement with WAKA allowing the latter to produce a thirty minute prime time broadcast. Known as CW News at Nine, the weeknight-only show originated from WAKA's studios and featured its on-air personnel.
On April 16, 2010, WNCF expanded its partnership with the Independent News Network and launched full half-hour newscasts on weeknights at 9 (on WBMM) and 10 in high definition still recorded in advance. As a result, WBMM terminated its outsourcing arrangement with WAKA. A news share agreement was established between WNCF/WBMM and sister station NBC affiliate WLTZ
WLTZ
WLTZ is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Chattahoochee Valley of West-Central Georgia and East-Central Alabama. Licensed to Columbus, Georgia, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from its studios on NBC 38 Drive in the Vista Terrance section of South...
in Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
to share resources when covering East Central Alabama since Montgomery and Columbus have coverage areas bordering each other.
With the recently announced merge between WNCF and WAKA, it remains to be seen what becomes of newscast offerings on the two outlets as well as WBMM. Presumably since WAKA has a full news department based in Montgomery, this station will end its outsourcing agreement with INN and begin producing local news in-house for a third time. Consolidation of newscast production will take several months to complete. WAKA's eventual move into WNCF's facility will result in the former finally upgrading its newscasts to high definition after remaining the last station in Montgomery to have not made the change. Perhaps more uncertain is the news share agreement status between WAKA and Fox affiliate WCOV-TV
WCOV-TV
WCOV-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Central Alabama's Black Belt area licensed to Montgomery. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 20 from a transmitter southeast of Grady along the Montgomery and Crenshaw County line. The station can also be seen on...
where the former produces a nightly half-hour prime time newscast at 9 on the latter directly competing with WBMM's weeknight show in the same time period. In addition, it is unknown what will become of the news share agreement with WLTZ.
News team
+ denotes personnel based at WLTZAnchors
- Amanda Decker - weeknight news and producer
- Bryan Latham - weeknight news and producer
- Jenny Ash - producer and weeknight news fill-in
- Ryan Bass - producer and weeknight news fill-in
- Pat Walker - Chief Meteorologist seen weeknights
- Kyle Dennis - fill-in weeknight meteorologist
- Ed Russo - fill-in weeknight meteorologist
- Jeremy Moss - weeknight sports and producer
- Roland Glembine - producer and fill-in weeknight sports
- Brandi Williams - The Daily Buzz host
- Andy Campbell - The Daily Buzz host
- Mitch English - The Daily Buzz host
- Kia Malone - The Daily Buzz host
Reporters
- Derrick Cunningham - "Manhunt Monday" segment producer
- Bob Gambacurta - "The CapitolAlabama State CapitolThe Alabama State Capitol, also known as the First Confederate Capitol, is the state capitol building for Alabama. It is located on Capitol Hill, originally Goat Hill, in Montgomery. It was declared a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960....
Report" segment producer - Phil Doherty - producer and fill-in weeknight news anchor
- Spinach Bentley - The Daily Buzz
- + Donyel Perry - photojournalist
- + Jeremy Babin - sports
- + Christina Chambers
- Morgan Hightower
- Lisa Blackwell
- + Sara Belsole