WBND-LP
Encyclopedia
WBND-LP, channel 57, is the ABC
-affiliated television station serving the South Bend, Indiana
designated market area. The station is owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting
. The station broadcasts a low-power digital signal on UHF channel 49, using its analog channel assignment of channel 57 as its virtual digital channel via PSIP
. The station's transmitter is located in Gulivoire Park, Indiana
, with studios located in South Bend.
WBND received a construction permit (CP) from the FCC on March 21, 2007 for a companion digital channel; and on September 14, 2007, began broadcasting the digital/HDTV feed on UHF frequency 49, mapped via PSIP to channel 57-1. The station had been providing an HD feed to local cable operators for over a year. On December 15, 2010, WBND-LD began carrying the Me-TV network on its digital channel 57.2.
(channel 28) dropped its affiliation with ABC to become Michiana's Fox affiliate, with the market's ABC affiliation moving to W58BT. The station also changed its call letters to WBND-LP that same year. During the 1990s, the station picked up a secondary affiliation with UPN
.
The station moved its analog signal to UHF channel 57 in 2002, due to WSJV getting FCC approval to occupy the channel 58 frequency for its digital signal. In 2003 the station lost the secondary UPN affiliation to CBS
affiliate WSBT
(channel 22)'s UPN Michiana (now SBT2) digital subchannel
. In early August 2008, Weigel Broadcasting agreed to sell all three of its South Bend stations, including WBND, to Schurz Communications
, the longtime owner of the local CBS affiliate WSBT-TV, for undisclosed terms.
If this sale had been approved by the Federal Communications Commission
, WBND's newscast might have been replaced by simulcasts of WSBT-TV's newscasts since the station's operations would have been moved into WSBT's new facility in Mishawaka
(which opened in November 2008). However, in the absence of action by the FCC, the deal was called off in August 2009.
For a time in June and July 2011, the station's website was redirected to WBND's Facebook
account as Weigel's web team undertook a major rebuilding of both WDJT and WBND's websites (WDJT's original site remained up, while WBND's was completely removed). During this time the station unusually reported current weather conditions by their meteorologists uploading map imagery via their Twitter
accounts to the TwitPic
service and the station's Facebook photos section. By the start of August 2011, though the new site had debuted.
news format, with The Insider
filling out the remaining time before 11:35 p.m. The newscast was produced and anchored by staff at WDJT-TV
in Milwaukee, and featured emphasis on a weather forecast segment within the first ten minutes, under the "First Alert Weather" branding. WBND was the third Weigel station to carry a newscast produced by WDJT, the others being their Milwaukee sister stations WMLW-CA
and WYTU-LP
. Local video was shot by photographers in South Bend, and then transmitted to WDJT via satellite. Reporters and anchors in Milwaukee then edited the video and added voiceovers before sending the completed program back to South Bend
In November 2010 Weigel began to seek applicants for reporting, anchoring, and web content positions to be locally based in South Bend, suggesting the station was looking to start fully locally-based newscasts. On April 4, 2011 the station officially launched its news operation and began broadcasting locally-produced daily newscasts at 6 a.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. This made WBND one of the few low-powered television stations to operate an in-house news department. The newscasts air in high definition, though in downscaled 4:3 on their analog LP channel.
The station experienced some growing pains the last Sunday in May when the station broke in during the 2011 Indianapolis 500
with weather updates, including one that aired during the end of the race. Viewers complained to the station about the break-ins and the end of the race being pre-empted despite only a slight tornadic threat, while the station maintained they had to balance the needs of their audience with public safety.
First Warning Neighborhood Weather
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 serving the South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
designated market area. The station is owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.- History :The company was founded by Chicago...
. The station broadcasts a low-power digital signal on UHF channel 49, using its analog channel assignment of channel 57 as its virtual digital channel via PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
. The station's transmitter is located in Gulivoire Park, Indiana
Gulivoire Park, Indiana
Gulivoire Park is a census-designated place in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,974 at the 2000 census. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, with studios located in South Bend.
Digital television
| Channel | Video | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57.1 | 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 WBND-LD programming / ABC |
| 57.2 | 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 | Me-TV |
WBND received a construction permit (CP) from the FCC on March 21, 2007 for a companion digital channel; and on September 14, 2007, began broadcasting the digital/HDTV feed on UHF frequency 49, mapped via PSIP to channel 57-1. The station had been providing an HD feed to local cable operators for over a year. On December 15, 2010, WBND-LD began carrying the Me-TV network on its digital channel 57.2.
History
WBND originally signed on the air as W58BT, channel 58, in 1990. During its first five years, the station aired regular Fox programming until 1995, when WSJVWSJV
WSJV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Michiana area of Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Elkhart. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter in Mishawaka, Indiana. Owned by Quincy Newspapers, the station has...
(channel 28) dropped its affiliation with ABC to become Michiana's Fox affiliate, with the market's ABC affiliation moving to W58BT. The station also changed its call letters to WBND-LP that same year. During the 1990s, the station picked up a secondary affiliation with 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...
.
The station moved its analog signal to UHF channel 57 in 2002, due to WSJV getting FCC approval to occupy the channel 58 frequency for its digital signal. In 2003 the station lost the secondary UPN affiliation 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 WSBT
WSBT-TV
WSBT-TV, channel 22 is a television station in South Bend, Indiana. WSBT is the flagship television station of Schurz Communications, and is an affiliate of the CBS television network. It's studios are located in Mishawaka. Its transmitter is located in South Bend.-Early broadcasting:WSBT-TV first...
(channel 22)'s UPN Michiana (now SBT2) 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...
. In early August 2008, Weigel Broadcasting agreed to sell all three of its South Bend stations, including WBND, to Schurz Communications
Schurz Communications
Schurz Communications is a South Bend, Indiana-based radio, television, cable tv and newspaper media group.-Cable Television Systems:*Antietam Cable, Hagerstown, Maryland *Advanced Cable Communications, Coral Springs, Florida...
, the longtime owner of the local CBS affiliate WSBT-TV, for undisclosed terms.
If this sale had been approved 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...
, WBND's newscast might have been replaced by simulcasts of WSBT-TV's newscasts since the station's operations would have been moved into WSBT's new facility in Mishawaka
Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...
(which opened in November 2008). However, in the absence of action by the FCC, the deal was called off in August 2009.
For a time in June and July 2011, the station's website was redirected to WBND's 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...
account as Weigel's web team undertook a major rebuilding of both WDJT and WBND's websites (WDJT's original site remained up, while WBND's was completely removed). During this time the station unusually reported current weather conditions by their meteorologists uploading map imagery via their Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
accounts to the TwitPic
Twitpic
TwitPic is a website that allows users to easily post pictures to the Twitter microblogging and social media service. TwitPic is often used by citizen journalists to upload and distribute pictures in near real-time as an event is taking place.-History:...
service and the station's Facebook photos section. By the start of August 2011, though the new site had debuted.
News operation
The station ran an 11-minute long newscast at 11 p.m. from 2007 to April 2011, using a form of the Eleven @ 11:00Eleven @ 11:00
Eleven @ 11:00 is the title of the 11:00 p.m. newscast on many local television stations in the United States. The name is based on the fact that the newscast will run for at least eleven minutes before the first commercial break, a summarized weather forecast segment will air during that time, or...
news format, with The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
filling out the remaining time before 11:35 p.m. The newscast was produced and anchored by staff at WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV, channel 58, is the CBS-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting on UHF digital channel 46, that displays WDJT's virtual channel as its former analog channel assignment of 58 via PSIP...
in Milwaukee, and featured emphasis on a weather forecast segment within the first ten minutes, under the "First Alert Weather" branding. WBND was the third Weigel station to carry a newscast produced by WDJT, the others being their Milwaukee sister stations WMLW-CA
WMLW-CA
WMLW-CA, channel 41 , is a LPTV independent television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park...
and WYTU-LP
WYTU-LP
WYTU-LD is a digital television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin branded as Telemundo Wisconsin. The station airs on digital channel 17 via a low power digital television signal, along with a full-power simulcast on full power sister station WBME-TV via digital subchannel 49.4, and both...
. Local video was shot by photographers in South Bend, and then transmitted to WDJT via satellite. Reporters and anchors in Milwaukee then edited the video and added voiceovers before sending the completed program back to South Bend
In November 2010 Weigel began to seek applicants for reporting, anchoring, and web content positions to be locally based in South Bend, suggesting the station was looking to start fully locally-based newscasts. On April 4, 2011 the station officially launched its news operation and began broadcasting locally-produced daily newscasts at 6 a.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. This made WBND one of the few low-powered television stations to operate an in-house news department. The newscasts air in high definition, though in downscaled 4:3 on their analog LP channel.
The station experienced some growing pains the last Sunday in May when the station broke in during the 2011 Indianapolis 500
2011 Indianapolis 500
The 95th Indianapolis 500 was held on May 29, 2011 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the premier event of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The track opened for practice on May 14, and time trials were held on May 21–22. The race was won by Dan Wheldon and was the final win of his...
with weather updates, including one that aired during the end of the race. Viewers complained to the station about the break-ins and the end of the race being pre-empted despite only a slight tornadic threat, while the station maintained they had to balance the needs of their audience with public safety.
News team
Anchors- Krista Fogelsong - weeknights at 6, 7, and 11 p.m.
- Keitha Nelson - weekday mornings; also weeknight reporter
- Brian Dorfman - weekends at 6:30 and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
First Warning Neighborhood Weather
- Jamie Martin - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 6, 7, and 11 p.m.
- Tom Coomes - meteorologist; weekday mornings
- Monica Ott (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...
member) - meteorologist; weekends at 6:30 and 11 p.m.
Reporters
- Jason Aubry - multimedia journalist
- Rachel Glaser - multimedia journalist
- Ashley Izbicki - general assignment reporter
- Jaclyn Kelley - multimedia journalist
- Ryan Klund - multimedia journalist
- Mike Pache - general assignment reporter
- Emily Pritchard - general assignment reporter
- Tony Spehar - general assignment reporter