WBRZ-TV
Encyclopedia
WBRZ, virtual channel
2 (digital channel 13), is an ABC
affiliate television station serving Baton Rouge, Louisiana
, south-central and southeastern Louisiana
and southwestern Mississippi
. It is owned by the Manship family, who also publishes the Baton Rouge daily newspaper, The Advocate. Its transmitter is located in Sunshine, Louisiana
. The station is seen via satellite through DirecTV
and Dish Network
and on cable Cox Communications
and AT&T U-verse.
affiliate, sharing ABC
with WAFB
.
At first, the Manships wanted to call the station WBRA-TV, for Baton Rouge Advocate. However, they concluded that the call letters would cause confusion and controversy, as the letters "B-R-A" spelled "bra
". Station founder Douglas L. Manship, Sr. still wanted "BR" in the station's calls, and decided to go to the other end of the alphabet for the fourth letter, picking "Z." He explained, "It was a good choice. 'Z' is a phonetically good sound on the air. It's distinctive." The "Z" was later expanded to mean "2" (similar to WGRZ-TV
in Buffalo, New York
), and the "W" was expanded to mean "We're". However, the WBRA call letters are currently used on the PBS member station
in Roanoke, Virginia
. Until 1989, WBRZ was a sister station to WJBO-AM and WYNK-FM
, until the Manships sold both radio stations. As a matter of fact, from the late 1960s until the late 1970s, WYNK was considered an affiliate of WBRZ.
It dropped ABC in 1971 after WRBT-TV (now WVLA
) signed on. This made WBRZ a sole NBC affiliate. Because ABC was seeking out new affiliates with stronger signal coverage at the time, WBRZ swapped affiliations with WRBT and became an ABC affiliate again on September 5, 1977. In that same timeframe NBC sunk to third and last place while ABC moved up to first place in the ratings.
In July 1987, the station started broadcasting 24 hours a day, except on Sundays. In September 1988, the station became the first in Louisiana to close-caption its newscasts. In 1991, Manship's son Richard took over the station as its new president, and would later be named "Broadcaster of the Year" by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters. In 1993, WBRZ joined approximately 50 ABC affiliates in not airing the pilot episode of NYPD Blue
due to local protests; the station decided on a week-by-week basis, at first, to air or not air episodes but eventually settled with airing episodes (including a rerun of the pilot). WBRZ began broadcasting in high definition
on channel 13 on April 22, 2002.
In November 2004, WBRZ, along with many other ABC affiliates in the country, opted not to air the movie Saving Private Ryan
when the network broadcast it uncut on Veterans Day
. During Hurricane Katrina
, the station worked with New Orleans ABC affiliate WGNO
(channel 26) to provide coverage of the storm and its aftermath.
In late Summer 2007, the Manships acquired a low-powered, independent
television station, KBTR-CA
, from Veritas Broadcasting Company.
WBRZ launched its own Web site, WBRZ.com, on the week of September 14, 2009. Prior to that, WBRZ and The Advocate shared a website, 2TheAdvocate.com.
The station is a funding partner in The Cinderella Project of Baton Rouge
, a charity that provides free prom dresses to public high school students who cannot otherwise afford them. The charity held its third annual prom dress giveaway in 2010.
's local channel lineup for Baton Rouge.
The relationship between WBRZ and the Dish Network began to deteriorate in the fall of 2007, when WBRZ realized that fees collected from Baton Rouge subscribers had not been paid to the station since the inception of Dish Network’s local-into-local service in May 2006, in violation of the carriage agreement.
WBRZ asked for a raise of compensation to under five percent of what Dish charges for local channels - it had been previously two percent. This amount, less than a penny per subscriber per day, is significantly smaller than the 20 cents/subscriber/day rate WBRZ charges local cable companies.
In July 2009, after more than a year, Dish Network and WBRZ reached a new agreement, and WBRZ once again became part of Dish Network's Local Channels package for Baton Rouge area customers.
Digital channels>
Channel
Name
Programming
2.1
WBRZ-DT
Main WBRZ Programming / ABC
2.2
WBRZ-DT2
WBRZ News Rebroadcast
2.3
WBRZ-DT3
WBRZ Weather
, digital television receivers display WBRZ-TV's virtual channel
as 2.
programming, like Live with Regis and Kelly
, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
, the latter of which however, aired on CBS affiliate WAFB
(channel 9) prior to 1995. It also airs reruns of former prime-time network shows, such as the ABC sitcom Mork and Mindy
and the classic CBS
hit M*A*S*H. In September 2006, it began airing Dr. Phil
. The station aired The Oprah Winfrey Show
until 2002, and the Rosie O'Donnell Show. Other syndicated programming WBRZ aired in the past included: The Arsenio Hall Show
(later aired on WGMB
), Who's the Boss, The Jerry Springer Show
(now on WBRL), Dear John
, Inside Edition
(now on WBXH, and American Journal
. On Sundays, it airs the services from the Healing Place Church, a local Christian megachurch
.
WBRZ currently airs all of ABC
network programming in high definition
and most of its syndicated programming such as Live with Regis & Kelly, Dr. Phil, Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, The Insider
and Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen
in HD.
As of July 29, 2008, WBRZ morning show 2une In and its noon, 4, 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts can now be viewed in high-definition. WBRZ is the second station in the Baton Rouge area and the fourth in Louisiana to broadcast their newscasts in high definition.
WBRZ was Baton Rouge's "news leader" in the ratings for much of its early history until the mid-1990s. The station experienced a ratings decline when Ed Buggs, the first African-American anchor in Baton Rouge, left the station. This allowed CBS affiliate WAFB to overtake the lead in local news ratings.
George Ryan won the award for "Silent Trust," a series that exposed student-on-student sexual misconduct at the Louisiana School for the Deaf in Baton Rouge, La.
Other awards won:
Won by Pat Cheramie, who retired after serving 39 years as General Manager of WBRZ-TV on January 31, 2005.
Won by news anchor and reporter Andrea Clesi.
TrueView Weather Team
Sports team
Reporters
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
2 (digital channel 13), is an 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 television station serving Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, south-central and southeastern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and southwestern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. It is owned by the Manship family, who also publishes the Baton Rouge daily newspaper, The Advocate. Its transmitter is located in Sunshine, Louisiana
Sunshine, Louisiana
Sunshine is a northern neighborhood of the city of St. Gabriel in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located approximately 15 miles south of Baton Rouge along the Mississippi River, the community was originally named Forlorn Hope by inhabitants but was given its current name by business...
. The station is seen via satellite through 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. ...
and 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...
and on cable Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
and AT&T U-verse.
History
WBRZ signed on the air on April 14, 1955 as a primary NBCNBC
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...
affiliate, sharing 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...
with WAFB
WAFB
WAFB is the CBS-affiliated television station for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter southwest of Arlington. Owned by Raycom Media, WAFB is sister to Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CA. The two share studios on Government...
.
At first, the Manships wanted to call the station WBRA-TV, for Baton Rouge Advocate. However, they concluded that the call letters would cause confusion and controversy, as the letters "B-R-A" spelled "bra
Brassiere
A brassiere is an undergarment that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting breasts....
". Station founder Douglas L. Manship, Sr. still wanted "BR" in the station's calls, and decided to go to the other end of the alphabet for the fourth letter, picking "Z." He explained, "It was a good choice. 'Z' is a phonetically good sound on the air. It's distinctive." The "Z" was later expanded to mean "2" (similar to WGRZ-TV
WGRZ-TV
WGRZ, virtual channel 2 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York. Its studio is located at 259 Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo. Its transmitter is located at 11530 Warner Hill Road in South Wales, New York...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
), and the "W" was expanded to mean "We're". However, the WBRA call letters are currently used on the PBS member station
WBRA-TV
Blue Ridge PBS is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station for western Virginia. It serves the Roanoke/Lynchburg and Tri-Cities markets from studios in Roanoke....
in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
. Until 1989, WBRZ was a sister station to WJBO-AM and WYNK-FM
WYNK-FM
WYNK-FM is a Country music formatted radio station licensed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Clear Channel Communications station broadcasts with an ERP of 100 kW...
, until the Manships sold both radio stations. As a matter of fact, from the late 1960s until the late 1970s, WYNK was considered an affiliate of WBRZ.
It dropped ABC in 1971 after WRBT-TV (now WVLA
WVLA
WVLA-TV, virtual channel 33, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It transmits its digital signal on UHF channel 34. It is owned by White Knight Broadcasting, but it is controlled by ComCorp. and is sister station to the area's Retro Television Network affiliate,...
) signed on. This made WBRZ a sole NBC affiliate. Because ABC was seeking out new affiliates with stronger signal coverage at the time, WBRZ swapped affiliations with WRBT and became an ABC affiliate again on September 5, 1977. In that same timeframe NBC sunk to third and last place while ABC moved up to first place in the ratings.
In July 1987, the station started broadcasting 24 hours a day, except on Sundays. In September 1988, the station became the first in Louisiana to close-caption its newscasts. In 1991, Manship's son Richard took over the station as its new president, and would later be named "Broadcaster of the Year" by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters. In 1993, WBRZ joined approximately 50 ABC affiliates in not airing the pilot episode of 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...
due to local protests; the station decided on a week-by-week basis, at first, to air or not air episodes but eventually settled with airing episodes (including a rerun of the pilot). WBRZ began broadcasting in 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...
on channel 13 on April 22, 2002.
In November 2004, WBRZ, along with many other ABC affiliates in the country, opted not to air the movie Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....
when the network broadcast it uncut on Veterans Day
Veterans Day
Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark...
. During Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, the station worked with New Orleans ABC affiliate WGNO
WGNO
WGNO, channel 26, is the ABC-affiliated television station for the greater New Orleans, Louisiana metropolitan area, as well parts of southern and coastal Mississippi. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, and is the only Big Three network affiliate owned by the company.The station offers ABC...
(channel 26) to provide coverage of the storm and its aftermath.
In late Summer 2007, the Manships acquired a low-powered, independent
Independent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
television station, KBTR-CA
KBTR-CA
KBTR-CA channel 41, known on-air as WBTR 41, is a television station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The station is owned by Louisiana Television Broadcasting, the owners of WBRZ-TV. The station is seen on cable Cox Communications and AT&T U-verse....
, from Veritas Broadcasting Company.
WBRZ launched its own Web site, WBRZ.com, on the week of September 14, 2009. Prior to that, WBRZ and The Advocate shared a website, 2TheAdvocate.com.
The station is a funding partner in The Cinderella Project of Baton Rouge
The Cinderella Project of Baton Rouge
The Cinderella Project of Baton Rouge is a charity that provides free prom dresses to public high school students who cannot otherwise afford them...
, a charity that provides free prom dresses to public high school students who cannot otherwise afford them. The charity held its third annual prom dress giveaway in 2010.
2008 Dish Network carriage dispute
As of midnight, April 30, 2008, WBRZ was removed from Dish NetworkDish 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...
's local channel lineup for Baton Rouge.
The relationship between WBRZ and the Dish Network began to deteriorate in the fall of 2007, when WBRZ realized that fees collected from Baton Rouge subscribers had not been paid to the station since the inception of Dish Network’s local-into-local service in May 2006, in violation of the carriage agreement.
WBRZ asked for a raise of compensation to under five percent of what Dish charges for local channels - it had been previously two percent. This amount, less than a penny per subscriber per day, is significantly smaller than the 20 cents/subscriber/day rate WBRZ charges local cable companies.
In July 2009, after more than a year, Dish Network and WBRZ reached a new agreement, and WBRZ once again became part of Dish Network's Local Channels package for Baton Rouge area customers.
2011 DirecTV Carriage Dispute
As of January 20, 2011 a notice on satellite receivers channel 2.1 says that the channel is in danger of being discontinued.Digital television
The station's digital channel is multiplexed: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...
Analog-to-digital conversion
WBRZ-TV shut down analog transmissions on June 12, 2009. The station remained on its current pre-transition channel 13. However, through the use of PSIPProgram 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...
, digital television receivers display WBRZ-TV's virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 2.
Programming
The station airs syndicatedTelevision 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, like 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...
, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, the latter of which however, aired on CBS affiliate WAFB
WAFB
WAFB is the CBS-affiliated television station for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter southwest of Arlington. Owned by Raycom Media, WAFB is sister to Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CA. The two share studios on Government...
(channel 9) prior to 1995. It also airs reruns of former prime-time network shows, such as the ABC sitcom Mork and Mindy
Mork and Mindy
Mork & Mindy is an American science fiction sitcom broadcast from 1978 until 1982 on ABC. The series starred Robin Williams as Mork, an alien who comes to Earth from the planet Ork in a small, one-man egg-shaped spaceship. Pam Dawber co-starred as Mindy McConnell, his human friend and roommate...
and the classic 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...
hit M*A*S*H. In September 2006, it began airing Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
. The station aired The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
until 2002, and the Rosie O'Donnell Show. Other syndicated programming WBRZ aired in the past included: The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show is an American variety/talk show that aired late weeknights in syndication from January 3, 1989 to May 27, 1994. The show was created and hosted by comedian/actor Arsenio Hall.- Background :...
(later aired on WGMB
WGMB
WGMB-TV is the local Fox affiliate for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is owned by Communications Corporation of America, and is sister station to the area's The CW affiliate, WBRL-CD. WGMB also shared facilities and staff with WVLA-TV and KZUP-CD...
), Who's the Boss, The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
(now on WBRL), Dear John
Dear John
Dear John may refer to:* Dear John letter, a break-up letter to an absent boyfriend or husband* Dear John Doe letter, a letter sent to a soldier's family notifying them the soldier has died.-Film and television:...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
(now on WBXH, and American Journal
American Journal
American Journal was a syndicated television newsmagazine program that ran from 1993 to 1998. The series was distributed by King World Productions...
. On Sundays, it airs the services from the Healing Place Church, a local Christian megachurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
.
WBRZ currently airs all of 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...
network programming in 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...
and most of its syndicated programming such as Live with Regis & Kelly, Dr. Phil, Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, 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...
and Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen
Comics Unleashed
Comics Unleashed is a half-hour comedic talk show produced by the Entertainment Studios production company and hosted by Byron Allen, with John Cramer as announcer and ' providing music support. The show features a panel of four guest comedians performing their standup bits thinly disguised as a...
in HD.
Newscast
In 2004, the station dropped its twenty year slogan of "On Your Side" and started describing their news as "Balanced. Fair. Accurate," which was inspired by Fox News's "Fair and Balanced" slogan.As of July 29, 2008, WBRZ morning show 2une In and its noon, 4, 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts can now be viewed in high-definition. WBRZ is the second station in the Baton Rouge area and the fourth in Louisiana to broadcast their newscasts in high definition.
WBRZ was Baton Rouge's "news leader" in the ratings for much of its early history until the mid-1990s. The station experienced a ratings decline when Ed Buggs, the first African-American anchor in Baton Rouge, left the station. This allowed CBS affiliate WAFB to overtake the lead in local news ratings.
Awards
WBRZ has been the recipient of numerous awards from the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters, a National Edward R. Murrow Award in 2000, plus other local awards:- Louisiana Association of Broadcasters "Television Station of the Year" Award - 1990, 1991, 1994 and 1997
- Louisiana Association of Broadcasters - Baton Rouge Branch "Community Station of the Year" Award - 1996, 2002, 2005
- Louisiana Association of Broadcasters "Television Station of the Year" Prestige Award - 1999
- 1999 Sigma Delta Chi Awards
George Ryan won the award for "Silent Trust," a series that exposed student-on-student sexual misconduct at the Louisiana School for the Deaf in Baton Rouge, La.
- Louisiana Association of Broadcasters "Promotion of the Year" Award: "Buckle Up for Tony" - 2000
- National Edward R. Murrow Award - 2000
- Louisiana Association of Broadcasters "Community Service" Award - 2001
- Outstanding Philanthropist Award - 2001
Other awards won:
- Louisiana Association of Broadcasters Lifetime of Distinction Awards (2005)
- Ad Fed's Pete Goldsby Award (2005)
- YWCA's Women of Achievement Award (2005)
- American Women in Radio and Television's Broadcaster of the Year Award (2005)
- Baton Rouge Business Report's 25 Most Influential Women in Baton Rouge (2005)
- SME's Marketer of the Year Award (2005)
Won by Pat Cheramie, who retired after serving 39 years as General Manager of WBRZ-TV on January 31, 2005.
- Louisiana Association of Broadcasters Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
Won by news anchor and reporter Andrea Clesi.
Newscast titles
- Your Esso Reporter (1955-1961)
- The Bob Richards Report (1961-1964)
- Night Desk (1964-1971)
- WBRZ-TV News Service (1971-1974)
- TV-2 News (1974-1975)
- NewsCenter 2 (1975-1977)
- TV-2 Action NewsAction NewsAction News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
(1977-1979) - Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1979-1996) - WBRZ Channel 2 News (1996-2001)
- Ten at Ten (1998-2001)
- News 2 Louisiana (2001-present)
Station slogans
- TV-2-day (mid-1950s)
- The Best in View is on TV-2 (early 1970s)
- A Part of Your Life (mid 1970s)
- Still the One, WBRZ-TV 2 (1977, first slogan as an ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe 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) - Count on Us, When it Counts (early 1980s)
- The One to Watch (mid 1980s)
- The News Leader (mid 1980s-mid 1990s)
- Your 24-Hour News Source24 Hour News SourceThe 24 Hour News Source brand was a common name used by American television stations starting in the early 1990s for brief hourly news updates, usually running 30 seconds to a minute in length. At its peak, dozens of stations across the U.S. were producing these brief news updates...
(early 1990s) - 2 is On Your Side (1984-2001) (also used for PSAsPublic service announcementA public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
and human interest news stores) - Balanced. Fair. Accurate. (2001-present)
- Because Accuracy Matters (2004-present; weather slogan)
News music packages
- NBC TV-Radio Newspulse (Fred Weinberg Productions, Inc.) (1974-1977)
- Part of Your Life (Mayoham MusicAl HamAlbert W. Ham was an American composer and jingle writer. He was notable as the composer of the Move Closer to Your World music package used since the 1970s on WPVI-TV's Action News broadcasts in Philadelphia, as well as many on many other newscasts in the United States throughout the 1970s and...
), (1977-?) - On Your Side (Gari CommunicationsFrank GariFrank Gari is a popular singer and songwriter from the late 1950s and early 1960s. His best known songs as a performer are "Utopia" , "Lullaby of Love" and "Princess" , all of which hit the U.S. Top 40 in 1961. He co-wrote with Roger McGuinn the song Beach Ball for Bobby Darin...
), (1984–1990, all newscasts; 1990-1992, weekend newscasts) - Pride Inside (Gari CommunicationsFrank GariFrank Gari is a popular singer and songwriter from the late 1950s and early 1960s. His best known songs as a performer are "Utopia" , "Lullaby of Love" and "Princess" , all of which hit the U.S. Top 40 in 1961. He co-wrote with Roger McGuinn the song Beach Ball for Bobby Darin...
), (1990-1992, weeknight newscasts, 1992-1997, all newscasts) - Acroyali/Standing in MotionYanni Live at the AcropolisYanni Live at the Acropolis, is the name of both an album and video by contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, recorded live at the Herodes Atticus Theatre, Athens, Greece, on September 25, 1993, and released in 1994. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at...
(YanniYanniYanni , born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States.He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time...
), (mid-1990s, used for Sports Sunday program) - WBRZ 1996 News Theme (Star Trak Music), (1996-July 2007)
- Extreme (Stephen Arnold MusicStephen Arnold MusicFounded in 1993 by Stephen Arnold, Stephen Arnold Music is a Dallas-based music production company, specializing in Television news music. With additional offices in San Diego, California and a studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the company services television networks, cable channels, TV stations,...
), (July 2007-present, adopted when news started broadcasting in HD)
Current on-air staff
Anchors- Michael Marsh - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Chris Nakamoto - weekend evenings; also weeknight reporter
- John Pastorek - weekday mornings "2une In" and noon
- Sarah Rosario - weekdays at 4 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Whitney Vann - weekday mornings "2une In"
- Sylvia Weatherspoon - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
TrueView Weather Team
- Pat Shingleton (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
member; 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) - chief forecaster; co-anchor for weekdays at 4 only, weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. - Ryan Davidson - meteorologist; weekend evenings
- Dave Nussbaum (AMS Seal of Approval; NWA member) - meteorologist; weekday mornings "2une In" and noon
- Keller Watts - meteorologist; fill-in
Sports team
- Michael Cauble - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Chad Sabadie - sports anchor; weekend evenings, also weeknight sports reporter
- Michael Kelly - sports reporter
Reporters
- Kristy Davis - general assignment reporter
- Rachel Frost - multimedia journalist
- Rob Krieger - multimedia journalist
- Louis Miller - gardening expert
- Ashley Rodrigue - general assignment reporter
- Stephanie Ryan - multimedia journalist
- Michael Shingleton - multimedia journalist
- Lori Steele - special projects reporter
- Mike Steele - State Capitol correspondent
Former on-air staff
- Jay YoungJay YoungSilas Joseph Young Jay Young . He was one of the original news anchors on CNN's Headline News in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1980s.Young was a graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge....
- news anchor - Kip HoldenKip HoldenMelvin L. "Kip" Holden is the Democratic Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The parish includes the state capitol of Baton Rouge and smaller suburban cities like Baker, Central City and Zachary. He was elected the city's mayor on November 3, 2004. He unseated the Republican...
- public relations specialist, now mayor-president of Baton Rouge