WBZ-TV
Encyclopedia
WBZ-TV, virtual channel
4, is a CBS
owned-and-operated
television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV
(channel 38), are located in the Allston-Brighton
section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts
.
. The station was founded by Westinghouse Radio Stations (later to become Westinghouse Broadcasting
, also known as Group W), a subsidiary of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation
, along with WBZ radio
(1030 AM). The station immediately joined NBC owing to WBZ radio's long affiliation with NBC Radio. It is the only television station to have been built from the ground up by Westinghouse.
The station was knocked off the air August 31, 1954, when Hurricane Carol
toppled the station's self-supporting tower over its studios. A temporary transmitter was installed on a nearby tower and later on the original tower of WNAC-TV (channel 7, now WHDH-TV
). In 1957, WBZ-TV began broadcasting from a 1200-foot (366 m) tower in Needham. The tower site is now known as the CBS Digital Television Broadcasting Facility, and is used by several Boston-area television stations, including WGBH-TV
(channel 2) and WCVB-TV
(channel 5).
Channel 4 nearly lost its NBC affiliation in 1955 when Westinghouse balked at NBC's initial offer to trade sister stations KYW radio
and WPTZ-TV (now KYW-TV
) in Philadelphia in exchange for the network's radio and television combination in Cleveland, Ohio
. In response, NBC threatened to yank its programming from both WBZ-TV and WPTZ unless Westinghouse agreed to the trade. The swap was made in 1956, but Westinghouse immediately complained to the Federal Communications Commission
and the U.S. Justice Department about NBC's extortion
. In 1965, the FCC ordered the swap reversed without NBC realizing any profit on the deal.
WBZ-TV (sometimes informally referred to as "BZ" both on- and off-air) was a pioneer in Boston television. In 1948, it began live broadcasts of Boston's two Major League Baseball
teams, the Red Sox and the Braves, broadcasts that at first were split with WNAC. It was also the first Boston station to have daily newscasts, starting with the station's very first night on the air.
In the mid-1960s, it adopted the Eyewitness News
format that had been pioneered at KYW-TV.
hosted a popular weekend-morning children's show called Boomtown
. For part of that time, Boomtown originated from an outdoor "western town" set built next to WBZ-TV's studios. In 2005, WBZ aired a special documentary film directed by Michael Bavaro
titled "Rex Trailer's Boomtown" featuring old clips and interviews with childhood fans like Jay Leno
, Steven Wright
, Tom Bergeron
, Jimmy Tingle
, and many others. The broadcast master in now part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Television & Radio
in New York City.
premiered on the station. A weeknight magazine series that originated on sister station KPIX, it spread to all other Group W stations in the late 1970s before its distribution to non-Westinghouse stations as PM Magazine. On WBZ, the original hosting teams were Robin Young
and Marty Sender (1977–1980); Sender and Candace Hasey (1980–1981); and Sender and Sara Edwards (1981–1982). Later, Edwards and Barry Nolan
became the longest running hosts of the program (1982–1990). Evening enjoyed an over-13-year run, the last nine of which had it compete directly with WCVB's newsmagazine Chronicle
. In September 1990, due to a decline in the franchise's popularity and tabloid TV magazines heralding bigger ratings and revenue, Group W canceled Evening/PM, with the last WBZ broadcast on Friday, December 21st of that year.
Originally, from Monday, December 24, 1990 through mid-January 1991, the replacement in WBZ's weeknight 7:30 slot was Family Feud
. With action in the Gulf War
reaching a breaking point at that time, the station decided to begin airing expanded coverage of the war at 7:30, in an ongoing series titled Crisis in the Gulf: The 7:30 Report. Anchored by Jack Williams and Liz Walker, it served as a comprehensive update on the war until peace was called on February 27th. Station management elected to keep the newscast going, but now as a newsmagazine that specialized in investigative reports. Now with Randy Price
as the principal anchor, the title was shortened to The 7:30 Report. The show continued on for another year and a half. Then, from September 1992 until September 2010, WBZ aired Entertainment Tonight
(which it had acquired from WHDH-TV
) at 7:30pm. That show has been syndicated by CBS since 2006.
. On Monday, July 21, 1979, a new format premiered in this time slot; Live on 4, a more infornal program mixing elements of a daytime talk show in with those of a traditional newscast, went on to become a trendsetter in the Boston market in the 1980s. At first anchored by Gail Harris and Chris Marrou, it later had hosting assumed by many others on the WBZ staff, including entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik
and news anchor Chris Conangla in the mid-1980s. Live on 4 gave a loose preview of the news to be covered more in depth at 6 and 11, with featuring stories on lifestyle, health and entertainment topics, along with live, in-studio guests. The program expanded to an hour (starting at 5pm) in the early '80s.
At one point, WCVB considered launching a competing program that was similarly structured (to be anchored by Peter Mehegan and Mary Richardson
, who later became the long-running anchor team on Chronicle
), but it was WNEV who made three attempts at a Live on 4-inspired show. First, they premiered the two hour live talk/magazine show Look in the fall of 1982. After a year of disappointing ratings, Look was trimmed to an hour and retitled New England Afternoon. This, too, failed in the Nielsens, and was canceled in 1984. Three years later, WNEV tried the even more news-oriented copy New England News: Live at Five, which essentially became Boston's first proper 5pm newscast, although it still featured the informal structure of Live on 4. Live at Five was a rare success in the ratings for WNEV's news, but in 1988, the format's creator, anchor Dave Wright (who imported it from ATV
in Halifax), left the station following a feud between his news producers. WNEV's 5pm news became a completely regular newscast thereafter, with its talent seated on the regular news set.
With syndicated news and tabloid programming becoming more the norm in the late '80s and early '90s, Live on 4, like Evening Magazine, was starting to become of lesser importance to Group W. In 1991, after a 12-year-run, Live on 4 bid farewell in favor of popular syndicated entries like A Current Affair. WBZ would turn the 5:30 half-hour over to Eyewitness News, which would eventually expand into 5pm in 1993.
.
during its first nationally syndicated year (1986–1987), airing the show weekdays at 9 a.m. Despite its overnight success, WBZ had little interest in keeping the show as a part of its schedule (partially because the station wanted to give priority to the upcoming Group W-distributed talk show, The Wil Shriner Show
). On Tuesday, September 8, 1987, Oprah moved to a 5 p.m. weekday time slot on WCVB, where it became an institution (later moving to 4 p.m. in 1994). The talk show aired its last original episode on May 25, 2011.
As an NBC affiliate, the station was known to preempt several hours of network programming a day — a common practice among Group W stations. This was significant, since WBZ-TV was NBC's second-largest affiliate in the Eastern Time Zone. It primarily preempted several daytime morning programs. On January 3, 1983, when People Are Talking expanded to one hour, WBZ-TV dropped NBC's Another World
, which would move to WQTV (now WBPX
) until the fall of 1987, when the show moved to WHLL (now WUNI-TV) and later to WMFP
in the early 1990s. The station also dropped many Saturday morning cartoons in 1990, even though NBC later abandoned such programming in favor of live-action, teen-oriented shows, such as Saved by the Bell
.
NBC has traditionally been less tolerant of preemptions than the other networks and had to find alternate independent stations to air whatever programs that BZ did not air. Despite this, NBC was generally satisfied with WBZ-TV, which was one of NBC's strongest affiliates. As a sidebar, sister station KYW-TV in Philadelphia (then NBC's largest affiliate) also heavily preempted NBC programming, but it spent most of the 1980s and 1990s as NBC's weakest major-market affiliate.
In the early 1980s, WBZ-TV lost its longtime spot as Boston's highest-rated news station to WCVB, but even then was a strong second for more than a decade. Its evening news team — anchors Liz Walker and Jack Williams
, meteorologist Bruce Schwoegler and sportscaster Bob Lobel
— was the longest-running news team in New England from 1980 until Walker moved to the noon newscasts in 2000. Other personalities who came to channel 4 during this time were entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik
and political reporter John Henning. Williams is still at channel 4 today; Walker gave up anchoring duties in 2005 and hosted a Sunday morning talk show for several years before leaving the station in October 2008.
in Baltimore lost its affiliation with ABC
after that network announced a deal with the E.W. Scripps Company to switch all but two of Scripps' television stations (including its Baltimore outlet, WMAR-TV
) to ABC. Westinghouse felt betrayed by ABC's decision, and as a safeguard began shopping for affiliation deals for the entire Group W television unit. Group W eventually struck an agreement to switch WBZ-TV, KYW-TV, and WJZ-TV to CBS (Westinghouse's two other stations, in Pittsburgh
and San Francisco, were already CBS affiliates).
The Boston market's third network affiliation switch took place on January 2, 1995. After a 47-year relationship with NBC, channel 4 became the third station in Boston to align with CBS. The network had originally affiliated with WNAC-TV in 1948, then moved to channel 5 (then known as WHDH-TV) in 1961. It then returned to WNAC-TV (the current WHDH-TV) in 1972 and stayed there until the switch. As a CBS affiliate, WBZ-TV airs the entire CBS schedule with no pre-emptions except for local news emergencies, as per Westinghouse's agreement with CBS.
When Westinghouse merged with CBS outright on November 24, 1995, WBZ-TV became a CBS-owned and operated station. As a condition of the merger, CBS had to sell recently-acquired WPRI-TV
(channel 12) in Providence, Rhode Island
. Channel 4 provides at least grade B coverage of all of Rhode Island, and city-grade coverage of Providence itself as well as Fall River
and New Bedford
. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of two stations with overlapping signals, and wouldn't even consider a waiver for stations with overlapping city-grade signals.
In 1996, WBZ-TV became the first former Group W station to drop the classic Group W font.
to the prime-time newscasts. In addition, Ed Carroll's contract was not renewed and in October 2005 the station hired Ken Barlow from KARE-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, to replace him as chief meteorologist.
In late August 2006, WBZ-TV ended its 4 pm weekday newscast and hired anchor Chris May from WHDH-TV. May, along with Sara Underwood, anchored the 5 p.m. weekday news on WBZ-TV. May has since moved to sister station KYW-TV in Philadelphia, and Underwood's contract with the station was not renewed. She left the station on March 4, 2008. As of September 18, 2006, WHDH now airs the only 4 p.m. weekday newscast in the Boston area.
In January 2007, the station launched Project Mass, a commitment to cover the community's top concerns in government, transit, healthcare, education, finance, and the environment. The initiative kicked-off with an online town meeting.
Channel 4 has changed its news and station branding continuously since the affiliation switch, from "Eyewitness News" to "WBZ News 4" to "News 4 New England" to "WBZ 4 News". On February 1, 2004, WBZ rebranded itself as "CBS4," as per the CBS Mandate.
The "CBS4" branding was phased-out during the first quarter of 2007 and, as of February 2007, the station's newscast title was reverted from "CBS 4 News" to "WBZ News". The return of "WBZ-TV" and "WBZ News" took place Sunday, February 4, 2007, during the station's coverage of the Super Bowl. This makes the station the first station owned by CBS to depart from the CBS Mandate standardization since. It joins sister stations KDKA-TV
in Pittsburgh, WCCO-TV
in Minneapolis-St. Paul, WWJ-TV
in Detroit and WJZ-TV
in Baltimore
in not following the Mandate currently. General manager Ed Piette told The Boston Globe
that he decided to ditch the "CBS4" branding when he arrived in Boston for his first day of work and a cabbie asked him, "Whatever happened to WBZ?" Piette hopes to reemphasize WBZ-TV's local identity—a strategy that worked well when he was general manager at WCCO-TV, ironically another station that doesn't follow the CBS Mandate.
After the 2000 acquisition of CBS by its former subsidiary, Viacom, WBZ-TV's operations were merged with that of Boston's UPN
affiliate, WSBK-TV
, and later with WLWC-TV, the UPN affiliate in nearby Providence. Today, the operations of WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV are co-located at WBZ's studios in Brighton. WLWC was sold in 2006 to the Four Points Media Group
, a broadcaster controlled by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management
.
WBZ's on-air staff continued to change in late 2007, when longtime morning anchor Scott Wahle was re-assigned and replaced by former WFXT
anchor David Wade. In January 2008, longtime morning and midday meteorologist Barry Burbank was re-assigned to the weekend programs. He was replaced by meteorologist Todd Gutner.
On February 29, 2008, it was reported that the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike caused a significant loss in viewers during the late news. WBZ-TV finished with an average of 157,800 total viewers, down from 177,800 viewers in 2007.
On April 1, 2008, CBS' owned-and-operated television stations division ordered widespread budget cuts and staff layoffs from its stations. As a result of the budget cuts, roughly 30 staffers were released from WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV, including longtime sports director Bob Lobel, entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik, and WSBK anchor Scott Wahle. Lobel left channel 4 on May 16, while Kulhawik and Wahle left on May 29 and 30, respectively. Steve Burton is now the new sports director, while the position that Kulhawik held was eliminated. Jack Williams filled in for the 9 p.m. spot in the interim. It was announced on June 6 that reporter and now former-weekend anchor Kate Merrill will anchor the news, along with general assignment duty weekdays at 5 and 6 p.m. Lobel recently became "Guest" Co-Host of the morning show on CBS Radio
owned WODS "Oldies 103.3", though whether this position is to be a permanent one has yet to be known. Even with the budget cuts at CBS, WBZ-TV's 11 p.m. newscast was number one in its time slot in the 2007-08 time frame (it has since slipped back to second place).
on the same tower as WCVB-TV, WGBH-TV, WGBX-TV
and WSBK-TV's HDTV transmitter. In fact, the tower and site are owned by CBS itself. Its signal covers Greater Boston
, southern New Hampshire
, extreme southern Maine
, northern Rhode Island
and northeastern Connecticut
. WBZ-TV is also one of six local Boston TV stations seen in Canada
to subscribers of the Bell TV satellite service, and is also seen on most cable systems in Atlantic Canada
.
, digital television receivers displayed WBZ-DT's virtual channel
4.
In the spring of 1984, WBZ introduced local live lottery drawings. In response to the Mass. State Lottery's expansion into a second major sweepstakes, Megabuck$, WBZ, in conjunction with them, created Lottery Live, a series of hosted, 1 minute machine drawings done live in the studio. Done in the style of a game-show format (albeit truncated), it meant to not only let viewers see the process of lottery results, but to generate excitement and interest into the Mass. State Lottery. Hosted by Tom Bergeron
, who was then a contributor on Evening Magazine
, Lottery Live aired the daily Numbers Game following the last main segment of Evening at 7:55 weeknights. Twice a week, following the conclusion of Evening at 7:58, the Megabuck$ drawings would air. The Numbers Game would also air at 7:55 on Saturdays.
The station holds the record for having the longest initial involvement with the Mass. State Lottery (12 years), culminating in its decision to release the lottery rights to another station in 1987. Both WCVB and WNEV (present-day WHDH-TV
) were in the running for picking up the rights; in the end, the torch was passed to WNEV, who saw the acquisition as helping their station revenues and key ratings periods (their news was continually third-place). The CBS affiliate continued the Lottery Live title and format with different hosts, upon its move in September 1987. WNEV/WHDH aired Lottery Live for seven seasons, until new ownership terminated the contract, upon which WCVB had their turn to air the games (from 1994–1998).
Eleven years after leaving its original station, Lottery Live would return to WBZ in May 1998, with long-time host Dawn Hayes (from the WNEV/WHDH era) still at the helm. By this time, in addition to The Numbers Game still airing six nights a week at 7:53, late night airings (during the 11pm news) drew Mass Million$ (began 1987), Mass Ca$h (1991) and The Big Game (1996), in addition to Megabuck$, on individual nights. Due to new limited contacts permitting the local stations to carry Lottery Live for only three years at a time, WBZ moved the games to sister station WSBK-TV
in 2001.
For several years, the station has aired exclusive First Night
Boston coverage on New Year's Eve, showcasing festivities from Boston, New England, and the world. The station also carries the Boston Marathon (see Sports section below).
; the station has done so every year since, and has been the only Boston station to do so since 2007. WBZ-TV has aired New England Patriots
preseason games since 2009, in addition to most regular season games as part of CBS Sports' National Football League
package.
The "Circle-4" logo that replaced the original "News 4" logo in 1998 was often referred to on-air by WBZ sports anchor Bob Lobel as "The Circle 4 Ranch." As of 2007, WBZ has dropped the CBS-mandated "CBS4" logo and branding and now refers to itself simply as "WBZ-TV".
Bureau" is located on Main Street in that city. The "New Hampshire
Bureau" is located on Elm Street in Manchester
. The station's weather radar
known as "WBZ Doppler Live" is located at Worcester Regional Airport. Along with other CBS-owned stations, WBZ offers a web-only "@ Your Desk" newscast available live and on-demand. WBZ produces a weeknight 9 o'clock newscast for sister station WSBK
. On September 15, 2008, the station was in the process of upgrading its news set for high definition
broadcasts. During that time, all newscasts originated from the on-air area of the newsroom. The renovations lasted for at least six weeks.
On December 11, 2008, during its 5:00 p.m. newscast, WBZ became the fourth station (behind WCVB, WHDH and WLVI) to broadcast news in high definition. Its sister station, WSBK-TV
followed suit later that night.
WBZ AccuWeather Team
WBZ Chief Meteorologist Todd Gutner also provides forecasts for sister stations WODS-FM, WBMX-FM, WXLO-FM, WWFX-FM and WORC-FM
.
WBZ SportsHub
Reporters
CBS Newspath
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....
4, is a 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...
owned-and-operated
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
(channel 38), are located in the Allston-Brighton
Allston-Brighton
Allston-Brighton is a set of two interlocking Boston neighborhoods, Allston and Brighton.-Geographical and technical Issues:Allston and Brighton's border runs along Everett Street in the North, running south along Gordon Street and terminates at the Brookline town line along Kelton Street...
section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
.
As an NBC affiliate
WBZ-TV began operations on June 9, 1948, as the first commercial television station in Boston and New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The station was founded by Westinghouse Radio Stations (later to become Westinghouse Broadcasting
Westinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
, also known as Group W), a subsidiary of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
, along with WBZ radio
WBZ (AM)
WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...
(1030 AM). The station immediately joined NBC owing to WBZ radio's long affiliation with NBC Radio. It is the only television station to have been built from the ground up by Westinghouse.
The station was knocked off the air August 31, 1954, when Hurricane Carol
Hurricane Carol
Hurricane Carol was among the worst tropical cyclones to affect the New England region of the United States. It developed from a tropical wave near the Bahamas on August 25, 1954, and gradually strengthened as it moved northwestward. On August 27, Carol intensified to reach winds of , but weakened...
toppled the station's self-supporting tower over its studios. A temporary transmitter was installed on a nearby tower and later on the original tower of WNAC-TV (channel 7, now WHDH-TV
WHDH-TV
WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...
). In 1957, WBZ-TV began broadcasting from a 1200-foot (366 m) tower in Needham. The tower site is now known as the CBS Digital Television Broadcasting Facility, and is used by several Boston-area television stations, including WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
(channel 2) and WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV, channel 5, is a television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Hearst Television and affiliated with the ABC Television Network. WCVB-TV's studios and transmitter are co-located in Needham, Massachusetts. WCVB is also one of six Boston television stations seen in Canada by...
(channel 5).
Channel 4 nearly lost its NBC affiliation in 1955 when Westinghouse balked at NBC's initial offer to trade sister stations KYW radio
KYW (AM)
KYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW is owned by the CBS Radio unit of CBS Corporation, and has broadcasted an all-news format since 1965. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia, and it transmitters...
and WPTZ-TV (now KYW-TV
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
) in Philadelphia in exchange for the network's radio and television combination in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. In response, NBC threatened to yank its programming from both WBZ-TV and WPTZ unless Westinghouse agreed to the trade. The swap was made in 1956, but Westinghouse immediately complained to 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...
and the U.S. Justice Department about NBC's extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
. In 1965, the FCC ordered the swap reversed without NBC realizing any profit on the deal.
WBZ-TV (sometimes informally referred to as "BZ" both on- and off-air) was a pioneer in Boston television. In 1948, it began live broadcasts of Boston's two Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams, the Red Sox and the Braves, broadcasts that at first were split with WNAC. It was also the first Boston station to have daily newscasts, starting with the station's very first night on the air.
In the mid-1960s, it adopted the Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness 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...
format that had been pioneered at KYW-TV.
Bob Emery and Boomtown
The station also broadcast many locally-produced programs over the years. One of the most beloved was the long-running Big Brother Bob Emery show, hosted by veteran radio performer Emery, who first did the show on Boston-area radio in 1921 and who in 1947 hosted the first five-times-a-week children's show on network television on DuMont. For nearly two decades, from 1956 until 1974, Rex TrailerRex Trailer
Rex Trailer is a Boston, Massachusetts based television personality, broadcast pioneer, and Country and Western recording artist. He is best known as the host of the children's show Boomtown.-Early life:...
hosted a popular weekend-morning children's show called Boomtown
Boomtown (1956 TV series)
Boomtown was a weekend children's show on WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts that ran from 1956 through 1974. Boomtown was hosted by Rex Trailer, a singing cowboy...
. For part of that time, Boomtown originated from an outdoor "western town" set built next to WBZ-TV's studios. In 2005, WBZ aired a special documentary film directed by Michael Bavaro
Michael Bavaro
Michael Bavaro is a filmmaker based in Manhattan. Born in 1959, he grew up in Milford, Massachusetts and graduated from Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts with a B.S. degree in communications. In 1980 while at Fitchburg he produced a 16mm documentary film about his hometown of...
titled "Rex Trailer's Boomtown" featuring old clips and interviews with childhood fans like Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, Steven Wright
Steven Wright
Steven Alexander Wright is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is known for his distinctly lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical jokes and one-liners with contrived situations.-Early life and career:Wright was born in Mount Auburn...
, Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron is an American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars and host of America's Funniest Home Videos . He was also host of Hollywood Squares and a fill-in host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
, Jimmy Tingle
Jimmy Tingle
Jimmy Tingle is an American comic and occasional actor.-Life and career:Tingle was the American correspondent for Sir David Frost’s show for PBS and the BBC, The Strategic Humor Initiative. He completed two seasons with 60 Minutes II on CBS as the humorist / commentator in the Andy Rooney spot...
, and many others. The broadcast master in now part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Television & Radio
Museum of Television & Radio
The Paley Center for Media, formerly The Museum of Television & Radio and The Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S...
in New York City.
Evening Magazine
In April 1977, Evening MagazineEvening Magazine
Evening Magazine is the name of various news and entertainment style local television shows in different markets.-The original concept:...
premiered on the station. A weeknight magazine series that originated on sister station KPIX, it spread to all other Group W stations in the late 1970s before its distribution to non-Westinghouse stations as PM Magazine. On WBZ, the original hosting teams were Robin Young
Robin Young
Robin Young is an American television and radio personality. She has been a Boston, Massachusetts-based radio and television host since the mid-1970s when she hosted Evening Magazine for WBZ-TV....
and Marty Sender (1977–1980); Sender and Candace Hasey (1980–1981); and Sender and Sara Edwards (1981–1982). Later, Edwards and Barry Nolan
Barry Nolan
Barry Nolan is an American former presenter on Comcast Cable's CN8 channel, once hosting the shows Nitebeat and Backstage, and Backstage with Barry Nolan...
became the longest running hosts of the program (1982–1990). Evening enjoyed an over-13-year run, the last nine of which had it compete directly with WCVB's newsmagazine Chronicle
Chronicle (TV series)
Chronicle is a newsmagazine show produced at two Hearst Television-owned New England television stations, WCVB-TV Ch. 5 in Boston and WMUR-TV Ch. 9 in Manchester, New Hampshire...
. In September 1990, due to a decline in the franchise's popularity and tabloid TV magazines heralding bigger ratings and revenue, Group W canceled Evening/PM, with the last WBZ broadcast on Friday, December 21st of that year.
Originally, from Monday, December 24, 1990 through mid-January 1991, the replacement in WBZ's weeknight 7:30 slot was Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
. With action in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
reaching a breaking point at that time, the station decided to begin airing expanded coverage of the war at 7:30, in an ongoing series titled Crisis in the Gulf: The 7:30 Report. Anchored by Jack Williams and Liz Walker, it served as a comprehensive update on the war until peace was called on February 27th. Station management elected to keep the newscast going, but now as a newsmagazine that specialized in investigative reports. Now with Randy Price
Randy Price
Randy Price is a television newscaster with WCVB-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, after being the lead anchor at WHDH-TV from 1998 to 2009. He is considered the U.S.'s first openly gay newscaster....
as the principal anchor, the title was shortened to The 7:30 Report. The show continued on for another year and a half. Then, from September 1992 until September 2010, WBZ aired Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
(which it had acquired from WHDH-TV
WHDH-TV
WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...
) at 7:30pm. That show has been syndicated by CBS since 2006.
Live on 4
WBZ was the first Boston station to have regularly scheduled late-afternoon news. In the 1970s, the station aired First 4 News at 5:30pm, anchored by Gail HarrisGail Harris
Gail Harris was born in Batley, a small mill town in Yorkshire English as Gail Robyn on December 16, 1964.Before her film industry work, Harris was a Page 3 Girl for the British tabloid press. She was also featured in Mayfair magazine as the "Girl of the Month" on two separate occasions, and as...
. On Monday, July 21, 1979, a new format premiered in this time slot; Live on 4, a more infornal program mixing elements of a daytime talk show in with those of a traditional newscast, went on to become a trendsetter in the Boston market in the 1980s. At first anchored by Gail Harris and Chris Marrou, it later had hosting assumed by many others on the WBZ staff, including entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik
Joyce Kulhawik
Joyce Kulhawik was the arts and entertainment anchor for CBS affiliate WBZ-TV News in Boston, Massachusetts. She began working for WBZ in 1978, began reporting for the news department in 1981, and remained with the station until May 2008....
and news anchor Chris Conangla in the mid-1980s. Live on 4 gave a loose preview of the news to be covered more in depth at 6 and 11, with featuring stories on lifestyle, health and entertainment topics, along with live, in-studio guests. The program expanded to an hour (starting at 5pm) in the early '80s.
At one point, WCVB considered launching a competing program that was similarly structured (to be anchored by Peter Mehegan and Mary Richardson
Mary Richardson
Mary Raleigh Richardson was a Canadian suffragette active in the women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom and later the head of the women's section of British Union of Fascists led by Sir Oswald Mosley....
, who later became the long-running anchor team on Chronicle
Chronicle (TV series)
Chronicle is a newsmagazine show produced at two Hearst Television-owned New England television stations, WCVB-TV Ch. 5 in Boston and WMUR-TV Ch. 9 in Manchester, New Hampshire...
), but it was WNEV who made three attempts at a Live on 4-inspired show. First, they premiered the two hour live talk/magazine show Look in the fall of 1982. After a year of disappointing ratings, Look was trimmed to an hour and retitled New England Afternoon. This, too, failed in the Nielsens, and was canceled in 1984. Three years later, WNEV tried the even more news-oriented copy New England News: Live at Five, which essentially became Boston's first proper 5pm newscast, although it still featured the informal structure of Live on 4. Live at Five was a rare success in the ratings for WNEV's news, but in 1988, the format's creator, anchor Dave Wright (who imported it from ATV
CTV Atlantic
CTV Atlantic is a system of four television stations in the Canadian Maritimes, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of Bell Media...
in Halifax), left the station following a feud between his news producers. WNEV's 5pm news became a completely regular newscast thereafter, with its talent seated on the regular news set.
With syndicated news and tabloid programming becoming more the norm in the late '80s and early '90s, Live on 4, like Evening Magazine, was starting to become of lesser importance to Group W. In 1991, after a 12-year-run, Live on 4 bid farewell in favor of popular syndicated entries like A Current Affair. WBZ would turn the 5:30 half-hour over to Eyewitness News, which would eventually expand into 5pm in 1993.
People Are Talking
People Are Talking, (1980–1993) a live early-afternoon talk show aired on WBZ, as it did on some other Westinghouse stations. In Boston, it was originally hosted by Nancy Merrill and later by Buzz Luttrell, but the best-known host was the program's last, Tom BergeronTom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron is an American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars and host of America's Funniest Home Videos . He was also host of Hollywood Squares and a fill-in host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
.
Miscellaneous
WBZ carried The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe 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....
during its first nationally syndicated year (1986–1987), airing the show weekdays at 9 a.m. Despite its overnight success, WBZ had little interest in keeping the show as a part of its schedule (partially because the station wanted to give priority to the upcoming Group W-distributed talk show, The Wil Shriner Show
Wil Shriner
Wil Shriner is an American actor, comedian, director and game show host.-Life and career:Shriner was born in New York City, New York, the twin brother of soap opera actor Kin Shriner and the son of Eileen “Pixie” McDermott and Herb Shriner, a Hoosier humorist who had several shows in the early...
). On Tuesday, September 8, 1987, Oprah moved to a 5 p.m. weekday time slot on WCVB, where it became an institution (later moving to 4 p.m. in 1994). The talk show aired its last original episode on May 25, 2011.
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
, which would move to WQTV (now WBPX
WBPX
WBPX-TV, digital channel 32, is the Ion Television station owned by ION Media Networks , serving the Boston market. The station primarily broadcasts infomercials before 6 p.m. daily, along with a daily Catholic Mass and other religious programming, with Ion network programming beginning at 6 p.m....
) until the fall of 1987, when the show moved to WHLL (now WUNI-TV) and later to WMFP
WMFP
WMFP is a television station in the Boston market. The station is licensed to Lawrence, Massachusetts, and is owned by NRJ TV, LLC. The station's programming primarily consists of programming from the Retro Television Network...
in the early 1990s. The station also dropped many Saturday morning cartoons in 1990, even though NBC later abandoned such programming in favor of live-action, teen-oriented shows, such as Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
.
NBC has traditionally been less tolerant of preemptions than the other networks and had to find alternate independent stations to air whatever programs that BZ did not air. Despite this, NBC was generally satisfied with WBZ-TV, which was one of NBC's strongest affiliates. As a sidebar, sister station KYW-TV in Philadelphia (then NBC's largest affiliate) also heavily preempted NBC programming, but it spent most of the 1980s and 1990s as NBC's weakest major-market affiliate.
In the early 1980s, WBZ-TV lost its longtime spot as Boston's highest-rated news station to WCVB, but even then was a strong second for more than a decade. Its evening news team — anchors Liz Walker and Jack Williams
Jack Williams (news anchor)
Jack Williams is the chief anchor on WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He is seen on the 6 and 11 PM editions of WBZ News. First paired with Tony Pepper, he has been a lead anchor at the station since 1975...
, meteorologist Bruce Schwoegler and sportscaster Bob Lobel
Bob Lobel
Robert "Bob" Lobel is a former sportscaster for WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He anchored the sports segments on the evening newscasts between Sunday and Thursday, and hosted the weekly programs Sports Final and Patriots 5th Quarter...
— was the longest-running news team in New England from 1980 until Walker moved to the noon newscasts in 2000. Other personalities who came to channel 4 during this time were entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik
Joyce Kulhawik
Joyce Kulhawik was the arts and entertainment anchor for CBS affiliate WBZ-TV News in Boston, Massachusetts. She began working for WBZ in 1978, began reporting for the news department in 1981, and remained with the station until May 2008....
and political reporter John Henning. Williams is still at channel 4 today; Walker gave up anchoring duties in 2005 and hosted a Sunday morning talk show for several years before leaving the station in October 2008.
Transition
In 1994, sister station WJZ-TVWJZ-TV
WJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore...
in Baltimore lost its affiliation with 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...
after that network announced a deal with the E.W. Scripps Company to switch all but two of Scripps' television stations (including its Baltimore outlet, WMAR-TV
WMAR-TV
WMAR-TV, channel 2, is the ABC affiliate television station in Baltimore, Maryland, owned by the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company...
) to ABC. Westinghouse felt betrayed by ABC's decision, and as a safeguard began shopping for affiliation deals for the entire Group W television unit. Group W eventually struck an agreement to switch WBZ-TV, KYW-TV, and WJZ-TV to CBS (Westinghouse's two other stations, in Pittsburgh
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
and San Francisco, were already CBS affiliates).
The Boston market's third network affiliation switch took place on January 2, 1995. After a 47-year relationship with NBC, channel 4 became the third station in Boston to align with CBS. The network had originally affiliated with WNAC-TV in 1948, then moved to channel 5 (then known as WHDH-TV) in 1961. It then returned to WNAC-TV (the current WHDH-TV) in 1972 and stayed there until the switch. As a CBS affiliate, WBZ-TV airs the entire CBS schedule with no pre-emptions except for local news emergencies, as per Westinghouse's agreement with CBS.
When Westinghouse merged with CBS outright on November 24, 1995, WBZ-TV became a CBS-owned and operated station. As a condition of the merger, CBS had to sell recently-acquired WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts that is licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Homestead Avenue in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
(channel 12) in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. Channel 4 provides at least grade B coverage of all of Rhode Island, and city-grade coverage of Providence itself as well as Fall River
Fall River
-Cities and towns:In Canada:*Fall River, Nova ScotiaIn the United States:*Fall River, Kansas*Fall River, Massachusetts, the largest city with this name*Fall River, Tennessee*Fall River, Wisconsin*Fall River County, South Dakota-Rivers:In Canada:...
and New Bedford
New Bedford
-Places:*New Bedford, Illinois*New Bedford, Massachusetts, the most populous New Bedford**New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park*New Bedford, New Jersey *New Bedford, Ohio*New Bedford, Pennsylvania...
. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of two stations with overlapping signals, and wouldn't even consider a waiver for stations with overlapping city-grade signals.
In 1996, WBZ-TV became the first former Group W station to drop the classic Group W font.
As a CBS-owned station
Although the station tends to rank #1 in daytime and primetime ratings, Channel 4's local news ratings have suffered since the switch in network affiliations. This is partly because at the time of the switch, CBS was well behind NBC in the network ratings. Taken as a whole, its local news is the lowest rated of Boston's "Big 3" affiliates, having dipped behind a resurgent WHDH-TV as well. In January 2006, attempting to bolster its local news ratings, Channel 4 reinstated its 5 pm news and dismissed its former lead anchor Josh Binswanger, leading to the return of long-time anchor Jack WilliamsJack Williams (news anchor)
Jack Williams is the chief anchor on WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He is seen on the 6 and 11 PM editions of WBZ News. First paired with Tony Pepper, he has been a lead anchor at the station since 1975...
to the prime-time newscasts. In addition, Ed Carroll's contract was not renewed and in October 2005 the station hired Ken Barlow from KARE-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, to replace him as chief meteorologist.
In late August 2006, WBZ-TV ended its 4 pm weekday newscast and hired anchor Chris May from WHDH-TV. May, along with Sara Underwood, anchored the 5 p.m. weekday news on WBZ-TV. May has since moved to sister station KYW-TV in Philadelphia, and Underwood's contract with the station was not renewed. She left the station on March 4, 2008. As of September 18, 2006, WHDH now airs the only 4 p.m. weekday newscast in the Boston area.
In January 2007, the station launched Project Mass, a commitment to cover the community's top concerns in government, transit, healthcare, education, finance, and the environment. The initiative kicked-off with an online town meeting.
Channel 4 has changed its news and station branding continuously since the affiliation switch, from "Eyewitness News" to "WBZ News 4" to "News 4 New England" to "WBZ 4 News". On February 1, 2004, WBZ rebranded itself as "CBS4," as per the CBS Mandate.
The "CBS4" branding was phased-out during the first quarter of 2007 and, as of February 2007, the station's newscast title was reverted from "CBS 4 News" to "WBZ News". The return of "WBZ-TV" and "WBZ News" took place Sunday, February 4, 2007, during the station's coverage of the Super Bowl. This makes the station the first station owned by CBS to depart from the CBS Mandate standardization since. It joins sister stations KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
in Pittsburgh, WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
in Minneapolis-St. Paul, WWJ-TV
WWJ-TV
WWJ-TV, virtual channel 62 , is the CBS-owned and operated television station in Detroit, Michigan. It is co-owned with Detroit's CW station, WKBD-TV , and the two stations share a studio in Southfield, Michigan, a Detroit suburb....
in Detroit and WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in not following the Mandate currently. General manager Ed Piette told The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
that he decided to ditch the "CBS4" branding when he arrived in Boston for his first day of work and a cabbie asked him, "Whatever happened to WBZ?" Piette hopes to reemphasize WBZ-TV's local identity—a strategy that worked well when he was general manager at WCCO-TV, ironically another station that doesn't follow the CBS Mandate.
After the 2000 acquisition of CBS by its former subsidiary, Viacom, WBZ-TV's operations were merged with that of Boston's 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...
affiliate, WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
, and later with WLWC-TV, the UPN affiliate in nearby Providence. Today, the operations of WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV are co-located at WBZ's studios in Brighton. WLWC was sold in 2006 to the Four Points Media Group
Four Points Media Group
Four Points Media Group LLC is a television station holding company founded by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management in 2007 with its purchase of seven television stations previously owned by CBS Television Stations, a subsidiary of CBS Corporation.Four Points Media Group took over...
, a broadcaster controlled by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management
Cerberus Capital Management
Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. is one of the largest private equity investment firms in the United States. The firm is based in New York City, and run by -year-old financier Steve Feinberg. Former U.S...
.
WBZ's on-air staff continued to change in late 2007, when longtime morning anchor Scott Wahle was re-assigned and replaced by former WFXT
WFXT
WFXT is a television station owned and operated by the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Boston, Massachusetts. The station's studio and office facility is in Dedham, Massachusetts, and its transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts...
anchor David Wade. In January 2008, longtime morning and midday meteorologist Barry Burbank was re-assigned to the weekend programs. He was replaced by meteorologist Todd Gutner.
On February 29, 2008, it was reported that the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike caused a significant loss in viewers during the late news. WBZ-TV finished with an average of 157,800 total viewers, down from 177,800 viewers in 2007.
On April 1, 2008, CBS' owned-and-operated television stations division ordered widespread budget cuts and staff layoffs from its stations. As a result of the budget cuts, roughly 30 staffers were released from WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV, including longtime sports director Bob Lobel, entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik, and WSBK anchor Scott Wahle. Lobel left channel 4 on May 16, while Kulhawik and Wahle left on May 29 and 30, respectively. Steve Burton is now the new sports director, while the position that Kulhawik held was eliminated. Jack Williams filled in for the 9 p.m. spot in the interim. It was announced on June 6 that reporter and now former-weekend anchor Kate Merrill will anchor the news, along with general assignment duty weekdays at 5 and 6 p.m. Lobel recently became "Guest" Co-Host of the morning show on CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
owned WODS "Oldies 103.3", though whether this position is to be a permanent one has yet to be known. Even with the budget cuts at CBS, WBZ-TV's 11 p.m. newscast was number one in its time slot in the 2007-08 time frame (it has since slipped back to second place).
Coverage area
WBZ-TV's transmitter and antenna are located in Needham, MassachusettsNeedham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
on the same tower as WCVB-TV, WGBH-TV, WGBX-TV
WGBX-TV
WGBX-TV is a public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a sister station to PBS member station WGBH-TV, airing PBS programming not aired by WGBH as well as additional supplemental programming. Reruns of the previous night's programming either from WGBH-TV or from WGBX-TV...
and WSBK-TV's HDTV transmitter. In fact, the tower and site are owned by CBS itself. Its signal covers Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
, southern New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, extreme southern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, northern Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and northeastern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. WBZ-TV is also one of six local Boston TV stations seen in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to subscribers of the Bell TV satellite service, and is also seen on most cable systems in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
.
Digital television
As part of the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, WBZ-TV shut down its analog transmitter on June 12, 2009, and continued to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 30. 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 displayed WBZ-DT'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....
4.
Lottery
WBZ-TV was a local television pioneer in lottery. It was the first station to air official lottery drawing results from the Massachusetts State Lottery in 1975. During the 6pm hour of Eyewitness News, graphic slides featuring the official state lottery and The Numbers Game logos would appear with the nightly results from the Boston and Tri-State regions. This would continue in varied forms, usually as the newscast went to commercial break, for almost a decade.In the spring of 1984, WBZ introduced local live lottery drawings. In response to the Mass. State Lottery's expansion into a second major sweepstakes, Megabuck$, WBZ, in conjunction with them, created Lottery Live, a series of hosted, 1 minute machine drawings done live in the studio. Done in the style of a game-show format (albeit truncated), it meant to not only let viewers see the process of lottery results, but to generate excitement and interest into the Mass. State Lottery. Hosted by Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron is an American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars and host of America's Funniest Home Videos . He was also host of Hollywood Squares and a fill-in host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
, who was then a contributor on Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine is the name of various news and entertainment style local television shows in different markets.-The original concept:...
, Lottery Live aired the daily Numbers Game following the last main segment of Evening at 7:55 weeknights. Twice a week, following the conclusion of Evening at 7:58, the Megabuck$ drawings would air. The Numbers Game would also air at 7:55 on Saturdays.
The station holds the record for having the longest initial involvement with the Mass. State Lottery (12 years), culminating in its decision to release the lottery rights to another station in 1987. Both WCVB and WNEV (present-day WHDH-TV
WHDH-TV
WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...
) were in the running for picking up the rights; in the end, the torch was passed to WNEV, who saw the acquisition as helping their station revenues and key ratings periods (their news was continually third-place). The CBS affiliate continued the Lottery Live title and format with different hosts, upon its move in September 1987. WNEV/WHDH aired Lottery Live for seven seasons, until new ownership terminated the contract, upon which WCVB had their turn to air the games (from 1994–1998).
Eleven years after leaving its original station, Lottery Live would return to WBZ in May 1998, with long-time host Dawn Hayes (from the WNEV/WHDH era) still at the helm. By this time, in addition to The Numbers Game still airing six nights a week at 7:53, late night airings (during the 11pm news) drew Mass Million$ (began 1987), Mass Ca$h (1991) and The Big Game (1996), in addition to Megabuck$, on individual nights. Due to new limited contacts permitting the local stations to carry Lottery Live for only three years at a time, WBZ moved the games to sister station WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
in 2001.
Special events
Over the past few years, WBZ-TV and parent CBS have co-produced a live telecast of the annual Boston Pops' July 4 concert at Boston's Hatch Shell along the Charles River. The entire concert is broadcast live locally by WBZ. The CBS network joins the show in progress at 10 p.m. to show the Pops' signature versions of "1812 Overture" and "Stars and Stripes Forever," as well as the fireworks over the Charles. Live coverage of the event was broadcast in high-definition for the first time beginning in 2007. However, in 2008 and 2009 the special returned to standard definition.For several years, the station has aired exclusive First Night
First Night
First Night is an artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all their events during the celebration outside, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors by organizations in the city, such as churches and theaters...
Boston coverage on New Year's Eve, showcasing festivities from Boston, New England, and the world. The station also carries the Boston Marathon (see Sports section below).
Sports
WBZ-TV has aired local sporting events over the years. Besides the Braves (1948 until they moved to Milwaukee before the 1953 season) and the Red Sox (1948–1957; 1972–1974, and a handful of games in 2003 and 2004, along with certain NBC-aired games), WBZ-TV also broadcast the Boston Celtics from 1972–73 through 1984–85. In 1980, WBZ-TV was the first Boston television station to broadcast live wire-to-wire coverage of the Boston MarathonBoston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
; the station has done so every year since, and has been the only Boston station to do so since 2007. WBZ-TV has aired New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
preseason games since 2009, in addition to most regular season games as part of CBS Sports' National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
package.
Logos and imaging
In the early 1960s, WBZ unveiled a new stylized "4" logo, using a distinctive font that had been designed especially for Group W. The logo became italicized in the late 1980s, but remained the same font. It kept this logo for over 30 years until it unveiled its first "News 4 New England" logo in September 1996. The old logo was the longest-used numeric logo in New England television history until WCVB's stylized "5" crossed the 31-year mark in 2003.The "Circle-4" logo that replaced the original "News 4" logo in 1998 was often referred to on-air by WBZ sports anchor Bob Lobel as "The Circle 4 Ranch." As of 2007, WBZ has dropped the CBS-mandated "CBS4" logo and branding and now refers to itself simply as "WBZ-TV".
News operation
WBZ operates a Bell LongRanger 206LIV called "Sky Eye". In addition to its main studios, the station operates two other news bureaus. The "WorcesterWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
Bureau" is located on Main Street in that city. The "New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
Bureau" is located on Elm Street in Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
. The station's 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...
known as "WBZ Doppler Live" is located at Worcester Regional Airport. Along with other CBS-owned stations, WBZ offers a web-only "@ Your Desk" newscast available live and on-demand. WBZ produces a weeknight 9 o'clock newscast for sister station WSBK
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
. On September 15, 2008, the station was in the process of upgrading its news set for 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...
broadcasts. During that time, all newscasts originated from the on-air area of the newsroom. The renovations lasted for at least six weeks.
On December 11, 2008, during its 5:00 p.m. newscast, WBZ became the fourth station (behind WCVB, WHDH and WLVI) to broadcast news in high definition. Its sister station, WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
followed suit later that night.
Newscast titles
- 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...
(1965–1993) - WBZ News 4 (1993–1996; WBZ used this newscast after the switch from NBC to CBSCBSCBS 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...
.) - News 4 New England (1996–2000)
- WBZ 4 News (2000–2004)
- CBS 4 News (2004–2007)
- WBZ News (2007–present)
Station slogans
- We're 4 (1976–1978)
- We're 4 You (1978–1979)
- The One 4 All (1979–1980; used during period station used Frank Gari's "The One For/4 All")
- Today's 4: A Whole Lot More (1981–1982)
- Today's 4: Where You Don't Miss a Beat (1982; used in news only)
- We're Today's 4 (1982–1985)
- We're 4 Today (1984–1985)
- Where Television Comes to Life (1985–1990)
- Your 24-Hour News Source]' (1990–1992)
- New England's Channel 4 (1992–1993; general slogan)
- The Tradition Continues (1994–1996; slogan first used during the switch from NBC to CBS)
- The Most Local News on TV (1996–1998)
- Working 4 You (1998–2000)
- Boston's Television Station (1999–2003; general slogan)
- WBZ Means News (2000–2004; news slogan)
- Your Local News Station (2003–2007)
- Welcome to Curiosity. Welcome to WBZ. (2007–present)
- Stay Curious. (2008–present; continuation of the "Curiosity" campaign)
- We're Listening (2010–present)
News music packages
- The One For All (1979–1982)
- We're 4 (1980–1982)
- Today's 4 (1982–1985)
- Catch 5 (1983–1989)
- WBZ News (1985–1990)
- WBZ 1990 News (1990–1992)
- WBZ-TV News Package (1992–1994)
- WBZ 1994 News (1994–1995)
- WBZ/WSBK 1994 News (1995–1996)
- Newsworks (1996–1998)
- WBZ Channel 4 News (1998–2000)
- CBS Boston News Package (2000–2003)
- Adrenaline (2003–2005)
- Newstime (2005–2007)
- Pride Collection (2007–present)
Current on-air staff
Anchors- Kerry Connolly – weekend mornings
- Paula Ebben – weekday mornings and noon
- Jonathan Elias – weeknights at 5 and 5:30 p.m.; also reporter
- Lisa HughesLisa HughesLisa Anne Hughes is a television news anchor on WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts.-Broadcast career:Before joining WBZ-TV in 2000, Hughes worked as a reporter and weekend anchor at KIRO-TV in Seattle, Washington beginning in 1995...
– weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m... - Kate Merrill – weeknights at 10 p.m. (on WSBK); also reporter
- Diana Perez- weekends at 6,11 pm, weekday reporter
- David Wade – weekday mornings and noon
- Jack WilliamsJack Williams (news anchor)Jack Williams is the chief anchor on WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He is seen on the 6 and 11 PM editions of WBZ News. First paired with Tony Pepper, he has been a lead anchor at the station since 1975...
– weeknights at 6, 10 (on WBSK) and 11 p.m.
WBZ AccuWeather Team
WBZ Chief Meteorologist Todd Gutner also provides forecasts for sister stations WODS-FM, WBMX-FM, WXLO-FM, WWFX-FM and WORC-FM
WORC-FM
WORC-FM is a radio station serving Worcester County and most of eastern Massachusetts with an oldies format. It broadcasts on 98.9 MHz and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.-History:...
.
- Todd Gutner (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...
Seal of Approval) – Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 10 (on WBSK) and 11 p.m. - Barry Burbank (AMS Seal of Approval) – Meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also fill-in
- Joe Joyce (AMS Seal of Approval; 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; weekend mornings, also environmental reporter, also fill-in - Melissa Mack (AMS Seal of Approval) – Meteorologist; weekday mornings
WBZ SportsHub
- Steve BurtonSteve Burton (sports journalist)Steve Burton is a television sports reporter for WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV in Boston. The son of former New England Patriots player Ron Burton, Steve Burton grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts and is a graduate of Northwestern University holding a bachelor of science degree in Communications and a...
– Sports Director; weeknights at 5, 6, 10 (on WBSK) and 11 p.m. - Dan RocheDan RocheDan Roche is a sports anchor and reporter for WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV in Boston.-Career:Roche joined WBZ-TV in October 2000 as a weekend sports anchor and reporter. Since 2003, he has hosted "Red Sox This Week" on sister station WSBK. Roche also served as WSBK's field reporter during Red Sox games from...
– Sports Anchor; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also sports reporter - Levin Reid- Fill In sports anchor
Reporters
- Jim Armstrong- general assignment reporter
- Karen Anderson – general assignment reporter
- Paul Burton – weekend assignment reporter
- Sera Congi – general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
- Kathy Curran – general assignment and I-Team investigative reporter
- Beth Germano – special correspondent
- Alana Gomez – general assignment reporter
- Christina Hager – general assignment correspondent
- Jon Keller – political editor and "Keller @ Large" feature producer; also on WBZ-AM and contributor for the Boston Herald and Boston Magazine)
- Lauren Leamanczyk-general assignment reporter
- Ken Macleod-general assignment reporter
- Yadires Nova-Salcedo – "Centro" segment producer
- David Robichaud – morning reporter
- Peg Rusconi – general assignment reporter
- Bill Shields – South Shore reporter
- Joe Shortsleeve – chief correspondent and I-Team investigative reporter
- Jim Smith – weekend general assignment reporter
CBS Newspath
- Joel Brown – CBS Newspath national correspondent
- Alexis ChristoforousAlexis ChristoforousAlexis Elizabeth Christoforous is the New York-based correspondent for CBS MoneyWatch.com, , and CBS Newspath, the 24-hour affiliate news service of CBS News, since 2005....
– CBS Newspath national correspondent - Charlie D'Agata – CBS Newspath national correspondent
- Manuel Gallegus – CBS Newspath national correspondent
Notable former staff
- Sharyn Alfonsi (now with ABC News)
- Sue BennettSue BennettSue Bennett was a vocalist on various network shows during the live television era of the 1940s and 1950s.Bennett starred on the NBC quiz and variety show, Kay Kyser's College of Musical Knowledge in 1949-50, on the DuMont show Teen Time Tunes in 1949, and was featured on the popular Your Hit...
- Tom BergeronTom BergeronTom Bergeron is an American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars and host of America's Funniest Home Videos . He was also host of Hollywood Squares and a fill-in host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
(Currently hosting America's Funniest Home VideosAmerica's Funniest Home VideosAmerica's Funniest Home Videos is an American reality television program on ABC in which viewers are able to send in humorous homemade videotapes. The most common videos usually feature slapstick physical comedy arising from incidents, accidents and mishaps...
) - Len BermanLen BermanLen Berman is the former weekday evening sports anchor on WNBC-TV. Berman was with WNBC/NBC from 1982-2009. He was previously with WCBS-TV from 1979–1982, and before that at WBZ-TV in Boston from 1973–1978.-Early life:...
- David BrudnoyDavid BrudnoyDavid Brudnoy was an American talk radio host in Boston from 1976 to 2004. His radio talk show aired on WBZ radio. He was known for espousing his libertarian views on a wide range of political issues, in a manner that was courteous. Thanks to WBZ's wide signal reach, he gained a following from...
(deceased) - Gino CappellettiGino CappellettiGino Cappelletti is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player. He played at the University of Minnesota, and was a star in the American Football League for the Boston Patriots...
- Alice CookAlice Cook (figure skater)Alice Maxine Cook is an American pair skater. With partner William Fauver, she is the 1976 U.S. silver medalist. They represented the United States at the 1976 Winter Olympics, where they placed 12th....
- Sara EdwardsSara Edwards (American television presenter)Sara Edwards is a freelance reporter, producer, film critic and media consultant who owns Sara Edwards Media, currently based in San Marino, California. She was previously based in Boston, Massachusetts where she was an entertainment and features reporter and film critic from 1981-2009.Edwards...
- Tom EllisTom Ellis (journalist)Tom Ellis is a Boston based journalist, he is well known throughout New England where he has served as anchor for three of Boston's network-affiliated stations. His career in television news spans more than 40 years....
- Nancy GlassNancy GlassNancy Glass is an American television and radio host, writer and producer.-Career:Nancy Glass is currently the owner of . Her company has produced programming for A&E, E!, TLC, WE, LOGO, National Geographic, Animal Planet, HGTV, DIY and XM/Sirius satellite radio. They have also produced hundreds of...
- John Henning (deceased)
- Don KentDon Kent (meteorologist)Donald Edward Kent was an American radio and television weather forecaster for several decades in the Boston, Massachusetts area. He was known as "Boston's first TV Weatherman."-Early life:...
(deceased) - Michael KolowichMichael KolowichMichael Edmund Kolowich is an entrepreneur, new media and internet content entrepreneur, and documentary filmmaker. He is founder and CEO of KnowledgeVision Systems Incorporated, is executive producer of DigiNovations, a multimedia production company which he founded in Concord, Massachusetts,...
- Bob LobelBob LobelRobert "Bob" Lobel is a former sportscaster for WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He anchored the sports segments on the evening newscasts between Sunday and Thursday, and hosted the weekly programs Sports Final and Patriots 5th Quarter...
- Mish MichaelsMish MichaelsMish Michaels is an Emmy Award winning broadcast meteorologist and environmental reporter. She joined the WBZ-TV Weather Team in September 2001, and left in July 2009. She was born in Kolkata, India...
- Pat MitchellPat MitchellPat Mitchell is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of The Paley Center for Media in New York City and the former President and CEO of Public Broadcasting Service ....
- Sean MooneySean MooneySean Mooney is a former World Wrestling Federation play-by-play announcer. He was born and currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona.-WWF career:Mooney debuted on the May 15, 1988 edition of WWF Wrestling Challenge, replacing announcer Craig DeGeorge....
- Bob NeumeierBob NeumeierRobin "Bob" Neumeier is an American sportscaster for NBC Sports and Comcast SportsNet New England, specializing in thoroughbred horse racing. Neumeier is originally from Weymouth, Massachusetts and is a 1972 graduate of Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in television and...
(now at Comcast Sports Net New England) - Barry NolanBarry NolanBarry Nolan is an American former presenter on Comcast Cable's CN8 channel, once hosting the shows Nitebeat and Backstage, and Backstage with Barry Nolan...
- Uma Pemmaraju (now with Fox News ChannelFox News ChannelFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
) - Randy PriceRandy PriceRandy Price is a television newscaster with WCVB-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, after being the lead anchor at WHDH-TV from 1998 to 2009. He is considered the U.S.'s first openly gay newscaster....
(now with WCVB) - Dan ReaDan ReaDan Rea is the host of "NightSide with Dan Rea" WBZ radio, following the death of Paul Sullivan.-Education and background:A graduate of Boston Latin School, Boston State College and Boston University School of Law, Rea is a native Bostonian who now lives in Sherborn, Massachusetts.-Career:Prior to...
(now with WBZ Radio) - Gil SantosGil SantosGil Santos is the longtime radio play-by-play announcer for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, and morning sports reporter for WBZ radio in Boston. He retired from WBZ on January 30, 2009. Santos was inducted into the WBZ Radio Hall of Fame on July 9, 2009...
- Bob Starr
- Dick StocktonDick StocktonDick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
- Rex TrailerRex TrailerRex Trailer is a Boston, Massachusetts based television personality, broadcast pioneer, and Country and Western recording artist. He is best known as the host of the children's show Boomtown.-Early life:...
- Roger TwibellRoger TwibellRoger Twibell is currently a sportscaster for the CBS College Sports Network. Twibell most often commentates on football and basketball events. Prior to working at CBS College Sports, he worked at ABC, ESPN, and the Big Ten Network...
- Jim WatkinsJim WatkinsJim Watkins was the anchor of the weekend editions of "PIX News at Six" and "PIX News at Ten" on WPIX-TV. He joined the station in 1998 where he co-anchored the weeknight news at 10 pm with Kaity Tong after three years working at WNBC-TV in New York. While at WNBC, Watkins anchored the weekend...
- Jack WhiteJack White (reporter)Jack White was a veteran Rhode Island journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of President Richard Nixon's underpayment of income taxes...
(deceased) - Bob Wilson
- Robin YoungRobin YoungRobin Young is an American television and radio personality. She has been a Boston, Massachusetts-based radio and television host since the mid-1970s when she hosted Evening Magazine for WBZ-TV....