WJBK
Encyclopedia
WJBK is the Fox
–owned and operated
television station
in Detroit, Michigan
broadcasting on digital
channel 7 (Virtual channel
2). Its studios and 1003-foot (305.7 m) tower are located in Southfield
while its signal covers the Metro Detroit
area.
WJBK also serves as a Fox station for several other Canadian cable markets, including Cogeco
Windsor
, and Rogers
Ottawa
. In addition, it was one of five local Detroit TV stations seen in Canada on the Shaw Direct satellite provider. As of April 30, 2009, Shaw Broadcast Services (formerly CANCOM), is no longer transmitting the signal, replacing its signal with fellow Fox network affiliate Rochester, New York
's WUHF
.
–DuMont
affiliate owned by Storer Broadcasting
(under George B. Storer) along with WJBK-AM 1500 (now WLQV
) and WJBK-FM 93.1 (now WDRQ
). WJBK became an exclusive CBS affiliate in 1956 after the DuMont network went out of business. In a 1985 corporate deal, the station came under the ownership of KKR. It was then sold as part of a group deal to Gillett Communications
in 1987, which later reorganized into SCI Television.
WJBK was sold to a firm also related to Gillett Communications, New World Communications
in 1993 as part of yet another group deal after SCI went bankrupt. In 1992, WJBK chose not to air CBS This Morning, in favor of showing local news. While WJBK had a history of showing most CBS programming, it began to pre-empt CBS programming a bit more than usual in 1993, around the time New World Communications bought the station. One example of this was when the CBS soap opera Guiding Light
was moved from its network start time of 3:00pm ET to 10:00am, to allow for syndicated programming.
), which was originally carried on the station as a CBS affiliate. As a result, WJBK dropped CBS after 44 years and Fox moved its programming from WKBD
to WJBK on December 11, 1994 (ironically, that week's Lions game was played the day before). Within a year, WJBK became the first television in the United States to televise daily obituaries, which aired on its 5pm newscast. The decision to air obituaries on television came about when the Detroit News and Free Press
went on strike
early in 1995. This strike, which lasted until Valentine's Day
1997, also forced the launches of weekend newscasts of WDIV and WXYZ-TV
, which continue to compete against WJBK's weekend newscast to this day.
CBS moved to a weak independent station
WGPR (which would be sold to CBS and renamed WWJ-TV
). Like most other New World stations, WJBK also did not take Fox's children's programming, (Fox Kids
/FoxBox/4KidsTV) which remained on the market's former Fox station (and charter UPN
affiliate) WKBD-TV (before briefly moving to WADL
, and ultimately, to WMYD
). As a result of the network change, WJBK's branding switched from 'TV 2' to 'Fox 2 Detroit.' The actual rebranding didn't take place until Fall 1995.
Fox bought out New World Communications in 1997, and WJBK became a Fox owned and operated station. The network brought stronger syndicated shows on WJBK. However, the station continued its practice of not running children's programming from the network, which was subsequently discontinued in January 2009 for a network-transmitted infomercial
block also not aired by WJBK.
In 2006, WJBK officially debuted its MyFox website, myfoxdetroit.com (similar sites have also been adopted by all the other News Corporation owned Fox affiliates).
WJBK is one of the eight network-owned stations in Metro Detroit, the other two are CBS-owned WWJ-TV and CW-affiliate WKBD-TV, both are owned by CBS Corporation. There's also low-power stations WDWO-CA
, owned by Tri-State Christian Television
and W66BV
, owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network
. The last three stations are Windsor-based CBET
and French station CBEFT
(although operates as a satellite of Ottawa's CBOFT
-- which in turn rebroadcasts Toronto's CBLFT
), both are owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
-- parent company of CBC Television
and lastly, Ann Arbor-based WPXD
, owned by ION Media Networks
.
shut down its analog signal. The station's digital broadcasts remained on channel 7. Through the use of PSIP
, digital television receivers will continue to display WJBK's virtual channel
as 2.1. The shutdown of its analog signal marks the end of 60 years of broadcasting on channel 2 by WJBK.
Before the analog shutdown, WJBK was broadcasting on UHF channel 58. This channel was one of the channels (52-69) being reclaimed by the FCC for public safety and advanced wireless services.http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-275789A1.pdf Its final broadcasting channel assignment, announced May 7, 2007, is VHF channel 7 - formerly occupied by the analog broadcasts of WXYZ-TV
.
WJBK also has plans for a Mobile DTV feed of subchannel 2.1.
games in the 2007 season and Detroit Red Wings
games during the 2003-2007 seasons, which were produced by sister station Fox Sports Detroit
. In March 2007, WJBK began showing Red Wings games in High Definition
. From 1953 to 1971, WJBK served as the flagship station of the Tigers' television network, with games broadcasted throughout Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio. Currently, the only Tigers games aired on WJBK are Major League Baseball on Fox telecasts and the home opener for the Tigers (produced by Fox Sports Detroit).
Most regular season Detroit Lions
games air on WJBK, since Fox holds the rights to broadcast games in which the road team is in the NFC (see also NFL on Fox
), except those played at night. Even so, ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV
is considered the "official station" of the Lions and produces its preseason games and airs the weekly Ford Lions Report. With Detroit being the team's primary market, regular season home games on both stations are subject to the NFL's local television blackout policy, most recently during the 0-16 2008 Detroit Lions season
, in which 5 home games were blacked out due to poor performance and low ticket sales figures.
The station also carried Detroit Pistons
games, upon the team's relocation from Fort Wayne, Indiana
in 1957
, until the end of the 1971-72 season, when they moved to WKBD-TV the following season.
, played by actor Lawson J. Deming
. Deming, who played Sir Graves on WJBK from 1967 to 1983, had originally come to the station as the puppeteer and voice actor for the children's program Woodrow the Woodsman
when that show moved from Cleveland to Detroit in 1966. He made personal appearances well into the 1990s and died April 24, 2007, just one day after his 94th birthday.
With This Ring was a religious program produced at the studios of WJBK from approximately the early 1970s through the mid-1990s. Hosted by Roman Catholic priest Raymond Schlinkert, the 15-minute weekly show featured lectures and advice about marriage and family life. The program appeared in syndication
on numerous U.S. commercial stations, usually shown immediately following the station's sign-on or before sign-off on Sundays.
WJBK operates an Aérospatiale
AS350BA A-star news helicopter called Sky Fox, to cover breaking news and track severe weather. WJBK's newscasts in the CBS-era were rebroadcast on WADL under a partnership WJBK had with that station, and continued until 1998. The station also had an Eyewitness News
format that was similar to sister station WHBQ-TV
in Memphis, thus calling itself Fox 2 Eyewitness News for sometime before shortening to the current Fox 2 News.
On January 8, 2007, WJBK started simulcasting parts of its weekday morning news on Northern Michigan
's Fox affiliate, WFQX-TV
, based in Cadillac
. On that station, the simulcast ran from 6 to 8 a.m. and was known as Michigan's Fox News Morning. This arrangement was possible as a result of a cooperative arrangement offering local advertising opportunities to Northern Michigan businesses. From February 5, 2007 to October 31 after the completion of its own 10 p.m. newscast, WFQX simulcasted the second half of WJBK's weeknight 10 o'clock news. It ended when new owners acquired WFQX and CBS affiliate WWTV
gained control of the station. This led to a new 10 P.M. newscast produced by WWTV that limited WJBK's newscasts to air on WFQX
in the mornings. On January 14, the WJBK morning news simulcast was dropped as WFQX, on January 7, began airing a two hour long extension of WWTV's morning news at 7 a.m.
On September 24, 2007, WJBK launched its first ever 11 p.m. newscast as a Fox affiliate, using the NewsEdge
format originally used by WTVT
. On the same day, WJBK redesigned its look to be more in line with other Fox-owned stations, with a new set, logo, graphics and news music that have also been used on other Fox-owned stations such as KMSP-TV
in Minneapolis-St. Paul and KDFW
in Dallas-Ft. Worth. This marks the biggest change to the station's image in ten years.
On April 22, 2008, WJBK became the third and final station in the Detroit market, and the first Fox-owned station, to broadcast its local newscasts in high definition
, after rival area stations WXYZ
and WDIV. As of November 30, 2009, it now uses the new Fox O&O HD graphics currently used on its other Fox-owned sister stations. On September 14, 2009, WJBK's morning newscast expanded to five and a half hours, running from 4:30-10 a.m. On September 19, 2011, WJBK will expand its weekday morning newscast to 7½ hours, running from 4:30 a.m.-12 p.m.; the addition, which will result in the 11 a.m. midday newscast being absorbed into the morning newscast, will make WJBK the second U.S. television station to carry a morning newscast of more than seven hours in length (San Francisco MyNetworkTV affiliate KRON currently runs a seven-hour morning newscast on weekdays from 4-11 a.m.), and give it the longest-duration newscast of any local station in the United States.
or Woody Woodriffe. The SportsWorks brand is also used for other sports related segments during newscasts.
Typical round table media members, include; Drew Sharp from the Detroit Free Press
, Sean Baligian
from the Detroit News, Pat Caputo
from the Oakland Press/WXYT-FM, Bob Wojnowski
from the Detroit News and Tony Ortiz
from WXYT-FM.
, now host of the syndicated radio show Coast to Coast AM
, was the executive producer; during this period, WJBK-TV was number one in the market.
However, since the switch in network affiliation from CBS to Fox, WJBK's evening newscasts have been consistently in third place while the station's local morning news show and 10 p.m. newscast have usually won their time slots. There are only three local in-house news stations in the Detroit market (MyNetworkTV
affiliate WMYD
currently airs an outsourced newscast which originates from one of its sister stations located outside the Detroit media market). Since 2002, WKBD-TV has not produced any news programming (and since 2004 has not aired any news programming), while sister station and CBS O&O WWJ-TV
doesn't air any local news (only weather reports during The Early Show and the top of the 11 p.m. hour).
Weather Authority
Sports team
Reporters
, Southwestern Ontario
and Northwestern Ohio.
In Canada, as a CBS affiliate, WJBK was carried on cable in Newfoundland and Labrador
including in St. John's
from 1985 to when WJBK switched its affiliation to Fox through Cable Atlantic
(now Rogers Cable
) (the CBS affiliation with Cable Atlantic was switched over to WTOL
in Toledo, Ohio
from 1995 to 1997), and was previously the CBS affiliate carried on cable in Nova Scotia
including in Halifax. In both provinces, carriage of CBS is now provided from WBZ-TV
in Boston. WJBK was also the CBS affiliate carried on cable in all areas of Manitoba
, including Winnipeg
and Brandon
.
Coverage on cable systems outside the Detroit / Windsor market may be subject to syndex
and network blackouts
in the United States and simsubbing
in Canada.
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
–owned and operated
Owned-and-operated television stations in the United States
In the United States, owned-and-operated television stations constitute only a portion of their parent television networks, due to an ownership limit imposed by the Federal Communications Commission...
television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
broadcasting on digital
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
channel 7 (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....
2). Its studios and 1003-foot (305.7 m) tower are located in Southfield
Southfield, Michigan
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...
while its signal covers the Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
area.
WJBK also serves as a Fox station for several other Canadian cable markets, including Cogeco
Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, and Rogers
Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. In addition, it was one of five local Detroit TV stations seen in Canada on the Shaw Direct satellite provider. As of April 30, 2009, Shaw Broadcast Services (formerly CANCOM), is no longer transmitting the signal, replacing its signal with fellow Fox network affiliate Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
's WUHF
WUHF
WUHF is the Fox-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 7 and in high definition on...
.
As a CBS affiliate
The station debuted on October 24, 1948, as a dual CBSCBS
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...
–DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
affiliate owned by Storer Broadcasting
Storer Broadcasting
Storer Broadcasting, Inc. was an American company which owned several television and radio stations in the northeast United States. It was incorporated in Ohio in 1927, and sold its broadcasting properties in 1983.-1920s—1940s:...
(under George B. Storer) along with WJBK-AM 1500 (now WLQV
WLQV
WLQV is a radio station serving the Detroit, Michigan market. The station's fifty-thousand watt daytime signal enables it to be heard from Michigan's Thumb area down to Northwest Ohio, and from Lansing, Michigan to Chatham, Ontario, Canada. WLQV has a Christian talk format.-WJBK:WLQV first signed...
) and WJBK-FM 93.1 (now WDRQ
WDRQ
WDRQ is an FM radio station in Detroit, Michigan. The station is branded as 93.1 Doug FM. Doug FM broadcasts from the Fisher Building just north of downtown Detroit and transmits its signal from an antenna 669 feet in length located at the intersection of Ten Mile and Greenfield Roads in suburban...
). WJBK became an exclusive CBS affiliate in 1956 after the DuMont network went out of business. In a 1985 corporate deal, the station came under the ownership of KKR. It was then sold as part of a group deal to Gillett Communications
George N. Gillett Jr.
-Biography:George Gillett graduated from Lake Forest Academy in 1956. He attended Amherst College and is a graduate of Dominican College in Racine, Wisconsin....
in 1987, which later reorganized into SCI Television.
WJBK was sold to a firm also related to Gillett Communications, New World Communications
New World Communications
New World Pictures was an independent motion picture and television production company, and later television station owner in the United States from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s...
in 1993 as part of yet another group deal after SCI went bankrupt. In 1992, WJBK chose not to air CBS This Morning, in favor of showing local news. While WJBK had a history of showing most CBS programming, it began to pre-empt CBS programming a bit more than usual in 1993, around the time New World Communications bought the station. One example of this was when the CBS soap opera Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
was moved from its network start time of 3:00pm ET to 10:00am, to allow for syndicated programming.
As a Fox station
In 1994, New World agreed to affiliate its stations, including WJBK to Fox when that network won the contract to carry the NFC football package (including the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
), which was originally carried on the station as a CBS affiliate. As a result, WJBK dropped CBS after 44 years and Fox moved its programming from WKBD
WKBD
WKBD-TV, virtual channel 50 , is an owned and operated station of the CW Television Network, based in Detroit, Michigan. The station is owned and operated by the CBS Corporation, and is one-half of a duopoly with sister station WWJ-TV . Its studios and transmitters are located at 11 mile and...
to WJBK on December 11, 1994 (ironically, that week's Lions game was played the day before). Within a year, WJBK became the first television in the United States to televise daily obituaries, which aired on its 5pm newscast. The decision to air obituaries on television came about when the Detroit News and Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
went on strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
early in 1995. This strike, which lasted until Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
1997, also forced the launches of weekend newscasts of WDIV and WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
, which continue to compete against WJBK's weekend newscast to this day.
CBS moved to a weak independent station
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....
WGPR (which would be sold to CBS and renamed 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....
). Like most other New World stations, WJBK also did not take Fox's children's programming, (Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
/FoxBox/4KidsTV) which remained on the market's former Fox station (and charter 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) WKBD-TV (before briefly moving to WADL
WADL (TV)
WADL Channel 38 is a full-power, commercially licensed broadcast television station in the Midwestern United States. As an independent television station licensed to the town of Mount Clemens, Michigan, the station serves the entire Detroit metropolitan area. The station also serves most of the...
, and ultimately, to WMYD
WMYD
WMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
). As a result of the network change, WJBK's branding switched from 'TV 2' to 'Fox 2 Detroit.' The actual rebranding didn't take place until Fall 1995.
Fox bought out New World Communications in 1997, and WJBK became a Fox owned and operated station. The network brought stronger syndicated shows on WJBK. However, the station continued its practice of not running children's programming from the network, which was subsequently discontinued in January 2009 for a network-transmitted infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
block also not aired by WJBK.
In 2006, WJBK officially debuted its MyFox website, myfoxdetroit.com (similar sites have also been adopted by all the other News Corporation owned Fox affiliates).
WJBK is one of the eight network-owned stations in Metro Detroit, the other two are CBS-owned WWJ-TV and CW-affiliate WKBD-TV, both are owned by CBS Corporation. There's also low-power stations WDWO-CA
WDWO-CA
WDWO-CD is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, which broadcasts the programming of the Tri-State Christian Television religious network....
, owned by Tri-State Christian Television
Tri-State Christian Television
Tri-State Christian Television is a network of eight religious television stations and their repeaters, mainly in the Midwest. TCT Network provides Christian programming such as teaching, preaching, family-based movies, music, documentaries, youth and children, live broadcasts and original content...
and W66BV
W66BV
W47DL-D is a TBN satellite station for Detroit, Michigan. All programming is delivered directly from TBN's national satellite feed.The station broadcasts on digital channel 47 at 2.7 kW with a northerly-aimed directional antenna, from a tower located at the Renaissance Center in Downtown...
, owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
. The last three stations are Windsor-based CBET
CBET
CBET, channel 9, is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's owned-and-operated television station in Windsor, Ontario. The station's signal also covers the Detroit, Michigan area across the international border in the United States, and is counted as a Detroit station for the purposes of...
and French station CBEFT
CBEFT
CBEFT is Radio-Canada's transmitter serving Franco-Ontarians in Windsor. Previously licensed as a standalone television station, it is currently a semi-satellite of CBLFT-DT in Toronto.-History:...
(although operates as a satellite of Ottawa's CBOFT
CBOFT
CBOFT-DT is the Radio-Canada station serving Franco-Ontarians in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, and the Québécois in the Outaouais region of Quebec.-History:CBOFT went to air in 1955 as the first French language television station in Ontario...
-- which in turn rebroadcasts Toronto's CBLFT
CBLFT
CBLFT-DT is the Radio-Canada television station providing French-language television in Toronto and most of Ontario, including the Western, Central and Northeastern regions.-History:...
), both are owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
-- parent company of CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
and lastly, Ann Arbor-based WPXD
WPXD
WPXD-TV is a television station licensed to Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the Ion Television network affiliate for the Southeastern Michigan market.-Digital programming:...
, owned by ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks is an American television broadcasting company that owns and operates over 60 television stations in most major American markets. It is now a privately owned company.-History:...
.
Digital television
As part of the analog television shutdown and digital conversion was completed, WJBK shut down its analog transmitter on June 12, 2009, and WXYZ-TVWXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
shut down its analog signal. The station's digital broadcasts remained on channel 7. Through the use of PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
, digital television receivers will continue to display WJBK'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 2.1. The shutdown of its analog signal marks the end of 60 years of broadcasting on channel 2 by WJBK.
Before the analog shutdown, WJBK was broadcasting on UHF channel 58. This channel was one of the channels (52-69) being reclaimed by the FCC for public safety and advanced wireless services.http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-275789A1.pdf Its final broadcasting channel assignment, announced May 7, 2007, is VHF channel 7 - formerly occupied by the analog broadcasts of WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
.
WJBK also has plans for a Mobile DTV feed of subchannel 2.1.
Sports programming
WJBK televised some Detroit TigersDetroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
games in the 2007 season and Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
games during the 2003-2007 seasons, which were produced by sister station Fox Sports Detroit
Fox Sports Detroit
Fox Sports Detroit , is a regional sports network that covers local sports teams in the state of Michigan, mostly those in the Metro Detroit area. It is an owned and operated affiliate of Fox Sports Net...
. In March 2007, WJBK began showing Red Wings games 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...
. From 1953 to 1971, WJBK served as the flagship station of the Tigers' television network, with games broadcasted throughout Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio. Currently, the only Tigers games aired on WJBK are Major League Baseball on Fox telecasts and the home opener for the Tigers (produced by Fox Sports Detroit).
Most regular season Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
games air on WJBK, since Fox holds the rights to broadcast games in which the road team is in the NFC (see also NFL on Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
), except those played at night. Even so, ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
is considered the "official station" of the Lions and produces its preseason games and airs the weekly Ford Lions Report. With Detroit being the team's primary market, regular season home games on both stations are subject to the NFL's local television blackout policy, most recently during the 0-16 2008 Detroit Lions season
2008 Detroit Lions season
The 2008 Detroit Lions season was the 79th season for the franchise in the National Football League. Although the Lions had a flawless preseason with a 4-0 record, the Lions became the first team in NFL history to compile an 0-16 record in regular season play. They were mathematically eliminated...
, in which 5 home games were blacked out due to poor performance and low ticket sales figures.
The station also carried Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
games, upon the team's relocation from Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
in 1957
1957-58 NBA season
The 1957–58 NBA Season was the 12th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the St. Louis Hawks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
, until the end of the 1971-72 season, when they moved to WKBD-TV the following season.
Famous local programs
The station aired assorted sci-fi and horror movies on Saturday afternoons, hosted by the humorous personality Sir Graves GhastlySir Graves Ghastly
Sir Graves Ghastly was a character created by Cleveland-born actor Lawson J. Deming for the popular television show of the same name....
, played by actor Lawson J. Deming
Lawson J. Deming
Lawson J. Deming was a radio and TV character actor best known in Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, D.C. and parts of Canada as the Saturday afternoon television horror movie host "Sir Graves Ghastly."-Early years:...
. Deming, who played Sir Graves on WJBK from 1967 to 1983, had originally come to the station as the puppeteer and voice actor for the children's program Woodrow the Woodsman
Woodrow the Woodsman
Woodrow the Woodsman was a local children's television program host in Cleveland and Detroit from 1961 to 1972, and again in 1997-2000. Lead actor J. Clayton "Clay" Conroy attended the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, and later the New England Conservatory of Music, where his instrument...
when that show moved from Cleveland to Detroit in 1966. He made personal appearances well into the 1990s and died April 24, 2007, just one day after his 94th birthday.
With This Ring was a religious program produced at the studios of WJBK from approximately the early 1970s through the mid-1990s. Hosted by Roman Catholic priest Raymond Schlinkert, the 15-minute weekly show featured lectures and advice about marriage and family life. The program appeared in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
on numerous U.S. commercial stations, usually shown immediately following the station's sign-on or before sign-off on Sundays.
News operation
WJBK broadcasts a total of 52½ hours of local news a week (8½ hours on weekdays, five hours on Saturdays and 3½ hours on Sundays), more than any other station in Detroit, and more than any individual television station in Michigan; however as is standard with Fox stations that carry early evening weekend newscasts, WJBK's Saturday and Sunday 6 p.m. newscasts are subject to delay due to sports coverage. After becoming a Fox affiliate station, WJBK maintained a newscast schedule that is very similar to a CBS, ABC, or NBC affiliated station. Upon the network switch, the station moved its late evening news broadcasts from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. The station is known in the area for its "Problem Solver" investigative unit that was started in 1998. Since the early 1990s, the station has repeated its 10 p.m. newscasts four hours later at 2 a.m. the following morning.WJBK operates an Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale was a French aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale...
AS350BA A-star news helicopter called Sky Fox, to cover breaking news and track severe weather. WJBK's newscasts in the CBS-era were rebroadcast on WADL under a partnership WJBK had with that station, and continued until 1998. The station also had an 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 was similar to sister station WHBQ-TV
WHBQ-TV
WHBQ-TV, channel 13, is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Memphis, Tennessee. Its studios and transmitter are located in Memphis.-Under RKO General:...
in Memphis, thus calling itself Fox 2 Eyewitness News for sometime before shortening to the current Fox 2 News.
On January 8, 2007, WJBK started simulcasting parts of its weekday morning news on Northern Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
's Fox affiliate, WFQX-TV
WFQX-TV
WFQX-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the northern Lower and eastern Upper Peninsulas of Michigan. Licensed to Cadillac, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter at studios on 130th Avenue/Dighton Road in Tustin on Grove Hill...
, based in Cadillac
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of US 131, M-55 and M-115...
. On that station, the simulcast ran from 6 to 8 a.m. and was known as Michigan's Fox News Morning. This arrangement was possible as a result of a cooperative arrangement offering local advertising opportunities to Northern Michigan businesses. From February 5, 2007 to October 31 after the completion of its own 10 p.m. newscast, WFQX simulcasted the second half of WJBK's weeknight 10 o'clock news. It ended when new owners acquired WFQX and CBS affiliate WWTV
WWTV
WWTV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the northern Lower and eastern Upper Peninsulas of Michigan. Licensed to Cadillac, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter at its studios on 130th Avenue, northeast of Tustin, in Osceola County. At 1,631...
gained control of the station. This led to a new 10 P.M. newscast produced by WWTV that limited WJBK's newscasts to air on WFQX
WFQX-TV
WFQX-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the northern Lower and eastern Upper Peninsulas of Michigan. Licensed to Cadillac, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter at studios on 130th Avenue/Dighton Road in Tustin on Grove Hill...
in the mornings. On January 14, the WJBK morning news simulcast was dropped as WFQX, on January 7, began airing a two hour long extension of WWTV's morning news at 7 a.m.
On September 24, 2007, WJBK launched its first ever 11 p.m. newscast as a Fox affiliate, using the NewsEdge
NewsEdge at 11
NewsEdge at 11:00 is an 11:00–11:35 p.m. newscast on WTVT hosted by Mark Wilson...
format originally used by WTVT
WTVT
WTVT, channel 13, is a television station in Tampa, Florida. It is an owned and operated station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the News Corporation...
. On the same day, WJBK redesigned its look to be more in line with other Fox-owned stations, with a new set, logo, graphics and news music that have also been used on other Fox-owned stations such as KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...
in Minneapolis-St. Paul and KDFW
KDFW
KDFW, virtual channel 4 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex designated market area....
in Dallas-Ft. Worth. This marks the biggest change to the station's image in ten years.
On April 22, 2008, WJBK became the third and final station in the Detroit market, and the first Fox-owned station, to broadcast its local newscasts 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...
, after rival area stations WXYZ
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
and WDIV. As of November 30, 2009, it now uses the new Fox O&O HD graphics currently used on its other Fox-owned sister stations. On September 14, 2009, WJBK's morning newscast expanded to five and a half hours, running from 4:30-10 a.m. On September 19, 2011, WJBK will expand its weekday morning newscast to 7½ hours, running from 4:30 a.m.-12 p.m.; the addition, which will result in the 11 a.m. midday newscast being absorbed into the morning newscast, will make WJBK the second U.S. television station to carry a morning newscast of more than seven hours in length (San Francisco MyNetworkTV affiliate KRON currently runs a seven-hour morning newscast on weekdays from 4-11 a.m.), and give it the longest-duration newscast of any local station in the United States.
SportsWorks
On Sunday nights, WJBK airs a sports highlights and discussion show SportsWorks. Often there is a round table discussion between the Detroit media and Dan MillerDan Miller (sportscaster)
Dan Miller is an American sportscaster based in Detroit, Michigan. He currently works as the sports director and anchor on WJBK and as a radio play-by-play announcer on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.-Childhood:...
or Woody Woodriffe. The SportsWorks brand is also used for other sports related segments during newscasts.
Typical round table media members, include; Drew Sharp from the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
, Sean Baligian
Sean Baligian
Sean Baligian is a sports radio broadcaster who was on the Detroit sports airwaves, for WDFN and WJR. He is a native of Livonia, Michigan and graduated from Livonia Stevenson High School.-Radio career:...
from the Detroit News, Pat Caputo
Pat Caputo
Pat Caputo is an American sports writer and radio talk show host based in Southeast Michigan. He is a sports columnist for the Oakland Press and an on-air host for WXYT-FM in Detroit. Caputo hosts a radio show, "Caputo and Fithian" with Dennis Fithian...
from the Oakland Press/WXYT-FM, Bob Wojnowski
Bob Wojnowski
Bob "Wojo" Wojnowski is an American reporter and columnist for the Detroit News and former co-host of the Stoney and Wojo radio show on WDFN in Detroit, Michigan...
from the Detroit News and Tony Ortiz
Tony Ortiz
Tony Ortiz is a sportscaster and sports talk show host for CBS Radio owned sister stations WXYT-FM, WXYT-AM and WWJ in Detroit, MI.-Education and early positions:...
from WXYT-FM.
Ratings
For many years, WJBK's newscasts have usually rated a competitive third in the Detroit market, behind WXYZ and WDIV. An exception was during the period of 1974-1978 when George NooryGeorge Noory
George Ralph Noory is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host.As of 2010, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. He is heard across the United States and Canada on many AM and FM stations as well as on XM Satellite Radio. His show is one of the most listened...
, now host of the syndicated radio show Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
, was the executive producer; during this period, WJBK-TV was number one in the market.
However, since the switch in network affiliation from CBS to Fox, WJBK's evening newscasts have been consistently in third place while the station's local morning news show and 10 p.m. newscast have usually won their time slots. There are only three local in-house news stations in the Detroit market (MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WMYD
WMYD
WMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
currently airs an outsourced newscast which originates from one of its sister stations located outside the Detroit media market). Since 2002, WKBD-TV has not produced any news programming (and since 2004 has not aired any news programming), while sister station and CBS O&O 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....
doesn't air any local news (only weather reports during The Early Show and the top of the 11 p.m. hour).
Newscast titles
- Your Esso Reporter (1948–1953)
- Detroit Newsreel (1953–1958)
- TV-2 Eyewitness News (1966–1977)
- TV-2 News (1977–1978)
- (TV-2/Channel 2) Eyewitness News (1978–1995, WJBK used this newscast after the switch from CBS to FOX.)
- Fox 2 Eyewitness News (1995–1997)
- Fox 2 News (1997–present)
Station slogans
- Your Picture Window on the World (1948–1956)
- WJBK TV-2 in Color (1965–1971)
- Your Eyewitness News Station in Color (1966–1971)
- Catch the Brightest Stars on TV-2 (1975-1976; local version of the CBS Fall Campaing)
- TV-2 is Yours/Your TV-2 (1977–1978)
- 2's the One (1980–1982)
- Reach for Stars on TV-2 (1981-1982; local version of the CBS Fall Campaign)
- Great Moments, Here on TV-2 (1982-1983; local version of the CBS Fall Campaign)
- We've Got the Touch, You and Channel 2 (1983-1986; local version of the CBS Fall campaign)
- Us Viewing You (1986–1988)
- It Takes Two, TV-2 (1989–1994; WMAR-TVWMAR-TVWMAR-TV, channel 2, is the ABC affiliate television station in Baltimore, Maryland, owned by the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company...
in Baltimore also used the slogan in 1998) - Share the Spirit of Channel 2 (1986–1988; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
- Where the Facts Tell the Story (1994–1996; news slogan)
- Think News, Think Fox 2 News (1996–1998; news slogan)
- News That Works for You (1998–present)
News team (as of November 17th, 2011)
Anchors- Amy Andrews - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) also general assignment and feature reporter
- Kam Carman - weekday mornings (9-11 a.m. also Sunday Morning (6:30-10 a.m.) also fill-in weather anchor
- Jason Carr - weekday mornings (9-11 a.m.); also general assignment and feature reporter (married to Taryn Asher)
- Deena Centofanti - friday morning (9-11 a.m.), saturday mornings; also "HealthWorks" reporter
- Murray Feldman - weeknights at 5:30 p.m.; also business editor, and "Job Shop" and "Money Works" feature reporter
- Monica GayleMonica GayleMonica Gayle is a television news anchor who anchors the 5, 6, 10pm news on Detroit's Fox affiliate WJBK. She previously worked with CBS News, anchoring the news programs Up to the Minute from April 1992 to 1993, and the CBS Morning News from August 1993 to May 1994...
- weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. - Anqunette Jamison - weekday mornings (7-9 a.m.); and 11 a.m.
- Alan Lee - weekday mornings (5-9 a.m.)
- Sherry Margolis - weekday mornings at 11 a.m. and weeknights at 5:30 p.m.
- Huel Perkins - weeknights at 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m.
- Roop Raj - Saturday mornings; also reporter
- Ron Savage - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Robin Schwartz - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Jay Towers - Sunday mornings; also feature reporter
- Maurielle Lue - weekend anchor/ general assignment reporter
Weather Authority
- Rich Luterman (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 and 11 p.m. - Ben Bailey (AMS and 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...
Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings (7:00-12 a.m.) - Jackie Paige - weather anchor; currently filling in Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings 4:30-7 A.M. and weekends at 6 and 10 P.M. until new meteorologist is hired
- Jessica Starr - meteorologist; Monday, Tuesday 4:30-7 a.m. and weekend mornings
Sports team
- Dan MillerDan Miller (sportscaster)Dan Miller is an American sportscaster based in Detroit, Michigan. He currently works as the sports director and anchor on WJBK and as a radio play-by-play announcer on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.-Childhood:...
- sports director; Sunday-Thursdays at 6 and 10, and Monday-Thursdays at 5 and 11 p.m.; also SportsWorks host - Woody Woodriffe - sports anchor; Fridays at 5 and 11, and Friday-Saturdays at 6 and 10 p.m.; also Sunday-Thursday sports reporter
- Ryan Ermanni - sports reporter; also fill-in sports anchor
- Jennifer Hammond - sports reporter; also fill-in sports anchor
Reporters
- Al Allen - weekday morning reporter
- Taryn Asher - general assignment reporter
- Ronnie Dahl - general assignment reporter
- Bill Gallagher - general assignment reporter
- Andrea Isom - general assignment reporter
- Charlie Langton - general assignment reporter; also legal analyst
- Simon Shaykhet - general assignment reporter
- Lee Thomas - entertainment reporter; also "Fox 2 News Morning Extra" anchor
- Jackie Paige - feature reporter; also fill-in anchor weather anchor and traffic anchor
- Amy Lange - "Problem Solvers" investigative reporter
- Rob Wolchek - "Problem Solvers" investigative reporter/"Hall of Shame" feature reporter
Notable former on-air staff
- Bill BondsBill BondsBill Bonds is an American television anchor and reporter, best known for his work at WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Michigan. Born in 1933, Bonds became an Action News anchorman beginning in the early 1970s.-Early career:...
- commentator, interviewer - Sir Graves GhastlySir Graves GhastlySir Graves Ghastly was a character created by Cleveland-born actor Lawson J. Deming for the popular television show of the same name....
, played by Lawson J. DemingLawson J. DemingLawson J. Deming was a radio and TV character actor best known in Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, D.C. and parts of Canada as the Saturday afternoon television horror movie host "Sir Graves Ghastly."-Early years:...
- horror movie host (1967–1983) (deceased) - Amy JacobsonAmy JacobsonAmy Jacobson is a Chicago broadcaster who was a general assignment reporter for WMAQ-TV, the NBC television affiliate in Chicago, from 1996 to 2007, when she lost her job as part of a scandal involving a rival Chicago TV station's news cameras capturing footage of Jacobson clad in a bikini with...
- reporter (1994–1996, went to WMAQ-TVWMAQ-TVWMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
in Chicago, resigned following a scandal) - Ray LaneRay LaneRay Lane is a sports broadcasting figure in Detroit, Michigan. During the late 1940s, Ray played baseball and basketball for the Stags of Mackenzie High School...
- sports anchor (1961–1982) - Fred McLeodFred McLeod (sports analyst)Fred McLeod is a sportscaster who broadcasts for FS Ohio. He joined them prior to the 2006-07 NBA season as the play-by-play voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He teams up with returning color analyst Austin Carr for Cavaliers games telecast on FS Ohio...
- sports anchor/reporter (1981–1989, now at Fox Sports Ohio) - Lucy NolandLucy NolandLucy Noland is a Vietnamese-American news anchor. She is currently a news anchor and reporter at KNBC in Los Angeles, California...
- anchor (1997–2004; now at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, CA) - Van PatrickVan PatrickVan Patrick was an American sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play work with the Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers....
- sports director (1960–1974) - Charles PughCharles PughCharles Pugh is an American television journalist, radio personality and politician, who was elected council president of Detroit City Council in Detroit's city elections in 2009...
- anchor/reporter (1999–2009) Left to run for public office. Now Detroit City CouncilDetroit City CouncilThe Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The City Council consists of nine members elected for a four-year term in a single election conducted on an at-large and non-partisan basis...
president. - Jeff RossenJeff RossenJeff Rossen is an American television journalist who is currently employed by NBC News. He joined the network in September 2008. Rossen contributes to all NBC News programs and platforms, including "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," and "TODAY." Rossen also fills in at the anchor desk for...
- reporter (1998–2001, went to WABC-TVWABC-TVWABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in New York, now at NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
) - Mark WilsonMark Wilson (radio broadcaster)Mark Wilson is a Detroit sports radio broadcaster and a former Associated Press and Michigan Association of Broadcasters' "Michigan Sportscaster of the Year" and former columnist in Detroit's cultural weekly Real Detroit and The Observer & Eccentric newspapers...
- sports anchor/reporter (1992–1997) - Jerry HodakJerry HodakJerry Hodak is the former Chief Meteorologist on ABC's Detroit affiliate, WXYZ-TV. Hodak studied mass communications at Wayne State University, located in Detroit, Michigan. After traveling to Orlando, Florida as a news reporter for WDBO-TV, Hodak returned to Detroit in 1967 as a weather caster...
(retired from WXYZ-TV in 2010, forecasted weather longer than anyone in Detroit television)
Out-of-market cable coverage
WJBK is carried on most cable systems in Southeast MichiganSoutheast Michigan
Southeast Michigan, also called Southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are concentrated in Metro...
, Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
and Northwestern Ohio.
In Canada, as a CBS affiliate, WJBK was carried on cable in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
including in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
from 1985 to when WJBK switched its affiliation to Fox through Cable Atlantic
Cable Atlantic
Cable Atlantic Inc. was a cable television provider serving much of the population of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador...
(now Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
) (the CBS affiliation with Cable Atlantic was switched over to WTOL
WTOL
WTOL is the CBS- affiliated television station licensed in Toledo, Ohio. The station broadcasts on channel 11 and can be seen quite clearly throughout Northwest Ohio, Southeast Michigan , and southwest Ontario...
in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
from 1995 to 1997), and was previously the CBS affiliate carried on cable in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
including in Halifax. In both provinces, carriage of CBS is now provided from WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV
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 , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
in Boston. WJBK was also the CBS affiliate carried on cable in all areas of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, including Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and Brandon
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
.
Coverage on cable systems outside the Detroit / Windsor market may be subject to syndex
Syndication exclusivity
Syndication exclusivity is a federal law in the United States designed to protect a local television station's rights to syndicated television programs by granting exclusive rights to the station for that program in the local market, usually defined by a station's Nielsen DMA...
and network blackouts
Blackout (broadcasting)
Blackout usually relates to the broadcasting of sports events, television programming, that is prohibited in a certain media market.The purpose is theoretically to generate more revenue by obliging certain actions from fans, either by making them buy tickets or watch other games on TV...
in the United States and simsubbing
Simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requiring Canadian cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies to substitute the signal of a foreign or...
in Canada.