WPEC (TV)

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WPEC
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = CBS 12
CBS 12 News
analog = 12 (VHF)
digital = 13 (VHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = CBS
Weather (on DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate = January 1, 1955
location = West Palm Beach, Florida
callsign_meaning = Photo Electronics Corporation
(station owner from 1973 to 1996)
former_callsigns = WEAT-TV (1955-1973)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Freedom Communications
licensee = Freedom Broadcasting of Florida Licensee, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = ABC (1955-1989)
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
29.5 kW (digital)
HAAT = 309 m (analog)
291 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 52527
coordinates = coord|26|35|19.7|N|80|12|28.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=WPEC
homepage = [http://www.cbs12.com/ cbs12.com]

WPEC, channel 12, is the CBS-affiliated television station for West Palm Beach, Florida. Its transmitter is located southeast of Wellington. Owned by Freedom Communications, the station has studios on Fairfield Drive in Mangonia Park. Syndicated programming on WPEC includes "Live with Regis & Kelly", "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", "Merv Griffin's Crosswords", and "The Doctors".

History

The station first signed on as an ABC affiliate, with the call letters WEAT-TV, on January 1, 1955. In 1973, the WEAT calls were changed to the current WPEC which stood for Photo Electronics Corporation in reference to the station's then-current owner. In 1989, it switched affiliations to CBS after the network purchased WCIX in Miami from TVX Inc. WCIX's (now WFOR) over-the-air signal is weaker than the other Miami VHF stations north of the city. This similar situation happened to NBC when CBS returned to channel 4 as WFOR and NBC was demoted to channel 6. This caused WPEC to lose much of its Broward County audience to WFOR. Rival station WPTV gained Broward County NBC market share from WTVJ that was now on channel 6. The WEAT call sign is currently used by an area radio station owned by the CBS Corporation.

News operation

Fox requested most of its affiliates air local news in 1990. To satisfy this, the area's affiliate WFLX (at the time owned by Malrite Communications) entered into a news share agreement with WPEC. On September 11, 1991, the station began to produce a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on WFLX that quickly expanded to a full hour. In 2000, WPEC began to produce an hour-long weekday morning news program on WFLX at 7 A.M. On September 6, 2006, that production expanded to two hours. In April of 2004, WPEC started using "Doppler 12000 Storm Trac" regional weather radar technology similar to the "VIPIR" system used by rival NBC affiliate WPTV. The radar is now called "CBS 12 Storm Trac Radar".

In June of 2007, for the first time in the history of television in West Palm Beach, WPEC passed WPTV in ratings for the 11 P.M. news. On January 31, the station became the second (behind WPTV) in South Florida to broadcast local newscasts in high definition. The launch included a new set, graphics, news music package, and on-air branding. The WFLX broadcasts were included in the upgrade. In addition to their main studios, WPEC operates two news bureaus. The Treasure Coast Bureau is located on East Prima Vista Boulevard in Port Saint Lucie. The South Bureau is located in Delray Beach. WPEC is the only television station in the market to air weeknight and Saturday 7 o'clock local news. The station operates a helicopter known as "Sky 12". It broadcasts a 24-hour weather channel known as "News 12 Now". It is offered on WPEC's second digital subchannel and Comcast digital cable channel 212 or 187. Effective October 11, 2008, the station airs local news on Saturday mornings starting at 5. Also, "The Early Show" Saturday edition moved to 7 A.M. which allowed WPEC to add a local newscast at 9. On Sunday mornings, the station added an hour of local news at 8.

Digital television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Post-analog shutdown

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , WPEC will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 13. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101260219&formid=387&fac_num=52527 CDBS Print ] ] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display WPEC's virtual channel as 12.

News team

Anchors
*Tara Cardoso - CBS 12 Daybreak
*Ric Blackwell - CBS 12 Daybreak / Fox 29 Morning News / CBS 12 News @ Noon
*Claudia Shea - FOX 29 Morning News / CBS 12 News @ Noon
*Suzanne Boyd - CBS 12 News @ 5 & 5:30 / Fox 29 News @ 10 PM
**investigative reporter
*Liz Quirantes - CBS 12 News @ 5, 6 & 11 PM
*Eric Roby - CBS 12 News @ 5:30 / Fox 29 News @ 10 PM
**investigative reporter
*Curt Fonger - CBS 12 News @ 6 & 11 PM / CBS 12 News Nowcast
*Juan Carlos Fanjul - CBS 12 News @ 7 PM
*Emily Pantelides - CBS 12 News @ 7 PM
*Ben Becker - CBS 12 News Daybreak Weekends
*Althea Paul - CBS 12 News Daybreak Weekends
*John Bachman - CBS 12 News Weekend Evenings / Fox 29 News @ 10 Weekends
*Kara Kostanich - CBS 12 News Weekend Evenings / Fox 29 News @ 10 Weekends

"CBS 12 Severe Weather Experts"
*John Matthews (NWA Seal of Approval) - Chief seen on weeknights
*Chris Farrell (AMS Seal of Approval) - weekday mornings and Noon
**heard on WRMF-FM 97.9
*Michael Ehrenberg (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - weekends
**weather reporter and fill-in

Sports
*Pat Murphy - Director seen on weeknights at 6, 7, 10, and 11
**host of "Sports Plus"
*TBD - weekends and sports reporter

Reporters
*John Bachman - fill-in anchor
*Ben Becker - fill-in anchor
*Paul Cavanaugh - weekday morning traffic and "Sky 12" reporter
*Jana Eschbach - Treasure Coast Bureau
*Allison Bybee
*Lindsay Cohen
*Stephanie Gailhard
*Kara Kostanich
*Al Pefley
*Chuck Weber
*Alex Zequeira

References

External links

* [http://www.news12now.com/ WPEC "CBS 12"]
* [http://www.wflx.com/ WFLX "Fox 29"]
* [http://www.cbs.com/ CBS]
*TVQ|WPEC