WBBH-TV

Infobox_Broadcast | call_letters = WBBH-TV
city = Fort Myers
station_
station_slogan = Count On Us!
station_branding = NBC 2
NBC 2 News
analog = 20 (UHF)
digital = 15 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = NBC
NBC WX+ (on DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate = December 18, 1968
location = Cape Coral / Fort Myers /
Naples, Florida
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Waterman Broadcasting Corporation
licensee =
sister_stations = WZVN-TV
former_affiliations = | effective_radiated_power = 5,000 kW (analog)
1,000 kW (digital)
HAAT = 451 m (analog)
453.9 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 71085
coordinates = coord|26|49|31|N|81|45|54.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.nbc-2.com/ nbc-2.com]

WBBH-TV, channel 20, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southwest Florida that is licensed to Fort Myers. Its transmitter is located north of Fort Myers Shores near the Lee and Charlotte County line. Owned by Waterman Broadcasting Corporation, WBBH operates ABC affiliate WZVN-TV (which is owned by Montclaire Communications) through a local marketing agreement (LMA). The two stations share studios on Central Avenue in Fort Myers. WBBH is offered on Comcast cable channel 2 which is reflected on its on-air branding, "NBC 2". Syndicated programming on the station includes: "Wheel of Fortune", "Jeopardy!", "Rachael Ray", and "Ellen".

History

Channel 20 was the second television station in Southwest Florida signing on as the area's NBC affiliate on December 18, 1968. Started by local businessmen, the station originally used a 1,000 foot tower in Lehigh Acres which increased to 1,500 feet in 1983. Waterman Broadcasting purchased the station in 1978 and the -TV suffix was removed from the call letters on October 16 of that year. In 1994, ABC affiliate WEVU changed its calls to WZVN and entered into a local marketing agreement with WBBH. That station then moved into WBBH's facilities. At that time, both stations began identifying by their cable channels with WBBH becoming "NBC 2" and WZVN changing to "ABC 7". WBBH and WZVN began broadcasting high defitnition signals on October 31, 2002. They were the first two stations in the market to offer network programming in high definition. WBBH's HDTV signal can also be seen on Comcast digital cable channel 232. WBBH began offering NBC Weather Plus on its second digital subchannel in September of 2006. It is also offered on Comcast digital cable channel 245.

News operation

Darrel Adams is the News Director for WBBH and WZVN who operate out of a single newsroom. Each station uses its own personalities, news set, and on-air style. However, it is not unusual for news personnel to share video. WBBH is the primary competitor with CBS affiliate WINK-TV which for the most part has been the market leader since its sign-on. However, in the February 2008 sweeps period, WBBH either tied or surpassed WINK-TV in total homes in every head-to-head hour of local news programming. WBBH and WZVN share two news bureaus. The Collier County Bureau is located on Tamiami Trail North in Naples. The Charlotte County Bureau is located in Punta Gorda. Unlike most NBC affiliates, WBBH airs news at noon on the weekends.

Meteorologists give forecasts from the "Hurricane Tracking Center" which is renamed the "Storm Tracking Center" outside of hurricane season. WBBH and WZVN operate their own Baron weather radar. It is located on-site and is known on WBBH as "First Alert Power Doppler HD". The radar has a range of 300 miles and, in HD mode, can survey approaching storms in three dimensions. During major hurricanes, recently Charley and Wilma, the news teams of WBBH and WZVN join together to put on 24-hour coverage and simulcast on both station. WZVN's studio has been designated as the broadcast center for hurricane events in 2008 as it provides the best protection against damaging wind.

Since March of 2007, WBBH's website has been offering live streaming video of its weekday noon and 4 P.M. newscasts. In June of 2007, the station added local news segments to its NBC Weather Plus channel. In early-February 2008, following the lead of WZVN, WBBH became the second station in Southwest Florida to broadcast local news news in 16x9 enhanced definition. On July 19, 2008, WBBH and WZVN started broadcasting their local newscasts in high definition becoming the second and third stations respectively in Fort Myers to do so, following WINK-TV. WBBH started broadcasting in HD several hours before WZVN.

Newscast titles

*"The Sixth Hour Report / The Eleventh Hour Report" (1968-1974)
*"First Edition News" (1974-1977)
*"TV-20 Eyewitness News" (1977-1994)
*"NEWS 2" (1994-1996)
*"NBC 2 News" (1996-present)

tation Slogans

*"Count On Us!" (1996-Present)
*"Count On Us! in High Defenition" (2008-Present)

News team

Anchors
*Clay Miller - weekday mornings and Noon
*Heather Turco - weekday mornings and Noon
*Paul LaGrone - weeknights at 4 and 11
**investigative reporter
*Jamie Yuccas - weeknights at 4 and 11
**investigative reporter
*Craig Wolf - weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 6
*Kellie Burns - weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 6
*Grant Lodes - weekend mornings
**weekend evening sports anchor and "NBC 2 Sports Machine" co-anchor
**reporter and videojournalist
*Jessica Stilwell - weekend mornings and Noon
**fill-in anchor and medical reporter
*Brandon Gunnoe - weekend evenings
**reporter
*Michelle Burdo - weekend evenings
**reporter

"NBC 2 First Alert Storm Team"
*Robert Van Winkle - Chief seen on weeknights
*Haley Webb - weekday mornings
*Morgan Palmer (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - weekdays at Noon and 4
*Chris Lambert (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) - weekends
*Michelle Cunningham - fill-in

Sports
*Chris Long - Sports Director seen on weeknights at 6 and 11
**sports reporter and videojournalist
*Grant Lodes - Weekend Sports Anchor / Sports Reporter
**sports reporter

Reporters
*Marisa Brahney - Collier County Bureau
*Adam Freeman - Collier County Bureau
*Meaghan Smith - Charlotte County Bureau
*Kate Eckman - Cape Coral
*Kara Kenney - investigative
*Jason Pawloski - weekday morning traffic
*Jillian Windham - weekday 4 and 5 o'clock traffic
*Grant Boxleitner
*Kegan Feeny
*Ryan Hughes
*Amie McLain
*Cara Sapida
*Anne Imanuel
*Chad Oliver

Photojounalists
*Matt Apthorp - Special Projects
*Sean Bennett
*Rick Bork
*John Burns - Special Projects
*John Dulin
*Cody Engdahl - Collier County
*Jeff Feasel
*Bob Frank - Collier County
*Howie Grace
*Robert Griffin
*Chris Krul
*Mike Mason
*Chris Miller
*Josh Morgan
*Dwayne Myers
*Matt Myers
*Todd Ofenbeck - Director of Photojournalism
*Allison Rothang
*Nick Sapienza
*Bob Von Gyurcsy
*Phil Willette
*Jeff Woods

Former personalities

*Laura Arroyo
*Bob Austin - anchor
*Chere Avery
*Leslie Bohl - anchor
*Trent Butler - morning anchor (now at WAGT)
*Jonathan Carlson - reporter (left for KTXL-TV in Sacramento, Now at WSPA-TV in South Carolina)
*Jim Clarke - meteorologist (now at sister station WZVN-TV)
*Meghan Danahey - meteorologist (now at WFAA-TV in Dallas)
*Josh Davidsburg - transportation reporter
*Jorma Duran - reporter (now at The Weather Channel)
*Jim Farrell - chief forecaster (now at WINK-TV)
*Hunter Finnell - sports
*Richard Frohlich - weekend anchor
*Marlene Galan - anchor
*Bob Goldberger - anchor
*Sharon Gregory - anchor (was moved to anchor on sister station WZVN, now at WVIR-TV)
*Sloane Heffernan - reporter and weekend anchor (now at WRAL-TV)
*Beth Hobbs - anchor
*Harry Horn - anchor
*Tom James - sports anchor
*Eileen Javora - meteorologist (now at KCRA)
*Phil Jean - weekend sports anchor
*Todd Jurkowski - reporter (now at WKMG-TV)
*Mary Johnson
*Cara Jones - reporter
*Glenn Jones - weekend anchor/ reporter
*Jason Kadah - weather (now at KREM-TV in Spokane, WA)
*David Karsh - reporter (now at FOX News Radio Miami affiliate WIOD)
*Gene Lavanchy - (now at WFXT)
*Maggie Newland - investigative reporter (now at KSTP-TV)
*Amy Oshier - freelance
*Melissa Painter - anchor/reporter (now at WGHP)
*Danielle Pepe - weekend anchor
*Mike Potter - forecaster
*Tom Rector - senior meteorologist (retired April 2006)
*Jessica Ritter
*Andrew Resnik - reporter, Fired from KUSA-TV After drug arrest.
*Jay Severson
*Dan Sheldon - sports anchor (now at KUTV)
*Shepard Smith - weekend anchor (now at FOX News Channel)
*Chad Sokal
*Beverly Stevens - anchor
*David Sutta - crime reporter (now at WFOR-TV)
*Jim Syoen - forecaster - now at the Naples Daily News, retired from TV
*Brandon Todd - reporter (now at KDFW)
*Ukee Washington - sports anchor (now at KYW-TV)
*Stephanie Watson - morning anchor (now at KDKA-TV)
*Warren Wright
*Leisa Zigman - weekend anchor (now at KSDK)
*Dan Haggerty - weekday reporter (now at WEWS)

External links

* [http://www.nbc-2.com/ WBBH-TV/DT "NBC 2"]
* [http://www.nbc2go.com/ WBBH wireless]
* [http://www.water.net/ Waterman Broadcasting Corporation]
*TVQ|WBBH-TV