WBRE-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WBRE-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = WBRE (general)
WBRE Eyewitness News (newscasts)
analog = 28 (UHF)
digital = 11 (VHF)
other_chs = W24BL 24 Pottsville
W30AN 30 Williamsport
W51BP 51 Clarks Summit
W64AL 64 Stroudsburg
affiliations = NBC
network =
founded =
airdate = January 1, 1953
location = Wilkes-Barre / Scranton, Pennsylvania
callsign_meaning = Baltimore Radio Exchange (original owners, call sign was kept when radio sisters were sold and it unofficially means Wilkes-BarRE)
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Nexstar Broadcasting Group
licensee = Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
sister_stations = WYOU
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 3,020 kW (analog)
30 kW (digital)
HAAT = 509 m (analog)
471 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 71225
coordinates = coord|41|11|1.3|N|75|51|59.2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.pahomepage.com/ pahomepage.com]

WBRE-TV, channel 28, is the NBC-affiliated television station for northeastern and north central Pennsylvania, licensed to Wilkes-Barre. Its transmitter is located in Mountaintop. Owned by Nexstar Broadcasting, the station operates CBS affiliate WYOU (which is owned by Mission Broadcasting) through a joint sales agreement (JSA). WBRE and most of WYOU's operations are based at studios on South Franklin Street in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Syndicated programming on the station includes: "Wheel of Fortune", "Jeopardy!", "I Love Lucy", and "Oprah".

Digital television

The station's digital signal is multiplexed.

In 2009, WBRE-TV will leave channel 28 and move to channel 11 when the analog to digital transition is complete.http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf]

Repeaters

Like most stations in northeastern and north central Pennsylvania, WBRE must rely on repeaters to serve its coverage area. The market is one of the largest east of the Mississippi River and is very mountainous. In addition, Scranton / Wilkes Barre is a "UHF island" due to the fact that it is too close to Philadelphia and New York City for VHF analog service.

#WBRE currently has a construction permit for a Digital TV translator on this channel.
#WBRE was granted this channel under special temporary authority from the FCC. The site is owned and operated by Florida Power & Light.
#The channel will be a digital flash cut.
#The channel will be a displacement of the current analog channel.

History

On January 1, 1953, WBRE signed on becoming the first television station in the market. It was owned by the Baltimore family along with WBRE radio (1340 AM, now WYCK, and 98.5 FM, now WKRZ). Although it appears that the call letters stand for Wilkes-BaRrE, it actually stands for Baltimore 'Radio Exchange, the Baltimore family's company. The radio stations were sold off in 1980. Channel 28 led the ratings throughout the 1950s until ABC affiliate WNEP-TV jumped ahead of it in 1959. However, WBRE jumped back in the lead in the early-1960s and went back and forth for first place with WDAU-TV (now WYOU) until 1978, when WNEP took a lead.

It fell to third for most of the 1980s. In the mid 90's WBRE surpassed perennial leader WNEP for a short amount of time, then fell again after the ownership change to Nexstar. In 1972, disaster struck at WBRE when its offices were flooded by Hurricane Agnes. Most of the station's equipment was moved above ground and survived but a film archive located in the basement was destroyed. After numerous changes of ownership, Nexstar Broadcasting Group acquired the station in January of 1998. Nexstar already owned WYOU, but opted to keep WBRE and sell WYOU to Mission Broadcasting. However, Nexstar continued to control WYOU's operations through a joint sales agreement. On January 3, 2007, Nexstar named Louis J. Abitabilo as Vice President and General Manager for the station.

News operation

WYOU produces its own newscasts from studios located on Lackawanna Avenue in downtown Scranton. Since WBRE and WYOU have both trailed WNEP in the news ratings by a wide margin for most of the last 30 years, a major shakeup in format occurred in the Fall of 2006. While WYOU went with a talk / debate format for its weeknight shows, "WBRE News" became more of the traditional news program. This set a more clear competition against WNEP. WYOU generally does a traditional newscast whenever WBRE has programming that bumps their newscast back by a significant amount of time. In 2002, WBRE and WYOU dropped their separate weekday morning and Noon newscasts in favor of "Pennsylvania Morning" and "Pennsylvania Midday" which were jointly-produced and simulcasted on both stations. At the beginning of 2008, WYOU started airing the first hour of the nationally syndicated morning show, "The Daily Buzz", at 6 A.M. It also debuted its own Noon news. On June 9, 2008, there were several major changes on the two stations. WBRE re-launched its news operation as "WBRE Eyewitness News". The station had previously used the "Eyewitness News" moniker from the mid-1980s to 2004. This coincided with a new set, music package, graphics, and weather system upgrade. Anchor Andy Mehalshick became a reporter.

Candice Kelly, who had been anchoring on WYOU, moved to the weeknight newscasts on WBRE back in mid-May. She was joined by newcomer Drew Speier. In addition, WBRE and WYOU’s midday shows switched anchors. Mark Hiller moved from WBRE’s 11 A.M. news to WYOU’s Noon broadcast. Eva Mastromatteo switched over to WBRE at 11 A.M. Hiller also debuted as anchor of WYOU’s "First at 4" weekday broadcast. The station is the first one in the market to broadcast local news at 4 P.M. This is followed at 4:30 by "The Insider" which moved from its 7 o'clock slot. WYOU then dropped their 5 P.M. newscast and airs two episodes of "Judge Judy". Finally, weeknights at 6 o'clock, Lyndall Stout (who anchored on WBRE) joined Eric Scheiner for the half-hour "WYOU Interactive". That station will also launch a new weeknight newscast, "WYOU News at 7". WNEP already airs local news at that time on the weeknights. All of the preceding changes will attempt to better compete against WNEP and get more ratings. Along with their main studios, WBRE operates two news bureaus. There is one in Stroudsburg on Main Street. There is also a Williamsport Bureau located on West 4th Street.

News team

Anchors
*Doug Currin - Weekday mornings 5-7 & 11 AM
*Eva Mastromatteo - Weekday mornings 5-7 & 11 AM
*Drew Speier - Weeknights @ 5, 5:30, 6 & 11
*Candice Kelly - Weeknights @ 5, 5:30, 6 & 11
*Jill Konopka - weekend mornings
**Also reporter
*Dia Wallace - Weekend evenings @ 6 & 11
**Also reporter

Meteorologists
*Josh Hodell (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights @ 5, 5:30, 6 & 11
*Kristi Capel - Weekday mornings & 11 AM
*Kevin Derk - Weekend mornings
*Dave Skutnik - Weekend evenings

Sports
*Phil Schoener - Director seen on Weeknights @ 6 & 11
*Colin Riccobon - Weekend evenings
**sports reporter

Reporters
*Andy Mehalshick - general assignment
**seen weeknights at 5, 5:30 & 6
**investigative
*Jeff Chirico - consumer
*Joe Holden - investigative
**seen Weeknights @ 11
*Laurie Monteforte - Stroudsburg Bureau
**seen on weeknights/fill-in anchor
*Jeremy Deebel - Williamsport Bureau
*Mike Trim - investigative

Consumer Reporters/Producers
*Bobby Day
* Dave Becker
*Matt Finn
* Jeff Chirico
* Ben McKenna

References

External links

* [http://www.pahomepage.com/ WBRE-TV/DT]
*TVQ|WBRE-TV
*TVQ|W51BP
*TVQ|W24BL
*TVQ|W64AL
*TVQ|W30AN