WKBD

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WKBD
city =
station_
station_slogan = Contagious Watching
station_branding = CW 50
analog = 50 (UHF)
digital = 14 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = The CW
network =
founded =
airdate = January 10, 1965
location = Detroit, Michigan
callsign_meaning = Kaiser
Broadcasting
Detroit
"(reference to original owner Kaiser Broadcasting)"
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = CBS Corporation
licensee = Detroit Television Station WKBD, Inc.
sister_stations = WOMC, WVMV, WWJ, WWJ-TV, WXYT, WXYT-FM, WYCD
former_affiliations = Independent (1965-1986; 1994-1995)
United Network (1967)
Fox (1986-1994)
UPN (1995-2006)
effective_radiated_power = 2340 kW (analog)
200 kW (digital)
HAAT = 293 m (analog)
269 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 51570
coordinates = coord|42|29|0.9|N|83|18|43.5|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.cw50detroit.com/ www.cw50detroit.com]

WKBD, 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 (channel 62). Its studios and transmitters are located in Southfield, Michigan.

History

WKBD-TV first went on the air on January 10, 1965, under the ownership of Kaiser Broadcasting, the broadcasting arm of Kaiser Aluminum. It started as an all-sports station, predating ESPN by almost 14 years. It eventually became a typical UHF independent station running cartoons, sitcoms and old movies; WKBD also was an affiliate of the short-lived United Network in 1967. For many years it had an afternoon movie hosted by Detroit legend Bill Kennedy. WKBD also produced a controversial weekly talk show, [http://www.gordomarketing.com/Lou_Gordon_Program_Video.html"The Lou Gordon Program"] , which was seen during the late 1960s and most of the 1970s on all Kaiser stations (and a few non-Kaiser ones), until Gordon's death in 1977. However, sports remained a central part of WKBD's schedule, and it was the over-the-air home of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons for many years, as well as the Tigers for a decade. WKBD-TV offered Japanese cartoons, including "Speed Racer", "Kimba the White Lion" and "Astro Boy".

Field Communications, which owned WFLD-TV in Chicago, bought a minority interest in Kaiser in 1972. Field bought the remainder of Kaiser's shares in 1977.

Over the years, WKBD was the leading independent in Detroit, running a typical schedule of cartoons, off network sitcoms and old movies. Channel 50 was carried on cable systems throughout Michigan. At one point in the early 1980s, WKBD was the only independent station running a full time schedule of entertainment.

In 1982, Field put all its stations up for sale. However, Field had a difficult time selling WKBD for the amount of money it wanted. As a result Field was forced to hold onto channel 50, which at the time was one of the country's top-rated independents. In late 1983, Cox Enterprises offered to buy the station. On January 30, 1984, Cox acquired the station. The programming remained the same as before, with one notable exception: in the late 1980s WKBD began airing "Late Night with David Letterman" when NBC affiliate WDIV (channel 4) refused to clear it.

The station retained its title as the leading independent station in the Detroit market until 1986, when it became a charter affiliate of the Fox network, later adopting the name "Fox 50". Channel 50 was later sold to the Paramount Stations Group in June 1993.

Even though WKBD was one of Fox's strongest affiliates, it lost the Fox affiliation to WJBK-TV (channel 2), Detroit's longtime CBS affiliate, on December 11, 1994. This was a result of WJBK's owner, New World Communications, making a group deal with Fox to switch the affiliation of nearly all of its stations to Fox.

WKBD briefly went independent again until January 1995, when it became Detroit's UPN owned and operated station through Paramount's stake. (It was the first network O&O in Detroit in ten years since ABC sold off WXYZ-TV to Scripps; WKBD's O&O network status predated the sale of WGPR (now WWJ-TV) to CBS and Fox to WJBK-TV.) Its programming from its days as a Fox affiliate was unchanged except for prime time programming. Eventually, the older sitcoms were replaced with more first-run syndicated talk or reality shows. Fox Kids stayed on WKBD until 1998, when it moved to WADL-TV (channel 38). WKBD continued to maintain a morning cartoon block that became the "UPN Kids" Disney "Block."

In 2000, Paramount's parent Viacom acquired CBS, a move that united channel 50 with WWJ-TV (which CBS acquired in 1995 in the wake of losing its contract with WJBK). After the merger, WWJ-TV moved from its facilities in downtown Detroit to WKBD's Southfield studios.

UPN ended cartoons in the Fall of 2003. Today, WKBD has a format primarily of first-run syndicated talk, courtroom, and reality shows, some recent off-network sitcoms, CW first-run programming, and some drama shows.

On January 24, 2006, the UPN and WB networks announced they would merge into a single network called the CW, to be owned jointly by CBS and the Warner Bros. Television unit of Time Warner. WKBD was chosen as the CW's Detroit affiliate, and the station continued to carry UPN programming until September 15, 2006. The CW commenced operations on September 18, 2006.

Digital television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

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] , WKBD will continue digital broadcasts on its current pre-transition channel number, 14. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101234583&formid=387&fac_num=51570 CDBS Print ] ] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display WKBD's virtual channel as 50.

Newscasts

For much of its existence, WKBD produced a single newscast, at 10 p.m. (for a brief time, it also had a noon newscast). In December 2002, the newscast was cancelled after nearly 15 years on the air. Afterwards, the station's 10 p.m. newscast was produced by WXYZ-TV, Detroit's ABC affiliate. The station hired some of the former WKBD staff, but many simply lost their jobs. As of 2005, the station is no longer broadcasting news. It was replaced with mostly off-network syndicated shows, such as repeats of sitcoms like "The King Of Queens" and "According to Jim".

Tara Wall, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, is a former WKBD news reporter and former host of the public affairs program "Street Beat".

Former Anchors

*Kelly Jackson, (Now at KXTV-10 ABC in Sacramento, Ca since Apr. '07)
* Amyre Makupson
* Pallas Hupé, (Now at KOVR-13 CBS in Sacramento, Ca Since Feb. '06)
* David Scott
* Tara Wall
* Rich Fisher, (Formerly of WXYZ-TV and WJBK-TV)

ports

On occasion (and regularly during preseason games), WKBD produced broadcasts of Detroit Lions football games, as well as Detroit Pistons basketball games, until the late 1980s when the Pistons decided to produce and distribute the games itself, with WKBD responsible for advertising. Both were simulcasted to other stations across Michigan, on a select list of affiliate stations.

On April 16th 2008, it was announced that its sister station, CBS O&O WWJ TV, will be the new home of The Detroit Lions exhibition games. The departure of long time sports producer Toby Cunningham (a part of CBS' budget cuts at all its O&Os) closes the book on the storied history of sports coverage by WKBD.

yndex, and Statewide Coverage on Cable

Outside of the Detroit area, however, most programming on WKBD is subject to Syndex territorial restrictions placed on cable systems by the local TV rights holders. During the affected programming, cable systems either switch to another channel, or place a text notice on the screen that says something like: "This channel is being blacked out due to FCC regulations."

In 1995, when Fox switched in Detroit from WKBD to WJBK, many Michigan cable systems outside the Detroit area replaced WKBD with WGKI from Cadillac, in order to keep Fox available in the Upper Peninsula. However, in areas where Fox was already available locally, mainly in the southern and central Michigan markets (especially the Tri-Cities), much of WGKI's programming was blacked out. In 1996, some systems that dropped WKBD for WGKI brought WKBD back.

Following the launch of The CW, WKBD began to be dropped from cable systems outside of the Detroit market, in favor of local or nearest CW or MyNetworkTV affiliates.

WKBD is available on many cable systems in Southeast Michigan, Southwestern Ontario, and Northwest Ohio.

Coverage on cable systems outside the Detroit / Windsor market may be subject to syndex and network blackouts in the United States.

tation Presentation

WKBD has used many logos in the past to identify itself. They have progressed over the years, using different styles and themes, and also reflect changes in station ownership, and network affiliation.
Cadillac Tower in the background. This is under Field Communications/Kaiser Broadcasting ownership.
Fox affiliate. The "50" logo was used from 1985 to about 1994.
The CW Network.

tation Talent from over the Years

References

External links

* [http://www.cw50detroit.com/ WKBD Website]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050210120511/http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/international/us_upn_wkbd.html TV Ark Database: WKBD-50 UPN Detroit] - Archive from Internet Archive Wayback Machine
* [http://www.gordomarketing.com/Lou_Gordon_Program_Video.html The Lou Gordon Program]
*TVQ|WKBD
*BIA|WKBD|TV|TV