WBBM-TV
CP) | |
---|---|
HAAT |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 41°52′44″N 87°38′8″W / 41.87889°N 87.63556°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
WBBM-TV (channel 2), branded CBS Chicago, is a
History
Early history (1940–1953)
WBBM-TV traces its history to 1940 when Balaban and Katz, a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, signed on experimental station W9XBK, the first all-electronic television facility in Chicago. Balaban and Katz was already well known for owning several movie theaters in the Chicago area. To establish the station, the company hired television pioneer William C. "Bill" Eddy away from RCA's experimental station W2XBS in New York City. When World War II began, Eddy used the W9XBK facilities as a prototype school for training Navy electronics technicians.[3] While operating the Navy school, Eddy continued to lead W9XBK and wrote a book that defined commercial television for many years.[4]
On September 6, 1946,[5] the station received a commercial license as WBKB (for Balaban and Katz Broadcasting) on VHF channel 4, becoming the first commercial station located outside the Eastern Time Zone; it was also the sixth commercial TV station in the United States behind WNBT (now WNBC), WCBW (now WCBS-TV), WABD (now WNYW) all in New York City; WRGB in Schenectady, New York; and WPTZ (now KYW-TV) in Philadelphia. WBKB aired some of the earliest CBS programs, including the 1947 debut of Junior Jamboree (later renamed Kukla, Fran and Ollie after it moved to NBC in 1948). Channel 4 originally operated as an independent station, since at the time it was not clear that it would be an affiliate of either CBS or the DuMont Television Network; eventually, KSD-TV (now KSDK) in St. Louis became the first television station west of the Eastern Time Zone to affiliate with a major network. One of the station's early highlights was its telecast of the National Football League's championship game between the Chicago Cardinals and the Philadelphia Eagles on December 28, 1947.[6]
In December 1948, WBKB began sharing the market's CBS affiliation with
WBKB played an indirect role in DuMont's demise. At the time, Paramount Pictures owned a stake in DuMont. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that Paramount's holdings were large enough that the studio effectively controlled DuMont. Paramount also owned KTLA in Los Angeles; since DuMont already owned WABD (now WNYW) in New York City, WTTG in Washington, D.C., and WDTV (now sister station KDKA-TV) in Pittsburgh, the FCC's decision meant neither Paramount nor DuMont could acquire any more television stations.[8] Paramount even launched a short-lived programming service, the Paramount Television Network (no relation to today's cable-only Paramount Network), in 1949, with KTLA and WBKB as its flagship stations;[9][10] however, the service never gelled into a true television network.
As a CBS owned-and-operated station (since 1953)
In February 1953, United Paramount Theaters merged with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which already owned WENR-TV (channel 7). As the newly merged entity could not keep both stations since FCC regulations enforced during that time forbade the common ownership of two television stations licensed to the same market, WBKB was sold to CBS for $6.75 million. On February 12, one day after the merger was finalized, the station changed its call letters to WBBM-TV, after WBBM radio (780 AM and 96.3 FM), which CBS had owned since 1929. The WBKB call letters were subsequently assumed by channel 7 (that station would eventually change its callsign to WLS-TV in 1968, and the callsign now resides at a CBS-affiliated station in Alpena, Michigan). While the old WBKB's talent remained with the new WBBM-TV under the radio station's longtime general manager, H. Leslie Atlass, the UPT-era management of the old WBKB moved to channel 7.
As a result of WBBM-TV's purchase by CBS, it picked up all CBS programming previously carried by WGN-TV, after a two-month cancellation clause in channel 9's affiliation contract with CBS; this left channel 9 with the quickly crumbling DuMont as its sole network affiliation.
In accordance with the VHF channel allocation realignments imposed by the FCC in its issuance of the Sixth Report and Order, WBBM-TV relocated to channel 2 on July 5, 1953, to eliminate interference with WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee and WHBF-TV in the Quad Cities.[11] WTMJ-TV concurrently moved to VHF channel 4—from channel 3—to avoid interference with fellow CBS affiliate WKZO-TV (now WWMT) in Kalamazoo, Michigan (on the other side of Lake Michigan), which itself broadcast on channel 3. The channel 2 allocation was coincidentally freed up at the same time as the state capital of Springfield was forced to let the allocation relocate to St. Louis, where the allocation was assigned to KTVI. The reshuffling also forced Zenith to shut down KS2XBS, an experimental station on channel 2 in Chicago that the company maintained for its pioneering pay-per-view service Phonevision.
In 1956, CBS consolidated its Chicago operations into the former Chicago Arena, a renovated 62,000-square-foot (5,760 m2), three-story building at 633 North McClurg Court in the
That year, an episode of What's My Line? originated from the WBBM studios, airing one day prior to the start of the 1956 Democratic National Convention. Between the late 1940s and early 1970s, Columbia Records housed an office and recording studio in the building. On September 26, 1960, WBBM's McClurg Court studios served as the site of the first televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.[13] WBBM-TV also served as production home to the syndicated programs Donahue (from 1982 to 1985) and Siskel & Ebert (from 1986 to the late 1990s, when production migrated to the studios of WLS-TV on State Street).
In October 1987, Center City Communications—a locally based investor group led by attorney Brenda Minor—filed a challenge to the FCC's renewal of WBBM-TV's
The station was brought back under common ownership with Paramount Pictures when
In 2003, WBBM signed a lease agreement with
On September 21, 2008, WBBM-TV moved to new facilities in the "Block 37" studio at the corner of Dearborn and Washington streets, with a 30-by-19-foot (9.1 m × 5.8 m)
WBBM-TV shut down its analog signal, over
On October 21, 2014, CBS and locally based
On February 2, 2017, CBS agreed to sell CBS Radio to Entercom (now Audacy), currently the fourth-largest radio broadcasting company in the United States. The sale was completed on November 17, 2017,[26] and was conducted using a Reverse Morris Trust so that it was tax-free. While CBS shareholders retained a 72% ownership stake in the combined company, Entercom was the surviving entity, with WBBM radio and its sister stations now separated from WBBM-TV (though WBBM Newsradio maintains a continuing and strong overall partnership with WBBM-TV).[27][28]
In August 2018, Jeff Harris took up the helm as news director of WBBM-TV.
Programming
Sports programming
From 1946 to 1951, WBKB telecast Chicago Cubs home games.[32][33] Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley believed baseball could benefit from television if a system could be developed that would appeal to housewives as well as their husbands. Wrigley gave the rights to WBKB to air the Cubs for the first two years for free.[34] The first attempt to telecast a Cubs' game, on April 21, 1946, was unsuccessful, due to electrical interference in the State-Lake building where the station's transmitter was located.[35] The July 13, 1946, contest between the Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers marked Chicago's first successful telecast of a Major League game.[36]
In 1956, when
From 1973 to 1990, WBBM-TV aired select Chicago Bulls games via the NBA on CBS.
From 2003 to 2007, WBBM-TV served as the host broadcaster of the Chicago Marathon, which is held annually in October, taking over from NBC owned-and-operated station WMAQ-TV; to accommodate the telecast, some CBS News programs were preempted or delayed. Marathon coverage returned to WMAQ-TV in 2008.
News operation
WBBM-TV broadcasts 35 hours, 55 minutes of locally produced newscasts each week (with 5 hours, 35 minutes each weekday; 3+1⁄2 hours on Saturdays and 4+1⁄2 hours on Sundays).
News department history
In the late 1970s, WBBM-TV's newscasts surged past WMAQ-TV for first place; its news department during that time had become one of the most respected local news operations in the country, and was considered a bastion of serious journalism. Led by anchors Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson, weatherman John Coughlin and sports director Johnny Morris, WBBM dominated the news ratings during the late 1970s and early 1980s. At one point, its dominance was so absolute that the station titled its 10 p.m. newscast, THE Ten O'Clock News.
Kurtis and Jacobson were first teamed together in 1973 by general manager
In 1982, Kurtis left WBBM-TV to join CBS News as anchor of the
In March 1986, WLS-TV, which had been third for many years, overtook WBBM at number 1. In 1990, WBBM hired Bill Applegate, who had taken WLS to first place as its news director, as general manager. Applegate took Jacobson off the anchor desk (Jacobson eventually left for WFLD in April 1993) and controversially made the newscasts much flashier than they had previously been; the reporting staff during this period notably included
The most notable of many changes WBBM-TV has made to its news operation occurred in 2000, when it revamped its 10 p.m. newscast by ditching the traditional news format in favor of a focus on in-depth "hard news" features, a staple of the station's glory days. Anchored by former longtime WMAQ anchor
In April 2002, the station eliminated its year-old computer-intensive graphics and "newsplex" studio in favor of a simpler studio and corresponding graphics set.[44] That March, former Good Morning America newsreader Antonio Mora were appointed as WBBM's main anchor; former WLS-TV anchor Diann Burns joined Mora at the anchor desk in October 2003.[45][46][47] In January 2006, WBBM-TV earned its best finish at 5 p.m. in 13 years, when it surpassed WMAQ for second place in the timeslot, although it was still far behind WLS. Channel 2's 10 p.m. news remained in last place, however it was the only late newscast to increase its audience share during the first month of 2006. WBBM-TV also finished second from sign-on to sign-off (from 6 a.m. to 2 am), leapfrogging from fourth for its best monthly performance in 23 years. In August 2006, WBBM-TV added Rob Johnson (who had previously served as weekend anchor at WLS-TV beginning in 1998) to co-anchor the 5 p.m. newscast alongside Burns, while Mora and Burns continued to co-anchor at 6 and 10 pm. In May 2007, WBBM-TV slipped to fourth from sign-on to sign-off behind WLS-TV, CW affiliate WGN-TV and NBC station WMAQ, and just barely ahead of Fox station WFLD.
Immediately following that, WBBM replaced Antonio Mora on the 10 p.m. newscast with Johnson. Mora continued to co-anchor the 6 p.m. newscast and hosted Eye on Chicago, before leaving WBBM-TV in January 2008 to become evening anchor at Miami sister station WFOR-TV; Johnson then added the 6 p.m. newscast and Eye On Chicago to his duties.[48] On March 31, 2008, WBBM announced that Diann Burns' contract would not be renewed; she, along with medical editor Mary Ann Childers, sports director Mark Malone, and reporters Rafael Romo and Katie McCall were among the 18 staffers laid off from the station due to budget cuts enforced by CBS Television Stations.[49] That month, WBBM hired Ryan Baker (formerly of WMAQ-TV) to serve as its sports director.
On April 30, 2009, WBBM-TV laid off an undisclosed number of additional employees; in addition, the station canceled its weekend morning newscasts and the public affairs program Eye On Chicago, while also restructuring its weeknight 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts to a solo anchor format with Anne State being relegated to the 5 p.m. newscast, while Rob Johnson continued as anchor of the later editions.[50][51] With its 10 p.m. newscast committed to enterprise reporting, that newscast began year-to-year growth that continues to this day. Harry Porterfield returned to WBBM-TV after 24 years at WLS-TV on August 3, 2009, to anchor the 11 a.m. news with Roseanne Tellez, and also to continued "Someone You Should Know", the series of feature reports he began at WBBM in 1977.[52]
On November 13, 2009, as main anchor Rob Johnson was away on vacation, Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson returned to channel 2 to anchor the 10 p.m. newscast; Jacobson later remained to continue his trademark "Perspective" commentaries.
In January 2010, ratings for the 10 p.m. newscast remained in second place, increasing from the previous year from a 4.3 to 6.0 rating.
In March 2010, Anne State's contract was not renewed, while longtime meteorologist and technology reporter Ed Curran was relieved of his duties (though he continued to be paid for the remaining 14 months of his contract).[59] Longtime political editor Mike Flannery also left the station after 30 years to join rival WFLD.[60] On September 1, 2010, Kurtis and Jacobson were paired together again as anchors of WBBM's 6 p.m. newscast, where they remained until February 2013, at which time Rob Johnson and former WCBS-TV morning anchor Kate Sullivan – the latter of whom joined WBBM on September 13, 2010, to co-anchor the 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts, where she remained until September 2015 – assumed anchor duties for the program.[61][62][63] WBBM's evening newscasts showed significant growth afterward, often battling with WMAQ-TV for second place behind dominant WLS-TV. Weekend morning newscasts returned to WBBM on September 22, 2012; with the relaunch, Ed Curran also returned to the station as meteorologist for the new Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts.[64][65] Following the station's best ratings turnout on Sunday morning since the introduction of Nielsen's Local People Meters, WBBM expanded its Sunday morning newscast to two hours – with an additional hour-long broadcast at 6 a.m. – on September 22, 2013.[66][67]
On February 17, 2018, WBBM added a 6 p.m. newscast on Saturdays, becoming the first and only station in the Chicago media market to have a 6 p.m. newscast on Saturdays; WLS-TV, WMAQ-TV, and WGN-TV are the three remaining stations in the market to carry syndicated programming and locally produced programming or specials (and occasionally, infomercials) during the 6–7 p.m. hour on Saturdays.[68] It was only temporary however.[citation needed]
WBBM-TV launched a streaming news service, CBSN Chicago (now CBS News Chicago) on April 21, 2020, as part of a rollout of similar services (each a localized version of the national
On December 16, 2021, WBBM-TV announced that Jim Williams and Marie Saavedra will co-anchor a new hour-long 4 p.m. newscast which will debut on January 24, 2022, along with meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist and sports anchor Marshall Harris. In February 2022, reporter Dana Kozlov will replace Williams as weekend anchor.[72]
On September 12, 2022, WBBM-TV debuted a 9 a.m. half-hour weekday morning newscast as a lead-in to The Drew Barrymore Show at 9:30 am.[73] From 9:30 to 10 am, the newscast streams on CBS News Chicago. It is anchored by morning co-anchors Ryan Baker and Audrina Bigos with meteorologist Laura Bannon and traffic reports from Kris Habermehl.
"The Enforcer"
In 1975, Chicago-based jingle composer Dick Marx wrote a theme music piece for WBBM-TV's newscasts that was based on the song "Chicago" (or "This is my City, Chicago's My Town"), a folk song written by Chicago folk singer Tary Rebenar. The popular theme, known as "Channel 2 News", and several variations on it would be used by WBBM for nearly a half-century (with the periods from 1992 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, and 2009 as said exceptions). The tune has also been adopted by several other stations across the country—mostly CBS-owned-and-operated stations and affiliates—and became the de facto official newscast theme package for CBS's O&Os. From 1994 to 1997, 2000 to 2001, 2002 to 2008 and since 2010, WBBM-TV used an updated and synthesized version of the original theme specially written for the station titled "The CBS Enforcer Music Collection", composed by Frank Gari. From 2006 to 2008, WBBM-TV used an updated version of the theme, composed by Frank's son Christian Gari. Following the station's upgrade to high-definition newscasts, WBBM-TV commissioned a new theme ("Heart of the City") composed by inthegroovemusic. On June 21, 2010, with the adoption of a new standardized graphics package that was rolled out across CBS' O&Os, WBBM-TV brought back "Enforcer" with an orchestrated "New Generation" version originally commissioned by New York City sister station WCBS-TV.
In 2022, CBS News and Stations began to phase out the "Enforcer" music from its stations, replacing it with a new theme by
Ratings
With the station's aforementioned weaknesses in total day ratings since the mid-1990s, WBBM-TV's newscasts are among the lowest-rated out of the news departments operated by CBS' owned-and-operated stations, generally rating fourth among the market's English language stations behind WLS-TV, WMAQ-TV and (particularly with that station's expansion of news programming since 2008) WGN-TV, but still ahead of perennial last placer WFLD; this is despite the strong lead-in by CBS' prime time lineup, which nationally has placed first among the major broadcast networks for most of the time since the 2005-06 season.
In the May 2015 local Nielsen ratings, WBBM's newscasts placed fourth overall among Chicago's television stations. The 10 p.m. newscast saw continued decline in viewership among the market's late newscasts, scoring a 3.5 rating (down .1 from the May 2014 sweeps period) and at a distant third in the timeslot in the coveted demographic of adults ages 25–54, earning a 0.9 (with prime time newscasts factored in, WBBM-TV's 10 p.m. newscast placed fourth among the Chicago market's late-evening newscasts, behind WGN-TV's 9 p.m. newscast).[76] The distant third-place standing for the 10 p.m. newscast among the market's late newscasts was also apparent in the February 2015 local ratings, with the program earning a 4.3 rating (down a share of 0.7 compared to February 2014).[77]
Controversy
In 2011, the station drew controversy over an interview with a four-year-old child. The interview was conducted by a freelance video stringer in the aftermath of a drive-by shooting, and when the child was asked if he would stay away from guns, the child replied he will get one in the future because of his aspirations to become a police officer. The portion where the child listed his future career aspirations was not shown during newscasts, which critics say makes the child appear as if he wants to engage in criminal acts in the future.[78][79]
Station management later apologized for the video, saying they have taken steps to make sure the video will not air in subsequent newscasts, and that management have followed up with employees.[78][79]
Notable current on-air staff
- Suzanne Le Mignot – anchor / reporter
- Jim Williams – anchor / also field reporter
Notable former on-air staff
- Jim Acosta (now at CNN)
- Mike Adamle (retired)
- KUSA, now retired)
- Jim Avila (now at ABC News)
- Stephen Bardo
- Steve Bartelstein (retired from television)
- Steve Baskerville (retired)
- Jim Berry (now at WFOR-TV)
- Diann Burns
- Cyndy Brucato (later at KSTP-TV)
- John Callaway†
- Susan Carlson (last at WMAQ-TV, now a voiceover artist)[80][81]
- Mary Ann Childers
- WLS-AM)
- John Coleman†
- Jodine Costanzo
- John Coughlin†
- Frank Currier
- Penny Daniels
- Paul Douglas
- John Drury†
- Jon Duncanson (retired)
- Jerry Dunphy†
- Spectrum News 1)
- Fahey Flynn†
- Judie Garcia (now at WGN-TV)
- Megan Glaros
- Fox News Channel)
- Alita Guillen
- Chris Hernandez (most recently at KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Missouri)
- Burleigh Hines†
- Lester Holt (now at NBC News)
- Peter Hyams
- WLS-AM)
- Bob Jamieson (retired)
- Dan Jiggetts (now at WFLD)
- Rob Johnson
- David Kerley (now at ABC News)
- Lisa Kim
- Rich King (later at WGN-TV, retired)
- Irv Kupcinet†
- Bill Kurtis
- Kyung Lah (now at CNN)
- Janet Langhart
- Joan Lovett (retired)
- Linda MacLennan
- Mark Malone (now at NBC Sports Radio)
- Carol Marin (last at WMAQ-TV, now co-director and co-founder of DePaul University's Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence)
- WBBM-AM)
- Jennifer McLogan (now at WCBS-TV)
- Corey McPherrin (most recently at WFLD, now retired)
- WABC-AM)
- Judi Moen
- Antonio Mora (now editor-in-chief at newsandnews.com)
- Geoff Morrell (now at BP)
- Johnny Morris (retired)
- Brent Musburger (later at ESPN on ABC, now semi-retired)
- Mary Nissenson†
- Mike North
- Mike Parker †
- Phil Ponce (now at WTTW)
- Harry Porterfield †
- Dave Price (now at WNBC in New York City)
- John Quiñones (now at ABC News)
- Robin Robinson
- Randy Salerno†
- Cynthia Santana
- Warner Saunders †
- Janet Shamlian (now at CBS News)
- WGN-AM)
- Gene Siskel†
- Rob Stafford (most recently at WMAQ-TV, now retired)
- Anne State (now at KGTV)
- Kate Sullivan
- Roseanne Tellez (now at WFLD)
- Elizabeth Vargas (now at NewsNation)
- Harry Volkman†
- Jenniffer Weigel
- Tim Weigel†
- Pam Zekman
- ^[†] Indicates deceased
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's ATSC 1.0 channels are carried on the
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | ATSC 1.0 host |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2.1 | 1080i | 16:9 |
CBS2-HD | Main WBBM-TV programming / CBS | WGN-TV |
2.2 | 480i | StartTV | Start TV | WGBO-DT | |
2.3 | DABL | Dabl | WFLD | ||
2.4 | Fave TV | Fave TV (MPEG-4 video) | WMAQ-TV | ||
2.5 | COMET | Comet (MPEG-4 video) | WGBO-DT |
WBBM-TV is currently the only "full-power" television station in Chicago that operates its digital signal on the VHF band (as it had done prior to the June 2009 digital transition). WBBM-TV's rival station, WLS-TV, was the only other station to have operated its full-power digital signal on a VHF allocation until the station moved its digital broadcasts to UHF channel 44, to alleviate reception problems, although it retained VHF channel 7 as the allotment for its digital fill-in translator when it launched on October 31, 2009. Some viewers have had trouble picking up VHF signals after the June 12 transition; as a result, WBBM's newscasts were simulcast over
Low power repeater
In addition, WBBM-TV applied for a
In February 2017, in a channel sharing partnership reached to address channel 2's ever-persistent reception problems in the market, Weigel and CBS Television Stations announced that WBBM-TV and its Decades subchannel would respectively be simulcast on digital subchannels 48.3 and 48.4 of Weigel-owned independent station WMEU-CD indefinitely.
WBBM-LD (RF 26) signed off April 19, 2017.[citation needed]
ATSC 3.0
Channel | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|
2.1 | WBBM-NG | CBS |
5.1 | WMAQ-NG | NBC (WMAQ-TV) |
9.1 | WGN-NG | WGN-TV (Independent) |
32.1 | WFLD-NG | Fox (WFLD) |
66.1 | WGBO-NG | Univision (WGBO-DT) |
In January 2024, CBS News and Stations announced that WBBM-TV would transition to the ATSC 3.0 standard, or known as "NextGenTV", as a lighthouse station for the Chicago area, starting February 5, 2024.[87] WGN-TV, on UHF channel 19, would carry an ATSC 1.0 simulcast.[88]
See also
- The Magic Door – Jewish children's series that originated from WBBM-TV
References
- ^ Tubbs, William B. (Autumn 1996). "'We Broadcast Better Music': WBBM Goes on the Air in Lincoln, Illinois". Illinois Historical Journal. 89 (3): 161–174. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WBBM-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Loop Sailors", Time, March 23, 1942, archived from the original on August 1, 2012
- ^ Eddy, Captain William C. (1945). Television: The Eyes of Tomorrow. Prentice Hall.
- ^ "A U. S. Television Chronology, 1875-1970". Xmarks. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ "(photo caption)" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 12, 1948. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
- ^ "Paramount; radio, video interests definitely split" (PDF). Broadcasting-Telecasting. March 7, 1949. p. 66 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Weinstein, David (2004). The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television. Philadelphia: Temple University. pp. 24–25.
- JSTOR 1225506.
- ^ Jajkowski, Steve (2001). "Advertising on Chicago Television". Chicago Television History. Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009.
- ^ "TV coverage; RTMA predicts expansion" (PDF). Broadcasting - Telecasting: 78. May 19, 1952. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2013.
- ^ a b c Corfman, Thomas A. (July 26, 2002). "WBBM-TV considers relocating its studios". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Hageman, William (February 5, 2009). "WBBM-Ch. 2 shares a piece of Kennedy-Nixon debate history". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "TV License Challenged". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. May 4, 1988. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Storch, Charles (July 15, 1988). "Channel 2 License Challenge Settled". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Fabrikant, Geraldine (June 15, 2005). "Viacom Board Agrees to Split of Company". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014.
- CNN Money. Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2013.
- ^ Washburn, Gary; Kirk, Jim; Corfman, Thomas A. (May 17, 2003). "WBBM-Ch. 2 eyes Block 37". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Daily Herald. Paddock Publications. Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ Kamin, Blair (July 31, 2008). "Keeping an eye on WBBM-Ch. 2 broadcast screen". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Hill, Michael (September 15, 2017). "CBS Chicago goes live on new, non-streetside set". Newscast Studio. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ "Application for Post-Transition Digital Television Station Construction Permit" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. March 7, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
- ^ Malone, Michael (October 21, 2014). "CBS Stations, Weigel Partner on Oldies Digi-Net Decades". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017.
- ^ Feder, Robert (May 25, 2015). "Decades opens 'daily time capsule' today". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ "Entercom-CBS Radio Merger Is Complete". RadioInk.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ "CBS Sets Radio Division Merger With Entercom". Variety. February 2, 2017. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ "CBS and Entercom Are Merging Their Radio Stations". Fortune. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ Feder, Robert. "Robservations: Nowhere to go but up for CBS 2 news boss". robertfeder.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Feder, Robert. "New CBS 2 anchor Brad Edwards says he's still 'just a news guy'". robertfeder.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- The Daily Herald. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ television eye to follow cub fortunes today Archived August 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Chicago Tribune Archives
- ^ baseball time is brickhouse time on tv Archived August 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Chicago Tribune Archives
- ^ WBKB- Chicago's 1st commercial station Archived February 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Chicago Television.com
- ^ fail in effort on television of cubs game Archived January 9, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Chicago Tribune Archives
- ^ telecast enables distant fan to see and hear Archived August 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Chicago Tribune Archives
- ^ Daley, Steve (March 28, 1986). "PUSH Sends Strong Signal To Channel 2". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Daley, Steve (August 4, 1986). "PUSH Ends Boycott Against WBBM-TV". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Rosenthal, Phil (August 5, 2009). "Harry Porterfield's exit helped open door for minorities". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Steve; Jim Kirk (February 6, 2000). "With Carol Marin, Channel 2 Shakeup Newsworthy Gamble". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Steve (February 8, 2000). "Marin Debut Makes Good On Promise Of Substance". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Chicago News Experiment Is Calling It Quits". The New York Times. October 31, 2000. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Cod Liver Oil At 10 O'clock". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. November 1, 2000. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Steve (April 12, 2002). "No news is good news for WBBM". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Steve (January 9, 2002). "ABC rising star hired as Channel 2 anchor". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Allan (February 20, 2002). "Mora will start WBBM anchor job March 18". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Kirk, Jim (October 12, 2003). "2's bet on Burns rich in risk, too". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Rosenthal, Phil (January 15, 2008). "Antonio Mora leaving Channel 2 to become CBS Miami TV station's chief anchor". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Rosenthal, Phil (April 1, 2008). "Channel 2 cuts from the top". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Rosenthal, Phil (May 1, 2009). "WBBM-Ch.2 cuts jobs in station reorganization". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Lazarre, Lewis. "Chicago - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009.
- Rosenthal, Phil (August 4, 2009). "Porterfield set to return to WBBM-Ch. 2 roots". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Rosenthal, Phil (November 13, 2009). "Kurtis, Jacobson reunion for Channel 2 newscast just in time for ratings". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Lazare, Lewis. "Chicago - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2009.
- ^ Lazare, Lewis. "Chicago - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010.
- Rosenthal, Phil (December 3, 2009). "'Monsters and Money in the Morning' to debut on WBBM-Ch. 2 in February". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Karp, Gregory (August 12, 2010). "'Monsters and Money' not mixing". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "A Look At WBBM-TV's New Morning Show". Chicagoland Radio and Media. August 13, 2010. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Rosenthal, Phil (March 26, 2010). "WBBM anchor Anne State out, weatherman Ed Curran off". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.
- Rosenthal, Phil (March 29, 2010). "WFLD gets Mike Flannery, WBBM political ace since '80". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on April 1, 2010.
- Rosenthal, Phil (July 30, 2010). "Kurtis, Jacobson offer a bridge to WBBM-Ch. 2's past and future". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Kurtis, Jacobson To Anchor CBS 2 News At 6 PM". CBS2 Chicago (Press release). CBS Interactive. July 29, 2010. Archived from the original on September 27, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^ Channick, Robert (August 21, 2012). "Bill & Walter to end latest run at Ch. 2 in February". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Time Out Chicago. Time Out Group Ltd. Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- TVSpy. Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "WBBM-Channel 2 to expand Sunday morning local newscast". Chicago Sun-Times. August 20, 2013. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Knox, Merrill (August 20, 2013). "WBBM Expands Sunday Morning Newscast". TVSpy. Mediabistro Holdings. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013.
- ^ "Small minor newscast changes... #186". wordpress.com. February 19, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018.
- ^ Feder, Robert (April 21, 2020). "CBS 2 opens 'terrific new chapter' with 24/7 streaming news service". robertfeder.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ Feder, Robert (March 24, 2020). "Chicago TV news startups still up in the air". robertfeder.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "Peabody 30 Winners". Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Feder, Robert. "CBS 2 taps Jim Williams, Marie Saavedra to co-anchor new 4 p.m. weekday newscast". robertfeder.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ "CBS-owned stations getting 9 a.m. newscasts". NewscastStudio. April 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "Exclusive: Inside the rebranding of CBS-owned local stations". NewscastStudio. January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ Malone, Michael (December 19, 2022). "CBS News Detroit Set To Launch". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ "ABC 7 Wins May Sweeps For Evening Newscasts; NBC 5 & WGN Also Winners". Chicagoland Radio and Media. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ Lazare, Lewis (February 26, 2015). "WLS-Channel 7 gets a win in February sweeps ratings book". Chicago Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ a b Martel, Frances (July 30, 2011). "Local News Station Apologizes For Misrepresenting Child As Future Criminal". Mediaite. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ a b "A Change in the Message: WBBM CBS Chicago Criticized for Editing Out Part of Interview with 4-Yr-Old About Shooting". Arlington Cardinal News. August 1, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ NBC Chicago: "Susan Carlson" Archived March 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine retrieved March 12, 2017
- ^ Robert Feder: "Carlson Moves up to Full Time at NBC 5" Archived August 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine April 1, 2014
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WGN-TV". RabbitEars. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- "RabbitEars TV Query for WGBO-DT". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- "RabbitEars TV Query for WFLD". RabbitEars. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- "RabbitEars TV Query for WMAQ-TV". RabbitEars. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ Eggerton, John (June 17, 2009). "Weigel's Analog Nightlight Could Help Chicago Stations With Reception Issues". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Construction Permit". U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011.
- ^ "Approval of Construction Permit" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WBBM". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ Team, CBS Chicago (January 4, 2024). "NEXTGEN TV and CBS 2 News Chicago - CBS Chicago". CBS News. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "RabbitEars.Info". rabbitears.info. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- WBBM-TV: History of CBS 2 (2005). CBS2Chicago.com.
- Changing Local News - WBBM Revisited (February 7, 2001). Online NewsHour.
- WBBM-TV: Press Release on New Studio location (April 6, 2005). CBS2Chicago.com.
- CBS 2 Achieves Strongest Finish In 23 Years (February 2, 2006). CBS2Chicago.com.
- WBBM CBS Elects to take VHF Channel 11 in Agreement with WTTW.
- WBBM CBS moves to HD Newsgathering Press Release.