WBKP

Last updated

WBKP
WBKP (2019).svg
Channels
Branding
  • Upper Peninsula CW 5
  • My UP ABC (on DT2)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WBUP, WJMN-TV
History
FoundedApril 26, 1996
First air date
October 30, 1996(27 years ago) (1996-10-30)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 5 (VHF, 1996–2009)
  • Digital: 11 (UHF, 2001–2009)
  • Translator: 28 W28BX Marquette (UHF, 1997–2003)
ABC (1996–2007)
Call sign meaning
Beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula; disambiguation of sister stations WBUP and WBKB-TV
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 76001
ERP 6.4 kW
HAAT 301 m (988 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 47°2′11.0″N88°41′43.0″W / 47.036389°N 88.695278°W / 47.036389; -88.695278
Translator(s) WBUP-DT 10.2 (VHF) Ishpeming
Links
Public license information
Website www.upcw5.com

WBKP (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Calumet, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan as an affiliate of The CW Plus. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media alongside Ishpeming-licensed ABC affiliate WBUP (channel 10); Morgan Murphy also provides services to MyNetworkTV/Antenna TV affiliate WJMN-TV (channel 3) through joint sales and shared services agreements with owner Sullivan's Landing, LLC. WBKP and WBUP share studios on Ash Street in Ishpeming Township; WBKP's transmitter is located on Tolonen Hill near unincorporated Painesdale in Adams Township.

Contents

Since WBKP cannot be seen over the air in Marquette, it is simulcast in high definition on WBUP's second digital subchannel (10.2) from a transmitter south of Ely Township in unincorporated Marquette County.

History

WBKP (standing for "Beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula") launched on October 30, 1996, as the market's fourth television station from facilities in the historic Calumet and Hecla Bath House. The Monday Night Football game that night between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles was the first ABC program shown on the station. Before it launched, the Central Upper Peninsula could see the network from affiliations of WLUC-TV (channel 6) in Marquette, and before 1992 from WJMN-TV (channel 3) in Escanaba (a semi-satellite of Green Bay, Wisconsin's WFRV-TV) that was purchased by CBS and switched to that network in March 1992.

More specifically, ABC was originally seen on WLUC through a secondary nature from its sign-on in 1956 until 1992 at which point ABC began to be carried as a primary affiliation. WLUC dropped its ABC affiliation in 1995 which ushered in WBKP as the next ABC outlet. Originally, WBKP was locally owned by the Scanlan family as sister to Traverse City's ABC affiliate WGTU (and its full-time satellite WGTQ in Sault Ste. Marie) as well as CBS affiliate WBKB-TV in Alpena. At its sign-on, WBKP was the first station in the market to broadcast in stereo and remain on-the-air 24 hours a day.

In August 1997, in order to cover Marquette proper, it launched a repeater station, W28BX. This could be seen on UHF channel 28 and this low-power over-the-air signal was very weak so it could only be picked up in that city and Negaunee. In September 2001, the station moved its studios to the Marquette Mall. However, four employees remained based at the Calumet facility which then began operating as a bureau. In the spring of 2003, WBKP replaced the low-power repeater with full-time satellite WBUP in Ishpeming. This aired a full-powered analog signal on VHF channel 10 and covered a larger broadcasting radius. At this point, WBKP/WBUP took the on-air branding "ABC 5&10".

In January 2004, the Scanlan family sold WBKP/WBUP and WBKB to Lake Superior Community Broadcasting, a company owned by Stephen Marks of Maryland. In July 2007, the two stations split in order to establish separate brandings, with WBKP becoming a CW affiliate (as part of The CW Plus) while WBUP remained with ABC. However, both WBKP and WBUP continued to carry the two networks over their digital signals.

In September 2023, it was announced that The Marks Group would sell its Michigan broadcasting properties—WBKP, WBUP, WBKB-TV, and radio stations in Houghton and Iron River—to Morgan Murphy Media for $13.375 million. [1] The sale was completed on December 4. [3]

News operation

In July 1997, WBKP established its first news department in an attempt to offer an alternative to longtime dominant WLUC. The NBC affiliate has led the area in Nielsen ratings for newscasts by a wide margin for its entire existence. For most of its history, then-CBS affiliate WJMN only provided brief Upper Peninsula-specific news and weather cut-ins that were taped in advance. WJMN finally began airing full, live newscasts (seen weeknights at 6 and 11) with a Marquette focus on April 21, 2014.

Seeking to fill a void in a market supposedly capable of supporting two television newsrooms, WBKP initially offered local news weeknights at 6 and 11. After moving from Calumet to Marquette in September 2001, the station introduced a new set, a new graphics package, and an updated logo. However, in March 2002, WBKP shut down its news operation due to low ratings and budget cuts. This move was also due in part to the continual dominance of WLUC which has always operated a much larger news department and maintained consistent viewership.

Shortly after acquired WBKP/WBUP, a second attempt at airing newscasts was launched. This time, shows known as UGN News (with "UGN" meaning "Upper Great <Lakes> Network") were simulcasted with WBKB in Alpena. Likewise, the programs featured regionalized news and weather coverage from the entire Upper and Northern Lower Peninsulas. In 2006, UGN News was re-focused to the Upper Peninsula and only originated from WBKP/WBUP.

After becoming a separate station and the primary producer of newscasts, WBUP re-branded its newscasts to ABC 10 News NOW. In December 2007, the ABC affiliate began producing the market's first prime time newscast on WBKP. Known as CW 5 News NOW, this thirty-minute program is seen weeknights at 10. On September 8, 2009, rival WLUC added a half-hour local newscast seen at the same time to its Fox-affiliated second digital subchannel. Since there is no weather department, all weather segments originate from WBKB's studios in Alpena and are taped in advance. In order to cover the Keweenaw Peninsula, WBUP also operates an advertising sales office and news bureau on East Montezuma Avenue in Houghton (building shared with WOLV-FM 97.7, WHKB-FM 102.3, and WCCY-AM 1400). Like all CW Plus stations, WBKP aired the nationally syndicated weekday morning show, The Daily Buzz , until its cancellation on April 17, 2015.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WBKP [4]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
5.1 480i 4:3 WBKP-CW The CW Plus
(Simulcast into 720p HD over WBUP-DT2)
5.2 720p 16:9 WBKPABC ABC (WBUP)
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

WBKP shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 5, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition VHF channel 11 to VHF channel 5. [5] Since it was granted an original construction permit after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997, the station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station. While transmitting in analog, its signal could be received across Lake Superior in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and the surrounding areas in Canada.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLTV</span> ABC/Telemundo affiliate in Tyler, Texas

KLTV is a television station licensed to Tyler, Texas, United States, serving East Texas as an affiliate of ABC and Telemundo. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on West Ferguson Street in downtown Tyler, and its transmitter is located in rural northern Smith County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTZ</span> NBC affiliate in Plattsburgh, New York

WPTZ is a television station licensed to Plattsburgh, New York, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Burlington, Vermont–Plattsburgh, New York market. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside Montpelier, Vermont–licensed CW+ affiliate WNNE. WPTZ and WNNE share studios on Community Drive in South Burlington, Vermont, with a secondary studio and news bureau on Cornelia Street in Plattsburgh. Through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WPTZ's spectrum from an antenna on Vermont's highest peak, Mount Mansfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBBJ-TV</span> ABC/CBS affiliate in Jackson, Tennessee

WBBJ-TV is a television station in Jackson, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with ABC and CBS. Owned by Bahakel Communications, the station maintains studios on Muse Street in Jackson, and its transmitter is located on Potts Chapel Road in unincorporated eastern Madison County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMUR-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire

WMUR-TV is a television station licensed to Manchester, New Hampshire, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate to most of New Hampshire. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on South Commercial Street in downtown Manchester, and its transmitter is located on the south peak of Mount Uncanoonuc in Goffstown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFRV-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin

WFRV-TV is a television station in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with CBS. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on East Mason Street in Green Bay, and its transmitter is located north of Morrison, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLUK-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin

WLUK-TV is a television station in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Suring-licensed CW affiliate WCWF. The two stations share studios on Lombardi Avenue on the line between Green Bay and Ashwaubenon; WLUK-TV's transmitter is located on Scray Hill in Ledgeview.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPBN-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Traverse City, Michigan

WPBN-TV is a television station licensed to Traverse City, Michigan, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the northern Lower and eastern Upper peninsulas of Michigan. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to ABC affiliate WGTU and Sault Ste. Marie–licensed full-time satellite WGTQ under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns WGTU/WGTQ as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The stations share studios on M-72 just west of Traverse City; WPBN-TV's transmitter is located east of Kalkaska, Michigan. WPBN also operates a low-power digital fill-in translator on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter south of Harrietta in the Manistee National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFQX-TV</span> Fox/CW affiliate in Cadillac, Michigan

WFQX-TV is a television station licensed to Cadillac, Michigan, United States, serving the northern Lower and eastern Upper peninsulas of Michigan as an affiliate of Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by Cadillac Telecasting Company, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with 910 Media Group, owner of Cadillac-licensed CBS affiliate WWTV, channel 9, for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on Broadcast Way in Cadillac, while WFQX-TV's transmitter is located on 130th Avenue in unincorporated Osceola County, just northeast of Tustin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLFY-TV</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Lafayette, Louisiana

KLFY-TV is a television station in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS and an owned-and-operated station of The CW Plus as it is owned by CW’ majority owner Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Eraste Landry Road in Lafayette, and its transmitter is located in Maxie, north of Rayne.

WJMN-TV is a television station licensed to Escanaba, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. The station is owned by Sullivan's Landing, LLC, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements with Morgan Murphy Media for the provision of certain services. WJMN-TV's studios are located off US 41/M-28 on Wright Street in Marquette Township, and its transmitter is located in unincorporated northern Delta County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLUC-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Marquette, Michigan

WLUC-TV is a television station licensed to Marquette, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan as an affiliate of NBC and Fox. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on US 41/M-28 in Negaunee Township, and its transmitter is located on South Helen Lake Road in Republic Township southeast of unincorporated Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNMU (TV)</span> PBS member station in Marquette, Michigan

WNMU is a PBS member television station licensed to Marquette, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is owned by Northern Michigan University alongside NPR member WNMU-FM (90.1). Both outlets share studios at the Edgar L. Harden Learning Resource Center on the university's campus in Marquette; the television station's transmitter is located in Ely Township southwest of Ishpeming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZMQ</span> MeTV/CBS affiliate in Marquette, Michigan

WZMQ is a television station licensed to Marquette, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan as a dual affiliate of MeTV and CBS. Owned by Lilly Broadcasting, the station maintains studios on West Washington Street in Marquette, while its transmitter is located in Ishpeming, Michigan.

WBUP is a television station licensed to Ishpeming, Michigan, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media alongside Calumet-licensed CW+ affiliate WBKP ; Morgan Murphy also provides services to MyNetworkTV/Antenna TV affiliate WJMN-TV through joint sales and shared services agreements with owner Sullivan's Landing, LLC. WBUP and WBKP share studios on Ash Street in Ishpeming Township; WBUP's transmitter is located south of Ely Township in unincorporated Marquette County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBKB-TV</span> CBS/NBC/ABC/Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Alpena, Michigan

WBKB-TV is a television station in Alpena, Michigan, United States, affiliated with CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Morgan Murphy Media, the station maintains studios on North Bagley Street in Alpena, and its transmitter is located in unincorporated Alcona County south of Hubbard Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCBI-TV</span> CBS/Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Columbus, Mississippi

WCBI-TV is a television station licensed to Columbus, Mississippi, United States, serving the Columbus–Tupelo market as an affiliate of CBS, Fox, and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Morris Multimedia, which provides certain services to West Point–licensed CW+ affiliate WLOV-TV under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Coastal Television Broadcasting Company. The two stations share studios on 5th Street South in Downtown Columbus; WCBI-TV's transmitter is located in northwestern Clay County.

WJAC-TV is a television station licensed to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States, serving the Johnstown–Altoona–State College market as an affiliate of NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to Johnstown-licensed Fox affiliate WWCP-TV, channel 8 and Altoona-licensed ABC affiliate WATM-TV, channel 23 under a time brokerage agreement (TBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KALB-TV</span> NBC/CBS/CW affiliate in Alexandria, Louisiana

KALB-TV is a television station in Alexandria, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC, CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on Washington Street in downtown Alexandria, and its transmitter is located in Forest Hill.

KFBB-TV is a television station in Great Falls, Montana, United States, affiliated with ABC, Fox and MyNetworkTV. Owned by the Cowles Company, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Old Havre Highway in Black Eagle.

The Marks Group is a Maryland-based operator of radio and television stations in small markets in the United States. Founded by Stephen A. Marks (1950–2022), the company holds 14 radio stations and five television properties.

References

  1. 1 2 Venta, Lance (September 14, 2023). "Morgan Murphy Media Acquires Northern Michigan TV/Radio Combo". RadioInsight. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  2. "Facility Technical Data for WBKP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. "Done Deal: Morgan Murphy Media Completes Purchase Of Marks Media Group Stations". Insideradio.com. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  4. RabbitEars TV Query for WBKP
  5. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.