WPBF

Last updated

WPBF
City Tequesta, Florida
Channels
BrandingWPBF 25; WPBF 25 News
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
January 1, 1989
(35 years ago) (1989-01-01)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 25 (UHF, 1989–2009)
Call sign meaning
West Palm Beach, Florida
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 51988
ERP 1,000 kW
HAAT 450 m (1,476 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 27°7′19″N80°23′41″W / 27.12194°N 80.39472°W / 27.12194; -80.39472
Links
Public license information
Website www.wpbf.com

WPBF (channel 25) is a television station licensed to Tequesta, Florida, United States, serving the West Palm Beach area as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on RCA Boulevard in the Monet section of Palm Beach Gardens and a transmitter in Palm City southwest of I-95.

Contents

Thirteen applicants sought channel 25 in Tequesta, which was awarded to a group that proposed closed-captioned news programming. Nearly all of the company was then sold to a partnership of John C. Phipps and Alan Potamkin. While channel 25 intended to be an independent station, the ABC affiliation unexpectedly became available as a result of an affiliation switch that started in the Miami market and spread to West Palm Beach. Even though it was not on the air, WPBF obtained the ABC affiliation—surprising industry observers—and set television precedent as the first station to pay a network to affiliate.

After hastily building its facilities and news department, WPBF launched on January 1, 1989, with ABC programming from its first day on air. However, it debuted at third in the local news ratings and struggled economically for several years. Channel 25 was owned in the mid-1990s by Florida-based Paxson Communications Corporation, though Paxson soon focused on developing its own national network and decided to sell WPBF, its only major network affiliate. Hearst acquired channel 25 in 1997 and lifted the station from third to second place in local news audience.

History

Start-up

In 1985, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 13 applications for a new television station on channel 25 in Tequesta for comparative hearing. [2] The field thinned to six before an administrative law judge gave the initial nod to Martin Telecommunications in July 1986, citing its ownership by a Hispanic woman, Betty Heisler, and its proposal to air closed captioning on all of its news programs. [3] Martin Telecommunications's entirely Hispanic ownership beat out a bid from Triple J Properties, a group of three women and Tequesta residents. [4] Several of the competing applicants appealed the award to Martin Telecommunications, and during that time, another firm, Tequesta Television secured additional investors and paid Martin and the other groups, anxious to avoid years of legal challenges, to drop their bids, clearing the way for Tequesta to be awarded the construction permit. The two additional investors that would own 98 percent of the company were John C. Phipps, who had built WPTV in West Palm Beach in 1956 and owned Tallahassee-area CBS affiliate WCTV, and Alan Potamkin, an owner of car dealerships in Miami. [5]

By the summer of 1988, negotiations were nearly being concluded on the former RCA site in Palm Beach Gardens, but no programming plans had been made public, nor had the tower been constructed. This caught the attention of local broadcasters because of impending turmoil in the Miami area. In 1987, NBC had bought WTVJ, the CBS affiliate in Miami; its existing contract with WSVN (channel 7) did not end until the end of 1988. CBS, in shopping for a new station in Miami, acquired WCIX, which broadcast on channel 6. Because channel 6 was also assigned in the Orlando area, WCIX's antenna had to be located further south than the other Miami stations, with the result being that key areas of Broward County were poorly served without translator stations or cable. CBS's existing affiliate for Palm Beach County and points north, WTVX in Fort Pierce, had only added significant coverage in Palm Beach County in 1980, when it made a major facility upgrade, and it was a UHF station. Rumors began to emerge that WPBF would be involved in a swap that could affect up to six stations. [5] However, Phipps and Potamkin began buying programming with an eye to making the new WPBF the second independent station in the West Palm Beach market. [6]

CBS rectified its Broward County problem by poaching WPEC (channel 12) in West Palm Beach from ABC. That put ABC on the hunt for a new affiliate and started a three-way battle. The contenders were WTVX, the outgoing CBS affiliate with an existing news department; WFLX (channel 29), a successful Fox affiliate and independent station; and WPBF, a station that was not even on the air. [7] [8] In September, officials from these three stations made presentations to ABC executives in New York. [9] WTVX was seen as being in the lead, with its established operation, but it was not based in West Palm Beach, the largest city in the media market; WFLX had solid ratings and viewership even into Broward County, though it had no news department; but WPBF was cited by media as a "dark horse" and by WPTV's general manager as a "sleeper" because of its proposed technical facilities and the track record of Phipps in running WCTV, one of the most successful television stations in the country. [9]

ABC announced its choice on October 18, 1988: in a move that stunned broadcasters and the other two contenders vying for the affiliation, it selected WPBF. George Newi, the head of affiliate relations for ABC, noted the track record of Phipps in Tallahassee as a decision. [10] It also helped that Phipps was willing to pay for the affiliation, forking over an estimated $1 million (equivalent to $2.6 million in 2023 [11] ) at a time when networks typically compensated stations for carrying their programs; it was the first time a station had ever paid for a network affiliation, known in the industry as reverse compensation. [12] In addition, WPBF agreed to cover most of its startup promotional costs. [13] The decision drew fire from the competitors. Murray Green, general manager of WFLX, called the decision "ludicrous" for awarding the affiliation to a station that was not even broadcasting yet. [14] Bob Morford, the news director for WTVX, felt that "ABC is apparently under the impression that it's better to sign on a new station in Palm Beach" than align with an outlet in Fort Pierce. [15] The precedent-setting reverse compensation deal, which was said to make affiliates of ABC "very nervous", [16] was so unusual that it spurred an editorial in Electronic Media calling the idea of selling affiliations to the highest bidder a "dangerously short-sighted move" with the potential to destabilize the industry. [17]

The decision put Phipps and Potamkin on the clock to finish construction of WPBF. As late as November 10, the studio building was an empty warehouse; equipment had to be ordered and installed and a staff assembled. [12] The transmitter was turned on with days to go, [13] and WPBF made it to air on January 1, 1989—a half-hour later than planned, because an engineer overslept. [18] [19] However, the station struggled in its early years with signal issues in southern Palm Beach County, channel slot issues on some cable systems, and difficulty establishing viewer loyalty. [20] This was particularly acute because WPLG, the Miami ABC affiliate, was widely available on cable. [21] These issues and the early 1990s recession, which softened the local advertising market, led to deep cuts. Between July and October 1991, WPBF dismissed more than 30 percent of its staff, and Capital Cities/ABC forgave $500,000 (equivalent to $1.1 million in 2023 [11] ) in affiliation fees that the station had pledged to pay its network. [22]

Paxson and Hearst ownership

While Phipps and Potamkin never placed WPBF up for sale, they received an unexpected offer in late 1993 and accepted it at the start of 1994. The buyer was Clearwater-based Paxson Communications Corporation, which at the time owned radio stations in several major cities across the state but no television properties. [23] Founder Lowell Paxson vowed that WPBF would not be its last Florida TV station. [24] He also deepened his involvement in the West Palm Beach area, buying the former Woolworth Donahue estate in Palm Beach for $12 million (equivalent to $24 million in 2023 [11] ) to live there and a West Palm Beach office building to serve as his corporate headquarters. [25] Paxson also supported the purchase of WTVX out of bankruptcy court by Whitehead Media in 1995, providing financing and assuming control over operations via a local marketing agreement. [26]

Paxson's increasing business interests focusing on infomercial programming—the seeds for what became Ion Television—and radio in Florida led the company to sell the West Palm Beach station. In 1996, Paxson hired an investment firm to consult it on a sale of WPBF and its LMA with WTVX or a trade with another station. [27] Several buyers were rumored, including the ABC network itself, [21] but Paxson took the stations off the market for the short-term, even though he still desired to sell WPBF, his only network affiliate. [28] WTVX was ultimately sold to the Paramount Stations Group, the owner of the UPN network it broadcast; the LMA structure made it easier to separate the two stations at sale. [29]

In March 1997, Paxson reached a deal to sell WPBF to the Hearst Corporation for $85 million (equivalent to $161.3 million in 2023 [11] ), more than double what he had paid for it and for a cash flow multiple higher than the industry average. [30]

News operation

A WPBF reporter interviews a Federal Emergency Management Agency public information officer after Tropical Storm Fay in 2008 FEMA - 38682 - FEMA PIO with Television media.jpg
A WPBF reporter interviews a Federal Emergency Management Agency public information officer after Tropical Storm Fay in 2008

The same haste with which WPBF was built extended to the news department. Founding news director Lee Polowczuk started on November 14; within 50 days, after receiving hundreds of unsolicited audition tapes from around the country, [12] the news department was up and running. [31] Newscasts started on the station's second day of broadcasting, [32] originating came from a room intended for use as a prop closet until the actual newsroom could be finished. Most of the original news talent had worked in other Florida markets, including ex-WTVJ anchors Jim Brosemer and Marc Goldberg, as well as Sheila O'Connor, who had worked in Orlando. [31]

The local newscasts from WPBF debuted in third place in the ratings behind the two other West Palm Beach stations; the newly independent WTVX shuttered its news department in August 1989. Phipps and Potamkin made another expansion of the news staff in 1990, bringing it to 67 people, in an effort to lift the station out of third. [33] Closed captioning on the local newscasts—the promise that had once earned Heisler a favorable opinion at the FCC—was instituted in 1990; with all three local newsrooms doing so within a span of several months, West Palm Beach became one of just two markets nationally in which all local newscasts were captioned. [34] However, the station's cuts meant that, by 1991, there were fewer full-time reporters than at WPTV or WPEC; even weekend newscasts were briefly suspended. [22] Under Paxson ownership, WPBF received a new news set. [35] It also briefly produced a 10 p.m. newscast for WTVX. [36] However, ratings did not improve. [27]

Third-place continued to be WPBF's finish in the early years under Hearst, [37] but ratings began to improve in 2000, attributed to improvements made by the new ownership. [38] This included the 1999 launch of a morning newscast, years after WPTV and WPEC. [39] However, ratings continued to be an issue. In 2003, the station dropped separate sports segments in its newscasts. [40] In one shake-up, the 11 p.m. newscast was retooled with a three-anchor format. [41]

In the mid-2000s, the station finally found a formula that improved its ratings, one centered around weather: forecasts were moved to the lead story in each WPBF newscast. After seeing ratings increases, channel 25 added 4 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. newscasts in 2006. [42] Weekend morning and weekday 5 a.m. newscasts were added in 2008. [43] The steady climb made WPBF a solid contender for second alongside WPEC by 2014, though both stations still trailed longtime market leader WPTV. [44] After The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended its run in 2022, WPBF reintroduced a 4 p.m. news hour. [45] The next year, the station debuted a 10 p.m. newscast on its Me-TV subchannel, lengthened its noon news to an hour, and launched a weekly public affairs show, On the Record. By January 2024, WPBF led in local news ratings at 5, 6, and 11 p.m., with WPTV coming in second in all three time slots. [46]

Notable former on-air talent

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WPBF [50]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
25.1 720p 16:9 WPBF HDMain WPBF programming / ABC
25.2 480i WPBF sd Estrella TV
25.3WPBF-D3 True Crime Network
25.4STORY Story Television
25.5MeTV MeTV
48.4 480i 4:3 Rewind Rewind TV (WWHB-CD)
  Broadcast on behalf of another station

Estrella TV was added as a subchannel in 2009, replacing a weather subchannel. [51] The Rewind TV subchannel of WWHB-CD moved to the WPBF multiplex in March 2022, when that station became the first West Palm Beach market transmitter for ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV). In exchange, WPBF is hosted in that format on the WWHB-CD multiplex. [52]

Analog-to-digital conversion

WPBF discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 25, at 11:59 p.m. 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 remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 16, using virtual channel 25. [53]

As part of the SAFER Act, WPBF kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters. [54]

Related Research Articles

WPXA-TV is a television station licensed to Rome, Georgia, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Atlanta area. The station is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains offices on North Cobb Parkway in Marietta; its transmitter is located on Bear Mountain, near the Cherokee–Bartow county line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSVN</span> TV station in Miami

WSVN is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Serving as the flagship station of locally based Sunbeam Television, it has studios on the 79th Street Causeway in North Bay Village and a transmitter in Miami Gardens, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPLG</span> ABC affiliate in Miami, Florida

WPLG is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, affiliated with ABC. The station is owned by Berkshire Hathaway as its sole broadcast property. WPLG's studios are located on West Hallandale Beach Boulevard in Pembroke Park, and its transmitter is located in Miami Gardens, Florida.

WFOR-TV, branded CBS Miami, is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, serving as the market's CBS outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside CW affiliate WBFS-TV. The two stations share studios on Northwest 18th Terrace in Doral; WFOR-TV's transmitter is located in Andover, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPEC</span> TV station in West Palm Beach, Florida

WPEC is a television station in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Fort Pierce–licensed CW affiliate WTVX and two low-power, Class A stations: MyNetworkTV affiliate WTCN-CD and WWHB-CD. The stations share studios on Fairfield Drive in Mangonia Park ; WPEC's transmitter is located southeast of Wellington, Florida.

WBFS-TV is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside WFOR-TV, a CBS owned-and-operated station. The two stations share studios on Northwest 18th Terrace in Doral; WBFS-TV's transmitter is located in Andover, Florida.

WOPX-TV is a television station licensed to Melbourne, Florida, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Orlando area. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains offices on Grand National Drive in Orlando, and its transmitter is located on Nova Road east of St. Cloud.

WVPX-TV is a television station licensed to Akron, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of Ion Television. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, it is jointly operated with Canton-licensed Grit affiliate WDLI-TV, which transmits using WVPX-TV's full-power spectrum via a channel sharing agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFTX-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Cape Coral, Florida

WFTX-TV is a television station licensed to Cape Coral, Florida, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for Southwest Florida. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has studios on Southwest Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, and its transmitter is located near Punta Gorda near the Charlotte and Lee county line.

WTVX is a television station licensed to Fort Pierce, Florida, United States, serving the West Palm Beach area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside CBS affiliate WPEC and two low-power, Class A stations: MyNetworkTV affiliate WTCN-CD and TBD owned-and-operated station WWHB-CD. The stations share studios on Fairfield Drive in Mangonia Park ; WTVX's transmitter is located southwest of Palm City, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTCN-CD</span> Class A TV station in Palm Beach, Florida

WTCN-CD is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to Palm Beach, Florida, United States, serving the West Palm Beach area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside CBS affiliate WPEC, CW affiliate WTVX, and Class A TBD owned-and-operated station WWHB-CD. The stations share studios on Fairfield Drive in Mangonia Park ; WTCN-CD's transmitter is located southwest of Hobe Sound, Florida.

WWHB-CD is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to Stuart, Florida, United States, serving the West Palm Beach area with programming from the digital multicast network TBD. It is owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside CBS affiliate WPEC, CW affiliate WTVX, and Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WTCN-CD. The stations share studios on Fairfield Drive in Mangonia Park, Florida, while WWHB-CD's transmitter is located southwest of Hobe Sound, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVJ</span> NBC TV station in Miami

WTVJ is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, serving as the market's NBC outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Fort Lauderdale–licensed WSCV, a flagship station of Telemundo. The two stations share studios on Southwest 27th Street in Miramar; WTVJ's transmitter is located in Andover, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTV-TV</span> TV station in West Palm Beach, Florida

WPTV-TV is a television station in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Stuart-licensed news-formatted independent station WHDT ; Scripps also provides certain services to Fox affiliate WFLX under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television. The stations share studios on South Australian Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach ; WPTV-TV's transmitter is located in Lake Worth along US 441/SR 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFLX</span> TV station in West Palm Beach, Florida

WFLX, branded on-air as Fox 29, is a television station in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Gray Television, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with the E. W. Scripps Company, owner of NBC affiliate WPTV-TV and Stuart-licensed news-formatted independent station WHDT, for the provision of certain services. The stations share studios on South Australian Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach ; WFLX's transmitter is located near Wellington west of US 441/SR 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLTV-DT</span> Univision TV station in Miami

WLTV-DT is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, serving as the local Univision outlet. It is one of two flagship stations of the Spanish-language network. WLTV-DT is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision alongside Hollywood, Florida–licensed UniMás station WAMI-DT. The two stations share studios known as "NewsPort" on Northwest 30th Terrace in Doral; WLTV-DT's transmitter is located in Andover, Florida. The station also serves as the de facto Univision outlet for the West Palm Beach market.

WTCE-TV is a religious television station licensed to Fort Pierce, Florida, United States, serving as the West Palm Beach–area outlet for the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). It is owned and operated by TBN's Community Educational Television subsidiary, which manages stations in Florida and Texas on channels allocated for non-commercial educational broadcasting. WTCE-TV broadcasts from a transmitter in unincorporated southeastern Martin County.

CBS News and Stations is a division of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global that owns and operates a group of American television stations along with CBS News. As of January 2021, the division owns 28 stations: 14 are the core stations of the CBS television network, two are affiliates of The CW, eleven are independent stations, and one is a primary-channel affiliate of the digital subchannel network Start TV. It also maintains a half-interest in Start TV, which is co-owned with Weigel Broadcasting.

Todd McDermott is an Emmy Award-winning television journalist who works for WPBF in West Palm Beach, Florida. McDermott is a Buffalo, New York native, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Canisius University in Buffalo.

On January 1, 1989, six television stations in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida, markets, exchanged network affiliations. The event, referred to in contemporary media coverage as "The Big Switch", was described as "Miami's own soap opera" and at times compared to Dallas and Dynasty because of the lengthy public disputes between multiple parties that preceded it. Approximately three million television viewers in both markets were affected.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WPBF". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Draft Notice". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. April 6, 1985. p. D7. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Firm gets OK for TV station". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. UPI. July 18, 1986. p. 4PB. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Promise to assist hearing-impaired helps woman win Tequesta TV station permit". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press. July 18, 1986. p. 3B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Michals, Bob (July 29, 1988). "New TV station coming, but programs a mystery". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1A, 8A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Palm Beach to get new TV station". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. July 27, 1988. p. 1E. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Michals, Bob (August 6, 1988). "West Palm affiliate switch could cinch Channel 6 sale". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. p. 7A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Talley, Jim (August 9, 1988). "CBS acquires Channel 6 for $59 million". Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 1A, 5A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 Michals, Bob (September 8, 1988). "Who will win? Race to be ABC affiliate starts". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1D, 9D. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "ABC picks Palm affiliate that is not yet on the air". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. October 19, 1988. p. 8B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 3 4 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 "Instant TV". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. December 30, 1988. p. 1A, 12A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 Crook, Michael (December 31, 1988). "New TV station rehearses for Sunday debut". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. p. PB 1D. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Michals, Bob (October 19, 1988). "Channel 25 will sign on as ABC affiliate". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1A, 13A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Burns, Tony (October 19, 1988). "WTVX won't be ABC affiliate". St. Lucie News Tribune. Fort Pierce, Florida. p. A1, A6. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Buckman, Adam (October 31, 1988). "Affiliation sale rattles TV stations". Electronic Media. pp. 1, 41.
  17. ↑ "Selling network affiliations". Electronic Media. October 31, 1988. p. 12.
  18. ↑ Jicha, Tom (January 2, 1989). "Fanfare absent as switchovers strike airwaves in S. Florida". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 13A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Montgomery, Scott (January 2, 1989). "Channel 25's first broadcast is heralded with a 'hiccup'". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1A, 9A. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Kleinman, Jeffrey (August 9, 1991). "Fox affiliate to air news show at 10". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. p. 1B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  21. 1 2 LoMartire, Paul; McKenney, Mitch (August 30, 1996). "Disney reportedly among bidders for WPBF, WTVX". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1D, 6D. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  22. 1 2 Kleinberg, Eliot (October 15, 1991). "Debt, recession zap Channel 25; 30% of staff laid off since July". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1A, 6A. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Sundich, Steven F. (January 13, 1994). "Network goes shopping for station: Treasure Coast's ABC affiliate WPBF to change hands". St. Lucie News Tribune. Fort Pierce, Florida. p. B1, B6. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ Kleinberg, Eliot (January 16, 1994). "Shopping network creator buys WPBF". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1B, 7B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Keidaish, Christopher (February 26, 1995). "Paxson is packin' up, ready to make presence in PB". Palm Beach Daily News. Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1A, 7A. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Kleinberg, Eliot (June 3, 1995). "Feltner officially loses Ch. 34; Paxson to provide programming". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 13B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  27. 1 2 Waresh, Julie (July 17, 1996). "Paxson weighs sale or swap of Channel 25". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 5B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ Waresh, Julie (January 20, 1997). "Paxson seeks to sell 2 out-of-town TV stations". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. Business Day One 3. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ Waresh, Julie (February 21, 1997). "Paxson selling WTVX-TV; shows staying". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1D, 6D. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ Waresh, Julie (March 27, 1997). "Paxson turns $32 million into $85 million with sale of WPBF". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1D, 7D. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  31. 1 2 Jicha, Tom (February 2, 1989). "Infant Ch. 25 thrives on improvisation". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 1E, 10E. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ Enos, Gary (January 2, 1989). "Viewers fuzzy on TV switch: Station change leaves some in the dark". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 1A, 13A. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ Elmore, Charles (November 11, 1989). "Lagging Ch. 25 to expand news staff". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 11B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ Eldridge, John (August 3, 1990). "Local newscasts to have closed-captioning". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 9D. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ McKenney, Mitch (October 8, 1995). "Paxson puts IN TV on TV". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1E, 2E. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ Thompson, Kevin D. (September 4, 1996). "WTVX plans to add 10 p.m. newscast". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 4B. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ Smith, Stephanie (December 7, 1999). "ABC's 'Millionaire' can't pull WPBF up from 3rd place". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 2B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  38. ↑ Weil, Dan (December 6, 2000). "Cable takes viewers from local TV news shows". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 5B, 10B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  39. ↑ Plunkett, Marguerite (April 22, 1999). "Channel 25 to launch morning newscast in August". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1D. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  40. ↑ Port, Susan T. (July 22, 2003). "In shake-up, WPBF-TV drops sports segments". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 6B, 8B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  41. ↑ Port, Susan T. (May 28, 2004). "Viewers don't channel to WPBF revamp, ratings show". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1D, 3D. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220313034307/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97443657/viewers-dont-channel-to-wpbf-revamp/ Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  42. ↑ Thompson, Kevin D. (June 12, 2006). "Channel 25's Extreme Makeover: How the ABC affiliate has changed its image to face the competition". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1D, 5D. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  43. ↑ Holsman, Melissa S. (March 16, 2008). "Making the news: What goes on behind the scenes at your local TV stations". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. 1E. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  44. ↑ Malone, Michael (October 20, 2014). "Market Eye: Gunning for Best in 'West'". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  45. ↑ "WPBF To Debut 4 P.M. Newscast On July 18". TVNewsCheck. July 14, 2022.
  46. ↑ Malone, Michael (March 5, 2024). "Local News Close-Up: Fun, Sun and New Arrivals in West Palm Beach". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  47. ↑ "Meet CNN's New Black Anchor". The Root. July 26, 2012. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  48. ↑ Malone, Michael (August 19, 2020). "Anchor Stefan Holt Departs WNBC New York For WMAQ Chicago". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  49. ↑ Smith, Thom (November 29, 1995). "Amici's Manfra wines and dines gourmet society". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 1D. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  50. ↑ "RabbitEars query for WPBF". rabbitears.info. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  51. ↑ "WPBF West Palm Beach Adding Estrella TV". TVNewsCheck. August 10, 2009. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  52. ↑ Winslow, George (March 9, 2022). "Five Stations Launch NextGen TV in West Palm Beach". TV Technology. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  53. ↑ "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.
  54. ↑ "UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.