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WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 (digital channel 12), is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.

Digital television[link]

As part of the analog television shutdown and digital conversion was completed, WBBM-TV shut down its analog transmitter on June 12, 2009. The station's digital broadcasts remained on channel 12. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers continue to display WBBM-TV's virtual channel as 2.1.

Currently, WBBM-TV is the only "full-power" VHF digital television station in Chicago (as it was prior to the June 2009 digital transition). WBBM-TV's rival station, WLS-TV, was the other station to operate its full-power operations on VHF until the station moved its full power operations to the UHF dial in order to alleviate reception problems and keeping its VHF allotment as a digital fill-in translator on October 31, 2009.

Some viewers have had trouble picking up VHF signals since the June 12 transition, so a low-power analog nightlight was airing the newscasts.^[1] In addition, WBBM-TV has applied for a construction permit to build a low-power fill-in repeater on UHF channel 26 (formerly the analog home of WCIU-TV).

However, the FCC notified WBBM that the channel 26 allocation would interfere with W25DW and gave WBBM 30 days as of April 1, 2010 to address the issue or have the application dismissed.^[2] WBBM has applied for a low-powered digital repeater on channel 26 (former analog home of WCIU-TV). It applied only for a repeater on that channel and not a full-powered signal move (as WLS-TV did when it moved its digital signal to channel 44 to avoid problems receiving VHF digital signals on antennas that generally are tuned to UHF signals). On January 18, 2012, the FCC granted WBBM-TV a construction permit. ^[3]

History[link]

WBBM-TV traces its history to 1940 when Balaban and Katz, a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, opened experimental station W9XBK, the first all-electronic television facility in Chicago. Balaban and Katz was already well known for owning several theaters in Chicago. To estalish the station, they hired television pioneer William C. (Bill) Eddy away from RCA’s experimental station W2XBS in New York. When WWII began, Eddy used the W9XBK facilities as a prototype school for training Navy electronics technicians.^[4] While operating the Navy school, Eddy continued to lead W9XBK and wrote a book that defined commercial television for many years.^[5]

On September 6, 1946,^[6] the station received a commercial license as WBKB (meaning Balaban and Katz Broadcasting) on channel 4, the first commercial station outside the Eastern Time Zone, airing some of the earliest CBS programing, including the debut in 1947 of Junior Jamboree (renamed Kukla, Fran and Ollie after moving to NBC in 1948). The station was originally an independent station. Starting in 1948, WBKB shared the CBS affiliation in Chicago with WGN-TV (channel 9). Balaban and Katz became part of United Paramount Theatres in 1950, a year after Paramount was forced to divest its chain of movie theaters by order of the United States Supreme Court.

WBKB played an indirect role in the demise of the DuMont Television Network. Paramount owned a stake in DuMont, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considered WBKB a DuMont owned and operated station even though WGN-TV was Chicago's DuMont affiliate. Paramount also owned KTLA in Los Angeles. As DuMont already owned WABD (now WNYW) in New York, WTTG in Washington and WDTV in Pittsburgh (now sister station KDKA-TV), the FCC's decision meant DuMont could not acquire any more stations. Paramount even launched a short-lived "Paramount Television Network" in 1949, with KTLA and WBKB as its flagship stations.^[7][8] The programming service never gelled into a true television network.

In 1953 United Paramount Theaters, then-owner of WBKB, merged with ABC, who already owned WENR-TV (channel 7). As the newly merged entity could not keep both stations under FCC regulations of the time, WBKB's channel 4 license was sold to CBS for $6.75 million.

On February 12, one day after the merger took effect, channel 4 took the WBBM-TV call letters (after WBBM radio, which CBS has owned since 1929). The WBKB calls subsequently were taken by ABC's channel 7, the former WENR-TV; that station was renamed WLS-TV in 1968. In addition, all CBS programming that had been airing on WGN-TV was moved to the new WBBM-TV, after a two-month cancellation clause, leaving WGN-TV with the quickly crumbling DuMont as its only network affiliation.

As a result of the FCC's recent Sixth Report and Order, WBBM-TV moved to channel 2 on July 5, 1953 to eliminate interference with WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee. WTMJ-TV moved to channel 4 from channel 3 to avoid interference with Kalamazoo, Michigan's channel 3 (then WKZO-TV, now WWMT). The channel 2 allocation was opened up coincidentally at the same time because Springfield was forced to let the allocation relocate to St. Louis, Missouri to be used by KTVI. The cross-lake WKZO/WWMT would come back to haunt WBBM-TV again during the DTV age.

In 1956, CBS consolidated its Chicago operations into a renovated arena on North McClurg Court, where the television station remained until September 21, 2008. WBBM-TV then moved to its new facilities in the "Block 37" studio. This move coincided with the debut of channel 2's newscasts in high definition, making them the fourth Chicago television station to do so (early in 2006, the WBBM radio stations moved into new studios within Two Prudential Plaza). The McClurg Court studio building was demolished over a two-month period from February to April 2009. Like most of the other Chicago stations, the studio cameras shoot in high definition but most of the remote field footage is downconverted to 16:9 widescreen standard definition (the lone exception is currently WGN-TV, whose local video footage is now aired entirely in high definition).

In 1956, an episode of What's My Line? originated from the WBBM studios, 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. In 1960, WBBM's McClurg Court studios were the site of the first televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. WBBM-TV also served as home to syndicated programs Donahue from 1982–85 and Siskel & Ebert from 1986 to the late 1990s.

For most of the time since the mid-1990s, WBBM has been one of CBS's weakest owned-and-operated stations, generally rating behind WLS-TV, NBC-owned WMAQ-TV (channel 5) and at times behind WGN-TV and Fox-owned WFLD-TV (channel 32), despite the popularity of CBS's daytime and prime-time shows. The station made some viewership gains during 2009 but has generally remained in third place in the local viewership ratings, partially due to its digital signal on low-VHF channel 3, that was lower-powered than other full-power Chicago stations so it wouldn't interfere with the analog signal of WWMT in Kalamazoo (the same station that indirectly forced the channel change from 4 to 2 in 1953.)

In May 2007, WBBM-TV filed a last-minute request with the FCC to broadcast its post-transition digital signal with high power on channel 12, after analog shutdown in June 2009. The station has filed a request to run 13.8 kW at 520 m above ground level from the Sears Tower. As of the digital transition, WBBM is one of only three CBS O&Os (and the only full-powered Chicago station) to broadcast on the VHF dial (the other two are KTVT in Fort Worth and WJZ-TV in Baltimore); however, one of these three (KTVT) has been granted FCC approval to permanently move to a UHF frequency due to reception problems which adversely affected viewership.

Programming[link]

WBBM airs its midday newscast at 11 a.m. and then The Young and the Restless at 11:30, following the Eastern Time Zone program schedule rather than that of the Central Time Zone, where most CBS affiliates air Y&R at 11 and the news at noon.

News operation[link]

In the late 1970s, WBBM-TV surged past WMAQ-TV for first place in the Chicago news race. It became 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 in the late 1970s and early 1980s. At one point, its dominance was so absolute that it called its 10 p.m. newscast simply THE Ten O'Clock News.

Kurtis and Jacobson were first teamed together in 1973 by general manager Robert Wussler and news director Van Gordon Sauter, who introduced a hard-news format and began using the newsroom as the set for all newscasts. Kurtis became known for his "Focus Unit" in-depth reports, Jacobson for his "Perspective" commentaries. Among the others who were known for their work with WBBM-TV in this period were film critic Gene Siskel, police and crime reporter John "Bulldog" Drummond, women and consumer issues reporter Susan Anderson, feature reporter Bob Wallace, investigative reporter Pam Zekman, medical reporter Roger Field, political reporter Mike Flannery and reporter/weekend news anchor Mike Parker. Bob Sirott and Phil Ponce, later hosts of the WTTW program Chicago Tonight, were also reporters for WBBM-TV during this period. Zekman and Parker are still on WBBM-TV, and Drummond also still contributes occasional reports.

In 1982, Kurtis left WBBM-TV to anchor the CBS Morning News in New York and was replaced by Don Craig, formerly of WMAQ-TV. When Kurtis returned three years later, he was teamed with Craig for the hour-long 6 p.m. news, and Harry Porterfield, who had been the co-anchor of that newscast for several years, was demoted to a weekend shift. Porterfield later left for WLS, but the Rev. Jesse Jackson began a boycott of WBBM-TV after Porterfield, who is African-American, was demoted. WBBM-TV later hired African-American news anchorman Lester Holt, later of MSNBC to replace Porterfield. Kurtis left WBBM for the second time in 1996.

In March 1986, WLS-TV, which had been a strong third for many years, overtook WBBM for the lead. In 1990, WBBM hired Bill Applegate, who had taken WLS to first place as news director, as general manager. Applegate took Jacobson off the anchor desk (Jacobson eventually left for WFLD in 1993) and made the newscasts much flashier than they had previously been; the reporting staff during this time was impressive. It included Elizabeth Vargas (now at ABC News), Rob Stafford (now at WMAQ-TV), Jim Avila (now at ABC), Larry Mendte (most recently a main anchor at CBS-owned KYW-TV in Philadelphia) and Dawn Stensland (a former 10 p.m. anchor at Fox-owned WTXF in Philadelphia). They were on the streets in addition to Jay Levine, Mike Parker and Pam Zekman. It was enough for a rebound to a first-place tie with WLS-TV by 1993. The momentum did not last as Vargas, Aliva, Mendte, Stafford and Stensland all left the station within a short time. By the mid-1990s, WBBM-TV had crashed to last place. For most of the next decade, WLS and WMAQ fought it out for first, while WBBM-TV's once-proud news division often trailed syndicated reruns on WFLD. The station has gone through several different on-air branding schemes—from its longtime brand of Channel 2 News to the present CBS 2 News. A good example of this is in 2002, when the station eliminated its year-old computer-intensive graphics and "newsplex" studio in favor of a simpler studio and corresponding graphics set.

In 2002, Diann Burns, former anchor at WLS-TV and Antonio Mora, news reader from Good Morning America, became WBBM's new main anchor team. In January 2006, WBBM-TV passed WMAQ for second place at 5 p.m. While still far behind WLS, it was WBBM-TV's best finish at 5 p.m. in 13 years. It was still in last place at 10 p.m., but was the only late newscast to gain audience share in the first month of the new year. WBBM-TV also finished second sign-on to sign-off (from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.), leapfrogging from fourth for its best monthly performance in 23 years. That performance was short-lived, however: in August 2006, WBBM-TV added Rob Johnson as co-anchor of the 5 p.m. newscast alongside Burns, while Mora and Burns still co-anchored at 6 and 10. Johnson previously worked at WLS-TV as weekend anchor starting in 1998. 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 (in descending ratings order), and just barely ahead of Fox station WFLD. And in the July 2007 ratings period, WBBM's reporting of the Amy Jacobson fiasco resulted in the station's newscasts falling further behind in the Nielsen ratings.

WBBM made more anchor changes in 2007, replacing Antonio Mora on the 10 p.m. newscast with Rob Johnson. Mora continued as co-anchor of the 6 p.m. newscast and host of Eye on Chicago. After these changes, the ratings dropped 30%. Mora left WBBM-TV in January 2008 to co-anchor evening newscasts at CBS O&O WFOR-TV (channel 4) in Miami, Florida. Johnson then added the 6 p.m. newscast to his duties.

On March 31, 2008, it was 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 would no longer be with the station. Also, when WBBM announced the hiring of Ryan Baker from WMAQ, this fueled the thought that he would replace Mark Malone. On April 2, 2008, WBBM News Director Carol Fowler announced a new set of anchor lineups to take effect on April 14, 2008. On February 20, 2009, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that WBBM was signing its personalities on contracts that were "as short as possible", and the rumored possibility of discontinuing newscasts altogether due to the current economic crisis.^[9]

On April 30, 2009, WBBM-TV laid off at least seven – but fewer than 18 – personnel. Those furloughed included reporter and fill-in anchor Joanie Lum, entertainment reporter and film critic Bill Zwecker, sports reporter and anchor Howard Sudberry, assistant news director Todd Woolman, producer Liz Johnson, news writer and producer Shelly Howell, and camera man Chris Cangilla. Along with the layoffs, WBBM-TV canceled its weekend morning newscasts and the very late night rebroadcasts of its 10 o'clock news (replacing them with infomercials in the process) and restructured its weeknight 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts at that time to use a solo anchor.^[10][11]

Harry Porterfield returned to WBBM-TV with a very warm welcome^{[citation needed]} after 24 years at WLS-TV on August 3, 2009 to anchor the 11 a.m. news with Roseanne Tellez, and also to continue "Someone You Should Know", the series he began at WBBM in 1977. On November 13, 2009, as main anchor Rob Johnson was away, Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson returned to the anchor desk to anchor the 10 p.m. newscast; Jacobson has since remained to continue his trademark "Perspecive" commentaries.

At the conclusion of the November 2009 Nielsen Ratings sweeps period, WBBM-TV's 10 p.m. newscast overtook WMAQ-TV for second place, largely due to the low ratings of the latter station's lead-in (The Jay Leno Show). WLS-TV continues to dominate the local newscast ratings in the Chicago market; however, it should be noted^{[says who?]} that WBBM-TV's 10 o'clock newscast was the only late-night newscast in Chicago to see an increase in viewership over the same ratings period the previous year.^[12]

For January 2010 ratings period, the 10 p.m. newscast scored a 6.0 rating, up from a 4.3 the previous year.^[13] That was good enough to remain in second place, although WMAQ showed signs of a recovery from its November 2009 swoon. But during the February 2010 Nielsen ratings sweeps period, the 10 p.m. news slipped back to third place behind WMAQ due in large part to the latter network's airing of the 2010 Winter Olympics. May 2010 found WBBM-TV's afternoon and evening newscasts remaining in third place overall though not quite as distant as it had been in recent years. However, WBBM-TV's morning program has remained at the very bottom of the ratings, ahead of only WPWR-TV (which runs no news programming at all). In fact, even WCIU-TV's low-rated morning lifestyle show has been drawing more viewers than WBBM-TV's morning show. The July 2010 ratings period found WBBM-TV's 10 p.m. newscast slipping to fourth place among the five late-night newscasts in Chicago (ahead of only WFLD) in large part due to the lack of a co-anchor on most nights.

On March 26, 2010, an unknown number of employees at CBS-owned stations were being paid out of a corporate fund earmarked to write off contracts during the first quarter of 2010. The arrangement allowed stations to enhance their bottom lines immediately by eliminating hefty salaries from their budgets. In most cases, employees were given the option of signing longer contracts for significantly less money or opting for payouts that keep them off the air for the remainder of their existing deals. Anne State's contract was not renewed making her a free agent, along with longtime meteorologist and technology reporter Ed Curran who was relieved of his duties but was still being paid for the remaining 14 months of his contract.^[14] On March 29, 2010, it was announced that longtime political editor Mike Flannery would be leaving the station he has called home since 1980 to join rival WFLD-TV.^[15]

On July 29, 2010, WBBM announced the reunion of Kurtis and Jacobson on the 6 p.m. broadcast beginning September 1. They also announced the hiring of WCBS morning anchor Kate Sullivan as Johnson's co-anchor at 5 and 10 p.m., effective September 13.^[16] Still, these changes have yet to produce much if any improvement in the ratings.

"The Enforcer"[link]

In 1975, Chicago jingle composer Dick Marx wrote a theme for WBBM-TV based on the folk song, "I Love Chicago, Chicago My Home", which was written by Chicago folk singer Tary Rebenar. This theme, known simply as "Channel 2 News", became very popular in Chicago during WBBM-TV's glory days. WBBM-TV has used this theme and several variations on it for all but six years since then. The tune has also been adopted by several other stations across the country, mostly CBS stations (O&Os as well as some affiliates), and has become the de facto official local news theme music for CBS's O&Os. From 1994-1997, 2000–2001, 2002–2008, and from 2010–present, WBBM-TV used an updated version called The CBS Enforcer Music Collection by Frank Gari. A synthesized version of the original theme, it was specially written for the station. From 2006 to 2008, WBBM-TV used an updated version of the theme, composed by Frank Gari's son Christian. For its high-definition news debut, WBBM-TV commissioned a new theme composed by In The Groove Music, which has done theme music for sister stations WCCO, WBZ and ATV. On June 21, 2010, with the adoption of a new CBS O&O graphics package, WBBM-TV brought back "CBS Enforcer" with an orchestrated version originally commissioned by sister station WCBS-TV.

The 10 p.m. news experiment[link]

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 in-depth "hard news" features, a staple of its glory days. Anchored by Carol Marin, former longtime anchor at WMAQ, the newscast was hailed as a return to quality in-depth journalism in the best CBS tradition at a time when tabloid journalism and "soft news" were becoming the norm in broadcast news. However, plummeting ratings led to the newscast's cancellation in October after being on the air for only nine months.

Ratings[link]

For the 2010 Election Day coverage, WBBM-TV remained in fourth place, behind WLS-TV, WGN-TV and WMAQ-TV (in viewership ratings order) but ahead of WFLD. However, as of November 30, 2010, the station's 10 p.m. newscast jumped to second place, trailing WLS-TV by a wide margin. Though their 6 p.m. newscast remains in third place.^[17]

The February 2011 Nielsen local news ratings, showed that WBBM’s 10 p.m. newscast surged into second place with a 6.0 weeknight household rating, up nearly one rating point from a 5.2 share the previous February. Channel 2 ranked in second place overall behind perennial newsleader WLS-TV. WBBM-TV's primetime lead-in rating increased to a 7.4 share during the sweeps period.^[18]

News team[link]

[edit] Current on-air staff^[19]

Anchors

• Susan Carlson - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.); also weekday reporter and fill-in 11 a.m. anchor
• Kris Gutierrez - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.)
• Walter Jacobson - weeknights at 6 p.m.; also "Perspectives" commentary contributor
• Rob Johnson - weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m.
• Bill Kurtis - weeknights at 6 p.m.; also host of Cold Case Files
• Mai Martinez - Saturdays at 5, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also weekday reporter
• Harry Porterfield - weekdays at 11 a.m.; also "Someone You Should Know" feature reporter
• Kate Sullivan - weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m.
• Roseanne Tellez - weekdays at 11 a.m.; also weekday reporter
• Jim Williams - Saturdays at 5, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also weekday field reporter

Weather team

• Steve Baskerville (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Megan Glaros (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and 11 a.m., also entertainment reporter
• Mary Kay Kleist (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; Saturdays at 5, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m., also weekday fill-in meteorologist and medical/special reporter

Sports team

• Ryan Baker - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Megan Mawicke - sports anchor; Saturdays at 5, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m., also weekday field sports reporter

Reporters

• Marissa Bailey - general assignment reporter
• Derrick Blakley - general assignment reporter
• Brad Edwards - general assignment reporter
• Vince Gerasole - general assignment and feature reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Pamela Jones - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Dana Kozlov - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Suzanne Le Mignot - general assignment reporter
• Jay Levine - chief correspondent; also 10 p.m. fill-in anchor
• Mike Parker - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Mike Puccinelli - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Dave Savini - investigative reporter
• Susanna Song - general assignment reporter
• Dorothy Tucker - general assignment and consumer reporter
• Pam Zekman - investigative reporter

Former on-air staff[link]

• Jim Acosta - general assignment reporter (2000–2001, now at CNN)
• Mike Adamle - sports anchor (2001–2004, now at WMAQ-TV)
• Rich Apuzzo - weather forecaster (mid–1990s)
• Adele Arakawa - anchor (1989–1993, now at KUSA-TV in Denver)
• Jim Avila - reporter (1984–1994, now Senior Law and Justice Correspondent for ABC News)
• Stephen Bardo - sports anchor/reporter (2003–2006, now at ESPN)
• Steve Bartelstein - morning anchor (2010–2011)
• Jim Berry - sports anchor/reporter (1994–1996; now with WFOR-TV in Miami)
• Chris Boden - sports reporter (1998–2003, later at WFLD-TV, now at Comcast SportsNet Chicago)
• Diann Burns - anchor (2003–2008, later host of Next TV)
• Cyndy Brucato - reporter (1975–1978, now at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis)
• John Callaway - reporter (1971–1974, later at WTTW-TV, deceased)
• Mary Ann Childers - anchor/medical editor (1994–2008, now Senior Consultant at Res Publica Group)
• Lauren Cohn - anchor/reporter (1998–2000, later at WFLD-TV, now at WTXF-TV in Philadelphia)
• Jodine Costanzo - reporter (1996–1998, now at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh)
• John Coughlin - longtime weatherman (1953–1989, deceased)
• Don Craig - anchor (1982–1987)
• Frank Currier - anchor/reporter (1979–1982)
• Penny Daniels - anchor/reporter (1993–1994)
• Paul Douglas - meteorologist (1994–1997, most recently at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis)
• John Drury - anchor/reporter (1962–1967, later at WGN-TV and WLS-TV, deceased)
• Stacia Dubin - morning news anchor (2000–2004)
• Jon Duncanson - weekend anchor/reporter (1992–1995, later at WFLD-TV and 2003–2006, now president of Aviana Productions)
• Jerry Dunphy - sports reporter (1950s, deceased)
• Giselle Fernandez - anchor/reporter (1987–1989, later at Access Hollywood)
• Roger Field - science/technology reporter (1970s-1986)
• Fahey Flynn - anchor (1952–1967, later at WLS-TV, deceased)
• Judie Garcia - reporter (per diem) (2002, now at WGN-TV)
• Lauren Green - reporter (1993–1996, now at Fox News Channel)
• Alita Guillen - weekend anchor/reporter (2002–2007)
• Kristyn Hartman - anchor/reporter (2004-2012; now anchor with WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio)
• Chris Hernandez - reporter (2002–2004, now at KSHB-TV in Kansas City)
• Burleigh Hines - reporter (1974–2001, deceased)
• Lester Holt - anchor/reporter (1986–2000, currently a co-host on NBC's Weekend Today)
• Peter Hyams - producer/anchor/reporter (1968–1970)
• Bob Jamieson - reporter (1968–1970, later at NBC News, most recently at ABC News)
• Dan Jiggetts - sports reporter (1989–1991, later at WFLD-TV; Monsters and Money in the Morning co-host 2010, later back at WFLD-TV)
• David Kerley - anchor (1998–2002, now a Washington correspondent for ABC News)
• Lisa Kim - reporter (1995–1996, later at KNTV-TV in San Jose)
• Rich King - sports anchor (1987–1991, now at WGN-TV)
• Kyung Lah - reporter (2000–2003, now at CNN Newsource in Washington)
• Janet Langhart - weekend weather forecaster (1960s–1970s)
• Joan Lovett - anchor/reporter (1993–1999)
• Linda MacLennan - anchor/reporter (1987–2003, now runs Linda MacLennan Photography)
• Mark Malone - sports anchor (2004–2008, now a Color Commentator at Westwood One)
• Carol Marin - anchor/reporter (1997–2000, now at WMAQ-TV)
• Katie McCall - reporter (2006–2008, now at KTRK-TV in Houston)
• Jennifer McLogan - reporter (1989–1993, now at WCBS-TV in New York)
• Corey McPherrin - sports anchor (1991–1995, now at WFLD-TV)
• Larry Mendte - anchor/reporter (1990–1996, most recently at Access Hollywood and KYW-TV in Philadelphia, now at WGN-TV and WPIX-TV)
• Judi Moen - reporter and talk-show host (1981–1994)
• Antonio Mora - anchor/Eye On Chicago host (2002–2008, now at WFOR-TV in Miami)
• Geoff Morrell - reporter (1996–2000)
• Johnny Morris - longtime sports anchor (1964–1968 and 1975–1994)
• Carolyn Murray - consumer reporter (2001–2003)
• Brent Musburger - sports anchor (1968–1975, now a sportscaster for ABC/ESPN)
• Mary Nissenson - reporter and substitute news anchor (1987-1988)
• Mike North - Monsters and Money in the Morning co-host (2010)
• Phil Ponce - reporter (1982–1991, now at WTTW)
• Dave Price - weather anchor (1996–1998, later at WNYW-TV, WCBS-TV and The Early Show on CBS)
• John Quinones - reporter (1978–1982, now at ABC News)
• Bruce Roberts - sports anchor (1950s-1981, deceased)
• Robin Robinson - reporter (1984–1987, now at WFLD-TV)
• Randy Salerno - Morning News and 11 a.m. anchor (2004–2008, deceased)
• Cynthia Santana - weekend anchor/reporter (2002–2003, now a Producer/Writer/Narrator at Morgan Howard Productions)
• Warner Saunders - Common Ground host (1972–1980, later at WMAQ-TV)
• Janet Shamlian - anchor/reporter (1993–1995, now at NBC News)
• Bob Sirott - lifestyle/entertainment reporter (1980–1985, later at WMAQ-TV, WFLD-TV and WTTW-TV, now back at WFLD-TV)
• Gene Siskel - film critic (1974–1999, deceased)
• Rob Stafford - reporter (1992–1996, now at WMAQ-TV)
• Anne State - anchor/reporter (2008–2010, now at WITI-TV in Milwaukee)
• Dawn Stensland - reporter/anchor (1991–1994, wife of Larry Mendte, later at WTXF-TV)
• Tracy Townsend - anchor (*-2006; now with WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio)
• Elizabeth Vargas - anchor/reporter (1989–1993, now at ABC News)
• Harry Volkman - weatherman (1978–1996, later at WFLD-TV)
• Bob Wallace - anchor/feature reporter/program host (1970-1991)
• Jenniffer Weigel - feature and entertainment reporter (1999–2002)
• Tim Weigel - sports anchor (1995–2001, deceased)

See also[link]

• The Magic Door (Jewish children's series that originated from WBBM)

References[link]

• 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.

External links[link]

• Official website
• Original version of WBBM-TV's theme (.mp3)
• Photos of WBBM-TV's news set
• WBKB Balaban & Katz Television
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WBBM-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WBBM-TV

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2009)

Bill Kurtis (born William Horton Kuretich; September 21, 1940) is an American television journalist, producer, narrator, and news anchor. He is also the current host of A&E crime and news documentary shows, including Investigative Reports, American Justice, and Cold Case Files. Previously, he anchored CBS Morning News, and was the longtime anchor at WBBM-TV, the CBS owned-and-operated TV station in Chicago (a role to which he has recently returned).

Early life[link]

Kurtis was born in Pensacola, Florida to Wilma Mary (Horton; 1911–2002) and William A. Kuretich, of Croatian origin (1914–2001),^[1] a Marine Corps general and decorated veteran of World War II. His father's military career resulted in extensive travel for the family. When they settled down, he was raised in Independence, Kansas.

At 16, Kurtis began working as an announcer for KIND-AM, a commercial station in Independence, Kansas, of which he is currently a part owner. He graduated from The University of Kansas with a B.S. in journalism in 1962 and went on to earn his J.D. from the Washburn University School of Law in 1966. While in law school he did the evening news for Stauffer Publications TV station WIBW in Topeka and clerked for the law firm of Colmery and Russell. After passing the Kansas bar examination and winning a job with a Wichita law firm, Kurtis discussed his options with Harry Colmery and Bob McClure, of Colmery and Russell, and decided on a career in journalism.

Career[link]

Television career[link]

Kurtis began his television career as a full time anchor at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas. On the evening of June 8, 1966, a severe thunderstorm 20 miles (32 km) southwest of town generated a tornado that headed straight towards Topeka. Kurtis warned: "For God's sake, take cover." This warning became synonymous with the 1966 Topeka tornado that left 16 dead and injured hundreds more. Kurtis remained on the air for 24 straight hours to cover the destruction. His performance during this disaster proved to be his big break.

He moved to Chicago in 1966 to work at WBBM-TV, first as a reporter and then as an anchorman. In 1982, he moved to New York to anchor the CBS Morning News, but returned to Chicago three years later to produce documentaries for the television show The New Explorers. Kurtis also returned to WBBM-TV at that time and worked as an anchorman there until 1996. He started his own production company, Kurtis Productions, in 1990 and joined the A&E cable television network the following year. He frequently appears on A&E as the host and narrator of Cold Case Files and American Justice.

Kurtis has received numerous awards for his television work, including over twenty Emmys and the Illinois Broadcasters Association 1998 Hall of Fame Award and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters 2003 Hall of Fame Award.^[2]

He contributed a spoken-word intro to The Dandy Warhols' 2005 album Odditorium or Warlords of Mars. Other narration work includes his introduction to various news clips on the CD portion of the multimedia book, We Interrupt This Broadcast.^[3]

Most recently, Kurtis was featured in a series of commercials for AT&T Mobility which poke fun at his serious investigative journalist persona. He appears on a tropical island or in a similarly desolate place and, after explaining the AT&T Laptop Connect Card, states "I'm Bill Kurtis, and I've just found [trademark pause] the Internet." He appears oblivious to the background, which features mythical things such as the fuselage of Amelia Earhart's long-lost aircraft in one instance, the Fountain of Youth in another, a yeti in a third, and a leprechaun with a pot of gold in a fourth.

A second group of ads in the series took a different approach and featured Kurtis "racing" figures such as Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps, undefeated professional boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and record-fast serving tennis player Andy Roddick (amongst other historically "fast" individuals) in Internet speed-surfing contests, allowing himself access to AT&T technology, inevitably winning each time. He concluded each contest by announcing his victory, for example, "I'm Bill Kurtis [pause], and I'm faster than Michael Phelps."

In a third group of promotions, Kurtis appears in various locations with a netbook to demonstrate the coverage of AT&T's wireless data network. He has been seen riding in a motorcycle sidecar, aboard a passenger airplane, and in a small diner, among other places, and ends by saying something that lampoons his serious-reporter personality (e.g., "I'll have a cherry lime rickey and a hard-boiled egg" to the waitress in the diner).

On November 13, 2009, Kurtis reunited for one evening with his co-anchor of 20 years earlier, Walter Jacobson, to anchor the WBBM 10 PM news in Chicago while the usual anchor, Rob Johnson, was on vacation.^[4]

In an effort to bolster ratings and improve the respectability of WBBM's newscasts, the station announced in July 2010 that Kurtis and Jacobson would permanently anchor the 6 p.m. newscast on WBBM beginning on September 1.^[5]

In 2011 Kurtis became the voice of Roger Ebert on Ebert Presents: At the Movies. During the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, Kurtis reunited with fellow friend Walter Jacobson to make a special report about the summit and compared it to the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention.

Film work[link]

Kurtis narrated the 2010 documentary film Carbon Nation by Peter Byck. He was selected after a long search to find a voice that was familiar but not polarizing. The director believed that his narration would be "authoritative and neutral",^[6] and reach a wider audience.

He was the narrator in the 2004 Will Ferrell comedy film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Business[link]

Since 2005, Kurtis has become heavily involved in raising and marketing grass-fed beef after purchasing an 8,000 acres (32 km²) ranch near Sedan, Kansas.^[7] While looking for innovative uses for his ranch, Kurtis learned about the health and environmental benefits of grass-fed beef and founded Tallgrass Beef Company.^[8] A separate ranch owned by Kurtis and his sister, near Independence, Kansas was the original site that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her book Little House on the Prairie and is operated as a tourist attraction. He is also an investor in the Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Illinois.^[9] Kurtis is a principal of KICA/KICA-FM/KKYC/KMUL/KWUA stations in the Clovis-Portalis, New Mexico and Muleshoe, Texas areas.

Personal life[link]

Kurtis and his longtime partner, Donna La Pietra, are very active on the Chicago social circuit, supporting numerous non-profit organizations.^[10] He has also done several public service announcements, including RFB&D (Recording For The Blind and Dyslexic). Kurtis's wife, Helen (who was his high school sweetheart and whom he married in 1963), died of cancer in June 1977.^[11] They had two children, Mary Kristin (born December 1965) and Scott Erik (born October 1970).^[12] Scott Kurtis, 38, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia since he was in his mid-teens, was found dead July 20, 2009, on his father's Kansas cattle ranch, where he had lived. His body was discovered by his sister, who lives near the ranch. Scott Kurtis suffered from heart and thyroid ailments as a result of weight-gain resulting from medication to treat his schizophrenia.^[13]

Kurtis's sister, Jean Schodorf, is a Republican Kansas State Senator. During her 2010 run for the United States House of Representatives, Kurtis narrated a campaign commercial for her.

Bill is a cousin to Frank Kurtis.^{[citation needed]}

Writing credits[link]

• Bill Kurtis on Assignment published October 1, 1983 (out of print) by Rand McNally; ISBN 0-528-81005-7
• American Justice published August 1, 1999 by TV Books Inc.; ISBN 1-57500-109-8
• The Death Penalty on Trial: Crisis in American Justice about the death penalty was published November 30, 2004 by PublicAffairs; ISBN 1-58648-169-X

Pop culture[link]

In the TV series South Park, episode "Cartman Joins NAMBLA," The boys are playing a game called "Investigative Reports with Bill Kurtis" where a player must decide to deny a scandal or cover it up.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bill Kurtis at the Internet Movie Database
• Tallgrass Beef Company
• A Bill Kurtis Tribute
• A&E American Justice
• A&E Cold Case Files
• Illinois Broadcasters Association

Media[link]

• Interview on The BusinessMakers Show

Mai Martinez (born December 16, 1973) is an American television news anchor and reporter.

Early life and education[link]

A native of San Francisco, Martinez earned a bachelor's degree in 1997 from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.^[1][2]

Professional career[link]

Martinez began her broadcasting career as a video editor at WBRC-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, where she worked from 1997 until 2003. In 2000, she co-hosted a morning radio show on WOXR-FM in Oxford, Alabama.^[3] In 2003, Martinez became a photographer, general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor at WDSI-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She then rejoined WBRC-TV in April 2004 as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor. While there, Martinez developed a higher level of national visibility when she spent eight weeks in Aruba covering the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.^[1]

In May 2006, Martinez was hired by WBBM-TV in Chicago as a general assignment reporter. On September 20, 2007, she was promoted to be a weekend news anchor at the station.

Personal[link]

Martinez is half Cuban and half Vietnamese.^[1] She is single and lives in the Uptown neighborhood on Chicago's North Side.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• WBBM-TV Profile