WJBK studios in Southfield, MI

WJBK, Fox 2, is the Fox network owned-and-operated television station for Detroit, Michigan. It broadcasts on VHF digital Channel 7 in high definition from its studios and 1,003 foot (305.7 m) tower located in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan.^[1] WJBK's terrestrial television signal, displaying virtual Channel 2 covers the entire Metro Detroit and Windsor, Ontario areas and is carried on most cable television systems in Southeast Michigan, Southwestern Ontario and Northwest Ohio. It's also carried on some out of market Canadian cable systems.

History[link]

As a CBS affiliate[link]

WJBK became Detroit's third television station to sign-on when it first aired on October 24, 1948. The station became an affiliate of both the CBS and DuMont television networks. It was originally owned by George B. Storer's Storer Broadcasting, Inc. along with WJBK-AM (now WLQV) and WJBK-FM (now WDRQ). Its original studios were in Detroit's Masonic Temple until 1956 when they moved to WJBK's own building on Second Avenue in Detroit's New Center area. In 1970 the station moved to its current broadcast facilities on West 9 Mile Road in Southfield.^[2] The station would eventually become an exclusive CBS affiliate by 1955 at the time CKLW-TV became a DuMont affiliate.

Even though WJBK was one of CBS' stronger affiliates, it would pre-empt or reschedule some network programs. As the flagship station of Detroit Tigers baseball from the 1950s to the 1970s it would preempt network programming to televise games. From 1970 until the early 1980s the station would air its own local morning newscast, TV 2 Eyewitness News at 7 (am) and then Good Morning, Detroit instead of the CBS Morning News. In 1992 it chose again not to air CBS This Morning in favor of its own local newscast.^[3] The station would regularly reschedule CBS daytime game shows and it would also move the soap opera Guiding Light from its usual network start time of 3:00pm ET to 10:00am the next weekday.^[4] WJBK would also pre-empt the CBS late night schedule with syndicated reruns including Cheers and late night movies until the debut of the Late Show with David Letterman in 1993 when the station cleared the show at 11:35pm ET.

The station went through a number of ownership and management changes with its parent companies in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1985 the equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) acquired Storer Communications Inc. in a leveraged buyout. KKR then sold all of the former Storer broadcast assets, including WJBK, to Gillett Communications in 1987. When Gillett went bankrupt in 1992 it reorganized the ownership of its television stations into SCI Television. The following year SCI was acquired by the film and television production company New World Communications in 1993.

As a Fox station[link]

In May 1994, the Fox network's parent News Corporation purchased a 20 percent ownership (a $500 million investment) in WJBK's owner New World Communications. Fox made the investment to comply with their winning bid for the broadcast rights to the NFL's National Football Conference. Fox outbid CBS for the NFL broadcast rights on the condition that they would improve their affiliates in the larger media markets . As a result of Fox's investment New World agreed to switch their stations' affiliations to Fox.

WKBD-TV would lose its Fox affiliation and WJBK would end its 45-year affiliation with CBS in favor of Fox on December 11, 1994 when the station's CBS affiliation contract ended. The switch would also mean the Detroit Lions' regular season games would continue to air on WJBK. CBS was forced to scramble to find a home in Detroit and would end up purchasing low rated UHF station WGPR-TV (now WWJ-TV) As a result of the network change WJBK changed its branding from TV 2 to Fox 2 by the autumn of 1995.^[5] In 1997, WJBK became a Fox O&O when Fox completely acquired New World Communications.

After the affiliation switch WJBK maintained its schedule format except for the move of its 11 p.m. newscast to an hour at 10:00pm. With the Fox network offering less programming, especially daytime, WJBK would fill its schedule with more syndicated programs and off network reruns. However, the station, like its fellow former New World stations, would never run the syndicated Fox Kids children's programming. That programming would remain on former Fox affiliate WKBD before eventually moving to stations WADL and then WMYD. As a Fox O&O WJBK has almost consistently cleared the Fox network's entire schedule. WJBK is among one of six network O&O full-power television stations in Metro Detroit. The other stations are CBS owned WWJ-TV (CBS) and WKBD-TV (CW), Ion Media Networks' WPXD (Ion) and CBC owned CBET (CBC) and French language CBEFT (Radio-Canada).

Digital television[link]

As part of the transition from analog to digital television WJBK shut down its analog transmitter on June 12, 2009 after broadcasting on Channel 2 for more than 60 years. The same day, the station began broadcasting its digital signal on Channel 7. It displays its virtual channel as 2.1 on digital receivers through the use of PSIP.^[1] Before the analog shutdown WJBK broadcast its digital signal on Channel 58. However, the FCC would reclaim Channels 52-69 for public safety and advanced wireless services. Prior to the transition WJBK was assigned Channel 7 on May 7, 2007 for its digital broadcasts, the channel formerly occupied by WXYZ-TV's analog broadcast. As of 2012 WJBK is the only VHF digital television station broadcasting in the Detroit television market.^[5]

WJBK also has future plans for a Mobile DTV feed of its subchannel 2.1.^[6][7]

Programming[link]

WJBK's aired CBS programs on its schedule from its first day of broadcasting on Sunday, October 24, 1948:^[4]

• 6:15pm - Lucky Pup
• 6:30pm - Face The Music
• 7:00pm - Places, Please
• 7:30pm - Years Ago (The Ford Theater Hour)
• 8:30pm - Winner Take All
• 9:00pm - Kobb's Corners
• 9:30pm - Captain Billy's Mississippi Music Hall

Some of WJBK's early productions included popular children's shows. Milky's Movie Party starring Milky the Clown, played by magician Clarence R. Cummings, Jr, was one of the station's first locally produced children's programs from 1950 to 1955. The endearing program was sponsored by the Twin Pines Dairy and featured a mix of cartoons and Westerns with Cummings performing his magic tricks with other acts and a live audience. Cummings would eventually take the Milky character to WXYZ-TV and the former WWJ-TV.^[8]

Other original WJBK children's programs included a cowboy themed show with Sagebrush Shorty, played by ventriloquist Ted Lloyd, with his sidekick dummy Skinny Dugan that aired from 1956 to 1960. The show was another mix of children's activities and various other characters that interacted with Lloyd.^[8] That program was followed by another WJBK children's favorite, Jungle-La with wildlife expert “B'wana” Don Hunt that aired from 1960 to 1963. Hunt with his sidekick chimpanzee Bongo Bailey hosted cartoons and taught viewers about various wildlife. Hunt moved to Africa in 1964 and manged a wildlife preserve in Kenya responsible for saving some species from extinction.^[9]

After airing first on the former WWJ-TV and CKLW-TV, performer Art Cervi would obtain the Bozo the Clown franchise for Detroit and perform the character at WJBK beginning in 1975. During its run at the station the program would be syndicated from WJBK to cities including News York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Wichita, Kansas^[10]

WJBK also produced one of Detroit's first morning talk shows, Ladies' Day with Chuck Bergeson that aired from 1952 to 1959. The hour long show included games and contests and interviews with the biggest stars of the time including Lucille Ball and Red Skelton. Bergeson also hosted other WJBK shows in the 1950s including Your TV Golf Pro and The Name Game.^[8]

From 1967 to 1983 Sir Graves Ghastly, played by actor Lawson J. Deming, hosted WJBK's assorted sci-fi and horror movies on Saturday afternoons. The humorous character became a popular figure in Detroit television. Deming had originally come to the station as a puppeteer and voice actor for the children's program Woodrow the Woodsman when that show moved from WKYC-TV Cleveland to WJBK in 1966. He would also play the character in Cleveland and on WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C. at the same time.^[11]

With This Ring was a nationally syndicated religious program produced at the studios of WJBK from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s. The weekly 15 minute show hosted by Roman Catholic priest Raymond Schlinkert featured lectures and advice about marriage and family life. The program appeared on several U.S. commercial stations, usually shown immediately following the station's sign-on or before sign-off on Sundays.

WJBK would also produce Sunday public affair/interview shows over the years including Focus Detroit hosted by reporters Woody Willis and Beverly Payne in 1973.^[12] Sunday in Detroit hosted by news anchor Kathy O'Brien would air around 1980 and WJBK business reporter and news anchor Murray Feldman also hosted a Sunday business and financial program in the mid 1990s.

WJBK had the Detroit franchise for the local version of PM Magazine from 1978 to the mid 1980s. The show changed titles and hosts over the years starting as PM Magazine and then PM Detroit. Its hosts included Ronnie Klemmer, Lorrie Kapp, Gary Cubberly and Mattie Majors.^[12] The station was also the Detroit home and active participant for comedian Jerry Lewis' annual Labor Day MDA Telethon for several years.

From 1983 to 1986, popular WJR morning radio host J. P. McCarthy hosted an evening interview show with newsmakers and people of interest called JP. He also previously hosted sports interview show specials through the 1970s.^[12] In 1995 former WXYZ-TV news anchor Bill Bonds hosted the 11:00pm talk/interview show, Bonds Tonight. Bonds eventually would end up anchoring and reporting on WJBK's newscasts.^[8]

WJBK has also aired some of television's most popular syndicated programming over the years including The Phil Donahue Show, The Muppet Show, Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Family Feud, The Mike Douglas Show, Too Close for Comfort, The Merv Griffin Show, The People's Court, The Arsenio Hall Show and The Martha Stewart Show as well as reruns of Cheers, Taxi and Seinfeld.^[12]

Sports programming[link]

From the 1950s to the 1970s, WJBK was a pioneer in Detroit sports broadcasting. In 1949 it was the first television station in Michigan to broadcast live games of Detroit Tigers baseball and Detroit Lions football.^[2] From 1953 thru 1974, WJBK served as the first flagship station of the Tigers Television Network with games broadcast on stations throughout Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio.^[13] In the 1960s long time Tigers broadcaster and former player George Kell hosted the pregame show Tigers Warm Up on the field during batting practice.^[14] During the 2007 baseball season the station aired some regular season Tigers games produced by Fox Sports Detroit. Currently, the only Tigers games aired on WJBK are the Tigers' season home opener and the national coverage of the Major League Baseball on Fox telecasts.

WJBK also televised Detroit Pistons games from the time of the team's relocation to Detroit from Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1957, until 1972 when they began airing on WKBD-TV the following season. The Pistons would also air on WJBK during nationally televised games on the NBA on CBS. Some Detroit Red Wings NHL hockey games, produced again by Fox Sports Detroit, would also be aired on the station from 2003 to 2007. In March 2007, WJBK began showing Red Wings games in high definition. Previously the Red Wings aired on the station various times between 1956 and 1980 on the NHL on CBS and again from 1995 to 1999 on the NHL on Fox.

With Fox's broadcast rights to the NFL's National Football Conference most of the Detroit Lions regular season games air on WJBK. This was also the case prior to 1994 when CBS held those broadcast rights when the station was a CBS affiliate. However, regular season home games are subject to the NFL's local television blackout policy. This occurred five times during the Lions' 2008 season when 5 home games were blacked out due low ticket sales. In previous years WJBK has also televised Lions preseason games as the flagship station of the Detroit Lions Television Network and produced pregame and post game shows. Those preseason broadcast rights are now held by WXYZ-TV.

WJBK's sportscasters have also been team play-by-play announcers through the years with Van Patrick doing Tigers, Lions and Notre Dame Football games, Ray Lane on Tigers' radio broadcasts and current Sports Director Dan Miller doing Lions radio play by play.

News operation[link]

WJBK currently broadcasts 52½ hours of live local newscasts each week. More than any other television station in Detroit and Michigan with 8½ hours each weekday, 5 hours Saturday and 3½ hours Sunday. Since 1997 the station's news department is branded as Fox 2 News and currently uses the 2006 Fox O&O local news branding with their music, graphics and studio set. Since April 2008, the station became the first Fox O&O and third Detroit television station to air its newscasts in HD. It has a fleet of Ford E350 ENG vehicles with microwave transmission and video editing capabilities. The station also has (SNG) mobile satellite uplink capability. For aerial news coverage WJBK shares a Eurocopter AS350BA A-star news helicopter with WXYZ-TV and WDIV as part of a Local News Service (LNS) agreement. The aircraft has HD video capability and goes by the callsign "Red Bird". It brands its aerial coverage as Sky Fox. In 2009, WJBK and WXYZ-TV entered into a LNS video pool agreement.

In an effort to cut expenses both station's parent companies, Fox and E.W. Scripps, respectively, established an LNS in all TV markets where both companies own stations. The stations pool news gathering resources and share video during coverage of general news events.^[15] In 1998 the station adopted the slogan News That Works for You and branded its investigative and consumer advocate reporting as The Problem Solvers. The station also brands its weather forecasts as the Weather Authority and sports reporting as Sports Works. The news department's focus for local news coverage is in its primary DMA which includes the Michigan counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Monroe, Livingston, Lenawee and St. Clair. It will also provide news coverage of larger stories in southwestern Ontario, northern Ohio and the rest of Michigan. In 2006, WJBK revamped its Fox2Detroit.com website and debuted the MyFox website myfoxdetroit.com that is a format similar to websites adopted by all the other Fox stations.

[edit] TV 2 Eyewitness News

Through much of the 1960s and 1970s WJBK's TV 2 Eyewitness News was the top rated newscast in the Detroit television market.^[16] The station's ratings dominance began with news anchor Jac LeGoff and grew when LeGoff was paired with newscaster John Kelly. Other longtime popular Detroit TV personalities including Joe Weaver, Jerry Hodak, Van Patrick and Marilyn Turner would also be a part of WJBK's ratings success. The station's ratings would begin to wane in the mid 1970's after, then ABC O&O, WXYZ-TV hired away WJBK's and WWJ-TV's top talent including Kelly and Turner and then eventually LeGoff and Hodak.^[16] WJBK's Eyewitness News remained competitive in the 1970s with a new stable of talent including anchors Joe Glover, Robbie Timmons, Harry Gallagher, Murray Feldman and Terry Murphy. The station also had correspondents in bureaus at the Detroit City-County Building, the Michigan state capital in Lansing and Washington, D.C..^[12] Nationaly syndicated radio host George Noory was even a news producer at WJBK from 1974 to 1978 before becoming a news director at stations in Minneapolis and St. Louis.^[17] However, by 1980 the station's news ratings were in step decline with the growing dominance of WXYZ-TV. Also by this time WDIV's new owners, Post-Newsweek Stations, were making aggressive changes to bolster its station's image and ratings from third place. By 1982, management at WJBK replaced most of the staff which sunk the station's news ratings further into third place from where it would almost never recover.^[16]

With new management WJBK's news department would see a resurgence by 1990 with new staff that included Sherry Margolis, Huel Perkins and the rehiring of former anchor Joe Glover. The station would also hire away news staff and talent away from top rated WXYZ including Rich Fisher, Dayna Eubanks, Catherine Lehan, Jerry Hodak and investigative reporter Vince Wade.^[8] The station revised its image with a new logo, graphics, music and news set and began airing Detroit's first 4:00pm newscast as part of a three hour evening news block with half hour newscasts at 4:00pm, 5:00pm and 6:00pm. At the same time the station would also be the first Detroit television station to launch a weekend morning newscast. Overall WJBK's news ratings would not improve enough to surpass WXYZ and WDIV who would continue to go head to head for first place in the news ratings. The station would also continue rerunning its late newscast at 2:00am and also began to simulcast their late newscast on WADL until 1998. It would also be among the first television stations in the country to air obituaries in 1995 during the Detroit newspaper strike.

[edit] Fox 2 News

When WJBK changed from a CBS to a Fox affiliate in December 1994 it would keep its newscast schedule intact but move its 35 minute 11:00pm newscast to an hour at 10:00pm and eventually expand its morning newscast. WJBK would now have a late local newscast in first place as it immediately overtook WKBD's 10:00pm newscast in the ratings. WKBD at the time had a news department for its only newscast at 10:00pm. Eventually WJBK had dropped the 4:00pm newscast but the station's profile and ratings for its morning and 10:00pm newscasts would surge with it out of direct competition from its main competitors WDIV and WXYZ.^[16] In 1995 the station would hire Detroit's top rated news anchor Bill Bonds after his departure from WXYZ-TV. Bonds would fill the 11:00pm time slot with a news/interview show, Bonds Tonight.^[8]

The newscasts would be branded as Fox 2 Eyewitness News until 1997 when Fox would take full ownership of the station and rebrand the news department as Fox 2 News. By that time the station would also release its previous hires from WXYZ. At the same time Fox's news management would bring on new talent including Dan Miller, Allen Lee and Monica Gayle from Seattle. By 1998 the station would bolster its image by improving its investigative and consumer advocate unit and branding it as The Problem Solvers which has become a recognizable brand in the area. It also adopted a slogan complimentary to Detroit's working class heritage, News That Works for You. On September 24, 2007, WJBK relaunched an 11:00pm newscast, using the NewsEdge format originally used by Fox Tampa station WTVT. It also changed its logo and image to the current Fox O&O branding which is identical to other Fox stations including WNYW New York and WTTG Washington, D.C.

Mornings[link]

WJBK has had a tradition of producing its own morning news shows in favor of CBS's network morning news beginning with a 7:30am newscast in 1969. The newscast would soon expand to an hour as TV 2 Eyewitness News at 7 (am). It became a mix of news, interviews and features and would be renamed Good Morning, Detroit and eventually move to 8:00am.^[12] During its run Vic Caputo would co-anchor separately with Beverly Payne, Ken Ford and Kathy O'Brien. Payne would be the first African-American female news anchor in Detroit.^[8] . "Good Morning, Detroit" eventually became "Morning Magazine", hosted by Kathy O'Brien and Gary Cubberly. In 1982, Morning Magazine went off the air and briefly became "Two's Company," also hosted by O'Brien and Cubberly. In 1992 the station preempted CBS again in the morning when WJBK rehired Jerry Hodak from WXYZ to co-anchor Eyewitness News Morning. Just prior to that WJBK also debuted Detroit's first weekend morning newscast, Eyewitness News Weekend, first anchored by former PM Magazine host Gary Cubberly. Competitor WDIV would follow with their own weekend morning newscast as did eventually WXYZ. Since then the station has broadcast more hours of news in the morning than any of the other Detroit television stations. In September 2009 the morning newscast was expanded to five and a half hours, airing from 4:30am–10:00am. Since September 2011, Fox 2 News Morning now airs for 6 ½ hours from 4:30am to 11:00am where it joins the station's hour long midday newscast Fox 2 News Live at 11 (am). WJBK has also had the longest running midday TV newscast in the Detroit market with its noon newscast debuting in 1966 and having since been moved to 11:00am.^[18]

[edit] Sports Works

WJBK brands the sports segment of its newscasts as Sports Works. On Sunday nights, following the 10:00pm newscast, the station airs a sports highlights program with the Sports Works name. The show is hosted by either WJBK Sports Director Dan Miller or sports anchor/reporter Woody Woodriffe. There is also typically a roundtable discussion with members of the Detroit sports media including Sean Baligian and Bob Wojnowski from The Detroit News, Pat Caputo from the The Oakland Press and WXYT-FM and Tony Ortiz from WXYT-FM.

Ratings[link]

As of February 2012, WJBK's Fox 2 News Morning has consistently remained the Detroit market's highest rated local morning newscast (6:00am – 7:00am, 4.5 rating/17 share). After years of faltering as a distant third against WDIV and WXYZ, WJBK began to make gains in its audience growth in other newscasts. While WDIV continued to have the most watched evening and late newscasts WJBK's 10:00pm news (7.5 rating/12 share) remains the highest rated 10:00pm newscast in Metro Detroit. Its early evening 5:00pm and 5:30pm newscasts (6.0 rating/13 share) have surpassed WXYZ-TV's long time dominant 5:00pm newscast (5.8 rating/13 share) for second place. While WJBK's Fox 2 News at 6 (5.1 rating/10 share) has become a very close third moving within one rating point to WXYZ's 6:00pm newscast (6.1 rating/12 share). Since debuting in 2007 WJBK's 11:00pm newscast Newsedge has been in third place overall (5.0 rating/9 share).^[19]

News/station presentation[link]

Newscast titles[link]

• Your Esso Reporter (1948–1953)
• Detroit Newsreel (1953–1958)
• TV 2 Eyewitness News (1966–1977)
• TV 2 News (1977–1978)^[12]
• TV 2 Eyewitness News (1978–1983)
• Glover/Gallagher Report (1978–1979, used for the 11:00 pm newscast)^[12]
• Channel 2 Eyewitness News (1983–1988)
• TV 2 Eyewitness News (1988–1995)
• Fox 2 Eyewitness News (1995–1997)
• Fox 2 News (1997–present)

Station slogans[link]

• "Your Picture Window on the World" (1948–1956)
• "WJBK TV-2 in Color" (1965–1971)
• "Your Eyewitness News Station in Color" (1966–1971)
• "Catch the Brightest Stars on TV-2" (1975–1976; local version of the CBS Fall campaign)
• "TV-2 is Yours"/"Your TV-2" (1977–1978)
• "2's the One" (1980–1982)
• "Reach for Stars on TV-2" (1981–1982; local version of the CBS Fall campaign)
• "Great Moments, Here on TV-2" (1982–1983; local version of the CBS Fall campaign)
• "We've Got the Touch, You and Channel 2" (1984–1986; local version of the CBS Fall campaign)
• "Us Viewing You" (1986–1988)
• "It Takes Two, TV-2" (1989–1994)
• "Where the Facts Tell the Story" (1994–1996; news slogan)
• "Think News, Think Fox 2 News" (1996–1998; news slogan)
• "News That Works for You" (1998–present)

Newscast music[link]

• WJBK 1984 News Theme - Unknown (Unknown)
• Us Viewing You - Unknown (Unknown)
• WJBK 1988 News Theme - Unknown (1988–1990)
• Major Theme - Edd Kalehoff Productions (Unknown)
• WJBK-Evening News - Edd Kalehoff Productions (1990–1995)
• Dayna - Edd Kalehoff Productions (1990–1995)
• Eyewitness Primetime - Edd Kalehoff Productions (1995–1997)
• FOX '95 - Stephen Arnold Music (1997-Unknown)
• Absolute News - Non-Stop Music (1997–2007)
• FOX Affiliate News Theme - OSI Music (2007–Present)
• SkyFOX Field Trip Theme - Non-Stop Music (1998–2010)

On-air staff[link]

[edit] Current on-air staff^[20]

Anchors

• Amy Andrews - weekday mornings (4:30-6 a.m.); also general assignment and feature reporter
• Kam Carman - weekday mornings (4:30-5 and 9-11 a.m.); also fill-in weather anchor
• Jason Carr - weekday mornings (9-11 a.m.); also general assignment and feature reporter (married to Taryn Asher)
• Deena Centofanti - Friday mornings (9-11 a.m.) and Saturday mornings; also "HealthWorks" reporter
• Murray Feldman - weeknights at 5:30 p.m.; also business editor and feature reporter ("Job Shop" and "Money Works")
• Monica Gayle - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Anqunette Jamison - weekday mornings (6-9 a.m.) and weekdays at 11 a.m.
• Alan Lee - weekday mornings (5-9 a.m.)
• Maurielle Lue - weekend anchor; also reporter
• Sherry Margolis - weekday mornings at 11 a.m. and weeknights at 5:30 p.m.
• Huel Perkins - weeknights at 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m.
• Roop Raj - Saturday mornings; also reporter
• Ron Savage - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
• Robin Schwartz - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
• Jay Towers - Sunday mornings; also feature reporter
• Taryn Asher - Sunday mornings; also reporter

Weather Authority

• Rich Luterman (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m.
• Ben Bailey (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings (6:30 a.m.-12 p.m.)
• Kam Carman - meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-6:30 a.m.)
• Alan Longstreet - meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.
• Jessica Starr - meteorologist; weekend mornings
• Jackie Paige - weather anchor; fill-in

Sports Works

• Dan Miller - sports director; Sunday-Thursdays at 6 and 10, and Monday-Thursdays at 5 and 11 p.m.; also SportsWorks host
• Woody Woodriffe - sports anchor; Fridays at 5 and 11, and Friday-Saturdays at 6 and 10 p.m.; also Sunday-Thursday sports reporter
• Ryan Ermanni - sports reporter; also fill-in sports anchor
• Jennifer Hammond - sports reporter; also fill-in sports anchor

Reporters

• Al Allen - weekday morning reporter
• Taryn Asher - general assignment reporter
• Ronnie Dahl - general assignment reporter
• Andrea Isom - general assignment reporter
• Amy Lange - "Problem Solvers" investigative reporter
• Charlie Langton - legal analyst, panalist on Let it Rip
• Jackie Paige - feature reporter; also fill-in anchor weather anchor and traffic anchor
• Lee Thomas - entertainment reporter; also Fox 2 News Morning Extra anchor
• Rob Wolchek - "Problem Solvers" investigative reporter/"Hall of Shame" feature reporter

Notable former on-air staff[link]

• Bill Bonds – news anchor and interviewer (1995–1998), was top anchor at WXYZ from 1964–1995, (also anchored at KABC-TV and WABC-TV)^[8]
• Sonny Eliot – weathercaster (1981–1982), previously at WDIV since 1949, moved to WWJ-AM,^[8] retired in 2011 after 63 years in broadcasting.
• Ray Lane - sports anchor (1961–1982), became sportscaster at WKBD and for Detroit Red Wings, Pistons and Tiger games.^[8]
• Fred McLeod - sports anchor/reporter (1981–1989), moved to WDIV, now at Fox Sports Ohio
• Van Patrick - sports director (1960–1974) (died 1974)^[8]
• Charles Pugh - anchor/reporter (1999–2009) became Detroit City Council president.
• Jeff Rossen - reporter (1998–2001), moved to WABC-TV New York, now an NBC News correspondent
• Mark Wilson (radio broadcaster) - sports anchor/reporter (1992–1997)
• Jerry Hodak – meteorologist (1965–1977) and news anchor (1992–1996), went to WXYZ-TV after each time as meteorologist and science editor, retired in 2010 after having forecasted weather longer than anyone in Detroit television.^[8]
• Terry Murphy – News anchor (1974–1975), became news anchor at WLS-TV Chicago and host of A Current Affair.^[8]
• J. P. McCarthy – interview show host (occasionally 1972 -1986), morning show host on WJR (died 1995)^[8]
• Lawson J. Deming, played horror movie host Sir Graves Ghastly (1967–1983) (died 2007)^[8]

Out-of-market coverage[link]

Canada[link]

WJBK also serves as a Fox station for other Canadian cable systems, including on Rogers Cable in the Canadian capital of Ottawa. It was also one of five Detroit TV stations seen in Canada on the Shaw Direct satellite provider. As of April 2009 Shaw (formerly CANCOM) replaced WJBK's signal with Rochester, New York Fox affiliate WUHF.^[21] As a CBS affiliate, WJBK was carried on Cable Atlantic, now Rogers Cable, in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia from 1985 until its affiliation to Fox. Both provinces are now served by CBS O&O WBZ-TV from Boston.

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

Newscasts[link]

When WJBK became a Fox station, Cadillac Fox affiliate WGKI/WGKU (now WFQX-TV/WFUP) would stop airing WKBD's 10:00pm newscast in northern Michigan in favor of WJBK's until WGKI began its own 10:00pm newscast in 2000. In January 2007 WFQX began simulcasting WJBK's morning newscast from 6:00am to 8:00am as Michigan's Fox News Morning. The simulcasts were made possible with an agreement that offered northern Michigan businesses advertising opportunities during the newscast. WFQX would also air the second half of WJBK's 10:00pm newscast following its own half-hour 10:00pm newscast. WFQX would drop WJBK's newscasts altogether in October 2007, after the station was sold and CBS affiliate WWTV would produce its own 10:00pm and morning newscasts for WFQX.

See also[link]

• Media in Detroit

References[link]

External links[link]

• MyFoxDetroit.com - Official Website
• Michiguide.com's listing for WJBK
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WJBK
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WJBK-TV