WBKO
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WBKO
call_letters_meaning= W Bowling Green, Kentucky's Own station_logo= |
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| Bowling Green, Kentucky | |
| Slogan | Stay Connected & Your Hometown News Leader analog = 13 (VHF) |
| Channels | Digital: 33 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | ABC FOX (on DT2) The CW (on DT3) |
| Owner | Gray Television |
| Founded | June 3, 1962 |
| Former callsigns | WLTV (1962-1971) |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1962-1967) |
| Transmitter Power | 316 kW (analog) 490 kW (digital) |
| Website | wbko.com |
WBKO is the ABC-affiliated television station for South Central Kentucky. Licensed to Bowling Green, the station broadcasting an analog signal on VHF channel 13 and a digital signal on UHF channel 33. WBKO's transmitter is located 6 miles north of Bowling Green on SR 185. The station is owned by Gray Television and has studios that are located on Russellville Road (a.k.a. US 68 and SR 80).
WBKO operates the area's 480i (non HD) FOX affiliate on its DT2 digital subchannel. Known on-air as "Bowling Green's FOX", it is also offered on Insight cable channel 8.
The station also operates the area's 480i (non HD) CW affiliate on its DT3 digital subchannel. Known on-air as "South Central Kentucky's CW", it is also offered on Insight cable channel 12.
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The station began broadcasting on June 3, 1962 with the call letters WLTV. It was an independent station owned by Argus Broadcasting and had studios located in rural Warren County, outside Bowling Green proper. On March 6, 1967, WLTV became affiliated with ABC and aired all of its shows.
After spending some time off the air in late 1969 due to an explosion destroying its transmitter, WLTV changed hands to Professional Telecasting Systems Inc. in 1970. The new owner adopted the current WBKO callsign and instituted color telecasting for local in-studio programming and newscasts in 1971. Also by this time, the station had moved to studios in downtown Bowling Green.
Five years later, a local group known as Bluegrass Media Inc., bought WBKO from Professional Telecasting. Channel 13 remained in their hands until 1983 when broadcaster A. Richard Benedek took over. Under Benedek's management, WBKO built its present studios on Russellville Road in 1985. In 2002, Benedek, whose broadcasting empire was hemorrhaging red ink, sold most of his stations (including WBKO) to current owner Gray Television.
In 2000, WBKO began a digital signal on UHF channel 33.
Due to its fairly close proximity to Nashville (about 60 miles), WBKO has often competed with that market's ABC affiliate WKRN for viewing allegiances.
On September 5, 2006, WBKO began to broadcast a FOX affiliate on its DT2 digital subchannel. This filled a gap created in 2001 when WNKY dropped its FOX affiliation and switched to NBC. WBKO-DT2 will begin broadcasting WBKO Fox News at Nine October 21, 2007. Reporter Sarah Goebel will anchor the show. During the week, WBKO-DT2 rebroadcasts Midday Live at Noon.
WBKO operated the area's cable-only WB affiliate "WBWG" that was known on-air as "WB 12". The callsign was fictional as the station was part of The WB 100+, a group of cable-only WB affiliates that broadcasted in television markets ranked above 100 (the Bowling Green market has a rank of 183).
On January 24, 2006, UPN and The WB announced that they would cease broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW, the letters representing the first initial of its corporate parents: CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner.
The CW launched on September 18, 2006 and on that date, WBWG became affiliated with The CW via The CW Plus (which is a similar operation to The WB 100+). Also, the station's call letters officially became WBKO-DT3.
Like most CW plus affiliates, WBKO-DT3 airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz on weekdays at 5 AM.
The station's first newscasts were branded as Channel 13 News Report and began airing in 1963. In 1973, the newscasts became known as NewsCenter 13. Currently, it is the only full-length local newscast in the Bowling Green market as NBC / CBS affiliate WNKY shows only brief weather updates.
Anchors/Hosts
- Laura Rogers - AM Kentucky Live
- Lauren Hanson - AM Kentucky Live
- Whitney Ray - MidDay Live
- Darla Oglesby - MidDay Live
- Gene Birk - WBKO at 5, 6, & 10
- Amy Bingham - WBKO at 6
- Fida Georges - WBKO at 10
- Tamara Evans - WBKO at 10 weekends
- Sarah Goebel - WBKO Fox News at 9
WBKO First Alert Storm Team
- Chris Allen - AM Kentucky Live and MidDay Live
- Shane Holinde - WBKO at 5, 6, & 10
- Matt Stephens - WBKO at 10 weekends and MidDay Live
Sports
- James Brandenburg - WBKO at 6 & 10
- Jeff Woods - WBKO at 10 weekends
- Kyle Edelen - sports reporter
Reporters
- Forrest Sanders
- Daniel Kemp
- Ryan Dearbone
- Tamara Evans
- Laura Rogers
Producers
- AM Kentucky - Lauren Hanson
- Midday Live - Darla Oglesby/Whitney Ray
- WBKO at 5 - Dorthea Brumsey
- WBKO at 6 - Liz Fogle
- WBKO at 10 - Kellen Young
- WBKO at 10 weekends - Tamara Evans
- Web producer- Daniel Kemp
- Web producer- Sam Provenzano
Videographers/Editors
- Bill Dorris- AM Editor/Videographer
- Taylor Vinson- Weekday Videographer
- Zakk Gammon- 5, 6, 10 Editor
- Dorthea Brumsey- Fox News at 9 Editor
- Rick McCue - General Manager
- Brad Odil - Station Manager / Vice President of Sales
- Tammy Martin - Promotions / Marketing Director
- Wilburn England - Chief Engineer
- Paula Phelps - Business Manager
- Barbara Powell - Programming Director
- Henry Chu - News Director
- Amy Bingham - Assignment Manager
- Gene Birk - Managing Editor
- Chris Allen - Weather Director
- James Brandenburg - Sports Director
- David Hosay - Production Manager
- Ben Moseley - Assistant Production Manager
- Justin Manship - Website Director
- Daniel Kemp - Website Producer
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WBKO's logo, circa September 1979. |
WBKO's logo, circa January 1980. |
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WBKO 13 (ABC, FOX on DT2, The CW on DT3) - WKYU 24 (PBS) - WNKY 40 (NBC, CBS on DT2) - WKGB 53 (PBS/KET) - WKUW-LP 60 (Ind) - WKUG-LP 62 (Ind) - WKUT-LP 64 (Ind) Significantly Viewed Out-of-Market Broadcast Stations Local cable television channels |
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WHAS 11 (Louisville) - WBKO 13 (Bowling Green) - WTVQ 36 (Lexington) |
| See also: CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other Stations in Kentucky |
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WBKO-DT 13.2 (Bowling Green) - WXIX 19 (Newport) - WDRB 41 (Louisville) - WDKY 56 (Danville) |
| See also: ABC, CBS, CW, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other Stations in Kentucky |
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WBKO-DT 13.3 (Bowling Green) - WAZE 19 (Madisonville) - WQTV-LP 24 / WQWQ-LP 9 (Murray/Paducah) - WKYT-DT 27.2 (Lexington) - WBKI 34/WBKI-CA 28 (Campbellsville/Louisville) |
| See also: ABC, CBS, Fox, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other Stations in Kentucky |
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ABC Network Affiliate: KAKE · KOLO · WBKO · WHSV · WTOK · WVAW · TV3 Winchester (WHSV-DT3) (cable only) |
| Annual Revenue: $332.1 USD (2006) · Employees: N/A · Stock Symbol: NYSE: GTN · Website: www.graycommunications.com |
