WBKB-TV

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This article is about WBKB-TV in Alpena, Michigan. For the station in Chicago that formerly used the call sign, see WBBM-TV.

WBKB-TV

Alpena, Michigan
Channels	11 (VHF) analog, 13 (VHF) digital
Affiliations	CBS
Owner	Stephan Marks (Thunder Bay Broadcasting Corporation)
Founded	1974
Transmitter Power	316 kw
Height	204 m (669 feet)
Facility ID	67048
Website	wbkbtv.com

WBKB-TV Channel 11 in Alpena is the CBS affiliate for the northeastern portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. It is the only commercial television station station in its Market. The station first went on the air in November, 1974. It has always been a CBS affiliate. The Alpena DMA consists only of Alpena and Alcona counties and is the third smallest (#208) Media market in the United States. WBKB also serves portions of the Traverse City-Cadillac and Flint-Saginaw-Bay City markets.

WBKB's Transmitter is located near Hubbard Lake in Alcona County.

Prior to its sale, the station's call letters were jokingly referred to by those inside the industry as "We Barely Know Broadcasting", in reference to the station's longtime reputation for hiring recent college and trade school graduates just starting out in the television business. With the advances in modern technology, human error mistakes reduced dramatically, and the station's overall presentation improved.

In January 2004, the station was sold to Stephan Marks, whose holdings also include Marquette's WBKP and WBUP. Shortly afterward, a new newscast, UGN News (or "Upper Great Lakes News Network"), debuted, originating from WBUP and WBKP, featuring news from the entire Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan regions. The format was later changed back to news from only each respective area.

In addition to WBKB, Marks also owns KYUS in Miles City, Montana and KXGN-TV in Glendive, Montana.

The WBKB call letters originally belonged from 1946 to 1953 to channel 4 in Chicago. It was owned by the Balaban and Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of Paramount Pictures that is now CBS affiliate WBBM-TV (on channel 2). WBKB then transferred to Chicago's ABC "O&O" channel 7 from 1953 to 1968 when it was renamed WLS-TV.

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Broadcast television in the Alpena market (Nielsen DMA #208)
WTOM 4 (NBC) - WCML 6 (PBS) - WBKB 11 (CBS) - W18BT 18 (TBN)
Local cable channels:
ACC 3 (educational) - "WBAE" 21 (The CW)
Broadcast television available on cable only:
WNEM-DT 5.2 (MNTV, Bay City) - CBMT 6 (CBC, Montreal) - WJRT 12 (ABC, Flint) - WFUP 45 (FOX, Vanderbilt)

Broadcast television in the Mid-Michigan (Flint / Saginaw / Bay City / Midland) market (Nielsen DMA #66)
WNEM 5 (CBS/MNTV on DT2) - WJRT 12 (ABC) - WCMU 14 / WCML 6 (PBS) - WDCP 19 / WDCQ 35 (PBS) - WEYI 25 (NBC) - WFUM 28 (PBS) - WHNE-LP 32 (A1) - WBSF 46 (The CW) - W46CR 46 (3ABN) - WAQP 49 (TBN / TCT) - WXON 54 (Ind) - WSMH 66 (FOX) (The Tube on DT2)
Significantly Viewed Out-of-Market Broadcast Stations Reception may vary by geographical location CBMT 6 (CBC, Montreal) - CBET 9 (CBC, Windsor) - WWTV 9 (CBS, Cadillac) - WBKB 11 (CBS, Alpena) - WKBD 50 (The CW, Detroit)
Defunct Television Stations:
WTAC 16 (ABC / DuMont)

CBS Network Affiliates in the state of Michigan

WJMN 3¹ (Escanaba) - WWMT 3 (Kalamazoo) - WNEM 5 (Bay City) - WLNS 6 / W67AJ 67 (Lansing / Ann Arbor) - WWTV 9 / WWUP 10 (Cadillac / Sault Sainte Marie) - WBKB 11 (Alpena) - WWJ 62 (Detroit)
¹Satellite of WFRV-TV, Green Bay, Wisconsin
See also: ABC, Fox, NBC, PBS, UPN, WB and Other stations in Michigan and CBC, CTV, Global, SRC and Other stations in Ontario