WBRZ-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WBRZ
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Branding	News2 Louisiana
Channels	2 (VHF) analog, 13 (VHF) digital
Affiliations	ABC (secondary 1955-71, sole affiliate since 1977)
Owner	Louisiana Television Broadcasting, LLC (Manship family)
Founded	April 14, 1955
Call letters meaning	We're Baton Rouge Z (2)
Former affiliations	NBC (1955-77)
Transmitter Power	100 kW Analog 30 kW Digital STA 30 kW Digital CP
Website	www.2theadvocate.com

WBRZ-TV, channel 2, is an ABC affiliate serving Baton Rouge, Louisiana, south-central and southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi. It is owned by the Manship family, who also publishes the Baton Rouge daily newspaper, The Advocate. Its transmitter is located in Sunshine, Louisiana. The station is seen via satellite through DirecTV and Dish Network.

The station airs syndicated programming, like Live with Regis and Kelly, The Tyra Banks Show, Extra, Elimidate, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!. It also airs reruns of former prime-time network shows, such as the ABC sitcom Mork and Mindy and the classic CBS hit M*A*S*H. In September 2006, it will begin airing Dr. Phil. The station formerly aired Oprah (until 2002) and the Rosie O'Donnell Show. On Sundays, it airs the services from a local Christian megachurch known as the Healing Place Church.

Contents 1 Address 2 History 3 WBRZ buys WBTR 4 Newscasts 5 News Staff 6 Former Staff 7 Awards 8 External Links

[edit] Address

1650 Highland Road

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

[edit] History

WBRZ signed on the air on April 14, 1955 as a primary NBC affiliate, sharing ABC with WAFB. It dropped ABC in 1971 after WRBT-TV (now WVLA) signed on. This made WBRZ a sole NBC affiliate. Because ABC was seeking out new affiliates with stronger signal coverage at the time, WBRZ swapped affiliations with WRBT and became an ABC affiliate again in 1977. In that same timeframe NBC sunk to third and last place while ABC moved up to first place in the ratings.

At first, the Manships wanted to call the station WBRA-TV, for Baton Rouge and The Advocate. However, they concluded that the call letters would cause confusion and controversy, as the letters "B-R-A" spelled "bra". Station founder Douglas L. Manship, Sr. retained the "B" and the "R" and chose the third letter at random, settling on Z. He explained, "It was a good choice. 'Z' is a phonetically good sound on the air. It's distinctive." The "Z" was later expanded to mean "2" (similar to WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, New York), and the "W" was expanded to mean "We're".

In 1991, Manship's son Richard took over the station as its new president, and would later be named "Broadcaster of the Year" by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters.

WBRZ began broadcasting in high definition on channel 13 on April 22, 2002.

During Hurricane Katrina, the station worked with New Orleans ABC affiliate WGNO (ABC26) to provide coverage of the storm and its aftermath.

[edit] WBRZ buys WBTR

WBRZ is set to take over the reigns of local channel WBTR 41. The deal has been in the works for months, but is finally nearing completion and FCC approval is expected in the next few weeks. Until then, WBRZ General Manager Rocky Daberval won't talk about plans for the station, except to say there are many. He also declines to comment on speculation that those plans include a new newscast, similar to the 9 p.m. show WAFB launched earlier this year on WBXH 39 My BR TV.

[edit] Newscasts

News Broadcasts

• 2une In: 5-7 am weekdays
• WBRZ News 2 Louisiana at Noon: Noon-1 pm weekdays
• WBRZ News 2 Louisiana at 4: 4-4:30 pm weekdays
• WBRZ News 2 Louisiana at 5: 5-5:30 pm weekdays
• WBRZ News 2 Louisiana at 5:30: 5:30-6 pm Sundays
• WBRZ News 2 Louisiana at 6: 6-6:30 pm Monday-Saturday
• WBRZ News 2 Louisiana at 10: 10-10:35 pm nightly
• Football Friday Night: 10:35-11:05 pm Fridays (Fall only)
• Sunday Journal: 8 am Sundays

The station occasionally airs encores of their newscasts locally on Cox Cable Channel 18. They primarily operate the channel to air weather information, including a local radar and forecast.

[edit] News Staff

Anchors

• Michael Cauble - sports director; weekdays
• Andrea Clesi - 6 and 10 pm weekdays
• Brian Davies - sports; weekends
• Michael Marsh - weekdays
• John Pastorek - weekends
• Todd Ross - "2une In" and at noon
• Whitney Vann - "2une In"
• Sylvia Weatherspoon - 5 pm; also reports on health issues.

Forecasters/Meteorologists

• Dave Nussbaum - weekday mornings and noon
• Pat Shingleton - chief forecaster; weekday evenings
• Chris Stevens - weekends

Reporters

• Brian Davies - sports
• Claire Hatty
• Tony Jones
• Chelby Kosto
• Luke Margolis
• Louis Miller - gardening expert
• Veronica Mosgrove
• Ken Pastorek
• Andy Pepper - sports
• Scott Satchfield

[edit] Former Staff

• Ed Buggs - now at WIBR-AM Baton Rouge
• Glen Duncan - meteorologist
• Summer Jackson - now at CLTV Chicago
• Bruce Katz - meteorlogist; now at WGNO-TV New Orleans
• Margaret Lawhon - anchor; now an actor and freelance writer
• Ben Lemoine - now at WWL-TV
• John Mahaffey - retired
• Marvin McGraw - now does PR for LSU
• Dale Moon
• Mike Ross
• George Ryan - now does PR for Exxon
• Bruce Webber - sports
• Melba Williams
• Mike Woolfolk - now news anchor/managing editor for WACH-TV (Columbia, SC)
• Jay Young (died of apparent heart attack on 08/23/2006)
• Lee Zurik - now at WWL-TV

[edit] Awards

• Louisiana Association of Broadcasters "Television Station of the Year" Award

1990, 1991, 1994 and 1997

• Louisiana Association of Broadcasters - Baton Rouge Branch "Community Station of the Year" Award

1996, 2002, 2005

• Louisiana Association of Broadcasters "Television Station of the Year" Prestige Award

1999

• 1999 Sigma Delta Chi Awards

George Ryan won the award for "Silent Trust," a series that exposed student-on-student sexual misconduct at the Louisiana School for the Deaf in Baton Rouge, La.

• Louisiana Association of Broadcasters "Promotion of the Year" Award

2000 - "Buckle Up for Tony"

• National Edward R. Murrow Award

2000

• Louisiana Association of Broadcasters "Community Service" Award

2001

• Outstanding Philanthropist Award

2001

Other Awards Won:

• Louisiana Association of Broadcasters Lifetime of Distinction Awards (2005)
• Ad Fed's Pete Goldsby Award (2005)
• YWCA's Women of Achievement Award (2005)
• American Women in Radio and Television's Broadcaster of the Year Award (2005)
• Baton Rouge Business Report's 25 Most Influential Women in Baton Rouge (2005)
• SME's Marketer of the Year Award (2005)

Won by Pat Cheramie, who retired after serving 39 years as General Manager of WBRZ-TV on January 31, 2005.

• Louisiana Association of Broadcasters Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)

Won by news anchor and reporter Andrea Clesi.

[edit] External Links

• WBRZ Homepage
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WBRZ-TV