Miscellaneous unorganized material/WBBJ-TV

This page is improperly set up.

Chronology data should be put on the appropriate chronology page ("Chronology of call letters WBBJ") .

Other material must be reorganized into appropriate categories of articles.

WBBJ-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for West Tennessee that is licensed to Jackson. It broadcasts a high definition digital s

WBBJ-TV

[1]
Jackson, Tennessee
Branding	ABC 7 (general) ABC 7 Eyewitness News
Slogan	West Tennessee's News Channel
Channels	Digital: 43 (UHF)
Subchannels	7.1 ABC HD 7.2 ABC SD 7.3 weather radar
Owner	Bahakel Communications (Tennessee Broadcasting Partners)
First air date	March 6, 1955
Call letters' meaning	Bahakel Broadcasting Jackson
Former callsigns	WDXI-TV (1955-1968)
Former channel number(s)	7 (VHF analog, 1955-2009)
Former affiliations	CBS (1955-1968)
Transmitter power	1,000 kW
Height	302 m
Facility ID	65204
Transmitter coordinates	35°38′16″N 88°41′33″W / 35.63778°N 88.6925°W / 35.63778; -88.6925
Website	wbbjtv.com

ignal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter south of the Cotton Grove section. Owned by Bahakel Communications, the station has studios on Muse Street in Jackson. Syndicated programming on WBBJ includes: Wheel of Fortune, Oprah, Dr. Phil, and Jeopardy!.

[edit] Digital programming

On WBBJ-DT2 and Charter digital channel 135 is a standard definition simulcast of the main signal. On WBBJ-DT3 and Jackson Energy Authority Broadband digital channel 197 is a 24-hour weather radar with audio from NOAA Weather Radio. To satisfy Federal Communications Commission (FCC) child programing requirements, this airs shows targeted toward the age group.

Virtual channel	Physical channel	Name	Programing
7.1	43.1	WBBJ-HD	main WBBJ programming/ABC HD
7.2	43.2	WBBJ-DT2	WBBJ programming/ABC SD
7.3	43.3	WBBJ-DT3	weather radar and NOAA Weather Radio

[edit] History

The channel began broadcasting on March 6, 1955 as WDXI-TV. It was a CBS affiliate owned by Aaron Robinson. In 1968, it changed to ABC and a year later was sold to Cy N. Bahakel and adopted its current call letters WBBJ-TV. The station has the historical distinction of being the oldest in Tennessee to have had continuous ownership by the same company that put the station on-the-air. WKPT-TV in Kingsport has the second oldest station license in the state with the same company that launched the station coincidentally going on the air the same year WBBJ was sold to Bahakel. These two station owners have long surpassed ownerships in much larger markets in Tennessee.

WBBJ, like many of the stations that aired an analog signal on channel 7, features the ABC trademarked Circle 7 Logo. It had done so in the past then used WJLA's stylized Circle 7 logo for several years but returned to the full logo in 2003. On August 1, 2007, WBBJ debuted new graphics, logo, music, and an updated weather set. The channel, which had been using Frank Gari's Image News music package since 1999 switched to In-Sink by Nashville, Tennessee-based company 615 Music. Also on this date, the weeknight 5 o'clock newscast dropped the Live at 5 branding and returned to ABC 7 Eyewitness News at 5. The ninety minute morning newscast became Good Morning West Tennessee as well.

[edit] News team

Anchors

• Brandon Artiles - weekday mornings
• Beth Phillips - weekday mornings
• Tom Britt - weekdays at 11:30 a.m. and 5
• Brad Douglass - weeknights at 6 and 10
• Keli McAlister - weeknights at 6 and 10
• Adam Wells - weekend sports at 6 and 10
• Reggie Walker - weeknight sports at 6 and 10

Storm Team Meteorologists

• Gary Pickens - weeknights
• Mike McEvoy - weekday mornings and 11:30 a.m.
• Nick Austin - weekends

Reporters

• Mike Johnson - "Crime Stoppers" segment producer
• Lauren Linney
• Jonquil Newland
• Mallory Cooke
• Alisha Searl

[edit] Newscast titles

• NewsCenter 7 (1980s-1994)
• Eyewitness News (1994–1999)
• 7 Eyewitness News (1999–2007)
• ABC 7 Eyewitness News (2007–present)

[edit] Station slogans

• "The Spirit of West Tennessee" (late 1980s-1999, general slogan)
• "The News Source of West Tennessee" (1994–1999, news slogan)
• "West Tennessee's News Source" (1994–1999, news slogan)
• "Live. Local. Latebreaking." (1999–2007)
• "West Tennessee's News (Weather/Sports) Channel" (2007–present)

[edit] Former staff

• Johnathan Huskey - Sports Anchor/Reporter
• Stephanie Ryan, Reporter
• Beth Phillips - Anchor/Reporter
• Pace Kaegi - Reporter
• Rachel Platt - Reporter
• Emily Jordan - ABC 7 Eyewitness News Mid-Day
• Bart Barker - Sports Anchor
• Anne Pressly- General Assignment Reporter (1 month)
• Alison Montoya - Anchor/Reporter
• Ginger Trice - Anchor/Reporter
• Shaun Fossett - Reporter
• Ashley Haddock - Anchor/Reporter
• Jordan Leigh - Reporter
• Ryan Davidson - Weather
• Jennifer Lahmers - Anchor/Reporter
• John Stewart - Sports
• Angela Migliaccio - Anchor/Reporter
• Ravi Kapur - Anchor/Reporter
• Amy Silver - Anchor/Reporter
• Porcha Johnson - Reporter
• Chip Washington - Anchor
• Kara Kostanich - Anchor
• Mickey Goodwin - Anchor/Reporter
• Natasha Ray -Reporter
• Vicki Zamata - News Anchor
• Kimberly Laburda - News Anchor
• Erin Pickens - News Anchor
• Misty Shay Cole - News Anchor
• Noel Glasgow - Sports Anchor
• Jason Marks - Sports Anchor
• Greg Hammond - Sports Anchor
• Courtney Friel - News Anchor
• Katie Garrety - News Anchor
• Keli Fulton - Sports Anchor
• Tiffany Carey - Weather Anchor
• Anjuli Porter - News Anchor
• Eddie Holmes - Meteorologist
• Tommy Stafford - Weather Anchor
• Julie Rhodes - Fill-in Weather Anchor
• Marty Steinmetz - News Anchor
• Christine Kelly - Reporter
• Buddy Pearson - Sports Anchor
• Dave Weatherly - Sports Anchor
• Nick Paranjape - Reporter
• Marlin Williams - Sports Anchor
• Jim Holder - Sports Anchor
• Sharrie Williams - Anchor/Reporter
• Nancy Lubinski - Anchor/Reporter
• Liz Wilson - Anchor/Reporter
• Lew Jetton - Reporter/Weather/Sports
• Ron Nored (deceased) - Reporter
• Pamela Beene - Anchor/Reporter
• John Scofield - Anchor
• DeAnne Perkins - Anchor
• Dave O'Brien - Anchor/Reporter/News Director (Jackson's 1st TV news anchor)
• Joe Larkins - Anchor/Reporter
• Jack Church - Sports Anchor
• Bob Jelinek - Weather Anchor/Reporter
• Joe Case - Weather
• Steve Heyman - Sports Anchor
• Bill Race - Weather
• Ed Cain - New Director
• Bob Koob - News Director
• Brenda Brooks - Anchor
• David Rogers - Anchor
• Brandon Artiles - Anchor/Reporter

[edit] External links

• WBBJ-DT "ABC 7"
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WBBJ-TV