WMBD-TV

WMBD-TV
Peoria-Bloomington, Illinois
Branding	WMBD 31 (general) WMBD 31 News (newscasts)
Slogan	Taking Action for You
Channel	Digital: 30 (UHF)
Subchannels	31.1 CBS
Owner	Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. (Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)
First air date	January 1, 1958
Callsign meaning	World's Most Beautiful Drive (referring to Peoria's Grandview Drive overlooking the Illinois River)
Sister station(s)	WYZZ-TV
Former callsigns	Analog: WMBD-TV (1958–2009) Digital: WMBD-DT (2003–2009)
Former channels	Analog: 31 (1958-2009)
Effective power	800 kW
Height	193 m
Facility ID	42121
Antenna coordinates	40°38′5.7″N 89°32′19.7″W / 40.634917°N 89.538806°W / 40.634917; -89.538806
Website	www.centralillinoisproud.com

WMBD-TV is the CBS affiliate in Peoria, Illinois. It's the first Peoria station to broadcast local color television, the last to broadcast digital television, and the only commercial television station with its studio and offices still in the city itself.

Ownership

WMBD-TV has been co-owned with WCIA in Champaign, Illinois for decades. Along with WCFN in Springfield, Illinois, they are now owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group. WMBD-TV also operates WYZZ-TV.

History

When Theodore Roosevelt visited Peoria on October 10, 1910, he called Peoria's Grandview Drive the "World's Most Beautiful Drive" and thus the call letters WMBD were chosen for the radio station and carried over to the TV station. WMBD-TV first signed on the air on January 1, 1958. The original owners were Charles Caley and John Fetzer of WMBD, Inc., and it was co-owned with WMBD radio (AM 1470 and 93.3 FM, now WPBG). The stations were sold to Midwest Television Inc. of Champaign, Illinois; owners of WCIA in 1960 for $1.85 million.

In 1999, WMBD-TV was split from its radio sisters when Midwest Television divested its Illinois stations, selling TV stations WMBD-TV, WCFN Springfield, and WCIA Champaign to Nexstar Broadcasting Group and the two Peoria radio stations to Peoria-owned JMP Media LLC (a subsidiary of California-based Triad Broadcasting).

WMBD-TV has been digital-only since February 17, 2009.^[1] WMBD-TV continued digital broadcasts on channel 30 but the "WMBD-TV" callsign was legally transferred from the now-defunct analog channel 31 to the digital channel 30 and the "WMBD-DT" callsign was permanently discontinued.

This section requires expansion.

Logos

WMBD-TV Logo, 1991 to 1993 (the 1993 logo was used until 1997)

WMBD-TV Logo, 2003 to 2007

WMBD-TV Logo, 2007 to present

Programming

In addition to sharing news items with WCIA, WMBD-TV has also carried some original WCIA programs:

• At the Hop (1950s-1960s): with John Coleman and later with Ed Mason
• Dialing for Dollars (1960s-1970s)
• Nightmare Theater (1958–1962)
• The Bruce Weber Show

This section requires expansion.

News/Station Presentation

Newscast titles

• Action News 31 (1970s)
• 31 News Alive (1970s-1980s)
• NewsCenter 31 (1980s-1990s)
• News 31 (early-mid 1990s)
• WMBD News (mid 1990s)
• CBS 31 News (1997-2003)
• NewsChannel 31 News (2003-2007)
• WMBD 31 News (2007-present)

Station Slogans

• The Best News of All (1980s-1990s)
• Get Ready for Stereo 31 (1989-1990; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
• The Look of America is Stereo 31 (1990-1991; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
• Your News Authority (1990s)
• Specifically Designed for Busy People (Like You) (1990s; used "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls for a montage in 1997)
• The One and Only (1990s; did air a montage featuring the news team with the song "You're The One That I Want" from the film Grease)
• Bottom Line, Better News (2001–2003)
• It's All Here on WMBD 31 (2002-2003; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
• Making A Difference For You (2003–2007)
• Taking Action For You (2007-present)

Personalities

Current

Former

External links

• WMBD homepage
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WMBD-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WMBD-TV
• Unoffical WMBD-TV 31 Fan Blog

References