WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV is a television station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving the Greater Boston area as an owned-and-operated outlet of the CBS network. It is the oldest continuously operating commercial television station in New England, having signed on the air in June 1948. Owned by CBS News and Stations, its studios are located in Needham, Massachusetts, and its transmitter is based in the Newton portion of the Needham tower farm.

History

The station's history traces back to experimental station W1XAZ, operated by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation beginning in 1928 from the Squantum neighborhood. After the Federal Communications Commission began licensing commercial stations, WBZ radio received a construction permit for channel 4, signing on officially from studios in the Hotel Statler in Boston. For most of its early history, it was a primary affiliate of the NBC television network, with secondary ties to the DuMont Television Network. A significant ownership change occurred in 1995 when Westinghouse Broadcasting acquired the CBS network, leading to a historic affiliation swap that saw the station join CBS while longtime rival WHDH took the NBC affiliation. The station moved its news operations to a state-of-the-art facility in Needham in the late 2000s, consolidating with its sister station.

Programming

As a primary affiliate of CBS, WBZ-TV carries the network's full lineup of daytime programming, late-night talk shows, and sports broadcasts including NFL games and The Masters. Its secondary affiliation with The CW results in the broadcast of select prime-time series. The station has a long history of producing local programs, such as the iconic children's show Bozo the Clown in the 1960s and the popular auction series Candlepins for Cash. It also airs syndicated programming, often from corporate siblings CBS Media Ventures and Paramount Global, and has historically broadcast major events like the annual Boston Marathon and coverage of the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victories.

News operation

WBZ-TV operates one of the most-watched and most-awarded news departments in New England, producing over 40 hours of local news each week. Its newscasts are branded as CBS News Boston, following a rebrand in 2023 that aligned it with the CBS News network. The station has pioneered numerous technical advancements, including being the first in Boston to broadcast in color and to utilize electronic news gathering technology. It maintains a vast network of news bureaus across the region, including in Manchester, New Hampshire, and Providence, Rhode Island. The department has received multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards and Emmy Awards for its investigative reporting and coverage of major stories like the Boston Marathon bombing and the Blizzard of 1978.

Technical information

The station broadcasts a high-definition digital signal on UHF channel 15 from a transmitter tower shared with other Boston stations in Newton. Its signal is multiplexed to carry the main WBZ-TV feed on virtual channel 4.1, the signal of The CW-affiliated WSBK-TV on 4.2, and a third subchannel dedicated to the Start TV network. The station transitioned to digital television in 2009 following the nationwide transition mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. Its over-the-air signal covers a wide area encompassing much of Eastern Massachusetts, parts of New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, and it is also carried on cable and satellite providers throughout the New England region.

Notable on-air staff

Many prominent journalists and broadcasters have been part of the station's history. Legendary anchor Jack Williams served for over four decades, becoming a trusted figure in Greater Boston. Veteran meteorologist Harvey Leonard provided forecasts for decades and became chief meteorologist. Notable current personalities include anchor Lisa Hughes and investigative reporter Joe Shortsleeve. The station has also been a launchpad for national figures, such as former sportscaster Bob Lobel and news anchor Liz Walker, who made history as the first African American woman to anchor a prime-time newscast in Boston. Former reporters like Natalie Jacobson of WCVB-TV also began their careers at the station.