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|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WBUP,WJMN-TV | |
| History | |
| Founded | April 26, 1996 |
First air date | October 30, 1996 (28 years ago) (1996-10-30) |
Former channel number(s) |
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| ABC (1996–2007) | |
Call sign meaning | BeautifulKeweenaw Peninsula; disambiguation of sister stations WBUP andWBKB-TV |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 76001 |
| ERP | 6.4kW |
| HAAT | 301 m (988 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 47°2′11.0″N88°41′43.0″W / 47.036389°N 88.695278°W /47.036389; -88.695278 |
| Translator(s) | WBUP-DT 10.2 (VHF)Ishpeming |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WBKP (channel 5) is atelevision station licensed toCalumet, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and WesternUpper Peninsula of Michigan as an affiliate ofThe CW Plus. It is owned byMorgan Murphy Media alongsideIshpeming-licensedABC affiliateWBUP (channel 10); Morgan Murphy also provides services toWJMN-TV (channel 3) throughjoint sales and shared services agreements with owner Sullivan's Landing, LLC. The three stations share studios on Wright Street in westMarquette; WBKP's transmitter is located on Tolonen Hill nearunincorporatedPainesdale inAdams Township.
Since WBKP cannot be seen over the air in Marquette, it is also carried on the seconddigital subchannels of WBUP (whose transmitter is situated south ofEly Township in unincorporatedMarquette County) and WJMN (whose transmitter is located in northernDelta County).
WBKP (standing for "BeautifulKeweenaw Peninsula") launched on October 30, 1996, as themarket's fourth television station from facilities in the historicCalumet and Hecla Bath House. TheMonday Night Football game that night between theDallas Cowboys andPhiladelphia Eagles was the first ABC program shown on the station. Before it launched, the Central Upper Peninsula could see the network from affiliations ofWLUC-TV (channel 6) in Marquette, and before 1992 fromWJMN-TV (channel 3) inEscanaba (asemi-satellite ofWFRV-TV inGreen Bay, Wisconsin) that was purchased byCBS and switched to that network in March 1992.
More specifically, ABC was originally seen on WLUC through a secondary nature from its sign-on in 1956 until 1992 at which point ABC began to be carried as a primary affiliation. WLUC dropped its ABC affiliation in 1995 which ushered in WBKP as the next ABC outlet. Originally, WBKP was locally owned by the Scanlan family as sister toTraverse City's ABC affiliateWGTU (and its full-time satellite WGTQ inSault Ste. Marie) as well as CBS affiliateWBKB-TV inAlpena. At its sign-on, WBKP was the first station in the market to broadcast instereo and remain on-the-air 24 hours a day.
In August 1997, in order to cover Marquette proper, it launched arepeater station, W28BX. This could be seen onUHF channel 28 and thislow-power over-the-air signal was very weak so it could only be picked up in that city andNegaunee. In September 2001, the station moved its studios to the Marquette Mall. However, four employees remained based at the Calumet facility which then began operating as a bureau. In the spring of 2003, WBKP replaced the low-power repeater with full-time satellite WBUP in Ishpeming. This aired a full-powered analog signal on VHF channel 10 and covered a larger broadcasting radius. At this point, WBKP/WBUP took the on-air branding "ABC 5&10".
In January 2004, the Scanlan family sold WBKP/WBUP and WBKB toLake Superior Community Broadcasting, a company owned byStephen Marks ofMaryland. In July 2007, the two stations split in order to establish separate brandings, with WBKP becoming a CW affiliate (as part of The CW Plus) while WBUP remained with ABC. However, both WBKP and WBUP continued to carry the two networks over their digital signals.
In September 2023, it was announced that The Marks Group would sell its Michigan broadcasting properties—WBKP, WBUP, WBKB-TV, and radio stations inHoughton andIron River—toMorgan Murphy Media for $13.375 million.[1] The sale was completed on December 4.[3]
In July 1997, WBKP established its first news department in an attempt to offer an alternative to longtime dominant WLUC. TheNBC affiliate has led the area inNielsen ratings for newscasts by a wide margin for its entire existence. For most of its history, then-CBS affiliate WJMN only provided brief Upper Peninsula-specific news and weather cut-ins that were taped in advance. WJMN finally began airing full, live newscasts (seen weeknights at 6 and 11) with a Marquette focus on April 21, 2014.
Seeking to fill a void in a market supposedly capable of supporting two television newsrooms, WBKP initially offered local news weeknights at 6 and 11. After moving from Calumet to Marquette in September 2001, the station introduced a new set, a new graphics package, and an updated logo. However, in March 2002, WBKP shut down its news operation due to low ratings and budget cuts. This move was also due in part to the continual dominance of WLUC which has always operated a much larger news department and maintained consistent viewership.
Shortly after acquired WBKP/WBUP, a second attempt at airing newscasts was launched. This time, shows known asUGN News (with "UGN" meaning "Upper Great <Lakes> Network") were simulcasted with WBKB in Alpena. Likewise, the programs featured regionalized news and weather coverage from the entire Upper and NorthernLower Peninsulas. In 2006,UGN News was re-focused to the Upper Peninsula and only originated from WBKP/WBUP.
After becoming a separate station and the primary producer of newscasts, WBUP re-branded its newscasts toABC 10 News NOW. In December 2007, the ABC affiliate began producing the market's first prime time newscast on WBKP. Known asCW 5 News NOW, this thirty-minute program is seen weeknights at 10. On September 8, 2009, rival WLUC added a half-hour local newscast seen at the same time to itsFox-affiliatedsecond digital subchannel. Since there is no weather department, all weather segments originate from WBKB's studios in Alpena and are taped in advance. In order to cover the Keweenaw Peninsula, WBUP also operates an advertising sales office and news bureau on East Montezuma Avenue inHoughton (sharing a building with radio sister stationsWOLV,WHKB, andWCCY). Like all CW Plus stations, WBKP aired the nationally syndicated weekday morning show,The Daily Buzz, until its cancellation on April 17, 2015.
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | 480i | 4:3 | WBKP-CW | The CW Plus (Simulcast into720pHD overWBUP-DT2) |
| 5.2 | 720p | 16:9 | WBKPABC | ABC (WBUP) |
WBKP shut down its analog signal, overVHF channel 5, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition VHF channel 11 to VHF channel 5.[5] Since it was granted an originalconstruction permit after theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) finalized theDTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997, the station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station. While transmitting in analog, its signal could be received across Lake Superior inThunder Bay,Ontario, and the surrounding areas in Canada.