WBNG-TV: Channel 12, Owner, Live Streaming, TV Personalities, Location

WBNG-TV Biography

WBNG-TV is a CBS-affiliated television station serving Binghamton, New York. WNBF-TV launched on December 1, 1949, becoming the first television station to serve the Binghamton market. Initially affiliated with multiple networks, including DuMont, NBC, and ABC, it eventually became a primary CBS affiliate. Over the decades, WBNG-TV has evolved technologically, from analog channel 12 to digital channel 8, and expanded its programming to include The CW Plus on its secondary subchannel. Now owned by Gray Television, WBNG-TV continues to operate under the branding “WBNG 12” and “12 News,” delivering local news, weather, and entertainment to viewers across South Central New York and North Central Pennsylvania.

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Quick Bio/Wiki

History | Background

The station first signed on the air as WNBF-TV on December 1, 1949, becoming the first television station in the Binghamton market and one of the earliest in upstate New York. Clark Associates originally owned the station and also operated WNBF radio (1290 AM and 98.1 FM). At its inception, WNBF-TV carried programming from all four major networks of the time: CBS, NBC, ABC, and DuMont, with CBS as its primary affiliation.

For many of its early years, WNBF was the only station available to viewers in the nearby Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, market, as set owners pointed their rooftop antennas north towards Binghamton. The station subsequently lost its affiliations with DuMont in 1956 after the network’s collapse, and the others when new UHF stations arrived in town: NBC on WINR-TV (channel 40, now WICZ-TV) in 1957; and ABC to WBJA-TV (channel 34, now WIVT) in 1962.

In September 1998, an agreement between WBNG, The WB 100+ Station Group, and the area’s cable provider allowed the station to launch the WB-affiliated “WBXI” cable channel, which replaced superstation WPIX on Binghamton-area cable systems. Notably, WBNG’s digital signal began broadcasting network programming in high definition in late January 2007.

Ownership of the Station

WBNG-TV was originally owned by Clark Associates. In 1955, the station was purchased by Triangle Publications, a media company based in Philadelphia that owned several newspapers and broadcast outlets. However, in 1972, Triangle sold its broadcasting properties to Gateway Communications, a new broadcasting concern majority-owned by the Borg family and publishers of the Bergen Record of Hackensack, New Jersey. As part of the sale, WNBF radio was spun off to Stoner Broadcasting, while the television station was retained and rebranded as WBNG-TV on October 28, 1972. Later in 2000, Gateway was purchased by SJL Broadcasting.

In April 2006, it was announced that Granite Broadcasting had made a deal to acquire the station from Television Station Group License Subsidiary, LLC (successor to SJL) for $45 million. In December 2008, Granite made an agreement with Time Warner Cable to carry WBNG’s high definition feed throughout the Binghamton region. Later in 2013, Quincy Newspapers acquired the station and maintained its commitment to strengthening local journalism and enhancing digital capabilities. Regulators approved the transaction on September 15, 2015, and Quincy Newspapers finalized it on November 2 of that year.

On November 22, 2015, WBNG ceased to be the primary CBS provider for much of Otsego County in the Utica market, following the launch of a full-time CBS affiliate on WKTV’s second digital subchannel. Finally, in 2021, WBNG-TV became part of Gray Television, a major national broadcaster that owns stations in over 100 markets across the United States. Gray Television finalized the acquisition on August 2, 2021, adding WBNG-TV as its second New York station and pairing it with CBS affiliate WWNY-TV in Watertown as a sister outlet.

Analog-to-digital conversion

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, WBNG-TV expanded its local news programming and invested in modern production facilities. The station broadcast its analog signal on VHF channel 12 and held its position as the only VHF outlet in the Binghamton market, which gave it a technical edge in signal reach and clarity. The station then transitioned from analog to digital broadcasting in 2009, moving its digital signal to VHF channel 7 before later relocating to channel 8. It also launched a digital subchannel, WBNG-DT2, which carries The CW Plus, expanding its programming slate to include popular CW network shows and syndicated content. Today, WBNG-TV operates under the branding “12 News”, offering a full slate of local newscasts, weather coverage, and CBS network programming. In addition, WBNG remains a cornerstone of the Southern Tier media landscape, serving viewers in Broome, Tioga, Chenango, and surrounding counties, as well as parts of northern Pennsylvania.

Awards and Recognitions

In 2022, the station received several accolades from the New York State Broadcasters Association, including awards for Outstanding Promotional Announcement or Series, Outstanding Morning Newscast, and Outstanding Weathercast. Moreover, the New York State Associated Press Association named WBNG-TV an Outstanding News Operation. Notably, this recognition came under the leadership of John Laughrin. In terms of individual staff achievements, Sports Director Zachary Grady earned recognition as a Two-Time NYS Award-Winning Sports Journalist. Furthermore, the NYSBA selected him for its Rising Leaders Fellowship. Finally, anchor Scott Sasina received honors for Outstanding Social Media Presence.

TV Personalities

WBNG-TV features a team of experienced anchors, reporters, and producers who deliver news, weather, and sports coverage across the Southern Tier. Some of the station’s key on-air personalities include;

1. Kaitlin Pearson – Evening Anchor
2. Jillian Santacroce – Evening News Anchor / Multimedia Journalist
3. Kevin Quinn – Anchor/Reporter
4. Joshua Rosenblatt – Multimedia Journalist
5. Logan Pollock – Host/Producer of “Around the Tiers”
6. Zachary Grady – Sports Director