WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV
Company type	Television station
Industry	Broadcasting
Founded	June 9, 1948; 78 years ago
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Area served	Boston metropolitan area
Parent	CBS News and Stations

WBZ-TV (channel 4) operates as a television station based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It functions as an owned and operated entity of the CBS television network through its CBS News and Stations division. WBZ-TV shares studio facilities with the independent outlet WSBK-TV (channel 38), both located on Soldiers Field Road within Boston's Allston–Brighton neighborhood. The transmitter for WBZ-TV is situated on Cedar Street in Needham, Massachusetts, atop a tower site that was once under CBS ownership but is currently managed by American Tower Corporation. This tower is also utilized by sister station WSBK and other broadcasters in the Boston area.

NBC Affiliation Era (1948–1995)

Constructed entirely by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, WBZ-TV commenced broadcasting at 10 a.m. on June 9, 1948, initially displaying test patterns. Its inaugural dedication program was broadcast at 6:30 p.m., featuring pre-recorded messages from local officials. The station’s first news segment was then presented, anchored by Arch MacDonald.

At its inception, WBZ-TV maintained an affiliation with NBC, mirroring the longstanding NBC Radio connection of its sister radio station WBZ (1030 AM). It holds the distinction of being New England’s earliest commercial television broadcaster, originally transmitting from the Hotel Bradford alongside its radio counterpart before relocating to the Westinghouse Broadcasting Center in June 1948.

In 1954, Hurricane Carol destroyed WBZ-TV’s transmitter tower; interim transmission arrangements were utilized until a new 1,200-foot tower was erected in Needham in 1957. This facility, now owned by American Tower Corporation, continues to be shared among several Boston stations.

During the 1950s and 1960s, WBZ-TV’s NBC affiliation was at risk amid intricate station exchanges involving Westinghouse, NBC, and RKO General. NBC threatened to withdraw programming unless Westinghouse consented to trade stations in Philadelphia and Cleveland. Although these exchanges proceeded, regulatory authorities reversed the NBC-RKO deal in 1964, ensuring WBZ-TV retained its NBC partnership.

WBZ-TV was a trailblazer in Boston television: it initiated live broadcasts of local Major League Baseball teams in 1948, pioneered daily newscasts in the market, and championed diversity by employing Boston’s first female reporter, first Black full-time reporter, first all-female news team, first Black full-time nightly news anchor, and launching the city’s inaugural minority affairs program.

Transition to CBS (1995–present)

In 1994, WJZ-TV in Baltimore lost its ABC affiliation following ABC's collaboration with the E.W. Scripps Company to convert three Scripps-owned stations—including WMAR-TV Baltimore—to ABC affiliates while maintaining ties with WEWS-TV Cleveland and WXYZ-TV Detroit. After losing long-term affiliates in these markets to Fox through a New World Communications arrangement, CBS planned to partner with WEWS and WXYZ. Feeling betrayed by these changes, Westinghouse pursued new network affiliations for its Group W stations and secured agreements to switch WBZ-TV, KYW-TV, and WJZ-TV to CBS; meanwhile, KDKA-TV Pittsburgh and KPIX San Francisco were already aligned with CBS. On January 2, 1995, Boston experienced its third major network affiliation change when NBC moved its programming to former CBS affiliate WHDH-TV (channel 7), ending WBZ-TV’s 47-year tenure with NBC as it adopted CBS programming.

Following Westinghouse's merger with CBS on November 24, 1995, WBZ-TV became a station owned and operated directly by CBS. To comply with FCC regulations prohibiting ownership of stations with overlapping city-grade signals, CBS divested WPRI-TV in Providence since WBZ-TV’s broadcast range covers parts of Rhode Island as well as Massachusetts. In 1996, WBZ-TV was the first former Group W station to retire the traditional Group W font style.

After Viacom acquired CBS in 2000—effectively rendering WBZ-TV locally owned due to National Amusements’ Boston-area headquarters—the station consolidated operations with Boston’s UPN affiliate WSBK-TV and assumed operational control of WLWC in Providence. WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV continue to operate from shared facilities in Brighton. WLWC was sold in 2006 to Four Points Media Group (a Cerberus Capital Management entity), later purchased by Sinclair Broadcast Group before subsequent ownership changes.

On February 2, 2017, CBS agreed to transfer ownership of CBS Radio to Entercom through a tax-free Reverse Morris Trust transaction. While CBS shareholders retained a majority stake of 72% in the merged company, Entercom emerged as the surviving corporate entity—resulting in separation of WBZ (AM) radio from WBZ-TV. The transaction concluded on November 17, 2017; under a Justice Department consent decree, WBZ (AM) was sold off to iHeartMedia.

Logos and imaging

During the early 1960s, WBZ unveiled a distinctive "4" logo featuring a custom font created specifically for Group W. This emblem was italicized in 1987 while maintaining its original typeface, remaining in use for more than three decades until the introduction of the "News 4 New England" logo in September 1996, coinciding with the station's transition from NBC to CBS. This numeric design held the record for the longest continuous use of a number-based logo in New England television until WCVB's stylized "5" overtook it in 2003.

In 1998, the "Circle 4" logo succeeded the initial "News 4" design and earned the nickname "The Circle 4 Ranch" from sports anchor Bob Lobel. WBZ adopted CBS’s uniform branding as "CBS 4" in 2004 but reverted to simply "WBZ" in 2007, introducing a fresh logo that combined WBZ lettering with the CBS eye enclosed within squares. This branding was extended to WBZ (1030 AM), its sister radio station, by 2010. With the launch of a new set and a CBS owned-and-operated graphics package in 2011, WBZ merged elements of the 2004 "CBS 4" logo with squared WBZ lettering placed beneath it, while continuing to use the "squares" logo as a secondary identifier.

On March 31, 2023, WBZ debuted the "CBS News" graphics and music package consistent with other CBS owned-and-operated stations. The morning newscast was the final program to feature the "CBS 4/WBZ" logo; afternoon broadcasts introduced refreshed branding displaying WBZ call letters inside a black box alongside the "CBS News Boston" emblem.

Historical preemptions and deferrals

While affiliated with NBC, WBZ routinely preempted several hours of network content each day—a practice common among Group W stations connected to NBC and CBS. Despite ranking as NBC’s third-largest affiliate and second-largest within the Eastern Time Zone, WBZ primarily preempted morning programming, which frequently aired on local independents such as future sister station WSBK-TV and WQTV (now WBPX-TV). Additionally, some preempted NBC shows were accessible through Providence’s NBC outlet WJAR.

In January 1983, following the expansion of People Are Talking to a full hour, WBZ discontinued airing NBC’s soap opera Another World, which subsequently moved among various regional stations over time. By 1990, two years prior to NBC replacing Saturday morning cartoons with a weekend edition of Today and teen-oriented live-action series like Saved by the Bell, the station had also ceased broadcasting some Saturday morning animated shows.

NBC typically allowed fewer preemptions compared to other networks and depended on alternative independent stations to carry programs that WBZ chose not to air. Nevertheless, WBZ remained one of NBC’s strongest affiliates. In contrast, Philadelphia sister station KYW-TV heavily preempted NBC programming but was among NBC’s weaker major-market affiliates throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Bob Emery and Boomtown

WBZ-TV produced numerous local programs over its history, notably the enduring Big Brother Bob Emery show hosted by veteran broadcaster Bob Emery, who was a pioneer of children’s radio programming in Boston beginning in 1921 and on network television starting in 1947. Between 1956 and 1974, Rex Trailer hosted the popular weekend morning children's series Boomtown, which was partly filmed on an outdoor western-themed set adjacent to WBZ-TV’s studios. In 2005, WBZ broadcast a documentary directed by Michael Bavaro titled Rex Trailer's Boomtown, featuring interviews with prominent admirers such as Jay Leno and Tom Bergeron. The original broadcast master is preserved at the Museum of Television & Radio in New York.

Evening Magazine

WBZ introduced Evening Magazine in April 1977, a weeknight magazine-style program initially produced by its San Francisco affiliate, KPIX-TV. The format was soon adopted by other Group W stations before being distributed more broadly under the name PM Magazine. The hosting lineup began with Robin Young and Marty Sender (1977–1980), followed by the longest-serving pair, Sara Edwards and Barry Nolan (1982–1989), and later Edwards co-hosted alongside Jim Watkins until 1990. After airing for more than thirteen years, the show was discontinued in December 1990 due to declining viewership amid the rise of tabloid television.

Following the cancellation, Family Feud briefly took its time slot until WBZ launched extended Gulf War coverage titled Crisis in the Gulf: The 7:30 Report, anchored by Jack Williams and Liz Walker. Once the conflict ended in February 1991, the program evolved into an investigative newsmagazine called The 7:30 Report, with Randy Price as lead anchor, continuing for an additional year and a half. From September 1992 through September 2009, WBZ broadcast the syndicated entertainment news show Entertainment Tonight, which it acquired from WHDH-TV and which CBS began distributing in 2006.

People Are Talking

A live early-afternoon talk show titled People Are Talking aired from 1980 to 1993 on WBZ and other Westinghouse stations, including Baltimore, where Oprah Winfrey once served as co-host. In Boston, the program featured hosts Nancy Merrill and Buzz Luttrell, with Tom Bergeron recognized as the most prominent final host.

Miscellaneous

During its inaugural nationally syndicated season (1986–1987), WBZ-TV aired The Oprah Winfrey Show at 9 a.m. Despite the show's success, WBZ prioritized another Group W talk series, The Wil Shriner Show, in fall 1987. This decision prompted Oprah to relocate to WCVB-TV, where it remained a fixture until 2011. In October 2009, WBZ-TV became Boston’s broadcaster for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, moving The Insider and Entertainment Tonight to sister station WSBK-TV. Both game shows had previously been shown on WSBK since 2001 and on WHDH prior to that.

Lottery

WBZ-TV was a pioneer in broadcasting local lottery results, beginning in 1975 by presenting Massachusetts Lottery outcomes during its 6 p.m. newscast, covering both Boston and the Tri-State area (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont).

In 1984, WBZ debuted live lottery drawings with a short studio program called Lottery Live, promoting the Massachusetts Lottery's Megabuck$ game. Hosted by Tom Bergeron, it aired weeknights at 7:55 p.m., with twice-weekly Megabuck$ drawings broadcast at 9:58 p.m. Bergeron’s trademark tuxedo earned him the nickname "mega tux." Additionally, the Numbers Game was broadcast Saturdays at 7:55 p.m., and beginning in May 1987, the state sweepstakes Mass Millions aired on Fridays. Substitute hosts included Steve Aveson and Ron Robin.

WBZ held lottery broadcast rights for twelve years before transferring them to WNEV (now WHDH) in 1987; WNEV used Lottery Live as a ratings enhancer. That station continued airing the program for seven seasons until new ownership terminated the contract; subsequently, WCVB secured the rights from 1994 through 1998.

In 1998, WBZ resumed airing Lottery Live with Dawn Hayes as host. By this time, the nightly Numbers Game was scheduled at 7:53 p.m., with late-night drawings of games such as Megabuck$, Mass Million$, Mass Ca$h, and The Big Game on separate evenings. Due to contractual limitations allowing only three-year renewals, WBZ shifted lottery broadcasts to sister station WSBK-TV in 2001.

Special events

Between 2003 and 2016, WBZ was responsible for broadcasting the Boston Pops Orchestra's yearly Fourth of July celebration held at the Hatch Memorial Shell. For the first ten years, CBS aired the 10 pm ET segment nationwide, showcasing hallmark pieces such as the 1812 Overture and "Stars and Stripes Forever" alongside the Charles River fireworks display. Beginning in 2007, live coverage was presented in high definition.

National broadcasts by CBS ceased after 2012, reportedly due to declining viewership attributed to NBC's competing Macy's 4th of July Fireworks special. In 2016, coinciding with the retirement of Boston Pops executive producer David G. Mugar, CBS resumed airing the final two hours of the concert nationally, while WBZ maintained its local broadcast.

On March 7, 2017, the broadcast transitioned to Bloomberg Television following a sponsorship arrangement involving Boston Pops, Eaton Vance, and Bloomberg L.P.. The 2018 concert was simulcast on WHDH.

Sports

WBZ-TV has a history of airing local sports through both in-house productions and partnerships with NBC and CBS. The station covered the Boston Braves from 1948 until their relocation to Milwaukee prior to 1953, as well as various periods of Red Sox games between 1948 and 2004, including nationally televised contests on NBC spanning from 1948 to 1989. Additionally, WBZ-TV broadcast Boston Celtics games from 1972 to 1985 and again between 1990 and 1994 under NBC’s NBA contract.

In 1981, WBZ-TV became Boston’s pioneer station offering live, comprehensive coverage of the Boston Marathon, holding exclusive full rights from 2007 through 2022. Starting in 2023, marathon broadcasting rights transferred to WCVB-TV.

WBZ’s extensive relationship with the New England Patriots began in 1965 when NBC acquired AFL rights. After WBZ switched affiliations to CBS, Patriots games returned to its schedule in 1998 following CBS's acquisition of AFC broadcast rights. Since then, most regular-season Patriots games have been televised on WBZ. The station became the official Patriots broadcaster in 2009, securing preseason game rights and airing Patriots All Access. WBZ covered three Super Bowls featuring the Patriots—Super Bowls XX, XXXVIII, and LIII—including victories in the latter two.

In April 2021, WBZ-TV along with sister station WSBK-TV obtained rights to broadcast New England Revolution matches for that season; most games aired on WSBK with select fixtures shown on WBZ-TV. These local MLS broadcasting rights concluded in 2023 as coverage shifted exclusively to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

News operation

WBZ-TV produces a total of 34 hours and 35 minutes of locally generated news content each week (4 hours and 35 minutes on weekdays; approximately 5 hours and 5 minutes on weekends). The station operates a Bell LongRanger 206LIV helicopter dubbed "Sky Eye" for news gathering purposes and also produces an evening newscast at 8 p.m. for its sister station WSBK.

In Boston’s Nielsen ratings, WBZ’s newscasts consistently rank second behind WCVB; however, Channel 4 remains the most-watched station overall within the market.

During the mid-1960s, WBZ-TV adopted the Eyewitness News format from its sister station KYW-TV. It broke ground by introducing Boston's late afternoon news with shows like First 4 News followed by Live on 4, which combined informal talk show elements with traditional newscasting—an approach that influenced local programming throughout the 1980s. Competitors such as WNEV attempted similar formats but achieved limited success.

Although WBZ lost its leading news position to WCVB in the early 1980s, it retained strong ratings through a long-standing evening news team featuring anchors Jack Williams and Liz Walker, meteorologist Bruce Schwoegler, and sportscaster Bob Lobel. Williams retired in 2015 while Walker stepped down from anchoring duties in 2005.

By the late '80s and early '90s, syndicated news programs became more prominent; WBZ replaced Live on 4 with A Current Affair in 1991 and adjusted its late afternoon lineup accordingly. The station discontinued late afternoon newscasts in 1994 but reinstated them alongside other programming changes after falling to third place in ratings by 1995.

From the mid-1990s into the early 2000s, WBZ underwent several rebranding efforts for its newscasts—from Eyewitness News to WBZ News 4, then News 4 New England, followed by CBS 4. In 2007, it reverted to WBZ News branding to emphasize local identity and capitalize on its historic call letters—a strategy previously successful at sister station WCCO-TV.

In January 2006, WBZ brought back its 5 p.m. newscast as part of an extended block of news programming, reinstating anchor Jack Williams and adding meteorologist Ken Barlow. The earlier 4 p.m. newscast was discontinued later that year.

Personnel changes included Chris May joining as anchor in 2006 before departing for KYW-TV Philadelphia by 2015; Sara Underwood left in 2008. In addition, WBZ launched Project Mass in 2007 to address significant community issues. The Writers Guild strike of 2007–08 contributed to a decline in late-night news viewership.

On April 1, 2008, CBS announced budget reductions resulting in layoffs of roughly thirty staff members across WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV—including longtime sports director Bob Lobel and entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik. Steve Burton succeeded Lobel as sports director while some positions were eliminated entirely. Despite these cuts, WBZ’s late evening newscast remained number one during the 2007–08 season before slipping to second place thereafter.

Towards the end of 2008, WBZ upgraded its news studio for high-definition broadcasts; by December it became Boston's fourth station to air news in HD. In May 2009, WBZ/WSBK entered into a Local News Service agreement with Fox-owned WFXT to share video resources and a helicopter for traffic updates and breaking news; this shared helicopter was retired in 2013.

On December 12, 2011, WBZ unveiled a new HD-ready set equipped with LED lighting and multiple screens designed to emphasize more hard news content aimed at reclaiming audience share from WCVB. Some critics observed that standardized CBS graphics reduced distinct local branding.

On September 24, 2019, WBZ launched CBSN Boston (now known as CBS News Boston), a streaming news platform introduced as part of CBS’s broader rollout of localized digital services across its owned stations.

Distinguished Current On-Air Personnel

Ed Davis – analyst specializing in security

Sports Broadcast Team

Steve Burton – director of sports
Levan Reid – sports anchor and reporter
Dan Roche – sports anchor and reporter

Prominent Former On-Air Personnel

Sharyn Alfonsi – news anchor and reporter (2000–2003)
Charles Austin – news reporter (1968–2000); one of the pioneering African-American figures in Boston local news
Suzanne Bates – news anchor and reporter (1987–2000)
Sue Bennett – host of musical variety programs (early 1950s)
Tom Bergeron – host for programs including People Are Talking, Lottery Live, 4 Today, and Rap-Around (1980s–1990s)
Len Berman – sports anchor and play-by-play announcer for the Boston Celtics (1974–1978)
David Brudnoy – commentator
Gino Cappelletti (1934–2022) – sports anchor and reporter
Terry Carter – Boston’s first African-American television reporter (1965–1968)
Virginia Cha – news anchor
Ken Coleman – play-by-play announcer for Boston Red Sox (1972–1974)
Alice Cook – sports anchor and reporter
Sara Edwards – co-host of Evening Magazine (1980–1990)
Tom Ellis – news anchor (1968–1975)
Dick Flavin – reporter and commentator
Gayle Gardner – sports reporter (1976–1978)
Nancy Glass – contributor to Evening Magazine
John Henning – news anchor and commentator (1982–2003)
Don Kent – meteorologist (1955–1983)
Joyce Kulhawik – arts and entertainment reporter, producer, and contributor to Evening Magazine (1978–2008)
Bob Lobel – sports anchor (1981–2008)
Chris Marrou – news anchor for Live on 4 (1980–1981)
Mish Michaels (1968–2022) – meteorologist (2001–2009)
Pat Mitchell – talk show host (1971–1977)
Sean Mooney – news anchor
Bob Neumeier (1950–2021) – sports anchor and reporter (1981–2000)
Barry Nolan – co-host of Evening Magazine (1980–1990)
Uma Pemmaraju – contributor to Evening Magazine and news reporter
Tony Pepper – anchor during late 1970s and early 1980s; deceased 2018
Johnny Pesky (1919–2012) – analyst for Boston Red Sox (1972–1974)
Dan Rea – news reporter (1976–2007)
Gil Santos (1938–2018) – play-by-play announcer for Boston Celtics and New England Patriots
Shelby Scott (1936–2022) – news anchor and reporter (1965–1996)
Sarah-Ann Shaw – Boston’s first female African-American television reporter (1969–2000)
Bob Starr (1933–1998) – sports anchor
Dick Stockton – sports anchor and Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer (1972–1973, 1974–75)
Rex Trailer (1928–2013) – host of the children’s program Boomtown
Roger Twibell – sports anchor and Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer (1978–1981)
Liz Walker – anchor and talk show host (1981–2015)
Jim Watkins
Jack White (1942–2005) – news reporter
Jack Williams – news anchor and host of "Wednesday's Child" segment (1975–2015)
Bob Wilson (1929–2015) – postgame host for Boston Red Sox broadcasts (1972–74)
Robin Young – co-host of Evening Magazine (1977–1980)

Subchannels

The station's broadcast signal is divided into multiple subchannels as outlined below:

WBZ-TV Subchannel Lineup
Channel	Resolution	Aspect Ratio	Identifier	Content
4.1	1080i	16:9	WBZ-DT	CBS Network
4.2	480i		WBZ 4.2	Start TV Network
4.3			WBZ 4.3	Dabl Network
4.4			WBZ 4.4	Fave TV Network
4.5			WBZ 4.5	Catchy Comedy Network

Additionally, the CBS main subchannel is transmitted in ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) format through the WUNI transmitter.

Transition from analog to digital

On June 12, 2009, WBZ-TV discontinued its analog transmission on VHF channel 4 in accordance with the federal digital transition deadline. The station’s digital broadcast continues on its original UHF channel 30 but utilizes virtual channel number 4 for viewer consistency.

Pursuant to the SAFER Act, WBZ maintained its analog signal until July 12 to provide viewers with information about the digital conversion process.

In 2015, the Decades network, a collaboration between CBS and Weigel Broadcasting, was introduced on subchannel 4.2.

External links