WSBK-TV

WSBK-TV
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Television broadcasting
Predecessor	WIHS-TV
Founded	October 12, 1964; 62 years ago in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Owner	CBS News and Stations
Parent	CBS Corporation

WSBK-TV (channel 38) is an independent television station based in Boston, Massachusetts. It operates under the ownership of the CBS News and Stations group alongside the CBS affiliate WBZ-TV (channel 4). Both stations share production facilities located on Soldiers Field Road in Boston's Allston–Brighton neighborhood. WSBK-TV’s transmitter is situated on Cedar Street in Needham, Massachusetts, atop a tower site currently managed by American Tower Corporation, which is also utilized by WBZ-TV, WCVB-TV, WGBH-TV, WBTS-CD, and WGBX-TV.

In addition to its local broadcast, WSBK is available nationwide through satellite provider Dish Network as part of its superstation package, though since September 2013 this option has been limited to existing subscribers. The station maintains cable distribution throughout much of the New England area, albeit with reduced reach compared to previous years.

Early Years (1955–1966)

The initial construction permit for channel 38 in Boston was awarded in October 1955 to Ajax Enterprises, led by Herbert Mayer, the founder of Empire Coil, a company specializing in RF coils for television broadcasters. Mayer had prior experience owning stations such as KPTV in Portland and WXEL in Cleveland before selling them to Storer Broadcasting in 1954. Originally, channel 38 was intended to operate under the call sign WHMB; however, after Storer renamed the Cleveland station WJW-TV in 1956, Mayer sought to reclaim WXEL for Boston. Plans for a transmitter site in Melrose were never realized, resulting in the FCC revoking the permit and removing the call letters in 1960.

The current incarnation of the station began operations on October 12, 1964, under the licensee Boston Catholic Television Center as WIHS-TV—a reference to the "IHS" Christogram. The station offered a mix of general entertainment programming combined with daily Mass broadcasts and Sunday services. Educational programming designed for Catholic schools aired during morning hours, while afternoons and evenings featured syndicated series and films. By 1966, WIHS included some shows that had been rejected by Boston’s network affiliates. The station also produced two brief local newscasts each weekday at 5:45 p.m. and 10 p.m., which consisted of news summaries delivered by an announcer.

WIHS expanded into sports coverage by televising ten regular-season road games and all playoff away contests of the Boston Celtics during the 1964–65 season that were not carried by network channels. Due to limited UHF signal penetration at the time, playoff road games were simulcast on WHDH-TV (channel 5) in 1965; the Celtics fully returned to WHDH broadcasts the following year. During this period and into early Storer ownership, college sports—primarily hockey and basketball—also featured in WIHS’s lineup.

WSBK-TV Era (1966–Present)

In 1966, Storer Broadcasting acquired the station and soon rebranded it as WSBK-TV, adopting its New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol "SBK" as its callsign. The following year, Storer secured broadcast rights for the Boston Bruins from WKBG-TV and owned the NHL franchise from 1972 until 1975. As the Bruins competed for the Stanley Cup with star player Bobby Orr leading the charge, game telecasts contributed to increased sales of UHF antennas and established channel 38 as a prominent independent outlet. Between 1970 and 1984, WSBK aired between 70 and 72 Bruins regular-season contests along with all playoff games not covered by national networks.

WSBK also obtained rights to air Boston Red Sox games starting in 1975, coinciding with their American League pennant victory. The Red Sox remained on WSBK through 1995 before returning from 2003 until 2005. During these periods, annual game broadcasts ranged from approximately 90 to 110 games (1975–1983), about 75 games (1984–1995), and roughly 28 to 30 games during the later tenure. While WSBK sporadically aired Celtics road playoff games beginning in 1969, it regularly televised Celtics away games from 1993 through 1998.

Beyond sports programming, WSBK enhanced its syndicated offerings with popular animated series such as Looney Tunes and Popeye, alongside sitcoms including The Andy Griffith Show, Cheers, M*A*S*H, and Frasier. Up until 1981, it also broadcast network shows preempted by Boston’s NBC (WBZ-TV), ABC (WNAC-TV then WCVB-TV), and CBS affiliates. The schedule featured multiple movies during prime time and late-night slots. From the 1970s through mid-1980s, cartoons were hosted by Willie Whistle, a clown characterized by his unique bird-whistle voice.

Transformation into a superstation

By the mid-1970s, WSBK was available on nearly all cable systems throughout New England and reached as far west as Buffalo, New York, and southward to Long Island. In the late 1980s, it evolved into a national superstation by partnering with Eastern Microwave for signal distribution beyond its regional base. Similar to stations like WOR-TV in New York City, WGN-TV in Chicago, and WTBS in Atlanta, WSBK capitalized on its Red Sox broadcasts as a major attraction. Although its coverage area was smaller compared to those stations, WSBK penetrated substantial portions of New York and some Florida cable networks—creating the unusual circumstance of Red Sox games being shown within the Yankees’ main market. Additionally, its Boston Bruins telecasts contributed to its popularity on Canadian cable systems alongside WOR.

The Federal Communications Commission’s enhanced syndication exclusivity (Syndex) regulations introduced in the early 1990s curtailed the transmission of out-of-market stations by safeguarding local broadcasters from competition posed by superstations airing identical syndicated shows. This regulatory change prompted many cable operators to discontinue distant signals such as WSBK due to the challenges involved in enforcing blackout rules. Eastern Microwave attempted to mitigate this by replacing blocked programming with alternative content, but overall superstation distribution experienced a significant decline.

WSBK initiated 24-hour broadcasting during the late 1970s but briefly reverted to signing off late at night in the early 1980s. Beyond its sports offerings, it gained acclaim for The Movie Loft, one of television’s pioneering hosted movie programs featuring uncut films presented by Dana Hersey. By the mid-1980s, the station replaced midday movie slots with additional sitcoms and restored nearly continuous 24-hour service by the decade’s close. Despite its strong independent status, WSBK declined an affiliation proposal from Fox in 1986—likely because Fox affiliates were already accessible throughout much of its cable distribution area. The Fox affiliation for Boston was ultimately awarded to WFXT in 1987 following News Corporation’s acquisition of that station.

In 1985, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) purchased WSBK along with most of Storer Communications' stations under its New Boston Television entity, although Storer continued to receive on-air acknowledgment. KKR subsequently sold most of these stations to Gillett Communications. After Gillett defaulted on financing obligations in the early 1990s, ownership was reorganized under SCI Television, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1993. Later that year, WSBK was included in a group sale to New World Communications.

Acquisition by Paramount and UPN affiliation (1995–2006)

In 1994, New World Communications reached a groundbreaking agreement with Fox to convert many of its CBS-, ABC-, and NBC-affiliated stations to Fox affiliations. WSBK remained independent and was placed on the market to avoid conflicts with Fox’s soon-to-be-acquired Boston affiliate WFXT (channel 25). As a UHF station lacking a news operation, WSBK held less strategic value for Fox. Consequently, Paramount Stations Group—a Viacom subsidiary—acquired WSBK, which became a founding affiliate of the United Paramount Network (UPN) on January 16, 1995. The "TV 38" brand was phased out by June 1995 and replaced with "UPN 38". In 1996, Viacom purchased a 50% interest in UPN from Chris-Craft Industries, thereby designating WSBK as an owned-and-operated UPN station.

Initially maintaining an independent programming approach while UPN gradually expanded its schedule, by 1997 WSBK incorporated more talk shows and reality series while discontinuing older programs. The Movie Loft concluded following Dana Hersey’s retirement and declining ratings linked to lower-quality movie packages. The station later revived movie presentations through The UPN 38 Movie House and Movie Night, with another attempt at bringing back The Movie Loft occurring in the early 2000s. Local professional sports broadcasts were also reduced after affiliation. Programming shifted towards cartoons and classic sitcoms; by late 1999 cartoons were confined to morning hours, talk and reality shows aired midday, and recent sitcoms filled evening slots alongside UPN content. Cartoons were entirely removed by 2003 following UPN’s cancellation of the Disney's One Too block. By 2002, daytime schedules primarily featured talk shows, court programs, and reality TV; evenings focused on sitcoms with movies relegated to weekends. Notably, WSBK continued airing The Three Stooges on Sunday mornings until 2022.

Following Viacom’s merger with the former CBS Corporation in 2000—creating a duopoly with WBZ-TV—WSBK moved from its longstanding Brighton studios into facilities adjacent to WBZ-TV. The original WSBK studios later became home to Boston radio stations formerly owned by CBS Radio (now Audacy). Under CBS ownership, WSBK began sharing syndicated content with WBZ-TV. In 2001, it became Boston’s broadcaster for game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, an uncommon arrangement for a UPN or independent station; these programs had previously aired on WHDH-TV. In 2009, both game shows transitioned to WBZ-TV in exchange for entertainment news programs The Insider and Entertainment Tonight, aligning older demographic audiences with WBZ and targeting younger viewers through WSBK.

Return to independent operation (2006–2011)

On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. revealed plans to discontinue The WB and UPN networks to form a new entity, The CW. Although WSBK was under CBS ownership, the Boston affiliate for The CW became WLVI, which was then a WB affiliate owned by Tribune Broadcasting. This decision was significant given the strong audience bases of both Boston’s WB and UPN stations.

Following that, on February 22, 2006, News Corporation introduced MyNetworkTV, aimed primarily at former UPN affiliates. While WSBK was a likely candidate to join this network, CBS Television Stations opted in May to maintain channel 38 and Miami’s WBFS-TV as independent stations. Ultimately, the MyNetworkTV affiliation in Boston was assigned to Derry-based WZMY-TV (currently WWJE-DT).

On September 6, 2006, WSBK-TV resumed its "TV 38" identity, reinstating the Entertaining Boston tagline and continuing to air UPN shows until the network concluded on September 15. As an independent station, its prime-time lineup included first-run syndicated programs such as reruns of Dr. Phil and Jeopardy!, along with a 9:30 p.m. newscast produced by WBZ. In September 2009, WSBK launched the Hello advertising campaign focused on the greeting "hello" and introduced the TV 38 Blockhead mascot.

Affiliation with MyNetworkTV (2011–2022)

On June 15, 2011, WBIN-TV (formerly WZMY-TV) announced its disaffiliation from MyNetworkTV to become an independent station. Shortly after, on June 20, CBS Television Stations secured a deal to bring MyNetworkTV programming to WSBK in Boston. This move was interpreted as a strategic response by CBS following Fox's refusal to affiliate former UPN stations where CBS or Tribune had CW agreements. WSBK officially joined MyNetworkTV on September 19, 2011, adopting the "myTV38" brand and aligning with Miami sister station WBFS-TV as the only CBS-owned stations affiliated with the network.

Return to independence (2022–present)

WSBK-TV discontinued its MyNetworkTV affiliation on September 19, 2022, resuming independent status and leaving Boston without a MyNetworkTV affiliate. The station reinstated its TV38 branding along with the "circle 38" logo. Additionally, in September 2022, the longstanding 50-year agreement for broadcasting Three Stooges shorts expired; although WSBK pursued renewal, Sony Pictures declined to extend it. As a result, New Year's Eve marathons featuring the Three Stooges ended after 2021. (These shorts continue airing on MeTV-affiliated subchannel 5.2 of WCVB.)

Programming

WSBK-TV occasionally carries CBS network content when WBZ-TV preempts regular programming for extended news coverage or special events such as the Boston Marathon and significant funerals.

Sports

For many years, WSBK served as the primary over-the-air broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox and Bruins. The station became the flagship for Red Sox games in 1975 and maintained this role for two decades until losing rights in 1996. After a seven-year gap, WSBK resumed partial Red Sox coverage in collaboration with WBZ-TV starting in 2003 by airing Friday night games; most broadcasts were on NESN, partly owned by the Red Sox. Prominent announcers during this period included Dick Stockton and Sean McDonough. WSBK ceased airing Red Sox games after the 2005 season.

WSBK was also the Bruins’ over-the-air flagship for more than three decades; during part of that time, Storer Broadcasting owned the team. Legendary announcer Fred Cusick handled play-by-play duties. Bruins coverage gradually shifted toward NESN beginning in 1984 and fully departed from WSBK by 2002.

The Celtics’ over-the-air broadcasts were housed at WSBK from 1993 until losing rights to WABU in 1998; currently, NBC Sports Boston covers non-national Celtics games. Between 2005 and 2019, WSBK aired ACC football and basketball through Raycom Sports following Boston College’s entry into the conference; this arrangement ended with ESPN’s launch of the ACC Network cable channel.

In 2007, Major League Soccer designated WSBK as exclusive broadcaster for New England Revolution matches, replacing WLVI and FSN New England. After three seasons, coverage moved to Comcast SportsNet New England (now NBC Sports Boston) in 2010. Revolution telecasts returned to WSBK and sister station WBZ-TV in 2021 but shifted exclusively to MLS Season Pass via Apple TV in 2023.

From 2007 through 2012, WSBK produced over-the-air broadcasts of Eastern Massachusetts High School Football Super Bowls; since then Comcast SportsNet New England has taken over these games. Starting in 2009, audio simulcasts aired on sister radio station WBZ-FM. The station previously aired sports recap programs Red Sox This Week and Patriots This Week, with the latter moving to Comcast SportsNet New England. Additionally, when network commitments prevent coverage on WBZ after Patriots games, WSBK broadcasts postgame "Fifth Quarter" shows.

Local programming

Among WSBK's most memorable past offerings was the engaging and often entertaining series Ask the Manager, initiated by then-general manager William J. Flynn in the mid-1970s. Each week, Flynn and subsequently his successors Joseph C. Dimino, Daniel J. Berkery, and Stuart Tauber responded to viewer inquiries during the broadcast. For many years, announcer Dana Hersey regularly read the letters on-air; other hosts included Sean McDonough and Carla Nolan. Producer Cliff Allen, who occasionally filled in as letter reader, was honored in the series finale aired in January 1999 following his passing weeks earlier. Although the program had limited audience reach, it developed a devoted following. Other local shows over time featured titles such as We Don't Knock, A.M. Boston, and Hersey's Hollywood.

From May 2001 through August 2004, WSBK held broadcasting rights to Lottery Live, presenting Massachusetts State Lottery drawings nightly. After relocating to WBZ's studios, WSBK continued airing these lottery drawings until the contract expired and the broadcasts transitioned to WCVB-TV.

WSBK schedules Phantom Gourmet on weekends subject to programming priorities; since 2009, a half-hour version airs weekdays at noon, with prime time reruns commencing in 2022 following the station’s departure from MyNetworkTV affiliation. In 2007, WSBK brought back Community Auditions, a local talent contest originally broadcast on WBZ-TV from 1965 to 1986. The revived show was hosted by WJMN radio personality Ramiro, with judges Joyce Kulhawik, Candy O'Terry, and J.J. Wright, and benefited from guidance by series creator Dave Maynard until his death in 2012. Initially airing Fridays at 9:30 p.m., it shifted to Saturdays at midnight in fall 2011 and then Sundays at noon in 2012. The program was also syndicated to WWLP Springfield and WPXT Portland and rebroadcast on WBZ-TV.

Newscasts

During its tenure as WIHS-TV, the station maintained a modest news operation featuring former WBZ-TV anchor Victor Best. After rebranding as WSBK-TV, plans for a local 10 p.m. newscast in the 1970s were abandoned due to anticipated low ratings and financial concerns; consequently, WSBK never developed its own news department.

In 1980, WSBK began airing the nationally syndicated Independent Network News (INN), produced by WPIX and Tribune Broadcasting. INN faced challenges in Boston because of late scheduling following sports events and competition from established local newscasts on WBZ-TV, WCVB-TV, and WLVI-TV. INN shifted to WLVI in 1986 but was discontinued after one year without replacement.

On October 25, 1993, WSBK introduced a local 10 p.m. newscast titled WBZ News 4 on TV 38, produced by WBZ-TV; this competed with newscasts on WLVI and NECN-produced programs for WFXT. Following WSBK's acquisition by Paramount, this newscast was canceled on August 6, 1995 due to branding conflicts with "UPN 38". NECN then produced UPN 38 Prime News starting October 2, 1995; however, it generally lagged behind competitors and was discontinued on October 4, 1998 as WSBK shifted its focus toward sports and entertainment content.

After Viacom merged with CBS, WBZ resumed producing news content for WSBK beginning in 2001. On September 3 of that year, WSBK launched a 7 p.m. newscast initially called THE 7 O'Clock News on UPN 38, later renamed WBZ 4 News at 7 O'Clock. This program was replaced on March 29, 2002 by Nightcast at 10 on UPN 38, which debuted April 1. Additionally, an hour-long weekday morning edition aired at 7 a.m., titled The Morning News on UPN 38.

WSBK discontinued Nightcast on January 16, 2005 and relaunched its morning newscast as The Morning Show on April 4; this expanded to an hour from 8 to 9 a.m. in September to accommodate the syndicated program The Daily Buzz. Both shows concluded on June 30, 2006.

With WSBK’s return to independent status, WBZ produced a weeknight newscast named TV 38 News at 9:30, which moved up to a 9 p.m. timeslot on April 23, 2007 under the title TV 38 News at 9, swapping places with a second airing of Jeopardy!. The program was renamed WBZ News on TV 38 on August 25, 2008; it adopted WBZ-TV’s news style and began broadcasting in high definition that December. A rebroadcast of WBZ’s noon newscast briefly aired during late mornings before being replaced by Judge Judy.

Following the start of MyNetworkTV affiliation on September 19, 2011, the prime time newscast returned to the 10 p.m. slot under the name WBZ News at 10. On September 29, 2014 it expanded to a full hour; by August 29, 2016 it aired at 8 p.m., then transitioned exclusively to CBSN Boston simulcast with WSBK-TV on September 24, 2019.

On July 18, 2022, a new CBS News Now-format newscast premiered at 10 p.m., while retaining the existing 8 p.m. broadcast. The 10 p.m. newscast was discontinued August 31, 2023 following the conclusion of CBS News Now across CBS-owned stations; it was succeeded on September 1 by a newly launched WBZ-produced 9 p.m. newscast extending from the existing 8 p.m. program.

Digital subchannels

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

WSBK-TV Subchannel Lineup
Channel	Resolution	Aspect Ratio	Identifier	Content
38.1	1080i	16:9	WSBK-TV	Independent programming
38.2	480i		WSBK.2	Heroes & Icons network
38.3			WSBK.3	QVC shopping channel
38.4			WSBK.4	QVC2 shopping channel
38.5			WSBK.5	Movies!
38.6			WSBK.6	Confess network
66.4 (WUNI)	480i	16:9	CourtTV	Court TV (WUNI affiliate)

Transition from analog to digital

On June 12, 2009, WSBK-TV discontinued its analog transmission on UHF channel 38 in accordance with the national digital conversion deadline. The station's digital broadcast continues on its original pre-transition UHF channel 39 but is displayed as virtual channel 38.

References

WSBK-TV (March 27, 2005). The Boston TV Dial.
WSBK: About UPN38 (2005). UPN38.com.

External links