1953–1958 | 1958–1962 | 1962–1965 | 1965–1969 | 1969-1977 | 1977-1978 | 1979–1984 |
1984–1986 | 1986–1992 | 1992–2003 | 2003–2011 | 2011–2013 | 2013–2021 | 2021–present |
1953–1958[]
WBAY-TV first took to the air on March 17, 1953, becoming the second television station in Wisconsin (after Milwaukee's WTMJ-TV), as well as the first in Wisconsin to launch after the lifting of the FCC's 1948-1952 freeze on television licenses. WBAY-TV was originally owned by the Norbertine Order of Priests, whose abbey is in neighboring De Pere and who operate St. Norbert College in that city. The Norbertines already operated WBAY radio (1360 AM, the present-day WTAQ) in Green Bay and WHBY radio in Appleton when WBAY-TV launched.
As with WTMJ when it was the only station in the Milwaukee market, WBAY originally provided Green Bay audiences with programming from all four networks at the time, primarily with CBS but also secondary arrangements with ABC, DuMont, and NBC. As other stations in Northeast Wisconsin would commence operations, ABC and NBC programming would peel off from WBAY, which would become solely a CBS affiliate when DuMont ceased broadcasting in 1956.
1958–1962[]
1962–1965[]
SVG NEEDED |
1965–1969[]
BETTER LOGO NEEDED |
1969-1977[]
SVG NEEDED |
During the use of this logo, the Norbertines would sell WBAY to Nationwide Communications, which purchased the station from 1974 and operated it until 1993.
1977-1978[]
1979–1984[]
SVG NEEDED |
1984–1986[]
SVG NEEDED |
1986–present[]
This "Circle 2" has been used by WBAY-TV in one variation or another since 1986. The logo has survived an affiliation swap (from CBS to ABC, in 1992), as well as sales to Young Broadcasting (in 1994, along with its two ABC-affiliated sisters WATE-TV/Knoxville and WRIC-TV/Richmond), Media General (in 2013), and Gray Television (WBAY's current owner, in 2017).
1986–1992[]
1992–2003[]
In 1991, CBS purchased the assets of Midwest Television to acquire its long-dominant affiliate WCCO-TV (channel 4) in Minneapolis/St. Paul. However, CBS originally wanted to sell WFRV-TV (channel 5) and its sister station WJMN-TV (channel 3) in Escanaba/Marquette in order to keep its affiliation with WBAY. CBS later kept WFRV/WJMN and WBAY announced that it would affiliate with ABC. On March 15, 1992, WBAY became an ABC affiliate; the CBS affiliation went to WFRV.
2003–2011[]
2011–2013[]
2013–present[]
External links[]