WBAL-TV (DMA no. 26) has become the second station in Baltimore to transition to local news in HD. The NBC affiliate’s launch last weekend (Jan. 3) came with a new set geared for more depth perception and 16:9, and an HD-centric graphics package.
A second Charm City outlet, WBFF-TV, has already gone local HD. Baltimore shares some viewers in overlapping markets with Washington, D.C. (DMA no. 9) which also has a pair of HD local news channels (ABC affiliate WJLA-TV and CBS affiliate WUSA-TV).
WBAL-TV will also start operating on reduced analog power starting in a couple of weeks (about a month prior to the nationwide Feb. 17 switchover to DTV), according to Web blog DCRTV.com in the nation’s capital.
On Feb. 18, WBAL will move its digital channel from Ch. 59 (UHF) to Ch. 11, its long-established VHF post.
Check the Feb. 4 issue of TV Technology for details on WBAL's new HD news set.
Read all of HD Notebookhere.
