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WMBB signed on the air on October 4, 1973 as
WDTB-TV, an NBC affiliate.
On February 28, 1977, WDTB was sold to Octagon Broadcasting of Atlanta, Georgia
and the call letters were changed to WMBB-TV, home of the World's Most Beautiful
Beaches.
On January 4, 1982,
WMBB-TV changed its network affiliation from NBC to ABC. Buford Television of
Tyler, Texas bought the station on December 5, 1986, and invested major capital
for both technical and on-air improvements.
Then on May 18, 1989 at
2:03PM an Air Force F-15 clipped a guy wire at the Frink, Florida transmitter
site - causing the tower, antenna and transmitter to be completely destroyed.
Spartan Communications, Inc. out of Spartanburg, South Carolina purchased the
station on April 12, 1990 as the construction stages of a complete new tower,
transmitter and antenna installation had just begun.
On August 6, 1990 WMBB-TV
began broadcasting from a new 1,500-foot state-of-the-art tower and transmitter
one mile south of Youngstown, Florida. This new transmission facility gives the
station the best coverage available in the Panama City market.
 Here is a
picture of our resident Osprey nest that resides atop our 75ft tower at the
Station in downtown Panama City. The Station is about three blocks from
the Bay and each year a pair of Osprey raise their young in this nest. In the right column, we have a more more detailed image of our
tower and the nest as well as a picture of Mom Osprey sitting on one of our
antennas.
WMBB is owned by Media
General, Inc., Richmond, Virginia and is part of one of the largest station
groups in the southeast with 26 television stations. Media General also
owns various weekly and daily newspapers throughout the country.
WMBB-TV currently serves
nine counties in the panhandle representing over 112,000 homes and a viewing
audience in excess of 258,000. Panama City is currently ranked 157th in market
size and is considered by many to be located in one of the fastest growing areas
in the state of Florida.
WMBB Coverage |
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Here's Mom Osprey... sitting on one of our "baseball bat" antennas connected to a tower leg and caught by our TowerCam.
OSPREY
COMMON NAME: Osprey
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pandion haliaetus
IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS:
Wingspan four and a half to six feet; length 22 to 25 inches. They are dark brown above, white below, and have a white head with a prominent black eye stripe. Females usually have a dark spotted "necklace."
RANGE:
Ospreys have a worldwide distribution, being found at some time in their life cycle on every continent except Antarctica. They are found breeding in Scotland, and from Scandinavia across northern Europe and Asia to the Pacific. Many of these birds winter in Africa. They also breed in Australia and some of the surrounding Pacific Islands. In North America, ospreys breed from Alaska to Nova Scotia south to the Great Lakes states and along both coasts of the United States into Florida on the Atlantic and Sinola on the Pacific. Breeding ospreys are also found along the Gulf of Mexico from Florida through Texas, and on some of the Caribbean Islands. Migratory ospreys are found during the winter through Mexico, Central America, and South America. Ospreys are found year-round in Baja, Mexico, south Florida, and south Texas. In Minnesota they are common on northern lakes and along the St. Croix river during the summer. Recent reintroduction efforts have led to more than a dozen pairs nesting in the Twin Cities area.
This is the top third of our station tower behind WMBB studios on Harrison Avenue in downtown Panama City, Florida |
HABITAT:
Found near water, they usually nest near the top of large trees but will nest on artificial structures such as power poles, channel markers, or special "osprey platforms." (Two-thirds of the ospreys in Wisconsin nest on artificial structures.) They also nest on cliffs.
This is the top third of our station tower behind WMBB studios on Harrison Avenue in downtown Panama City, Florida
NESTING:
Ospreys build a bulky nest of sticks similar to eagle nests. In some places they nest in colonies. Ospreys lay three to four eggs that hatch in about 30 days.
FEEDING HABITS:
Almost exclusively a fish eater, the osprey is noted for its feet-first plunge into the water when catching fish. Special adaptations for fishing include a reversible front toe and spicules on the bottoms of their feet for grasping slippery fish. After catching a fish, the bird carries it in a head-first orientation as it flies back to the nest.
RAPTOR CENTER DATA:
One of the most difficult raptors to maintain in captivity, it is often very nervous and unwilling to eat. The Raptor Center has been involved in an effort to reintroduce ospreys to the Twin Cities area since 1984.
CONSERVATION STATUS:
Ospreys have suffered worldwide from the poisonous effects of organochlorides (DDT), habitat loss, and persecution. Listed as a species of "special concern" in Minnesota. |
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