WSBT-TV
A South Bend, Indiana television station carrying CBS on its primary channel and Fox on its second digital subchannel.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WSBT-TV is a television station serving South Bend, Indiana, and the wider Michiana region of northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan. The station broadcasts CBS programming on its primary channel 22 service and Fox programming through its second digital subchannel, branded Fox Michiana. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and operates alongside WSJV, another Sinclair station serving the market. WSBT-TV and WSJV share studio facilities on East Douglas Avenue in Mishawaka, while the station's transmission facilities are located on Ironwood Road in South Bend. The station began broadcasting on December 21, 1952, under the ownership of the South Bend Tribune. Its early facilities occupied a converted radio studio on the third floor of the newspaper's downtown South Bend building. WSBT-TV initially carried programming from all four major U.S. television networks of the period, with CBS as its principal affiliation. The arrival of WSJV in 1954 allowed WSBT-TV to concentrate more fully on CBS programming. The station has retained its CBS affiliation for decades and is recognized as Indiana's longest-serving CBS affiliate. WSBT-TV has a notable history of technical and programming innovation. It was the first UHF station in the United States to produce a live telecast, a short local news bulletin, and became an early broadcaster of high-school basketball. In 1953, it transmitted a closed-circuit broadcast of a Notre Dame football practice so that hospitalized coach Frank Leahy could direct the session. The station began color broadcasting in 1954, making it the first Indiana station to do so. Originally assigned to UHF channel 34, it moved to channel 22 in 1958. The station expanded its local news operation as television technology changed. It launched a digital subchannel in 2003, initially carrying UPN programming under the UPN Michiana identity. After UPN ceased operations in 2006, the service became the independent SBT2. WSBT-TV introduced a high-definition local-news operation from a new Mishawaka facility in 2008, and subsequently added afternoon, weekend-morning, and expanded evening newscasts. The second digital channel became Fox Michiana in 2016 after Fox programming moved from WSJV. Ownership changed substantially in the 2010s. Schurz Communications announced in 2015 that it would leave broadcasting and sell its stations to Gray Television. Gray retained WNDU-TV in South Bend and arranged to exchange WSBT-TV with Sinclair for WLUC-TV in Michigan. The transaction was approved by the Federal Communications Commission in February 2016 and completed that month, separating WSBT-TV from the South Bend Tribune and the former WSBT radio group. Sinclair has continued operating the station as a CBS/Fox combination with a substantial local-news presence. WSBT-TV also supplies or has supplied centralized newscast production for selected Sinclair sister stations outside the South Bend market.
History
WSBT-TV signed on December 21, 1952, as a South Bend Tribune-owned station. Its first studios were installed in a converted radio facility in the Tribune's downtown building. The station initially carried all four major networks then operating in the United States, although CBS was its primary affiliation. When WSJV began broadcasting in 1954, WSBT-TV dropped its secondary relationships with NBC, ABC, and DuMont and continued primarily as a CBS station. Its early technical history was unusually distinguished for a UHF outlet. WSBT-TV produced what is described as the first live telecast by a UHF station in the United States, a brief local news bulletin. It also became an early broadcaster of high-school basketball and transmitted a closed-circuit Notre Dame football practice in 1953 so that hospitalized coach Frank Leahy could direct the session. The station began color broadcasts in 1954, the first Indiana station reported to do so. It originally transmitted on channel 34 before moving to channel 22 in 1958. The station and the South Bend Tribune benefited from a federal cross-ownership grandfather provision when the Federal Communications Commission later restricted newspaper and television ownership in the same market. This relationship continued for many years, making WSBT-TV part of a broader local media operation that also included WSBT radio properties. The station remained a long-tenured CBS affiliate and developed a substantial local-news operation. WSBT-TV entered digital broadcasting in 2001 and launched a UPN service on its second digital channel in 2003. When UPN ended in 2006, the subchannel became the independent SBT2. A new all-digital Mishawaka facility opened in 2008, enabling high-definition local newscasts and consolidating operations away from the former downtown studio building. The station expanded its schedule with a 4 p.m. newscast in 2014 and a Sunday morning newscast in 2015. In 2016, the second digital channel became Fox Michiana after Fox programming moved from WSJV. The transition included a temporary simulcast on WSJV and an expansion of news programming on the Fox service. In 2015, Schurz Communications announced plans to sell its broadcast properties to Gray Television. Because Gray already owned WNDU-TV in the same market, WSBT-TV was exchanged to Sinclair Broadcast Group for WLUC-TV. The FCC approved the transaction on February 12, 2016, and the sale closed on February 16. This separated WSBT-TV from the South Bend Tribune and from the radio group bearing the WSBT name. Under Sinclair, the station continued its CBS/Fox structure and entered into broader content and centralized-production relationships. From 2017 through 2023, it produced newscasts for Sinclair's WNWO-TV in Toledo, Ohio, and it continues to provide production services for WOLF-TV in Pennsylvania.
- 2016
Sinclair ownership and Fox affiliation
[1]Sinclair acquires the station, and WSBT-DT2 becomes Fox Michiana on August 1.
- 2014
First 4 p.m. newscast launches
[1]WSBT-TV adds a weekday afternoon local-news broadcast.
- 2008
Digital Mishawaka facility opens
[1]The station begins broadcasting local news in high definition from its new facility.
- 2003
UPN Michiana launches
[1]The second digital channel begins carrying UPN programming.
- 2001
Digital signal launches
[1]WSBT-TV begins digital broadcasting.
- 1958
Channel assignment changes to 22
[1]The station moves from analog UHF channel 34 to channel 22.
- 1954
Color broadcasting begins
[1]WSBT-TV becomes the first Indiana station identified in the source material as broadcasting in color.
- 1953
Early UHF sports and remote-broadcast innovations
[1]The station broadcasts high-school basketball and a closed-circuit Notre Dame football practice.
- 1952
Station signs on
[1]WSBT-TV begins broadcasting in South Bend on December 21 as a South Bend Tribune property.
Products and positioning
A locally focused broadcast television station combining a long-standing CBS affiliation, a Fox digital subchannel, regional news and weather coverage, and Sinclair-owned shared production capabilities.
Local television news
WSBT 22 News
The station's principal local-news service, covering South Bend and the surrounding Michiana region. The schedule includes weekday morning, afternoon, evening, and late-night programming, together with weekend broadcasts. WSBT-TV also distributes related weather, traffic, and regional reporting through digital channels and media partnerships.
Digital television subchannel · 2016
Fox Michiana
WSBT-DT2's Fox-affiliated service. It replaced the earlier SBT2 independent service in 2016 after Fox programming moved from WSJV. The subchannel also carries locally produced news, including expanded morning and late-evening programming.
Network television affiliate · 1952
CBS channel 22 service
WSBT-TV's primary broadcast service, combining CBS network programming with the station's main local-news, weather, public-affairs, and sports output. The station has maintained a CBS affiliation since its early operating years.
Brand decisions
2016
Transfer from Gray Television to Sinclair Broadcast GroupM&ABackground
Schurz Communications was leaving broadcasting, while Gray already owned another South Bend television station.
Action taken
Gray exchanged WSBT-TV to Sinclair for WLUC-TV in Marquette, Michigan. The FCC approved the transaction on February 12, and the deal closed on February 16.
Aftermath
WSBT-TV became separated from the South Bend Tribune and the former WSBT radio group and joined Sinclair's station portfolio.
Announced value of Schurz's broader sale to Gray Television. $442.5 million (2015 announcement)
2016
Fox affiliation moves to WSBT-DT2StrategyBackground
A network-affiliation arrangement transferred Fox programming from WSJV to WSBT's second digital channel.
Action taken
WSBT-DT2 became Fox Michiana on August 1, with a temporary WSJV simulcast supporting the audience transition.
Aftermath
The subchannel added expanded local-news hours and became the station's Fox outlet.
2008
Conversion to high-definition local newsOtherBackground
Digital television required upgraded production infrastructure and a purpose-built facility.
Action taken
WSBT-TV opened an all-digital Mishawaka facility and began airing local newscasts in high definition.
Aftermath
The station became the first South Bend-market outlet to broadcast local news in high definition.
2003
Launch of the UPN digital subchannelProduct launchBackground
WSBT-TV was expanding its digital service and created a second channel for additional network programming.
Action taken
The station launched UPN Michiana on WSBT-DT2.
Aftermath
After UPN shut down in 2006, the channel was renamed SBT2 and operated as an independent service until its later Fox affiliation.
Sources2 sources
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