WBOR-TV

WBOR-TV, virtual and UHF digital channel 12, is an RKO Network-owned-and-operated TV station licensed to, , United States and serving the area. The station is owned by the RKO Network Stations LLC division of Zabrus Global Media, and operates as part of a triopoly with RKO Latino affiliate WBOL-TV (which is simulcast on WBOR-DT2) and -licensed independent station WOCS-TV. The three stations share studios at Black Falcon Pier at in ; WBOR's transmitter is located off Pine Street in.

It is the Boston flagship over-the-air TV station of the Boston Beacons of the Professional Soccer League (PSL) and the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

History
WBOR-TV signed-on July 26, 1954 with station identification followed by an airing of the film Citizen Kane. The transmitter and original studios were in. In March 1955, the station swapped radio frequencies from VHF channel 12 to UHF channel 12, this was done to give a strong broadcast signal which did not interfere with nearby CBS affiliate, which also broadcasts on channel 12.

The station moved into three floors of the Leon Electric Building in in 1995, bringing a new news studio along with it.

During the 2020 election, WBOR, along with other RKO owned-and-operated stations, were accussed of showing signs of rebellion against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations's requiring over-the-air commercial TV stations with licenses issued by the FCC to air political ads. WBOR deliberately scheduled airings of political ads, especially attack ads, during the commercial breaks of lesser-viewed programs such as E/I (educational-and-informative) children's shows, a similar practice to that of sister station WRKO-TV.

Programming
WBOR-TV supplements the full RKO Network schedule with syndicated programming such as King of the Hill, The Simpsons, Small Wonder, Maximum Exposure, Schitt's Creek, The Andy Griffith Show, Malcolm in the Middle, Webster, Forensic Files, Doctor Who, Everybody Hates Chris, and Storrs Media/Telco Productions' E/I TV programs: DragonflyTV, Animal Rescue, and Missing.

The station's weekday & weekend evening weatherman Ray Agnoletto, who has been with WBOR-TV since 1978, is also known for his segments where he wishes viewers, especially centenarians, a happy birthday on-air, titled Prince Spaghetti Birthday Wishes.

For many years, WBOR has often fostered an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. The station has used it's "One of the Good Things..." jingle (which in  also notably uses a version of) and the "Move Closer to Your World" news theme (also still used by  in ) since the 1970s.

Other well-known locally produced shows include Dizzino's Wonderland, the world's longest running local TV children's show airing since 1966.

News operation
WBOR-TV presently broadcasts 64½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 10½ hours each weekday, 5½ hours on Saturdays and 6½ hours on Sundays). The station's newscasts have used the same theme song, "" by, since 1975 (using MCTYW '72 for General Newscasts and MCTYW '91 for Breaking News). In Boston, "Move Closer to Your World" has been dubbed the "Love Theme from WBOR 12 NewsCenter" by not only longtime WBOR 12 NewsCenter news director Sally Bagnis-Alexander, but also the general public in Boston. WBOR is also known for it's WBOR 12 TalkBack segments (similar to WNEP's Talkback 16 segments).

In 1985, WBOR introduced the first WBOR 12 SkyEye helicopter, an, this helicopter is currently on display at the. The current WBOR 12 SkyEye team contains of two helicopters. In 2003, WBOR 12 SeaEye debuted as the first speedboat used for news station marine reports, and the WBOR 12 SkyDrone, a news drone, debuted in 2019. WBOR also uses WBOR 12 StormEnforcer, a storm-chaser satellite truck that debuted in 2017.

In 1998, WBOR-TV began using "WBOR 12 DopplerBubble", a doppler weather radar system based at the station's Dover transmitter site for use in weather forecast segments within its newscasts and severe weather cut-ins; the radar system integrates the data from WBOR's radar with NEXRAD data from National Weather Service radars in and around the Greater Boston area.

Sal A. Burkett, a native, has been stage director since 1993. He is also the host of WBOR 12 TalkBack. A alumni of (working there from 1983-1986), Sal also worked on the Grammys ceremonies in 1988 and 1989 and was the stage manager for the 1991 -produced Italian TV series C'est moi Xuxa! hosted by.

The popularity of Move Closer to Your World in Boston caused a popular parody with locals "Move Closer to Boston".

Newscast themes

 * "" by (1975-present) (General Newscasts Theme)
 * "Move Closer to Your World '91" by (1994-present) (Breaking News & Promo Theme)

Notable current on-air staff

 * Edward St. John - weekday morning anchor (formerly with, , , , and )
 * Elizabeth Baëta-Quansah - weekday morning anchor (formerly with )
 * Amanda Nahng - weekday morning meteorologist (AMS Seal of Approval)
 * Gil John Forrester - weekday morning traffic reporter
 * Esteban Olazábal Loya - weekday evening anchor
 * Kenneth Royce - weekday evening anchor
 * Marissa Hopoate - weekday evening anchor (formerly with )
 * Ray Agnoletto - weekday & weekend evening weatherman (AMS Seal of Approval)
 * Luigi Agnoletto II - weekday & weekend evening traffic reporter
 * Jamie Breathnach - weekday reporter
 * Douglas McWhirter - weekday reporter (formerly with, , , and )
 * Frank Gjertsen - weekday reporter (formerly with and )
 * Tamara Ghazzawi - weekday reporter (formerly with and )
 * Manjula Bir Singh - weekday reporter
 * Betsy Rabinowitz - weekday reporter (formerly with and )
 * Alicia Kavanaugh Jr. - weekday reporter (formerly with WCSM-TV)
 * Frank Fitzpatrick - weekday reporter
 * Rebekah Samejima - weekday reporter
 * Ivan F. Rees - weekday reporter (formerly with and )
 * Alan Kempthorne - weekday reporter (formerly with WMOM-TV and )
 * Nathan Haim - weekday sports reporter
 * Wayne Ovadia - weekend morning anchor
 * Karla Narjinari - weekend morning anchor
 * Alan den Ouden - weekend morning anchor (formerly with and )
 * Bruce Thormaigh - weekend morning anchor
 * Nolan Burger - weekend morning weatherman (AMS Seal of Approval)
 * R. Jackson Bochart - weekend morning traffic reporter
 * Rick & Thomas Tremain - weekend evening anchors (formerly with and )
 * Alice Heidegger - weekend evening anchor (formerly with, , and )
 * Barry Talukdar - weekend evening anchor
 * Sinead Ashley-Cooper - weekend reporter (formerly with and )
 * Barry Quast - weekend reporter
 * Martin Boghossian - weekend reporter (formerly with and )
 * Steve S. Green - weekend reporter
 * Tracy Madeline Hetherington - weekend reporter (formerly with, , and )
 * Nicholas O'Conghaile - weekend reporter
 * Casper Yamadayev - weekend reporter (formerly with, , WBNB-TV, and )
 * Meghan Alcalá-Galiano - weekend reporter (formerly with )
 * George Beanland Jr. - weekend reporter
 * Ashlee Bonniwell - weekend reporter (formerly with KLET Student News)
 * Benjamin Van Zyl - weekend sports reporter
 * Moe Gjonbalaj - consumer investigator (WBOR 12 Let Moe Know)
 * Jeffrey Hannola - investigative reporter (WBOR 12 Jeffrey to the Rescue)
 * Jerry Siqueiros - helicopter reporter (WBOR 12 SkyEye) (formerly with, , & , and )
 * Alex Schwartzreich - helicopter reporter (WBOR 12 SkyEye)
 * Van "Coyote" Duong - drone operator (WBOR 12 SkyDrone)
 * Phil Buschmann-Scott - marine reporter (WBOR 12 SeaEye)
 * Marshall Giuffrida - marine boat pilot (WBOR 12 SeaEye)
 * Monica Hattestad - weather reporter/storm chaser (WBOR 12 StormEnforcer)

Notable former on-air staff

 * Flynn Burton - Anchor/reporter
 * Memphis Kobel - meteorologist (now at KRKO-TV)