WMBD

WMBD WMBD News | CBS Channel 31 | Peoria/Bloomington This is WMBD on the World's Most Beautiful Drive at Peoria, Illinois."

With those words on February 14, 1927, the station began its history of broadcasting under those call letters. Enos Kahler was the speaker, the site was his own living room and the equipment consisted of a generator, transmitter, and microphone that he himself had built. From that early beginning WMBD occupied quarters on the second floor of what is now the downtown First National Bank Building an

d in the historic old Majestic Theatre - well-known in bygone vaudeville days. The building, with its many floors ranging from sub-basement to small loft rooms, was an interesting, intriguing setting for the stations. Live entertainment performances took place in the large studio there and included singers, a 16-piece band, a studio pipe organ, and two grand pianos. Weekly auditions were held for announcers, dramatists and comedians. Among the live presentations were Farmer Bill's specialties, the Saturday Night Barn Dances...and the reading of the Sunday funnies. Because of downtown development taking place in the 1970's, it became necessary for WMBD to move once again. After tremendous effort in transforming an empty warehouse-type structure to that of a viable broadcasting unit, WMBD moved to its present location at 3131 North University in June, 1977, still remaining Peoria's only commercial television station to actually have studios in the city itself. WMBD-TV's first sign-on was January 1, 1958; in the early 1960's it was the first local station to broadcast color television. It became the area's first stereo television station in September, 1988. In 1999 WMBD-TV and our sister station in Champaign WCIA-TV were purchased by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group based in Texas. In 2002 Nexstar and The Sinclair Broadcast Group entered into a Leased Management Agreement for WMBD to operate WYZZ-TV, the Fox affiliate for Central Illinois. Through the years, WMBD has been a stopping-off place for many of the great names in broadcasting. Some of those names are Jack Brickhouse, Jim Jensen, John Coleman, Vince Lloyd, Carol LeBeau, Sally Larvick, Bruce Asbury, Bob Starr, Bob Jamieson, Tom Kelly, Faith Daniels, Bob Buck, Mark Holtz, Jack Quinlan, Martin Savidge, and Susan Parks.

President Trump suggested on Wednesday that the UFC arena currently under construction on the White House’s South Lawn c...
06/04/2026

President Trump suggested on Wednesday that the UFC arena currently under construction on the White House’s South Lawn could be a permanent addition. Full story in the comments.

Americans who receive Social Security checks could see benefit checks cut by $500 a month on average if the program is a...
06/04/2026

Americans who receive Social Security checks could see benefit checks cut by $500 a month on average if the program is allowed to hit its projected “go-broke” date in late 2032, according to a new analysis.

NASA has officially declared the MAVEN spacecraft dead after months with no communication. Full story in the comments.
06/04/2026

NASA has officially declared the MAVEN spacecraft dead after months with no communication. Full story in the comments.

The United States Department of Agriculture announced on social media that a case of the New World screwworm may have be...
06/04/2026

The United States Department of Agriculture announced on social media that a case of the New World screwworm may have been detected in South Texas.

While screwworm primarily impacts livestock, the flies can target any warm-blooded animal, including humans.

This is the fifth year the YANI Collective has hosted Juneteenth Fest and the third year in collaboration with the Peori...
06/04/2026

This is the fifth year the YANI Collective has hosted Juneteenth Fest and the third year in collaboration with the Peoria Branch NAACP.

The YANI Collective’s annual Juneteenth Fest will be held at the Peoria Riverfront on June 13, featuring a fashion show, health fair, parade, alumni basketball game, youth haircuts, community…

Unexpected finds, lack of schematic drawings and other issues have stalled but not killed the planned revitalization of ...
06/04/2026

Unexpected finds, lack of schematic drawings and other issues have stalled but not killed the planned revitalization of a Downtown Peoria city block. Details in the comments.

A few disturbances will help kick off multiple rounds of showers and storms that should bring some welcomed rain to cent...
06/04/2026

A few disturbances will help kick off multiple rounds of showers and storms that should bring some welcomed rain to central Illinois.

PEORIA, ILL. (WMBD) — After a wet start to spring, conditions really dried up in May as Peoria only received 1.25″ of rain, nearly 3.50″ below average for the month. The last time…

06/04/2026

As families head to pools, lakes, and beaches this summer, water safety experts are urging parents to take extra precautions.

After more than a decade at the top of the Fortune 500 rankings, Walmart has officially been dethroned.
06/03/2026

After more than a decade at the top of the Fortune 500 rankings, Walmart has officially been dethroned.

Nearly one month after Adams and Jefferson streets switched from one-way to two-way traffic in downtown Peoria, city lea...
06/03/2026

Nearly one month after Adams and Jefferson streets switched from one-way to two-way traffic in downtown Peoria, city leaders said the transition is going better than expected. Full story in the comments.

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3131 N. University
Peoria, IL

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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