Editing WBAL-TV (section)

===Preemptions and deferrals===
During its initial run as an NBC affiliate, WBAL-TV preempted the first season of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' (which was titled ''NBC's Saturday Night'') because of concerns regarding its fairly edgy content for the time; instead, the station aired movies in the comedy show's time slot throughout that season.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=October 20, 1975 |title=NBC's live Saturday Night, missing on channel 11, is fine television |url=https://baltimoresun.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/159525198/ |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |location= |access-date=November 21, 2024}}</ref> When it cleared the network's entire late night Saturday lineup in the summer of 1976, the station purchased it mainly for the monthly newsmagazine ''[[Weekend (1974 TV program)|Weekend]]'', on which the sketch program's ''[[Weekend Update]]'' segments are based, and which NBC insisted the station pick up alongside ''SNL'' as part of a package deal. The program began running on the station—initially for a trial period—on August 14, 1976, with WBAL-TV airing a disclaimer before the program warning that it contained mature material.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=July 23, 1976 |title=WBAL finally picks up Saturday Night, and good-by Nick Charles |url=https://baltimoresun.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/159524820/ |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |location= |access-date=November 21, 2024}}</ref>

As a CBS affiliate, WBAL-TV preempted an hour of the network's daytime schedule every day, as well as half of its [[Saturday morning cartoon]] lineup. Channel 11 also did not run CBS' [[The CBS Late Movie|late night programming]]. Baltimore viewers who wanted to see the entire CBS lineup could be able to view those programs through [[WUSA (TV)|WDVM-TV/WUSA]] in Washington, which was available over-the-air in most of the adjacent Baltimore area and preempted little network programming. The station also preempted ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' in favor of continuing with ''[[The Arsenio Hall Show]]'' when it debuted in the fall of 1993; in response, CBS arranged for [[WNUV]] to carry the Letterman series instead.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-07-30-1993211231-story.html | title=Letterman lands Baltimore slot with WNUV TURNED ON IN L.A. -- Fall Preview | date=July 30, 1993 }}</ref>

WBAL-TV is one of the few NBC affiliates that does not air the [[Today with Hoda & Jenna|fourth hour]] of ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' (which can be seen in the area via NBC O&O [[WRC-TV]] in Washington).