#WTOK TV NEWS CENTER 11 LICENSE#

In addition, the sale would give Gray ownership of at least one station in nearly every television market in Mississippi (the exceptions being Greenville and the adjacent Columbus-Tupelo market). The deal would give WTOK-TV new sister stations in Raycom's virtual triopoly of NBC affiliate WLBT, Fox affiliate WDBD and MyNetworkTV affiliate WLOO in Jackson. On June 25, 2018, Gray Television announced it would acquire Montgomery, Alabama–based Raycom Media for $3.65 billion. WTOK-TV has been digital-only since June 12, 2009. When Benedek's parent company went bankrupt in 2002, current owner Gray Television bought most of the Benedek portfolio, including WTOK. That year, Benedek Broadcasting bought WTOK. In 1988, then-owner United Broadcasting was taken over by investment firm Merrill Lynch, who then sold its three stations off to separate buyers. WTOK also served as a partial Fox affiliate in the mid-1990s, carrying NFL broadcasts as well as selected Fox programming in late night time-slots, after ABC programming had ended for the day. WTOK-TV was fortunate enough to gain that license, and consequently became the only station to serve the Meridian area until WHTV started in 1968 (however, that station went off the air in 1970, for a year and a half) WMAW (a Mississippi Public Broadcasting station) would not sign on until 1972.

#WTOK TV NEWS CENTER 11 LICENSE#

This created a 'doughnut' in East Central Mississippi where there was only one VHF license available. H&C then sold WTOK to United Broadcasting, who also owned KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1984.Īlthough most media markets were allocated two VHF commercial channels and one VHF noncommercial channel, what would become of the Meridian media market was sandwiched between Columbus–Tupelo (channels 2, 4, and 9) to the north, Jackson (channel 3 and later channel 12) to the west, Hattiesburg– Laurel (channel 9, later 7) and Mobile (channels 3, 5, and 10) to the south, and Birmingham (channels 6, 10, and 13) and Montgomery (channels 8 and 12) to the east. In 1983, the Hobbys reorganized their broadcast holdings as H&C Communications after they sold off the Houston Post.

Wright also owned The Meridian Star, and was forced to sell channel 11 to the Hobby family of Houston in 1981 as a result of FCC action six years earlier prohibiting cross-ownership between a town's only newspaper and TV station. ABC had become the highest-rated network in the nation by this time and wanted a station that would clear all of its programming. It became an exclusive ABC affiliate on April 1, 1980, sending CBS to WHTV when WTVA's owners decided to convert it into a separate station. DuMont folded in 1955 and NBC went to WHTV (channel 24, now WMDN) when that station resumed broadcasting in 1972 (via its status as a satellite of Tupelo's WTWV, now WTVA). WTOK started as a primary CBS affiliate but carried programming from ABC, NBC, and DuMont as well. WJTV in Jackson had started broadcasting in January of that year on a UHF frequency. Wright, and its first program was a football game between Dartmouth and Holy Cross. WTOK was originally owned by Southern Television Corporation founded by Robert F. WTOK-TV began broadcasting on Septem as the second television station in Mississippi and the first on the VHF band. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios on 23rd Avenue in Meridian's Mid-Town section its transmitter is located on Crestview Circle (along MS 145/Roebuck Drive) in unincorporated Lauderdale County, south of the city. WTOK-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Meridian, Mississippi, United States, affiliated with ABC, MyNetworkTV and The CW Plus.

Wtok tv news center 11