Waterman Broadcasting Corporation was a small American television broadcasting company based in Fort Myers, Florida. It was founded in 1978 by Bernard Waterman and was concurrent with the purchase of WBBH-TV from Broadcast Telecasting Services, Inc. [1]
On April 5, 2023, it was announced that Hearst Television would be purchasing NBC affiliate WBBH from Waterman Broadcasting for $220.5 million, pending FCC approval. The purchase would also include the LMA rights to Montclair Communications-owned ABC sister WZVN, meaning that Waterman Broadcasting ceased operations June 30, 2023. [2] [3] [4]
City of license/Market | Station | Channel TV (RF) | Years owned | Current ownership status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fort Myers, Florida | WBBH-TV | 15 (20) | 1979–2023 | NBC affiliate owned by Hearst Television |
Naples/Fort Myers, Florida | WZVN-TV | 26 (28) | 1994–2023 [lower-alpha 1] | ABC affiliate owned by Montclair Communications (operated under an LMA by Hearst Television) |
Charlottesville, Virginia | WVIR-TV | 29 (2) | 1986–2019 | dual NBC/The CW affiliate owned by Gray Television |
Hearst Television, Inc. is a broadcasting company in the United States owned by Hearst Communications, made up of a group of television and radio stations, and Hearst Media Production Group, a distributor of programming in broadcast syndication.
Gray Television, Inc. is an American publicly traded television broadcasting company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1946 by James Harrison Gray as Gray Communications Systems, the company owns or operates 180 stations across the United States in 113 markets. Its station base consists of all ranges of media markets, from as large as Atlanta, to one of the smallest markets, North Platte, Nebraska.
WVTM-TV is a television station in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities atop Red Mountain, between Vulcan Trail and Valley View Drive in southeastern Birmingham, adjacent to the Vulcan Statue and next to the studios of Fox affiliate WBRC.
Fox Television Stations, LLC, also known as FTS and Fox Television Stations Group, LLC, is a group of television stations in the United States owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Corporation.
The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is headquartered at the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way", which is symbolized by the media empire's longtime lighthouse logo.
New World Pictures was an American independent production, distribution, and multimedia company. It was founded in 1970 by Roger Corman and Gene Corman as New World Pictures, Ltd., a producer and distributor of motion pictures, eventually expanding into television production in 1984. New World eventually expanded into broadcasting with the acquisition of seven television stations in 1993, with the broadcasting unit expanding through additional purchases made during 1994.
WJCL is a television station in Savannah, Georgia, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains a transmitter in unincorporated western Chatham County, near Bloomingdale. Its studios are located in the Savannah Morning News building on Chatham Parkway in Savannah. The building also houses its former sister station, Hardeeville, South Carolina–licensed Fox affiliate WTGS, which now operates separately from WJCL.
WINK-TV is a television station licensed to Fort Myers, Florida, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for Southwest Florida. It is owned by the McBride family and their Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, making it one of a handful of TV stations today to have locally-based ownership. Fort Myers Broadcasting also provides certain services to three Naples-licensed stations under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Sun Broadcasting: CW affiliate WXCW, low-power Univision affiliate WUVF-LD, and low-power Azteca América affiliate WANA-LD. The stations share studios on Palm Beach Boulevard in northeast Fort Myers, while WINK-TV's transmitter is located north of Fort Myers Shores, near the Charlotte–Lee county line.
WFTX-TV is a television station licensed to Cape Coral, Florida, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for Southwest Florida. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has studios on Southwest Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, and its transmitter is located near Punta Gorda near the Charlotte and Lee county line.
WZVN-TV is a television station licensed to Naples, Florida, United States, serving Southwest Florida as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Montclair Communications, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Hearst Television, owner of Fort Myers–licensed NBC affiliate WBBH-TV, for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on Central Avenue in Fort Myers, while WZVN-TV's transmitter is located along SR 31 in unincorporated southeastern Charlotte County. WZVN-TV is branded as "ABC 7", in reference to its channel location on most cable systems in the market.
WBBH-TV is a television station licensed to Fort Myers, Florida, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for Southwest Florida. It is owned by Hearst Television, which provides certain services to Naples-licensed ABC affiliate WZVN-TV under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Montclair Communications. Both stations share studios on Central Avenue in Fort Myers, while WBBH-TV's transmitter is located along SR 31 in unincorporated southeastern Charlotte County. The station is known as NBC 2, reflecting its primary channel number on local cable television systems.
WVLA-TV is a television station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by White Knight Broadcasting, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of Fox affiliate WGMB-TV, CW owned-and-operated station WBRL-CD and independent station KZUP-CD, for the provision of certain services. The stations share studios on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, while WVLA-TV's transmitter is located near Addis, Louisiana.
WVIR-TV is a television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on East Market Street in downtown Charlottesville, and its transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city.
"WNFM" was a MyNetworkTV-affiliated cable channel serving Fort Myers and Naples, Florida, United States. The call sign is fictional as the channel was not licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It was broadcast exclusively on Comcast channel 8 and was operated from Comcast's Southwest Florida headquarters south of Naples Manor on Tower Road along SR 951/Collier Boulevard. WNFM was the largest cable-only MyNetworkTV affiliate.
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Lilly Broadcasting, LLC is a privately owned American broadcasting company owned and operated by the Lilly Brothers’ Brian Lilly and Kevin Lilly. The company was founded in September 1999 with the purchase of WENY-TV (ABC) and WENY-FM & AM radio. In 2002, Kevin Lilly purchased WSEE-TV (CBS) in Erie, Pennsylvania and have since added the CBS and The CW affiliates in Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and ABC in the Virgin Islands.
WUVF-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Naples, Florida, United States, serving Southwest Florida as an affiliate of Univision and UniMás. Locally owned by Sun Broadcasting, it is sister to two other Naples-licensed stations: CW affiliate WXCW and low-power WANA-LD. Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, which owns Fort Myers-licensed CBS affiliate WINK-TV, operates WUVF, WXCW, and WANA under a shared services agreement (SSA). The stations share studios on Palm Beach Boulevard in northeast Fort Myers, while WUVF-LD's transmitter is located on Channel 30 Drive.
WAVV is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Naples Park, Florida. It serves Lee and Collier Counties, including the Fort Myers-Naples radio market. WAVV is owned by Fort Myers Broadcasting Company and it airs a soft adult contemporary radio format.
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