ABC Owned Television Stations
ABC Owned Television Stations is The Walt Disney Company's group of American Broadcasting Company-owned local television stations and the operator of the Localish digital-media network.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
ABC Owned Television Stations is the local-station operating group within the television businesses of The Walt Disney Company. It oversees ABC's owned-and-operated broadcast stations in major United States markets, combining national network distribution with locally produced journalism, weather, traffic, public-affairs programming, advertising sales, syndicated entertainment and digital publishing. The group is distinct from the wider ABC television network: the network supplies national programming, while the owned stations provide the local infrastructure through which that programming reaches viewers in their individual markets. The station group grew out of ABC's early television expansion. ABC's first television outlets signed on in 1948, including WJZ-TV in New York, WENR-TV in Chicago and WXYZ-TV in Detroit, followed by stations such as KGO-TV in San Francisco and KECA-TV in Los Angeles. Its corporate structure changed repeatedly as ABC merged with United Paramount Theatres, became part of Capital Cities/ABC and was acquired by Disney in 1996. Regulatory ownership limits and affiliation realignments also shaped the portfolio. In particular, the 1994–1996 broadcast affiliation changes encouraged ABC to acquire or secure stations in markets where existing affiliations were threatened, including Flint, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio. The group operates as a portfolio rather than as a consumer product brand. Its principal assets are local broadcast licenses, newsrooms, studios, sales organizations and digital teams. Stations generally carry ABC network shows alongside local newscasts and syndicated programs. They also distribute content through station websites, mobile products, social platforms, streaming video and digital multicast channels. Programming relationships have included long-running carriage of syndicated titles such as Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Live with Kelly and Mark, The Tamron Hall Show and Small Town Big Deal, although schedules vary by market. ABC Owned Television Stations has also used its stations as a platform for multicast and digital-media experimentation. ABC News Now was carried on digital subchannels during its experimental period; later initiatives included local-news and public-affairs formats, the Live Well Network, and the Localish venture. Localish, launched nationally in 2018 and formally rebranded under that name in 2020, packages locally reported short-form stories for mobile, social and streaming audiences, extending the station group's local-content strategy beyond linear television. The group's positioning rests on the combination of a nationally recognized network identity and market-specific editorial operations. Its stations compete for local news audiences, broadcast advertising, retransmission value and digital engagement against other network-owned station groups and large broadcast owners. Portfolio composition and internal reporting lines can change as Disney reorganizes its entertainment businesses, but the group's continuing role is ownership and operation of ABC local stations and development of related local content.
History
ABC's owned-station history begins with the development of the ABC television network after World War II. The network's first television station, WJZ-TV in New York, began broadcasting on August 10, 1948. ABC added WENR-TV in Chicago and WXYZ-TV in Detroit during the same year, followed by KGO-TV in San Francisco and KECA in Los Angeles during the following thirteen months. These early outlets established the basic model that continues today: a national network supported by directly controlled local stations that produce market-specific programming. ABC's 1953 merger with United Paramount Theatres brought additional station assets and also created regulatory complications. Because federal rules then restricted common ownership of two television stations in the same market, the merged company could not retain both WBKB and the ABC-related outlet in Chicago. The channel 4 license went to CBS and became WBBM-TV, while the WBKB identity and management moved to channel 7. Ownership rules remained an important influence on later portfolio decisions. In 1985, Capital Cities agreed to acquire ABC in a transaction valued at approximately $3.5 billion. The resulting Capital Cities/ABC company exceeded contemporary FCC station-ownership limits and had to sell or restructure portions of its portfolio. It retained KTRK-TV in Houston, WTVD-TV in Durham and KFSN-TV in Fresno, while other stations were divested or transferred. The company received a waiver allowing it to retain WPVI-TV in Philadelphia despite signal overlap with WABC-TV in New York. The 1994–1996 U.S. broadcast affiliation realignment further changed ABC's station strategy. New World Communications' affiliation agreement with Fox threatened to displace CBS affiliates in several large markets. Scripps stations in Detroit and Cleveland were courted by CBS, and Scripps linked affiliation decisions to a broader agreement with ABC. ABC responded by acquiring WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan, and WTVG in Toledo, Ohio, in 1995, while also arranging affiliation agreements with other station owners. These moves strengthened ABC's distribution in markets affected by the realignment without requiring the network to own every new affiliate. Disney completed its acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC in 1996. The owned television stations were organized alongside other ABC assets, with historical labels including CC/ABC Broadcasting Group and ABC Television Spot Sales. During the Disney era, the group promoted a more unified station identity, encouraging outlets to emphasize ABC and their channel number in consumer marketing rather than relying exclusively on call letters. The stations expanded beyond primary-channel broadcasting as digital television developed. ABC News Now was distributed on digital subchannels of numerous ABC-owned and affiliated stations during its experimental period and was discontinued on those outlets in early 2005. The group subsequently tested local-news and public-affairs formats, worked with AccuWeather on a multicast service, and launched the Live Well Network in 2009. In 2011, Disney sold WJRT-TV and WTVG back to SJL Broadcasting, reducing the owned-station portfolio. Live Well Network was eventually discontinued as a broadly distributed service because ABC Owned Television Stations chose to concentrate on local content and its core local-news brands. The stations later added Laff to third digital subchannels, while Live Well continued for a period on selected ABC-owned outlets. In 2018, the group launched Localish, a digital venture designed around short, locally produced stories distributed through online, mobile and social channels. A Localish compilation special also received broadcast exposure on ABC stations. The brand became the formal name of the initiative in 2020. In the early 2020s, multicast affiliations changed again: Laff was removed from most ABC-owned stations, This TV was adopted as a replacement, and Charge! replaced This TV on participating outlets in 2024. Across these changes, the group has retained a consistent operating purpose: to manage ABC-owned local stations, produce local journalism, distribute network and syndicated programs, sell local advertising and extend station content into digital formats.
- 2020
Localish name adopted
[1]ABC Stations announced that the digital network would use the Localish brand beginning in February.
- 2018
Localish digital venture launches
[1]The group introduced a digital and social-media initiative featuring locally produced short-form stories with national distribution potential.
- 2011
WJRT-TV and WTVG are sold
[1]Disney completed the sale of the two stations back to SJL Broadcasting.
- 2009
Live Well Network launches
[1]ABC-owned stations launched the Live Well Network as a high-definition multicast service.
- 1996
Disney completes acquisition of ABC
[1]The Walt Disney Company acquired Capital Cities/ABC, bringing the owned-station group into Disney's media portfolio.
- 1995
ABC acquires WJRT-TV and WTVG
[1]ABC bought stations in Flint and Toledo in response to the national affiliation realignment associated with New World and Fox.
- 1985
Capital Cities announces ABC acquisition
[1]Capital Cities announced its purchase of ABC, creating Capital Cities/ABC and prompting portfolio changes to comply with broadcast ownership limits.
- 1953
ABC merges with United Paramount Theatres
[1]The merger expanded ABC's media holdings and triggered station-disposition requirements under FCC same-market ownership rules.
- 1948
ABC begins television operations
[1]ABC's first television station, WJZ-TV in New York, signed on August 10, followed by stations in Chicago and Detroit later that year.
Products and positioning
A major U.S. network-owned local television platform combining ABC national programming, trusted-market news operations, broadcast advertising and locally originated digital content.
Broadcast television · 1948
ABC-owned local television stations
The group's core offering is the operation of ABC-owned stations in major U.S. markets. These outlets broadcast ABC's national schedule while producing local news, weather, traffic, investigative reports, public-affairs programming and market-specific promotions. They also generate local advertising inventory and distribute content through station websites, apps, social channels and connected-TV environments.
Digital media and multicast television · 2018
Localish
Localish is ABC Owned Television Stations' local-content digital brand. It packages short-form stories about people, places, food, culture and community life, using reporting and production resources from the stations. The content is distributed through digital, social, streaming and selected broadcast outlets, extending the local station model to audiences beyond traditional linear television.
Multicast television network · 2009
Live Well Network
Live Well Network was a multicast service developed and launched by ABC's owned stations. It carried lifestyle, health and local-originated programming through digital subchannels. ABC later narrowed its distribution and shifted strategic emphasis toward local station brands and content; the network is no longer the group's principal multicast offering.
Digital multicast news service · 2004
ABC News Now
ABC News Now was an experimental digital news service carried for a period on digital subchannels of ABC-owned and affiliated stations. Its distribution ended in early 2005, after which stations used other local-news, public-affairs or multicast programming arrangements.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Localish launch
United States
ABC Owned Television Stations introduced Localish as a digital initiative built from locally produced short-form stories and distributed through social, mobile and online channels. The effort sought to make station journalism and community storytelling relevant to younger, digitally oriented audiences.
Outcome. The initiative continued under the Localish name and became a central digital extension of the station group's local-content strategy.
- 2018More in Common broadcast and digital promotion
United States
More in Common, one of Localish's early series, was distributed digitally and later assembled into a compilation special carried by ABC stations, linking the new digital brand with the group's primary broadcast outlets.
Outcome. Provided early cross-platform exposure for Localish programming.
Brand decisions
2024
Adopt Charge! as multicast replacementStrategyBackground
ABC Owned Television Stations announced another change to its secondary-channel programming arrangements.
Action taken
Charge!, a network associated with Sinclair Broadcast Group, replaced This TV on participating ABC-owned stations effective April 1, 2024.
Aftermath
The change further adjusted the group's digital multicast portfolio while its primary ABC network and local-news operations continued.
2021
Replace Laff with This TVStrategyBackground
Changes in the ownership and distribution arrangements surrounding Scripps' multicast portfolio affected the availability of Laff on ABC-owned stations.
Action taken
ABC-owned stations adopted This TV as a replacement multicast network on most of the group.
Aftermath
This TV was later replaced by Charge! beginning in 2024.
2015
Refocus multicast strategy on local contentStrategyBackground
ABC Owned Television Stations said it wanted to prioritize local content and established local-news brands after deciding to shut down Live Well Network as a broadly distributed service.
Action taken
The group announced the end of broad Live Well Network distribution and arranged for Laff to occupy third digital subchannels at its stations, while retaining Live Well on selected outlets for a period.
Aftermath
The decision preceded further changes to the group's multicast lineup, including later adoption of This TV and Charge!.
Recent events
- 2024
Charge! replaces This TV on ABC-owned stations[1]
Product generation
ABC Owned Television Stations announced that Sinclair's Charge! would replace This TV on the participating stations beginning April 1, 2024.
- 2021
ABC stations replace Laff with This TV[1]
Product generation
Following changes involving Scripps and its Ion Media portfolio, ABC-owned stations moved to This TV as a replacement multicast service on most of the group.
- 2020
Localish becomes the formal brand for ABC's local digital initiative[1]
Product launch
ABC Stations announced that the Localish network and related digital initiative would use the Localish name beginning in February 2020.
- 2018
ABC Owned Television Stations launches Localish digital venture[1]
Product launch
The station group introduced a digital-media initiative built around short-form local stories produced by its stations for mobile, social and online audiences.
Sources1 sources
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