WBFS-TV

WBFS-TV is a full-power television station serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and the wider South Florida market. Broadcasting on virtual channel 33, the station is affiliated with The CW and is owned by CBS News and Stations alongside WFOR-TV, the CBS owned-and-operated station serving Miami. The stations operate from shared facilities in Doral, while WBFS-TV's transmitter is located in Andover, Florida. The channel 33 allocation had remained unused by a full-power station for more than three decades. Several applicants obtained or pursued construction permits from the 1950s through the 1970s, including proposals involving Spanish-language broadcasting and subscription television, but none reached regular operation. A successful application emerged in the late 1970s from Miami STV Inc., associated with the Block family of Milwaukee and the SelecTV subscription television service. The station eventually abandoned the subscription model, adopted the WBFS-TV call sign, and was constructed with financial involvement from the Shlenker Group. WBFS-TV began broadcasting on December 9, 1984, as the first station launched by the Grant Broadcasting System. Grant marketed it aggressively as “Florida's Super Station,” emphasizing its high-power signal, polished presentation, extensive syndicated-program purchasing, and local sports rights. The station quickly became a strong independent competitor in South Florida and reached parity with WCIX among the market's leading independent stations by 1986. Its growth strategy, however, relied on expensive syndicated programming, major promotional spending, and substantial leverage. A slowdown in advertising and rising programming costs contributed to Grant's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in December 1986. Following Grant's receivership, WBFS was controlled by Combined Broadcasting, a creditor-led company. It remained comparatively successful and developed a notable sports profile, carrying games involving the Miami Heat, Florida Marlins, and Florida Panthers during different periods. Combined sold the station to Paramount Stations Group in the mid-1990s. WBFS joined the United Paramount Network at that network's January 1995 launch and became part of the Viacom-CBS station family after Viacom merged with CBS in 2000. In 2001, its operations were consolidated with WFOR-TV in Doral. WBFS was not selected as a charter affiliate of The CW when UPN and The WB were replaced in 2006. Instead, it joined MyNetworkTV, carrying that service's programming for many years. By 2023, it had stopped airing MyNetworkTV programming and operated as an independent station. CBS later reached an agreement for WBFS to become Miami's CW affiliate on September 1, 2024, replacing WSFL-TV. The station has periodically carried news programming produced by WFOR-TV. Its locally branded news efforts have included a 10 p.m. newscast, a short-lived weekday morning extension, a later 9 p.m. newscast using CBS News Now branding, and a subsequently restored locally produced 9 p.m. program. WBFS also carries selected sports, including regional Inter Miami CF matches with WFOR-TV and a later arrangement to simulcast selected Miami Marlins games. Its broadcast signal completed the United States' federally mandated analog-to-digital transition in 2009.

Channel 33 was assigned to Miami in the early development of UHF television, but the allocation remained without a full-power station for more than 30 years. An early permit obtained by Miami Biscayne Television Corporation was never built. In the 1960s, Gem Broadcasting proposed an all-Spanish station, while Supreme Broadcasting also sought the channel. Gem was later replaced by Gateway Television Corporation, led by former Federal Communications Commission attorney Vincent B. Welch. Gateway received approval but abandoned the project. A later applicant, Hialeah food processor Budd Mayer, proposed subscription television, and Gold Coast received a permit in 1967, but no station resulted. Beginning in 1974, WCIX used channel 33 for a translator serving parts of the market. In 1977, Miami STV Inc., associated with Milwaukee's Block family, applied to build channel 33 in connection with SelecTV. The FCC granted a construction permit in 1980. The proposed subscription operation was subsequently abandoned after the Shlenker Group, owner of Texas independent stations KTXH and KTXA, agreed to acquire a majority interest and finance construction. The WBFS-TV call letters were assigned in February 1983. Before the station launched, Milton Grant, a Shlenker shareholder, became its outright owner, and the station became the first property of the Grant Broadcasting System. WBFS-TV began broadcasting on December 9, 1984, from a converted former brewery in Miami Gardens. Grant adopted an unusually aggressive strategy for an independent station. Rather than relying principally on feature films, WBFS purchased syndicated programs well in advance, invested heavily in promotion, and highlighted its high-power signal. The station used the slogan “Florida's Super Station” and reportedly spent approximately $2 million on its launch campaign over a 60-day period. It also acquired local sports programming, including Miami Hurricanes football and men's basketball. By March 1986, WBFS had become one of South Florida's leading independent stations. Grant's expansion proved financially difficult. The company sold its Texas stations, launched new independent stations in Philadelphia and Chicago, and faced escalating program costs and intense bidding from established Miami competitors. When the television advertising market weakened, the highly leveraged Grant-Shlenker structure could not meet its obligations to syndicators. Programs were withdrawn or threatened with withdrawal, and the three Grant stations filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 8, 1986. WBFS was the strongest of the three economically, but it still recorded a substantial pretax loss in 1986. In 1987, Grant entered receivership, and a creditor-controlled reorganization was approved in 1988. Combined Broadcasting, representing creditors and program suppliers, assumed control. WBFS continued to perform comparatively well under Combined. It carried Miami Heat games and later obtained packages involving the Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers. Combined explored selling WBFS and its Chicago station in 1993, but the stations were initially withdrawn from the market. The Chicago station was later sold to Univision, while Paramount Stations Group agreed to acquire WBFS. WBFS joined UPN when the network launched on January 16, 1995. Its proposed relationship with The WB was replaced by the UPN arrangement after Paramount and Combined completed their transaction. The station's sports portfolio changed over time. The Heat moved to WAMI-TV in 1998, and the Marlins left in 1999. In 2000, Viacom merged with CBS, placing WBFS alongside CBS station WFOR-TV. The two stations were moved into shared facilities in Doral, and WBFS, WFOR, and WTVX were placed under common general management. After the consolidation, WFOR periodically produced or supplied news for WBFS. WBFS also occasionally carried CBS programming during major news, weather, or sports situations. When CBS and Warner Bros. announced in 2006 that UPN and The WB would be replaced by The CW, WBFS was not selected as one of the CBS-owned charter affiliates. CBS instead affiliated WBFS with MyNetworkTV, a service created for stations left outside The CW's initial structure. WBFS carried MyNetworkTV programming until it transitioned away from the service; by 2023 it was operating independently. In September 2024, the station became Miami's CW affiliate after a broader affiliation arrangement involving CBS and Nexstar, The CW's majority owner. WBFS's news history has been closely tied to WFOR. It first carried WTVJ-supplied prime-time news breaks in 1993. After the Viacom-CBS merger and the September 11 attacks, it began airing a WFOR-produced 10 p.m. newscast, expanded to an hour in 2003, and added a two-hour weekday morning block in 2004. The morning and weekend editions ended in October 2008 during budget reductions, while the 10 p.m. program ended in 2011. A 9 p.m. newscast returned in 2022 under the CBS News Now format, which was discontinued in 2023. WBFS later restored a locally produced 9 p.m. newscast and brought back a 7–8 a.m. morning program in January 2024. The station also resumed a sports role through regional Inter Miami CF broadcasts beginning in 2020. In 2025, it announced a plan to simulcast 15 Miami Marlins games. WBFS completed the United States digital television transition on June 12, 2009, ending its analog transmission on channel 33 while retaining virtual channel 33 on its digital signal.

• 2024

  The CW affiliation begins

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WBFS became the Miami-market affiliate of The CW on September 1.

• 2009

  Digital transition completed

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station ended analog broadcasting and continued digitally using virtual channel 33.

• 2006

  MyNetworkTV affiliation begins

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WBFS joined MyNetworkTV after not being selected for The CW's initial CBS-owned affiliate group.

• 2001

  Operations consolidated with WFOR-TV

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WBFS moved into WFOR-TV's Doral facilities and began operating under shared management.

• 1995

  UPN affiliation begins

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WBFS became an affiliate of UPN at the network's launch.

• 1988

  Combined Broadcasting assumes control

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  A creditor-controlled company took over Grant and its stations after the approved reorganization.

• 1986

  Grant files for bankruptcy protection

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Grant's three stations entered Chapter 11 proceedings amid programming-cost and debt pressures.

• 1984

  Station launches

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WBFS-TV began broadcasting on December 9 as Grant Broadcasting System's first station.

• 1983

  WBFS-TV call sign assigned

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The WBFS-TV call letters were assigned before construction was completed.

• 1980

  Construction permit granted

  [1]WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Miami STV Inc. received authorization to build a full-power station on Miami's channel 33 allocation.

A locally operated commercial television station combining CW network content with syndicated entertainment, local news, weather, and South Florida sports coverage.

• Broadcast television station · 1984

  WBFS-TV over-the-air service

  WBFS-TV provides free, advertiser-supported digital television to the Miami–Fort Lauderdale market. Its service combines network, syndicated, local, and sports programming and uses virtual channel 33. The transmitter is located in Andover, Florida, while the station's operating facilities are shared with WFOR-TV in Doral.

• Network affiliation · 2024

  The CW programming

  Since September 2024, WBFS has carried The CW's network schedule for the Miami market. This replaced its former MyNetworkTV relationship and followed a broader realignment of CW affiliations.

• News · 1993

  Local news programming

  WBFS has carried several news formats produced or supplied by WFOR-TV, including prime-time and morning broadcasts. Its current and recent offerings have included a locally produced 9 p.m. newscast and a weekday morning program.

• Sports television · 1984

  Regional sports broadcasts

  WBFS has historically carried South Florida professional and collegiate sports, including Miami Heat, Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers, and Miami Hurricanes programming. More recent arrangements include regional Inter Miami CF coverage and selected Miami Marlins simulcasts.

• 1984Florida's Super Station

  South Florida

  Grant launched WBFS with a high-profile promotional campaign built around the station's powerful signal, broad reach, polished imaging, and extensive syndicated-program lineup.

  Outcome. The campaign helped WBFS establish itself rapidly as a leading independent station in South Florida.

  Source

• 2024

  Return to a major network affiliation through The CWStrategy

  Background

  WBFS had been operating independently after ending its MyNetworkTV programming, while The CW was realigning affiliates in the Miami market.

  Action taken

  WBFS became The CW's Miami-market affiliate on September 1, 2024.

  Aftermath

  The station regained a network schedule and replaced WSFL-TV as the local CW outlet.

  Source

• 2006

  Affiliate with MyNetworkTVStrategy

  Background

  WBFS was excluded from The CW's initial affiliate lineup after UPN and The WB announced their replacement network.

  Action taken

  CBS selected WBFS as a MyNetworkTV affiliate rather than leaving it without a network service.

  Aftermath

  WBFS carried MyNetworkTV programming until it later became independent and ultimately joined The CW.

  Source

• 2001

  Consolidate operations with WFOR-TVStrategy

  Background

  The Viacom-CBS merger placed WBFS and CBS-owned WFOR-TV under common ownership.

  Action taken

  WBFS moved into WFOR-TV's Doral facilities and adopted shared operational management.

  Aftermath

  WFOR periodically supplied news and other programming for WBFS, reducing the station's standalone operational structure.

  Source

• 1995

  Join UPNStrategy

  Background

  Paramount Stations Group acquired WBFS and planned to use it as a UPN affiliate in Miami.

  Action taken

  WBFS joined UPN when the network launched on January 16, 1995.

  Aftermath

  The station moved from independent programming toward a network-affiliate model.

  Source

• 1984

  Abandon subscription television and launch as an independentStrategy

  Background

  The station's development had originally involved subscription-television proposals associated with SelecTV.

  Action taken

  The owners dropped the subscription model and launched WBFS as a conventional, advertiser-supported independent station.

  Aftermath

  WBFS became the first and most successful station launched by the Grant Broadcasting System.

  Source

1. 1WBFS-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CBS Miamicbsmiami.com