WFTV
An ABC-affiliated television station serving the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne market in Central Florida.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WFTV is a television station serving Orlando and much of Central Florida on virtual channel 9. The station is affiliated with the ABC television network and is owned by Cox Media Group, which also owns independent station WRDQ in the same market. WFTV and WRDQ operate from shared facilities on East South Street in downtown Orlando, while WFTV's primary transmitting facility is near Bithlo, Florida. The station began broadcasting on February 1, 1958, under the call sign WLOF-TV. Its launch followed a prolonged and unusually contentious licensing process. Channel 9 had been assigned to Orlando after the Federal Communications Commission ended a freeze on new television-station grants. Several local radio interests and other applicants sought the channel, but the principal contest eventually became one between Mid-Florida Television Corporation, the group behind WLOF, and WORZ. The FCC initially favored WORZ's application at the hearing-examiner stage, then reversed course and awarded the channel to Mid-Florida in 1957. WLOF-TV's licensing history became entangled in a wider investigation of improper communications between attorneys and FCC commissioners. An attorney associated with Mid-Florida had maintained contact with FCC commissioner Richard A. Mack while the channel application was under consideration. Although the evidence did not establish that Mid-Florida's principals had authorized or knowingly participated in the contacts, the matter led to decades of administrative, judicial, and Supreme Court proceedings. Courts repeatedly required the FCC to reconsider the record, and competing applicants sought to reopen the channel for a new comparative hearing. The dispute eventually resulted in an interim operating arrangement and, in 1969, a transfer of operational control to Channel Nine of Orlando, Inc., a consortium representing several competing applicants. The station adopted the WFTV call sign on February 3, 1963. The letters were associated with the phrase “Wonderful Florida Television.” WFTV later experienced a major technical setback when its transmission tower collapsed in 1973, causing a fatality. The station returned to full-power operation in 1975. During the late 1970s, as ABC's national ratings and programming profile strengthened, WFTV became the leading-rated station in the Central Florida market. A settlement approved in 1981 resolved the long-running license proceeding and distributed ownership interests among the principal consortium members. In 1984, SFN Companies acquired WFTV as part of its expansion into broadcasting. SFN then sold the station to Cox in 1985, reportedly at a substantial gain, although no financial figure is included here because the available reference does not provide a directly verified financial source. Cox moved WFTV into larger, newer studios at its present downtown Orlando site in 1990. WFTV's business is built around local television news, weather, traffic, investigative reporting, syndicated programming, ABC network programming, digital video, and advertising-supported media. Its news operation competes across broadcast, web, mobile, and social platforms. Although ratings competition increased from about 2000 onward, the station has continued to be described as a leading broadcaster in the Orlando-Daytona Beach market. The brand's core positioning is that of a locally rooted, full-service network affiliate whose value rests on Central Florida news coverage and access to ABC programming.
History
WFTV's origins lie in the allocation of television channel 9 to Orlando after the FCC lifted its national freeze on new station grants in 1952. Multiple radio broadcasters and investor groups sought the channel. The application that ultimately became WFTV was reorganized in 1953 under Mid-Florida Television Corporation, associated with the Brechner family and other investors. A competing application came from WORZ, and the two groups contested the license through a lengthy comparative proceeding. An FCC hearing examiner initially recommended WORZ, citing its local ownership and service record. The full commission later reversed that recommendation and awarded channel 9 to Mid-Florida in June 1957. After technical approvals and network-affiliation discussions, WLOF-TV began broadcasting on February 1, 1958. Its launch brought Orlando a second local station and helped provide Central Florida with programming from all three major television networks. Almost immediately, the award was drawn into a national controversy concerning alleged improper ex parte contacts between FCC commissioners and attorneys representing applicants in contested licensing cases. Congressional investigators examined contacts between Mid-Florida attorney William H. Dial and FCC commissioner Richard A. Mack. The resulting proceedings considered not only the communications themselves but also the knowledge of Mid-Florida's principals, the credibility of witnesses, the role of minority ownership preferences, and the suitability of individuals connected with the competing applications. The matter moved among the FCC, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the Supreme Court for more than two decades. The FCC's hearing examiner recommended in 1961 that Mid-Florida lose the channel because of improper influence, while acknowledging that the company's officials had not been shown to have authorized the attorney's actions. The commission later cleared Mid-Florida by a divided vote, but the appeals court ordered further review and eventually concluded that the record had become too old to support a final decision without considering new applicants. Several groups sought the channel, and a consortium of applicants requested interim operating authority. In 1969, Mid-Florida ceded operational control to Channel Nine of Orlando, Inc., a consortium formed from several of the competing interests. A settlement approved in 1981 distributed ownership stakes and ended the exceptionally long FCC proceeding. The station changed its call sign from WLOF-TV to WFTV on February 3, 1963. It suffered a serious engineering disaster in 1973 when its tower collapsed, killing a person and preventing normal transmission at the affected facility. Full-power service was restored in 1975. WFTV benefited from the growing strength of ABC programming during the late 1970s and became the top-rated station in Central Florida. SFN Companies purchased WFTV in 1984. Cox acquired it the following year and later expanded its physical operations, moving the station to larger studios on East South Street in downtown Orlando in 1990. The station subsequently operated alongside Cox-owned WRDQ. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, WFTV has faced stronger ratings competition, but it has remained an important and frequently leading broadcaster in the Orlando-Daytona Beach market. Its modern identity combines local journalism and emergency information with ABC programming and web-based distribution.
- 1990
Station moves to downtown Orlando studios
[1]Cox moved WFTV into newer and larger facilities at the station's present East South Street location.
- 1985
Cox acquires WFTV
[1]Cox purchased WFTV from SFN Companies.
- 1984
SFN Companies acquires WFTV
[1]SFN Companies bought the station during its expansion into broadcasting.
- 1981
FCC licensing dispute settled
[1]A settlement approved by the FCC allocated ownership interests among the parties and ended the long-running channel 9 proceeding.
- 1975
Full-power broadcasting restored
[1]WFTV returned to full-power operation after the tower-related disruption.
- 1973
Transmission tower collapses
[1]The station's tower collapsed in a fatal accident, creating a major interruption to its transmission operations.
- 1969
Operational control passes to Channel Nine of Orlando
[1]Under a court-related arrangement, a consortium representing competing applicants assumed operational control of the station.
- 1963
WFTV name adopted
[1]The station changed its call sign from WLOF-TV to WFTV on February 3.
- 1958
WLOF-TV launches
[1]WLOF-TV began broadcasting on February 1 as an Orlando television station.
- 1957
Mid-Florida receives the channel 9 award
[1]The FCC awarded channel 9 to Mid-Florida Television Corporation after reversing an earlier hearing-examiner recommendation favoring a competing applicant.
Products and positioning
A locally focused ABC affiliate combining Central Florida news, weather, traffic, investigative reporting, and network entertainment with broadcast and digital distribution.
Broadcast television station · 1958
WFTV Channel 9
The station's primary broadcast service, carrying ABC network programming alongside locally produced news, weather, traffic, public-affairs, and special-event coverage for the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne market.
Television news
WFTV local news
WFTV's local journalism operation covers Central Florida politics, public safety, transportation, education, business, consumer issues, weather, and breaking news. Its weather and emergency-information role is particularly important in a region exposed to tropical storms and severe weather.
Digital news
WFTV.com
The station's website extends WFTV's broadcast reporting through online articles, video, weather information, traffic updates, alerts, and other digital content.
Controversies
1958
FCC ex parte influence controversy
The award of Orlando channel 9 became part of a broader investigation into improper ex parte contacts involving FCC commissioner Richard A. Mack and attorneys connected with contested television applications. The case generated repeated FCC and court reviews, including scrutiny of an attorney associated with Mid-Florida Television. The proceedings did not establish that Mid-Florida's principals had knowingly authorized the contacts, but the controversy contributed to an exceptionally prolonged licensing dispute that lasted into the 1980s.
Brand decisions
1990
Move to expanded downtown Orlando facilitiesStrategyBackground
Cox sought larger facilities for the station's continuing broadcast and news operations.
Action taken
WFTV moved to newer, larger studios on East South Street in downtown Orlando.
Aftermath
The site became the station's principal studio location and was later shared with WRDQ.
1985
Cox acquisition of WFTVM&ABackground
SFN Companies had acquired the station in 1984 as part of its broadcasting expansion.
Action taken
Cox purchased WFTV from SFN Companies.
Aftermath
WFTV became part of the Cox broadcasting portfolio and later operated alongside WRDQ.
1963
Adopt the WFTV call signStrategyBackground
The station marked its fifth anniversary while its licensing status remained subject to continuing legal challenges.
Action taken
WLOF-TV changed its call letters to WFTV, associated with the phrase “Wonderful Florida Television.”
Aftermath
WFTV became the station's enduring public identity.
Recent events
- 1985
Cox acquires WFTV[1]
M&A
Cox acquired WFTV from SFN Companies, establishing the station's long-term association with the Cox broadcasting group.
- 1973
WFTV tower collapse disrupts transmission[1]
Other
A collapse of the station's transmission tower caused a fatality and interrupted normal high-power broadcasting. WFTV returned to full-power operation in 1975.
- 1963
Station adopts the WFTV call sign[1]
Other
WLOF-TV changed its call letters to WFTV in connection with its fifth anniversary. The new identity was associated with “Wonderful Florida Television.”
- 1958
WLOF-TV begins broadcasting on channel 9[1]
Product launch
The station began service in Orlando as WLOF-TV, helping complete Central Florida's access to programming from the three major national television networks.
Sources2 sources
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