WGGB-TV
A Springfield, Massachusetts television station carrying ABC programming on its main channel and Fox and MyNetworkTV programming on its WGGB-DT2 subchannel.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WGGB-TV is a commercial television station serving Springfield, Massachusetts, and the broader Pioneer Valley. Its primary signal operates on virtual channel 40 and is affiliated with ABC, while its second digital channel, WGGB-DT2, carries Fox programming under the Fox 6 brand and has a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation. The station’s local news operation is marketed as Western Mass News and is produced in cooperation with WSHM-LD, the market’s low-power CBS affiliate. The station began broadcasting on April 14, 1953, as WHYN-TV on UHF channel 55. It was the second television station to sign on in the Springfield market, following WWLP. The original licensee, Hampden-Hampshire Corporation, was associated with WHYN radio and with newspaper interests in western Massachusetts. WHYN-TV initially operated primarily as a CBS affiliate, with DuMont as a secondary affiliation. After DuMont ceased operations, the station briefly carried programming from the NTA Film Network and later moved to channel 40 on September 30, 1957. The arrival of WTIC-TV in Hartford as a CBS affiliate affected the Springfield station’s network position. After unsuccessful efforts to obtain a VHF channel and continued competition from Hartford’s channel 3, WHYN-TV became an ABC affiliate in 1959. The station has remained associated with ABC for most of its subsequent history, although its ownership, programming policies, news presentation, and digital-channel strategy have changed substantially. Guy Gannett Broadcasting Services agreed to acquire the WHYN stations in 1966, completing the purchase in 1967. The radio stations were later sold, while the television station remained with Guy Gannett. On December 31, 1979, WHYN-TV adopted the WGGB-TV call sign. Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired most of Guy Gannett’s television properties, including WGGB, in 1998. Sinclair’s ownership period included centralized corporate programming practices and financial pressure on the news operation. Gormally Broadcasting, a locally based owner, purchased WGGB from Sinclair in 2007. The change restored local ownership and was followed by changes to the news department, presentation, facilities, and network-programming policy. In 2008, WGGB launched WGGB-DT2 as the first in-market Fox affiliate for Springfield. The subchannel initially used Fox 6 branding because of its cable position and also added MyNetworkTV as a secondary service. This gave the market a local Fox outlet after years in which viewers relied on stations from Hartford, Boston, or Albany. Meredith Corporation acquired WGGB in 2014, pairing it with WSHM-LD and creating a full-power/low-power television duopoly permitted under Federal Communications Commission rules. In 2015, the two stations combined their news operations under the Western Mass News identity. The merged operation is based at WGGB’s Springfield facilities and produces news for both stations, with some newscasts simulcast and others scheduled around network programming and sports coverage. Gray Television announced its acquisition of Meredith’s local-media division in 2021, and the transaction closed on December 1 of that year. Gray subsequently became WGGB’s owner. Today, the station combines local news, weather, sports, and community coverage with ABC programming on its main service and Fox programming on its digital subchannel. Its transmitter is located on Mount Tom in Holyoke, while the station and its co-owned news operation are based on Liberty Street in Springfield.
History
WGGB-TV began operations on April 14, 1953, as WHYN-TV. The station was established by Hampden-Hampshire Corporation, whose interests included WHYN radio and newspaper ownership in western Massachusetts. Broadcasting initially on UHF channel 55, it became the second television station in the Springfield market after WWLP. Its original network arrangement was primarily CBS, supplemented by DuMont. When DuMont ended in 1956, the station’s secondary network relationship disappeared, and the station later carried some NTA Film Network programming. WHYN-TV moved from channel 55 to channel 40 in September 1957. Its position in the market was complicated by the presence of Hartford’s WTIC-TV, which became a CBS affiliate in 1958 and served much of the Springfield area. WHYN-TV sought a VHF allocation but did not obtain one. In 1959, channel 40 changed to ABC, a relationship that became the station’s long-term network identity. Guy Gannett Broadcasting Services announced a purchase of the WHYN stations in 1966 and completed the transaction in 1967. Although the radio properties were later divested, Guy Gannett retained the television station. The station adopted the WGGB-TV call letters on December 31, 1979. Sinclair Broadcast Group purchased WGGB as part of its acquisition of most Guy Gannett television assets in 1998. During Sinclair’s ownership, WGGB retained its local news department but faced cost-cutting and corporate programming requirements. The station carried Sinclair-required political commentary and was involved in network-programming preemption decisions, including a 2004 refusal to air an ABC Nightline segment concerning American military deaths in Iraq. It also preempted an unedited broadcast of Saving Private Ryan in 2004, although the program was later found not to violate FCC indecency rules. Gormally Broadcasting acquired WGGB from Sinclair in 2007. The locally based ownership change was followed by substantial changes to the station’s on-air staff, facilities, graphics, music, and news presentation. WGGB launched its second digital channel in March 2008 as a Fox affiliate, branded Fox 6 because of its primary cable-channel position. The subchannel also carried MyNetworkTV programming. This was significant because Springfield had previously depended largely on out-of-market Fox stations from Hartford, Boston, or Albany. The station upgraded its local news production to high definition in 2011. Its Fox subchannel developed a 10 p.m. newscast, later presented as ABC 40 First on Fox, while the main channel expanded and revised its morning and midday news schedules. WGGB’s local coverage has included weather emergencies, regional politics, sports, and community news, with the transmitter located on Mount Tom in Holyoke. Meredith announced its acquisition of WGGB in 2014, completing the transaction on October 31 of that year. WGGB was paired with WSHM-LD, a low-power CBS affiliate also serving Springfield. Their local news departments were consolidated in April 2015 under the Western Mass News identity. The arrangement allowed the stations to share facilities, reporting resources, and some newscasts while continuing to carry different network schedules. A proposed 2015 transaction involving Meredith and Media General would have created ownership conflicts because Media General owned full-power Springfield station WWLP. That transaction was terminated after Nexstar agreed to acquire Media General. Gray Television later announced a purchase of Meredith’s local-media division in 2021; the sale closed on December 1, 2021. WGGB remains an active Gray-owned station, with ABC on its primary service, Fox and MyNetworkTV on WGGB-DT2, and Western Mass News as its principal local-news identity.
- 2021
Gray acquires Meredith Local Media
[1]Gray Television completes the acquisition that makes WGGB part of the Gray station group.
- 2015
Western Mass News launches as a combined operation
[1]WGGB and WSHM-LD consolidate their news departments under the Western Mass News brand.
- 2014
Meredith acquisition closes
[1]Meredith completes its purchase of WGGB and forms a station pairing with WSHM-LD.
- 2011
Local news moves to high definition
[1]WGGB becomes the first Springfield-market station to produce local news in high definition.
- 2008
WGGB-DT2 launches as Fox 6
[1]The station launches a Fox-affiliated digital subchannel with secondary MyNetworkTV programming.
- 2007
Gormally Broadcasting takes ownership
[1]The station is sold to locally based Gormally Broadcasting.
- 1998
Sinclair acquires the station
[1]WGGB becomes part of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s television portfolio.
- 1979
WGGB-TV name adopted
[1]The station changes its call letters from WHYN-TV to WGGB-TV.
- 1967
Guy Gannett ownership begins
[1]Guy Gannett Broadcasting Services completes its acquisition of the WHYN stations.
- 1959
Becomes an ABC affiliate
[1]The station changes its primary network affiliation from CBS to ABC.
Products and positioning
A regional broadcast television station combining ABC network programming, a local Fox subchannel, and Western Massachusetts news and weather coverage.
ABC-affiliated broadcast television service · 1953
WGGB-TV
The station’s primary broadcast service on virtual channel 40 carries ABC network programming together with locally produced news, weather, sports, public-affairs, and advertising content for Springfield and western Massachusetts.
Fox and MyNetworkTV digital subchannel · 2008
WGGB-DT2
WGGB’s second digital service is marketed as Fox 6 because of its principal cable position. It carries Fox programming and a limited, delayed MyNetworkTV schedule, along with local news programming including the station’s late-evening Fox-branded newscast.
Local news operation · 2015
Western Mass News
Western Mass News is the shared news identity used by WGGB-TV and WSHM-LD. The operation produces local newscasts, weather reporting, breaking-news coverage, sports, and regional features from WGGB’s Springfield facilities.
Controversies
2004
Nightline preemption controversy
While owned by Sinclair, WGGB joined a group of ABC affiliates that did not air a Nightline broadcast in which host Ted Koppel read the names of American service members killed in Iraq. Sinclair characterized the segment as political commentary opposing the war.
2004
Saving Private Ryan preemption
WGGB was among stations that preempted an unedited broadcast of Saving Private Ryan over concerns about potentially indecent language. The broadcast was subsequently determined not to violate FCC indecency rules.
Brand decisions
2015
Consolidation under Western Mass NewsStrategyBackground
Meredith’s ownership of WGGB and WSHM-LD created an opportunity to combine local-news resources while preserving separate network services.
Action taken
The stations merged their news operations and adopted the Western Mass News branding.
Aftermath
The combined operation began producing shared and simulcast newscasts from WGGB’s facilities.
2008
Launch of the Fox digital subchannelProduct launchBackground
Springfield had historically relied on Fox stations from neighboring television markets, and Fox was encouraging local digital-subchannel affiliations after the end of Foxnet.
Action taken
WGGB launched WGGB-DT2 as the market’s first in-market Fox affiliate and added MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation.
Aftermath
Local cable systems began carrying the subchannel, while out-of-market Fox and MyNetworkTV stations became less central to local viewers.
1959
Switch from CBS to ABCStrategyBackground
Competition from Hartford’s WTIC-TV, which became the Springfield market’s CBS affiliate of record, limited WHYN-TV’s ability to retain or restore CBS affiliation.
Action taken
WHYN-TV adopted ABC as its primary network affiliation.
Aftermath
The ABC affiliation became the station’s enduring primary network relationship.
Recent events
- 2021
Gray completes acquisition of Meredith Local Media[1]
M&A
Gray Television completes its purchase of Meredith’s local-media division, bringing WGGB into Gray’s station group.
- 2015
WGGB and WSHM combine news operations[1]
Other
The two stations consolidate their local news operation under the Western Mass News brand.
- 2014
Meredith completes WGGB acquisition[1]
M&A
Meredith completes its purchase of WGGB and pairs the station with low-power CBS affiliate WSHM-LD.
- 2008
WGGB launches an in-market Fox service[1]
Product launch
WGGB-DT2 begins carrying Fox programming, giving the Springfield market its first local Fox affiliate.
- 1979
Station adopts WGGB-TV call sign[1]
Other
WHYN-TV changes its call letters to WGGB-TV at the end of 1979.
- 1953
WGGB-TV signs on as WHYN-TV[1]
Other
The station begins broadcasting in Springfield as a primary CBS affiliate on UHF channel 55.
Sources3 sources
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