WHNT-TV
CBS-affiliated television station serving Huntsville and North Alabama, owned by Nexstar Media Group.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WHNT-TV is a television station serving Huntsville, Alabama, and the wider North Alabama region. Broadcasting on virtual channel 19, the station has been affiliated with CBS continuously since it began operating on November 28, 1963. That uninterrupted affiliation distinguishes WHNT-TV from the other major network affiliates in the Huntsville market and has made the station one of the market's established local news and information brands. The station was founded by Charles Grisham, a former employee of Birmingham station WAPI. Although the Federal Communications Commission originally licensed the channel frequency to Fort Payne, WHNT was developed to serve the Huntsville area. Its launch occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 1963, only days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, making it the first new American television station to begin operations after that event. During its early years, the station relied heavily on 16 mm film for commercial and news production. It later adopted 3/4-inch videotape in 1979 and moved to digital acquisition and server-based playback decades later. In 1980, Grisham sold WHNT to The New York Times Company, which operated the station for more than two decades. WHNT moved its main facilities from Monte Sano Mountain to a purpose-built downtown Huntsville broadcast facility in 1987, while retaining its transmitter and emergency broadcast capabilities on Monte Sano Mountain. The station's physical infrastructure has also played a role in the local broadcasting community: in 2003, it permitted competitors WAAY-TV and WZDX to use space on its tower after towers at WAAY's property collapsed, killing three people. The New York Times Company placed its television stations on the market in 2006. WHNT was subsequently sold with the group to Local TV, a holding company associated with Oak Hill Capital Partners. Tribune Company acquired the Local TV stations in 2013 after having managed them through a shared operating arrangement. Tribune's proposed sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2017 was terminated after regulatory scrutiny and litigation. Nexstar Media Group then agreed to acquire Tribune Media in 2018, completing the transaction in September 2019. As part of the regulatory remedies surrounding that acquisition, Nexstar divested Huntsville Fox affiliate WZDX to Tegna while retaining WHNT-TV and CW affiliate WHDF. WHNT's core business is local television broadcasting, with CBS network programming supplemented by locally produced news, weather, sports, public-affairs coverage, emergency information, and digital content. The station operates news bureaus in Decatur, Sand Mountain near Albertville, and the Shoals region around Florence. Its coverage has included major breaking-news events such as a 2006 Huntsville bus crash, the fatal shooting of a Huntsville police officer, severe weather outbreaks, and the resolution of a decades-old murder investigation. Technology has been a recurring part of the station's identity. WHNT began digital broadcasting in 2002, became the first Huntsville station to present its news programming in a 16:9 digital widescreen format in 2008, introduced selected full-high-definition news segments in 2010, and completed a transition to full-HD local newscasts in 2011. Its weather operation uses Doppler radar technology and a station-owned radar installation at the transmitter site. The station has also operated digital multicast services, including Antenna TV on subchannel 19.3 after that network's 2011 launch. Today, WHNT-TV remains an active Nexstar-owned CBS affiliate, combining a traditional over-the-air television service with streaming, web, mobile, and social-media distribution.
History
WHNT-TV signed on in Huntsville, Alabama, on November 28, 1963. The station was established by Charles Grisham, who had previously worked at Birmingham station WAPI and later became associated with other Southern television stations. Although the FCC had initially licensed the frequency to Fort Payne, the station was built to serve the Huntsville market. WHNT joined CBS at launch and has maintained that affiliation throughout its history. The station's first production systems were based largely on 16 mm film for news and commercial work. In 1979, WHNT adopted 3/4-inch videotape, which remained part of its workflow until the late 1990s. In 1980, Grisham sold the station to The New York Times Company. WHNT was the third television station operated by the company's broadcasting division and remained under that ownership for more than 25 years. WHNT relocated its primary facilities from Monte Sano Mountain to downtown Huntsville in 1987. The move followed a fire that had destroyed the studios of rival WAFF-TV several years earlier. The transmitter and tower stayed on Monte Sano Mountain because of the site's elevation, and the station retained backup broadcast capabilities there for use during emergencies. The downtown facility was purpose-built for broadcasting and became an important part of WHNT's local identity. In 2003, the station allowed WAAY-TV and WZDX to use tower space after towers at WAAY's property collapsed, killing three men. The New York Times Company announced in 2006 that it would sell its television stations. Local TV acquired WHNT and the rest of the group in a transaction announced in 2006, finalized in 2007, and backed by Oak Hill Capital Partners. Tribune Company managed Local TV stations through a shared operating arrangement and acquired the group in 2013. Tribune's later attempt to sell itself to Sinclair Broadcast Group became subject to significant regulatory scrutiny concerning proposed station divestitures. After the FCC designated the transaction for hearing, Tribune ended the agreement and sued Sinclair for breach of contract. Nexstar Media Group announced an agreement to acquire Tribune Media in December 2018. The transaction was completed on September 19, 2019. Because Nexstar already owned Huntsville stations WZDX and WHDF, regulatory arrangements required the divestiture of WZDX to Tegna. Nexstar retained WHNT and WHDF, creating a WHNT-WHDF duopoly under applicable ownership rules. WHNT's local journalism has included live coverage of severe weather, major accidents, public-safety incidents, police news, and long-running criminal investigations. The station has operated bureaus in Decatur, the Sand Mountain area around Albertville, and the Shoals region around Florence. It has historically competed closely with Huntsville's other major network affiliates and has been described as the only one of the market's three major affiliates never to finish last in Nielsen ratings. The station has also pursued technical modernization. WHNT began digital broadcasting in May 2002 and initially transmitted its digital signal on UHF channel 59. It shut down its analog channel 19 signal on June 12, 2009, as part of the national digital transition, then moved its post-transition digital operation to channel 19. WHNT introduced digital widescreen local newscasts in 2008, began presenting individual news segments in full high definition in 2010, and completed a full-HD studio and field production upgrade in February 2011. The station stopped using videotape in 2010, shifting camera recording to digital memory cards and newsroom playback to a digital server. Its archives extend back to the 1970s and contain film and videotape material. WHNT has operated several digital subchannel services. A local weather channel previously occupied its second digital subchannel before the station adopted Retro Television Network programming. Antenna TV replaced that service in 2011, and WHNT became one of the network's launch-era affiliates. The station's current brand combines the CBS affiliation, the WHNT News 19 local-news identity, digital distribution, weather services, and community reporting across North Alabama.
- 2019
Nexstar ownership begins
[1]Nexstar completes its acquisition of Tribune Media and retains WHNT-TV after divesting WZDX.
- 2013
Tribune ownership begins
[1]Tribune completes its acquisition of the Local TV station group.
- 2011
Full-HD news production completed
[1]The station completes its conversion to full-high-definition news production.
- 2009
Analog service ends
[1]WHNT shuts down its analog channel 19 transmission and shifts post-transition digital service to channel 19.
- 2007
Local TV ownership begins
[1]Local TV completes its acquisition of WHNT from The New York Times Company.
- 2002
Digital broadcasting begins
[1]WHNT becomes the first station in the Huntsville market to broadcast a digital signal and high-definition programming.
- 1987
Downtown Huntsville facilities open
[1]WHNT moves its studios from Monte Sano Mountain to a purpose-built downtown Huntsville facility.
- 1980
Acquired by The New York Times Company
[1]Charles Grisham sells WHNT-TV to The New York Times Company's broadcasting division.
- 1979
News production moves to videotape
[1]The station replaces much of its 16 mm film workflow with 3/4-inch videotape.
- 1963
WHNT-TV launches
[1]WHNT-TV begins broadcasting in Huntsville on November 28 as a CBS affiliate.
Products and positioning
A locally focused CBS affiliate positioned around dependable North Alabama news, weather, emergency information, and community coverage, supported by the national programming and resources of Nexstar Media Group.
Local news · 2009
WHNT News 19
WHNT's local-news service covering Huntsville and communities across North Alabama. The operation provides scheduled newscasts, breaking-news reports, investigative and public-safety coverage, weather information, and reporting from bureaus in Decatur, Sand Mountain, and the Shoals. The station began using the WHNT News 19 identity in 2009.
Network television affiliate · 1963
CBS channel 19 service
The station's primary over-the-air service combines CBS network programming with WHNT-produced local news, weather, public affairs, advertising, and emergency information. WHNT-TV has carried CBS programming continuously since its 1963 launch.
Digital multicast television · 2011
Antenna TV on digital subchannel 19.3
Antenna TV programming has been carried by WHNT on digital subchannel 19.3 since 2011, providing a separate over-the-air schedule of classic television content alongside the station's primary CBS service.
Brand decisions
2018
Nexstar agrees to acquire Tribune MediaM&ABackground
Nexstar pursued Tribune Media after Tribune's proposed transaction with Sinclair Broadcast Group collapsed amid regulatory scrutiny.
Action taken
Nexstar announced a cash-and-debt acquisition valued at approximately $6.4 billion and later completed the transaction.
Aftermath
WHNT-TV became a Nexstar station. To address local ownership limits, WZDX was divested to Tegna while Nexstar retained WHNT and WHDF.
Announced transaction value. $6.4 billion in cash and assumed debt (2018 announcement)
2011
Antenna TV multicast service launchesProduct launchBackground
WHNT used its digital multicast capacity for secondary programming after earlier local-weather and Retro Television Network services.
Action taken
The station became a charter Antenna TV affiliate and carried the network on digital subchannel 19.3.
Aftermath
Antenna TV expanded WHNT's over-the-air programming beyond its CBS network service.
2011
WHNT completes full-HD news conversionGeneration changeBackground
The station renovated its studio and transitioned production systems after introducing widescreen and selected high-definition segments.
Action taken
WHNT upgraded both studio and field newscast production to full high definition.
Aftermath
The station became the first Huntsville television station to produce its newscasts fully in high definition.
Sources2 sources
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