WNAB

WNAB is a full-power television station serving Nashville, Tennessee, and surrounding areas. The station uses virtual channel 58 and is owned by Tennessee Broadcasting, a subsidiary associated with Lambert Broadcasting. Sinclair Broadcast Group operates the station under an outsourcing arrangement and also owns Nashville stations WZTV and WUXP-TV. The stations share studio facilities on Mainstream Drive along the Cumberland River, while WNAB's transmitter is located near Whites Creek along Interstate 24. The station's origins date to 1987, when Ruth Payne Carmen received a construction permit for a new Nashville station on UHF channel 58 and adopted the WNAB call letters. The station did not begin broadcasting until November 29, 1995. At launch, it became Nashville's affiliate of The WB, making network programming more broadly available in the market after viewers had previously relied on cable carriage of WGN or limited coverage from WKZX in the eastern part of the region. Speer Communications acquired WNAB shortly after launch. The company was founded by Home Shopping Network co-founder Roy Speer, and the station initially operated from a converted former Sam's Club building on Dickerson Road. During its first years, WNAB attempted to differentiate itself through locally produced programming. It aired several hours of live programming on weekday afternoons and evenings, including Prime Talk, an interview and call-in program hosted by former Nashville mayor and congressman Bill Boner, and Sports Talk, a sports discussion program featuring Greg Pogue and George Plaster. The station also developed a Friday-night high-school football program that became part of Nashville's continuing tradition of televised local football coverage. A home-shopping and music service associated with Speer Communications, MOR Music TV, was carried overnight. The station's local-programming ambitions were reduced in 1996 as operating costs remained high and The WB expanded its prime-time schedule. Most live programs were canceled, while Sports Talk was reworked as Sports Plus, incorporating news and weather elements before ending in 1998. WNAB also carried Nashville Predators games during the club's first seasons in the National Hockey League and shared television-flagship responsibilities with Fox Sports South through the 1999–2000 season. A proposed statewide cable-news service called Tennessee Now was planned around WNAB's facilities but was ultimately abandoned. Tennessee Broadcasting acquired WNAB from Speer Communications in 1998. In 2002, following continued financial losses and a difficult advertising environment, Lambert Broadcasting outsourced the station's advertising sales and operations to Sinclair Broadcast Group. WNAB moved its transmitting facilities from its original Nolensville tower to the Whites Creek area on August 3, 2002. It discontinued analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009, ahead of the revised nationwide analog-switch-off deadline, retaining channel 23 for its digital transmission while continuing to use virtual channel 58. WNAB became Nashville's CW affiliate when The CW launched on September 18, 2006. The affiliation lasted until September 20, 2021, when CW programming moved to a subchannel of WZTV. WNAB then carried the Dabl digital multicast network. On August 1, 2025, the station switched to the Roar network. Its distribution also includes carriage through shared or multiplexed broadcast infrastructure, including ATSC 1.0 carriage on WTVF's multiplex and an ATSC 3.0 lighthouse arrangement. WNAB therefore functions primarily as a local broadcast outlet and digital multicast platform rather than as a standalone national network brand.

WNAB was conceived as a new Nashville UHF television station in 1987, when Ruth Payne Carmen received a construction permit for channel 58 and selected the WNAB call letters. The permit remained inactive for several years. The station finally signed on November 29, 1995, as Nashville's WB affiliate. Its launch expanded local access to WB programs, which had previously been available mainly through cable and satellite carriage of WGN or from a station serving only part of the Nashville market. Speer Communications acquired WNAB approximately three months after its launch. Founded by Home Shopping Network co-founder Roy Speer, Speer operated WNAB from a former Sam's Club building on Dickerson Road. The station initially emphasized local production, offering roughly five hours of live weekday programming. Its schedule included Prime Talk, a nightly interview and call-in program hosted by former Nashville mayor and U.S. congressman Bill Boner, and Sports Talk, hosted by sportswriter Greg Pogue and radio personality George Plaster. A related Friday-night program focused on high-school football scores and helped establish a local television tradition that continued in Nashville after WNAB's original version ended. Overnight hours included MOR Music TV, a home-shopping and music service associated with Speer. WNAB curtailed its local programming in September 1996. The reductions reflected both budget pressure and the expansion of The WB's prime-time schedule beyond its initial limited weekly lineup. Sports Talk continued in revised form as Sports Plus, adding news and weather material, but ended in 1998. WNAB also became involved in local professional sports coverage when it aired Nashville Predators games after the team's 1998 NHL debut. The station shared flagship status with Fox Sports South through the 1999–2000 season. Speer also planned to use the station and its facilities as the base for Tennessee Now, a proposed statewide 24-hour cable-news service; the project was shelved by 1996. In 1998, Speer sold WNAB to Tennessee Broadcasting, a company associated with Beverly Hills-based Lambert Broadcasting. In 2002, Lambert responded to the station's continuing losses and the broader advertising downturn by outsourcing advertising sales and operational functions to Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair already had a significant Nashville presence through WZTV and WUXP-TV. WNAB's transmission facilities moved on August 3, 2002, from the original Nolensville tower to a site near Whites Creek and Interstate 24. The station became part of the transition from The WB to The CW. Time Warner and CBS Corporation announced The CW in January 2006 as a successor network combining programming from The WB and UPN. Sinclair selected WNAB as the new Nashville affiliate, and the station began carrying The CW when the network launched on September 18, 2006. WNAB ended its long CW run in 2021. On September 20, CW programming moved to WZTV's digital subchannel 17.2, while WNAB's main channel adopted Dabl. The affiliation change followed a regulatory dispute involving retransmission-consent negotiations. AT&T sued Tennessee Broadcasting, alleging that the owner had failed to negotiate in good faith for carriage consent. On July 28, 2021, the FCC issued a Forfeiture Order requiring Tennessee Broadcasting to pay $512,228. The proceeding involved other Sinclair-managed station owners as well. WNAB ended analog transmission on February 17, 2009, before the federal transition deadline was ultimately moved to June 12 of that year. Its digital signal continued on UHF channel 23 while using virtual channel 58. The station's ATSC 1.0 services are carried on the multiplexed signal of CBS affiliate WTVF, and it also participates in an ATSC 3.0 lighthouse arrangement. On August 1, 2025, WNAB replaced Dabl with the Roar network. Its modern identity is consequently that of a local broadcast facility and digital multicast outlet, supported by Sinclair-managed operations and serving the Nashville market.

• 2025

  Roar affiliation begins

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  WNAB switched from Dabl to the Roar digital multicast network on August 1.

• 2021

  CW programming moves to WZTV

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  WNAB lost its CW affiliation on September 20, when programming moved to WZTV's 17.2 subchannel and WNAB adopted Dabl.

• 2009

  Analog broadcasting ends

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  The station shut down its analog UHF 58 signal on February 17 and continued digitally on channel 23 using virtual channel 58.

• 2006

  CW affiliation begins

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  WNAB became Nashville's CW affiliate when the network launched on September 18.

• 2002

  Sinclair begins outsourced operations

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  Lambert outsourced WNAB's advertising sales and operations to Sinclair Broadcast Group.

• 2002

  Transmitter relocates

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  WNAB moved its transmitting facilities from Nolensville to a site near Whites Creek and Interstate 24.

• 1998

  Tennessee Broadcasting acquires WNAB

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  Speer Communications sold the station to Tennessee Broadcasting, associated with Lambert Broadcasting.

• 1996

  Local programming is reduced

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  Budget pressure and The WB's expanded schedule led to the cancellation of most of WNAB's live local programs.

• 1995

  WNAB signs on as a WB affiliate

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  WNAB began broadcasting on November 29, 1995, becoming Nashville's local WB affiliate.

• 1987

  Construction permit awarded

  [1]WNABen.wikipedia.org

  Ruth Payne Carmen received a permit to construct a Nashville television station on UHF channel 58, using the WNAB call letters.

A Nashville-market over-the-air television station using channel 58 and digital multicast affiliations to provide network, syndicated, and locally relevant programming.

• Broadcast television station · 1995

  WNAB channel 58

  WNAB's primary local broadcast service for Nashville and surrounding Middle Tennessee communities. The station uses virtual channel 58, with its digital transmission and shared-multiplex arrangements supporting over-the-air reception.

• Digital multicast television · 2025

  Roar programming

  The network programming carried by WNAB from August 1, 2025. It replaced Dabl as the station's principal digital multicast affiliation.

• Network television affiliation · 2006

  CW programming

  WNAB carried The CW's network schedule in Nashville from the network's launch in 2006 until the affiliation moved to WZTV's 17.2 subchannel in September 2021.

• Digital multicast television · 2021

  Dabl programming

  WNAB carried the Dabl digital multicast network after the Nashville CW affiliation moved to WZTV in 2021. Dabl was later replaced by Roar.

• 2021

  Retransmission-consent dispute

  AT&T sued Tennessee Broadcasting, alleging that the owner had failed to negotiate retransmission consent for WNAB in good faith. The FCC issued a Forfeiture Order on July 28, 2021, imposing a $512,228 fine on Tennessee Broadcasting.

  Source

Read more

• 2025

  Switch to RoarStrategy

  Background

  WNAB had been carrying Dabl following the 2021 transfer of CW programming to WZTV's subchannel.

  Action taken

  The station changed its digital multicast affiliation from Dabl to Roar on August 1, 2025.

  Aftermath

  WNAB's current network identity became associated with Roar programming.

  Source

• 2021

  Replace CW affiliation with DablStrategy

  Background

  Sinclair announced that Nashville's CW service would be transferred from WNAB to WZTV's 17.2 subchannel.

  Action taken

  On September 20, 2021, WNAB ended CW programming and began carrying Dabl.

  Aftermath

  WNAB continued as a digital multicast station under a non-CW format until changing to Roar in 2025.

  Source

• 2006

  Join The CWStrategy

  Background

  The WB and UPN were being replaced by The CW, a new network backed by Time Warner and CBS Corporation.

  Action taken

  Sinclair selected WNAB to become Nashville's CW affiliate, beginning with the network's launch on September 18, 2006.

  Aftermath

  WNAB carried CW programming for approximately fifteen years before the affiliation moved to WZTV's digital subchannel.

  Source

1. 1WNABen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WNAB official websitecw58.tv