WNBD-LD

WNBD-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Greenwood, Mississippi, and serving the Mississippi Delta. It operates on digital channel 33 and is affiliated with NBC. The station shares facilities on Washington Avenue in Greenville with WABG-TV, the market's ABC and Fox affiliate, and WXVT-LD, a low-power CBS affiliate. Its transmitter is located northeast of Inverness, Mississippi. The station was developed to give the Delta region a locally based NBC affiliate. Before WNBD-LD launched, NBC programming available to viewers in the market generally came from distant stations, including KTVE in El Dorado, Arkansas; WLBT in Jackson, Mississippi; and WMC-TV in Memphis, Tennessee. This made WNBD-LD a significant addition to the local broadcast lineup even though it operated with low-power status. Commonwealth Broadcasting Group, then the owner of WABG-TV, applied for the station in August 2009. The Federal Communications Commission granted the application on February 25, 2010, when the station began under the call sign W33CT-D. The call sign changed to WNBD-LD on May 14, 2010. After a period of preparation and an October 2010 application for a license to cover, the station signed on December 13, 2010. It subsequently became available through Suddenlink Communications, while other NBC stations remained available in their existing channel positions. WNBD-LD's low-power classification affected its carriage position. Federal must-carry rules generally do not require cable systems to carry low-power stations, but the station could be included in retransmission-consent negotiations connected with carriage of WABG-TV. This arrangement helped extend the station's reach beyond its over-the-air coverage. The station changed ownership several times. Commonwealth Broadcasting agreed in 2015 to sell WNBD-LD, WABG-TV, and WFXW-LD to Cala Broadcast Partners. The transaction closed on August 1, 2016. Cala was associated with Brian Brady and Jason Wolff. Around the same time, WXVT's former CBS programming was temporarily moved to a digital subchannel of WNBD-LD after WXVT went off the air; the CBS affiliation later moved to WXVT-LD in June 2017. WNBD-LD subsequently became part of Northwest Broadcasting's broader station portfolio. Apollo Global Management acquired that portfolio through a transaction that placed it within the reorganized Cox Media Group structure, completed in December 2019. In 2022, Cox Media Group sold WNBD-LD and related Greenville-area stations to Imagicomm Communications. That sale closed on August 1, 2022. Imagicomm announced a further sale of the Greenville stations to Deltavision Media in April 2025, and the transaction was completed on August 15, 2025. Today, WNBD-LD remains a local NBC outlet for the Delta area and operates within a cluster of stations serving the region. Its identity is centered on network programming, local market access, and distribution through both broadcast transmission and participating multichannel providers.

WNBD-LD originated in a 2009 application by Commonwealth Broadcasting Group, the owner of WABG-TV in the Mississippi Delta. The proposed station was intended to operate as a low-power digital television service on RF channel 33 and was initially licensed to Grenada, Mississippi. The FCC granted the application on February 25, 2010, when the station began under the call sign W33CT-D. It adopted the WNBD-LD call sign on May 14, 2010. The station was created to address a longstanding gap in local network service. Prior to its launch, Delta-area viewers generally received NBC programming from stations outside the immediate market, including KTVE in El Dorado, Arkansas, WLBT in Jackson, Mississippi, and WMC-TV in Memphis, Tennessee. WNBD-LD therefore became the first NBC affiliate based in the market. Although an initial launch was discussed for the fall of 2010, the station applied for a license to cover on October 21 and ultimately signed on December 13, 2010. Following its launch, WNBD-LD was added to Suddenlink Communications channel 9. Because it was a low-power station, it did not receive the same automatic carriage protections generally available to qualifying full-power stations under FCC must-carry rules. Its owner could nevertheless use retransmission-consent negotiations associated with WABG-TV to seek distribution for WNBD-LD. This gave the station a way to supplement its terrestrial reach with cable carriage. WNBD-LD initially operated as part of the Commonwealth Broadcasting station group alongside WABG-TV. On October 30, 2015, Commonwealth agreed to sell WNBD-LD, WABG-TV, and WFXW-LD to Cala Broadcast Partners. Cala was jointly associated with Brian Brady, who controlled several television stations, and Jason Wolff, who operated radio and television interests through Frontier Radio Management. The acquisition closed on August 1, 2016. The 2016 ownership transition coincided with changes involving WXVT. WXVT went off the air after the transaction while its owner sought new programming. Its CBS programming and intellectual-unit operations were temporarily moved to a digital subchannel of WNBD-LD and mapped to WXVT's former channel 15 position. The CBS affiliation later moved to WXVT-LD on June 26, 2017, restoring a separate low-power CBS outlet in the group. Distribution negotiations also affected the station's availability. On January 1, 2017, Cable One removed stations owned by Northwest Broadcasting after the companies failed to reach a carriage agreement. A new agreement was reached, and the stations returned to Cable One's lineup on February 1 of the same year. WNBD-LD later became part of a major consolidation of American local television assets. In 2019, Apollo Global Management pursued the acquisition of Brian Brady's television portfolio and planned to combine it with Cox Media Group and stations divested in connection with Nexstar Media Group's acquisition of Tribune Broadcasting. Apollo formed Terrier Media for the Northwest Broadcasting acquisition, but the business was subsequently organized under the Cox Media Group name after Apollo also agreed to acquire Cox's radio and advertising operations. The transaction closed on December 17, 2019. On February 2, 2022, WNBD-LD changed its city of license from Grenada to Greenwood, Mississippi. Later that year, Cox Media Group announced the sale of WNBD-LD, WXVT-LD, WABG-TV, and other stations to Imagicomm Communications, an affiliate connected with the owner of the INSP cable network. The sale closed on August 1, 2022. In April 2025, Imagicomm announced an agreement to sell the Greenville-area stations to Deltavision Media. The transaction, including WNBD-LD, was completed on August 15, 2025. The station continues to serve the Mississippi Delta as an NBC-affiliated low-power television outlet, sharing Greenville facilities with related local stations.

• 2025

  Deltavision Media acquisition closes

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  Deltavision Media completed its acquisition of WNBD-LD and the Greenville-area station group.

• 2022

  City of license changes to Greenwood

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  WNBD-LD's city of license changed to Greenwood, Mississippi.

• 2022

  Imagicomm acquisition closes

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  Imagicomm Communications completed its purchase of WNBD-LD and related Mississippi stations.

• 2019

  Station joins Cox Media Group portfolio

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The station became part of the television portfolio assembled under Cox Media Group following Apollo Global Management's transactions.

• 2017

  Temporary CBS programming carriage ends

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The CBS affiliation previously placed on a WNBD-LD digital subchannel moved to WXVT-LD.

• 2016

  Cala Broadcast Partners acquisition closes

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  WNBD-LD changed ownership as part of Cala's acquisition of the station group.

• 2010

  FCC grants application and station begins as W33CT-D

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The station received FCC approval and began its regulatory life under the W33CT-D call sign.

• 2010

  Call sign changes to WNBD-LD

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted the WNBD-LD call sign on May 14.

• 2010

  WNBD-LD signs on

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  WNBD-LD began broadcasting on December 13 as the market's first locally based NBC affiliate.

• 2009

  Application filed for a channel 33 low-power station

  [1]WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org

  Commonwealth Broadcasting Group filed an application for a new low-power television station intended to serve the Delta region.

A locally based NBC affiliate providing network programming and television service to viewers in Mississippi's Delta region.

• Broadcast television · 2010

  WNBD-LD NBC service

  WNBD-LD's core offering is its NBC-affiliated digital television service for the Mississippi Delta. The station delivers NBC network programming and provides a locally based broadcast option in a market that previously depended mainly on NBC stations located outside the region. Its over-the-air service is supplemented by carriage arrangements with multichannel distributors when available.

• Local media · 2010

  Local Delta television coverage

  WNBD-LD operates within a Greenville-area station cluster and contributes to television access for communities across the Mississippi Delta. The station's local-market role includes distribution of regional news, weather, public-interest material, and commercial television inventory, although the available reference material does not specify a distinct branded news program.

• 2022

  Change of city of licenseOther

  Background

  The station had originally been associated with Grenada, Mississippi.

  Action taken

  WNBD-LD changed its city of license to Greenwood on February 2, 2022.

  Aftermath

  The regulatory designation aligned the station more closely with the Delta communities it serves.

  Source

• 2017

  Resolution of Cable One carriage disputeOther

  Background

  Cable One removed Northwest Broadcasting stations after the companies failed to reach a carriage agreement.

  Action taken

  The station group and Cable One reached a new carriage deal, restoring the affected channels to the lineup.

  Aftermath

  WNBD-LD and related Northwest Broadcasting stations returned to Cable One distribution on February 1, 2017.

  Source

• 2016

  Temporary relocation of CBS programming to WNBD-LDStrategy

  Background

  WXVT went off the air after the ownership transition while its operator searched for new programming.

  Action taken

  WXVT's CBS programming was temporarily carried on a WNBD-LD digital subchannel and mapped to WXVT's former channel position.

  Aftermath

  The CBS affiliation later moved to WXVT-LD on June 26, 2017.

  Source

• 2010

  Launch of a locally based NBC affiliateProduct launch

  Background

  Before WNBD-LD began operation, viewers in the Delta market generally received NBC programming from stations in Arkansas, Jackson, or Memphis.

  Action taken

  Commonwealth Broadcasting launched WNBD-LD as a low-power digital station on December 13, 2010.

  Aftermath

  The station became the first NBC affiliate based in the market and was subsequently added to a cable lineup.

  Source

1. 1WNBD-LDen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WNBD-LD official websiteyourdeltanews.com