WRGT-TV
A Dayton, Ohio television station that formerly operated as the Fox affiliate Fox 45 and currently carries Roar programming.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WRGT-TV is a full-power television station serving Dayton, Ohio, and surrounding communities. The station began broadcasting on September 23, 1984, as an independent outlet owned by Pittsburgh-based Meridian Communications. Its call sign references the Wright brothers, whose pioneering aviation work is closely associated with the Dayton area. At launch, WRGT-TV filled a significant gap in the local television market by offering a broad general-entertainment schedule that included cartoons, syndicated sitcoms, movies, drama programs, and sports. It also obtained much of the nonreligious programming previously carried by WTJC, helping establish it as Dayton's principal independent station. WRGT-TV became a charter affiliate of the Fox Broadcasting Company when Fox launched in October 1986. The affiliation defined the station's identity for more than three decades and led to the development of the Fox 45 brand. Meridian sold the station to Act III Broadcasting in 1987. Act III later became part of Abry Broadcast Partners, whose broadcast operations were subsequently associated with Sullivan Broadcasting. Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired Sullivan and developed an operating relationship between WRGT-TV and WKEF, Dayton's ABC affiliate and later a directly owned Sinclair station. Because of federal ownership limits, WRGT-TV was not directly acquired by Sinclair. Instead, its license was held by Glencairn, Ltd., which later became Cunningham Broadcasting, while Sinclair provided substantial operational services under a local marketing agreement. The arrangement allowed WRGT-TV and WKEF to share facilities, personnel, programming infrastructure, and news operations despite formal ownership being separated. The structure became part of broader criticism of Sinclair's use of sidecar companies to operate stations in markets where direct common ownership was restricted. The station expanded its digital services during the 2000s and 2010s. Its second digital channel carried MyNetworkTV beginning in 2006, with This TV later occupying the same channel outside prime time. Additional multicast networks included Comet, Charge!, Dabl, TBD, Stadium, and Antenna TV at various points. WRGT-TV also carried news programming produced with WKEF, including a 10 p.m. newscast launched in 1998, a morning program beginning in 2006, and an early-evening newscast beginning in 2008. In 2019, the shared news operation was rebranded Dayton 24/7 Now, replacing the former Fox 45 News identity in digital and news-promotion channels. A major transition occurred at the beginning of 2021. Although Sinclair renewed the Dayton market's Fox affiliation, Fox programming moved from WRGT-TV's primary channel to a digital subchannel of WKEF. The change reflected Sinclair's strategy of placing Fox affiliations on directly owned stations rather than stations held by affiliated sidecar companies. WRGT-TV subsequently became primarily a multicast outlet, with its subchannels carrying services such as Dabl, Antenna TV, Comet, and other digital networks. On August 2, 2025, the station changed its programming affiliation to Roar. WRGT-TV continues to operate from shared facilities in Miamisburg, with its transmitter located in southwest Dayton.
History
WRGT-TV signed on September 23, 1984, as an independent station licensed to Dayton, Ohio. It was established by Meridian Communications, a Pittsburgh-based broadcaster that had previously launched WVAH-TV in Charleston, West Virginia. The station emerged from a competitive process over the Dayton channel allocation and was intended to provide the market with a substantial source of commercial, non-network programming. Before WRGT-TV's launch, Dayton had limited access to general-entertainment television. Meridian arranged to acquire much of the nonreligious programming associated with WTJC, then a primarily religious station, and used it to construct a schedule of cartoons, classic and recent syndicated sitcoms, movies, drama series, and sports. The station's original promotional identity invoked the Wright brothers through its call letters and used an animated Wright Flyer in early branding. When the Fox network began operations in October 1986, WRGT-TV became a charter affiliate. Fox supplied a growing schedule of entertainment and later sports programming, while WRGT-TV continued to supplement the network schedule with syndicated shows and local material. Meridian sold the station to Act III Broadcasting in October 1987. Act III later merged with Abry Broadcast Partners in 1995, and the resulting group became associated with Sullivan Broadcasting. Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired Sullivan's broadcasting operations during the late 1990s and early 2000s. WRGT-TV's license was transferred to Glencairn, Ltd., which later changed its name to Cunningham Broadcasting. Sinclair simultaneously acquired WKEF, creating a shared operating structure between the two Dayton stations. Since direct ownership of both stations was restricted by federal rules concerning market size and the number and ratings of commonly owned stations, Sinclair used a local marketing agreement and related service arrangements to operate WRGT-TV alongside WKEF. Critics and regulatory commentators argued that Cunningham functioned as a Sinclair-controlled sidecar company, an issue that formed part of wider debates over broadcast ownership consolidation. WRGT-TV developed a substantial news relationship with WKEF. In 1998, it began airing a 10 p.m. newscast produced with WKEF's news staff. It added a weekday morning program in 2006 and an early-evening newscast in 2008. The station's Fox 45 news branding was later replaced by the shared Dayton 24/7 Now identity in 2019, accompanied by streaming applications, social-media activity, and updated graphics. The station's digital transition produced a succession of multicast services. MyNetworkTV was added to a second digital subchannel in 2006, and the same channel later carried This TV and then Dabl outside MyNetworkTV's prime-time schedule. Comet joined the station's third subchannel in 2015, while Charge! was added to a fourth channel in 2017. In subsequent years the lineup also included TBD, Stadium, Antenna TV, and other digital networks. WRGT-TV shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009, retaining virtual channel 45 on its digital service. Its digital frequency later changed from channel 30 to channel 36 in October 2019 as part of the Federal Communications Commission's spectrum-reallocation process. The station also carried out transmitter and antenna work in coordination with WKEF. In late 2020, Sinclair announced that Fox programming would move to WKEF's digital channel. The transfer began on January 1, 2021, and the temporary simulcast ended in February. The change left WRGT-TV as a multicast-oriented station rather than Dayton's primary Fox outlet. In September 2021, further channel rearrangements moved MyNetworkTV and Stadium programming to WKEF and redistributed several other services across the two stations. WRGT-TV's primary channel subsequently carried Dabl for a period. On August 2, 2025, it became an affiliate of Roar. The station remains based in shared Miamisburg facilities and continues to serve the Dayton area through over-the-air digital television.
- 2025
Roar affiliation begins
[1]WRGT-TV changes its affiliation to Roar on August 2.
- 2021
Fox affiliation transfers to WKEF
[1]Fox programming moves from WRGT-TV's primary channel to a WKEF digital subchannel.
- 2019
News operation becomes Dayton 24/7 Now
[1]The shared WRGT-TV/WKEF news operation adopts the Dayton 24/7 Now brand.
- 2017
Charge! added
[1]Charge! begins broadcasting on WRGT-TV's fourth digital subchannel.
- 2015
Comet launches on WRGT-TV
[1]The station adds Sinclair-owned Comet to its third digital subchannel.
- 2013
Miamisburg studio consolidation
[1]WRGT-TV and WKEF complete their move into renovated shared studios and begin high-definition newscasts.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]WRGT-TV ends analog broadcasting under the United States digital television transition.
- 2006
MyNetworkTV added
[1]The station adds MyNetworkTV to its second digital subchannel.
- 1998
Local 10 p.m. newscast begins
[1]WRGT-TV begins airing a nightly late-evening newscast produced with WKEF's news operation.
- 1987
Sale to Act III Broadcasting
[1]Meridian sells the station to Act III Broadcasting.
Products and positioning
A local Dayton broadcast outlet whose identity evolved from independent entertainment station to long-running Fox affiliate and, after the 2021 network transfer, to a multicast-focused television station.
Over-the-air television · 1984
WRGT-TV broadcast service
The station's primary digital broadcast service serves Dayton and nearby communities in southwest Ohio. Its programming identity has changed over time, moving from independent entertainment to Fox and later to multicast-network programming, including Roar from August 2025.
Network-affiliated television service · 1986
Fox 45
Fox 45 was WRGT-TV's long-running public identity as a charter Fox affiliate. The station carried Fox programming from 1986 until the affiliation moved to WKEF in 2021.
Digital multicast television · 2006
MyNetworkTV on WRGT-TV
WRGT-TV carried MyNetworkTV on a digital subchannel beginning in 2006, generally pairing the network's prime-time schedule with other multicast services during the rest of the day.
Local television news · 1998
Local news programming
The station aired locally produced news, including a 10 p.m. newscast, morning programming, and an early-evening broadcast produced in coordination with WKEF. The operation was branded Dayton 24/7 Now from 2019.
Controversies
2001
Cunningham ownership-structure controversy
WRGT-TV's formal ownership through Glencairn, later Cunningham Broadcasting, drew criticism because Sinclair provided extensive operational control while direct common ownership of WRGT-TV and WKEF was restricted by federal broadcast rules. The arrangement was cited by critics as an example of a sidecar structure used to work around ownership limits.
Brand decisions
2025
Join the Roar networkStrategyBackground
Following the station's shift away from Fox programming and its role as a multicast-focused outlet, WRGT-TV changed its network affiliation.
Action taken
WRGT-TV became a Roar affiliate on August 2, 2025.
Aftermath
The station continued operating as a digital broadcast outlet serving the Dayton market under a new multicast-network identity.
2021
Transfer Fox programming to WKEFStrategyBackground
Sinclair renewed the Dayton Fox affiliation but chose to place the network schedule on a digital subchannel of directly owned WKEF rather than retain it on the Cunningham-licensed WRGT-TV.
Action taken
Fox programming moved to WKEF's 22.2 channel on January 1, 2021. A temporary WRGT-TV/WKEF simulcast ended in February, followed by further redistribution of multicast services.
Aftermath
WRGT-TV lost its Fox identity and became primarily a digital multicast outlet, while WKEF became the Dayton Fox outlet.
2011
Resolve the Time Warner Cable retransmission disputeOtherBackground
Sinclair threatened to withdraw WRGT-TV and WKEF from Time Warner Cable when carriage agreements expired amid disagreement over retransmission compensation.
Action taken
After extensions and negotiations, the parties reached a final agreement on February 2, 2011, preserving carriage of both stations.
Aftermath
WRGT-TV and WKEF remained available on Time Warner Cable systems in the Dayton area.
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