WTOV-TV

WTOV-TV is a broadcast television station licensed to Steubenville, Ohio, and serving the Wheeling–Steubenville television market across eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia, and parts of western Pennsylvania. The station operates on channel 9 and is primarily affiliated with NBC. It also carries Fox programming on a digital subchannel, giving the market a second major network service from the WTOV operation. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and maintains its principal studio and transmitter facilities on Burr Avenue in Mingo Junction, Ohio, while its mailing address uses Red Donley Plaza in Steubenville. The station began broadcasting on December 24, 1953, under the call sign WSTV-TV. It was established by Rust Craft Broadcasting, which also owned local radio properties. WSTV-TV initially carried CBS programming and had a secondary relationship with ABC, sharing some ABC programs with NBC affiliate WTRF-TV. Its position was shaped by the unusual geography of the Upper Ohio Valley. Steubenville, Wheeling, Pittsburgh, and other nearby communities are close enough for their television signals to overlap, but the Federal Communications Commission maintained a separate Wheeling–Steubenville market and limited additional VHF assignments in Pittsburgh. This helped preserve channel 9 as a locally oriented station rather than allowing its license to be shifted into the larger Pittsburgh market. The call sign changed to WTOV in 1979 after Rust Craft merged with Ziff Davis. The letters were associated with the phrase “We're Television for the Ohio Valley.” The station gradually reduced its ABC programming and completed a major network transition on January 7, 1980, when it exchanged affiliations with WTRF-TV and became an NBC affiliate. The change ultimately strengthened WTOV's competitive position. NBC's ratings improved during the 1980s, and WTOV gained access to sports programming that was particularly relevant in the region, including Pittsburgh Steelers games carried through NBC's NFL packages. Over time, WTOV overtook WTRF in local ratings and became the leading station in the market. Ownership changed several times. Ziff Davis sold the station in 1983 to Television Station Partners. WTOV was subsequently sold to Smith Broadcast Group in 1996 and acquired by Cox Enterprises in 2000. Cox later placed WTOV and several other smaller-market stations on the market. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced an agreement to acquire the station in 2013, received regulatory approval, and completed the transaction on May 2 of that year. The acquisition made WTOV a sister station to Pittsburgh stations WPGH-TV and WPMY, while WTOV also remained linked operationally to WPXI through a news-sharing arrangement. WTOV expanded its network portfolio in 2014 when Fox programming moved to its second digital subchannel. Fox selected WTOV in part because of the station's stronger over-the-air signal in the market. The Fox service launched on September 1, 2014, replacing WTRF's former Fox digital service. WTOV's earlier MeTV affiliation was displaced by Fox and later ended in 2022 when the subchannel adopted Sinclair's Comet network. The station also supplies local programming, weather coverage, high-school sports, selected hockey coverage, syndicated programming, and digital news content. Its local news operation has undergone several technical and schedule expansions, including widescreen production, enhanced weather radar presentation, additional morning and evening broadcasts, and a WTOV-produced 10 p.m. newscast for the Fox subchannel.

WTOV-TV signed on December 24, 1953, as WSTV-TV, a Steubenville station owned by Rust Craft Broadcasting. Rust Craft also owned WSTV radio and an FM outlet. The station's launch followed an FCC licensing process in which Rust Craft and CBS were among the leading applicants. CBS sought to move the proposed channel 9 facility into Pittsburgh, but the FCC rejected that approach in order to preserve television service for the smaller Wheeling–Steubenville market. The region's closely spaced cities and limited VHF spectrum made the market unusually dependent on a small number of stations. WSTV-TV began as a CBS affiliate and also carried selected ABC programs. ABC programming was shared with NBC affiliate WTRF-TV, and viewers could receive additional network programming from stations serving Pittsburgh, Youngstown, and Columbus through cable systems. The station faced strong competition from Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV, whose signal and programming were widely available in the Ohio Valley. In 1979, after Rust Craft merged with Ziff Davis and divested its radio operations, channel 9 adopted the WTOV call sign. The letters were promoted as an abbreviation of “We're Television for the Ohio Valley.” On January 7, 1980, WTOV and WTRF exchanged affiliations. WTOV became an NBC affiliate, while WTRF took the CBS affiliation. The switch proved advantageous for WTOV over the following decade. NBC's national performance improved substantially in the early 1980s, and WTOV was able to carry important regional sports through NBC, including much of the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule before the NFL's network rights changed in 1997. NBC's later Sunday Night Football package continued to provide occasional Steelers exposure. The station eventually became the ratings leader in the Wheeling–Steubenville market. Ziff Davis sold WTOV in 1983 to Television Station Partners. The station was later acquired by Smith Broadcast Group in 1996 and then by Cox Enterprises in 2000. During Cox's ownership, WTOV modernized its branding, dropped the remaining ABC programs from its schedule, and was periodically marketed alongside sister stations WPXI in Pittsburgh and WJAC-TV in Johnstown. WTOV launched a widescreen enhanced-definition local-news format in April 2009 and became digital-only on June 12 of that year. Further technical work produced an upgraded news set, updated graphics, enhanced Doppler weather presentation, and improved warning crawls. Cox placed WTOV and several other smaller-market properties on the sales block in 2012. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced an agreement to acquire the station in February 2013, received FCC approval in April, and completed the purchase on May 2. Under Sinclair, WTOV became a sister station to Pittsburgh's WPGH-TV and WPMY. It retained a news-sharing relationship involving WPXI and WPGH that connected its local news operation to the broader Pittsburgh-area television group. WTOV added Fox programming to a digital subchannel on September 1, 2014. The move made WTOV the market's Fox affiliate and displaced WTRF's prior Fox digital service. WTOV subsequently introduced a station-produced 10 p.m. newscast for the Fox service. The station has also broadcast tape-delayed local high-school football, playoff games, and Wheeling Nailers hockey. Its signals and cable carriage extend beyond the core market into portions of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In 2022, the station ended its MeTV affiliation and replaced it with Sinclair's Comet network. WTOV continues to operate as an NBC/Fox television service centered on local news, weather, sports, and regional programming.

1. 2022Comet replaces MeTV

   The station ends its MeTV affiliation and carries Sinclair's Comet network instead.

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2. 2014Fox programming added

   Fox launches on a WTOV digital subchannel on September 1.

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3. 2013Sinclair acquisition completed

   Sinclair receives regulatory approval and completes its purchase of WTOV on May 2.

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4. 2009Digital television transition

   WTOV ends analog broadcasting and operates as a digital-only station beginning June 12.

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5. 2000Cox Enterprises acquisition

   Cox acquires WTOV from Sunrise/STC Broadcasting.

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6. 1996Sale to Smith Broadcast Group

   WTOV is transferred to Smith Broadcast Group along with other stations.

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7. 1983Sale to Television Station Partners

   Ziff Davis sells WTOV and several other stations to Television Station Partners.

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8. 1980NBC affiliation begins

   WTOV exchanges affiliations with WTRF-TV and becomes an NBC station.

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9. 1979WTOV call letters adopted

   The station changes its call sign from WSTV-TV to WTOV after Rust Craft's merger with Ziff Davis.

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10. 1953WSTV-TV begins broadcasting

    The station signs on December 24 as WSTV-TV, licensed to Steubenville and initially affiliated with CBS.

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A locally focused Ohio Valley broadcast station combining NBC network service, Fox programming, regional news, weather, and community sports coverage.

• WTOV 9 NBC serviceBroadcast television network affiliate1980

  WTOV's primary service carries NBC network programming together with locally produced news, weather, public-affairs content, syndicated shows, and selected regional sports. The NBC affiliation has been central to the station's identity since 1980 and provides access to national entertainment, news, and sports programming.

• WTOV Fox digital subchannelDigital broadcast television service2014

  WTOV's Fox service began in 2014 and extends the station's offering beyond its NBC primary channel. It carries Fox network programming and a locally produced 10 p.m. newscast, providing a separate evening news destination for viewers in the Wheeling–Steubenville market.

• WTOV local newsLocal television news

  The station's news operation covers communities in the Upper Ohio Valley, with reporting, weather, traffic, public-safety information, and local sports. It expanded its schedule through additional morning and early-evening broadcasts and introduced widescreen production in 2009.

• Early Warning Live Doppler 9Weather information service2010

  WTOV's branded weather operation uses regional National Weather Service radar data to support severe-weather monitoring, warnings, forecasts, and on-air graphics for the station's broad multi-state viewing area.

• 2022Replace MeTV with CometStrategy

  Sinclair adjusted the station's digital-subchannel network lineup.

  What changed. WTOV discontinued MeTV and began carrying Sinclair-owned Comet programming.

  Aftermath. The change aligned the subchannel lineup with a network owned by WTOV's parent group.

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• 2014Launch Fox programming on a digital subchannelProduct launch

  Fox sought a local outlet with a stronger over-the-air signal than the existing Fox digital service.

  What changed. WTOV added Fox programming on September 1 and later introduced a WTOV-produced 10 p.m. newscast.

  Aftermath. WTOV became the market's Fox affiliate while broadening its local news and network-programming portfolio.

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• 2013Sale from Cox Enterprises to Sinclair Broadcast GroupM&A

  Cox placed WTOV and several smaller-market television properties on the market after expanding elsewhere.

  What changed. Sinclair agreed to acquire WTOV, obtained FCC approval, and completed the transaction on May 2, 2013.

  Aftermath. WTOV became part of Sinclair's station portfolio and a sister station to WPGH-TV and WPMY in Pittsburgh.

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• 1980Exchange CBS and NBC affiliationsStrategy

  WTOV was competing with a strong Pittsburgh CBS station, while NBC's national performance was beginning to recover.

  What changed. WTOV exchanged affiliations with WTRF-TV and became the market's NBC affiliate.

  Aftermath. The affiliation helped WTOV improve its ratings position and eventually become the leading station in the Wheeling–Steubenville market.

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• 2022MeTV affiliation ends in favor of Comet

  WTOV discontinued MeTV on the relevant digital subchannel and replaced it with Sinclair-owned Comet programming.

  Product generation
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• 2014Fox programming launches on WTOV digital subchannel

  WTOV began carrying Fox programming, replacing the Fox service previously offered through WTRF's second digital channel.

  Product launch
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• 2014WTOV-produced Fox evening newscast debuts

  The station introduced a locally produced 10 p.m. newscast for its Fox digital subchannel.

  Product launch
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• 2013Sinclair agrees to acquire WTOV-TV

  Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the purchase of WTOV-TV and several other stations from Cox Enterprises.

  M&A
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• 2009WTOV-TV converts to digital-only broadcasting

  The station ended analog transmissions as part of the United States digital television transition.

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• 1980WTOV-TV becomes an NBC affiliate

  WTOV exchanged network affiliations with WTRF-TV and joined NBC, a change that later helped improve its competitive position in the Wheeling–Steubenville market.

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• 1979WTOV-TV changes call sign from WSTV-TV

  The Steubenville station adopted the WTOV call letters following the Rust Craft–Ziff Davis transaction.

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1. WTOV-TV
2. WTOV-TV official website