WTVG
A Toledo, Ohio television station broadcasting ABC programming on its main channel and The CW on a digital subchannel.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WTVG is a television station serving Toledo, Ohio, and surrounding communities in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Branded on air as 13abc, the station operates on channel 13 and is affiliated with ABC on its primary service and The CW on a digital subchannel. It is owned by Gray Media and operates alongside Findlay-based WFND-LD. The station's studios are on Dorr Street in Toledo, while its transmitter is in Oregon, Ohio. WTVG began broadcasting on July 21, 1948, as WSPD-TV. Founded by Toledo-based Fort Industry Corporation, the station was the first television station in Toledo and became the first television property in the Storer Broadcasting chain. In its early years, WSPD-TV carried programming from ABC, NBC, CBS, and DuMont, although NBC was its principal affiliation. As Toledo's television market developed, the station's network relationships changed. CBS moved to WTOL-TV in 1958, WSPD-TV retained ABC and NBC service for a period, and the station became an exclusive NBC affiliate in 1969 after ABC moved to channel 24, now WNWO-TV. The station adopted the WTVG call sign on October 1, 1979, after its former radio sister stations had been sold and could no longer share the WSPD identity under the ownership rules then in effect. Around the same time, it moved from its original downtown Toledo location on Huron Street to its present Dorr Street facility. The building's Georgian-style design, including columns and a mansion-like facade, reflects the architectural style used for several former Storer stations. Ownership changed repeatedly during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The Storer stations were taken over by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1985. WTVG was subsequently sold to Toledo Television, Inc., an employee and investor group, and Toledo Television sold the station to SJL Broadcast Management in 1991. In response to major network-affiliation realignments in 1994, Capital Cities/ABC purchased WTVG and Flint, Michigan station WJRT-TV. The transaction was completed in 1995, and WTVG returned to ABC on October 28 of that year. Disney's acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC in 1996 made WTVG an ABC-owned station. SJL reacquired WTVG from Disney in 2011. The transaction preserved the ABC affiliation but was followed by substantial behind-the-scenes staff reductions. SJL then sold the station to Gray Television in 2014. Gray added The CW to WTVG's second digital subchannel, replacing the former Live Well Network service and bringing an over-the-air CW service to the Toledo market. Gray Media remains the station's owner following the company's later corporate expansion and rebranding. WTVG's principal business is local television broadcasting. Its output includes local news, weather, traffic, sports, public-affairs programming, syndicated content, ABC network programming, and CW programming. The station has historically emphasized regional reporting and high-school sports coverage, including Football Friday and Basketball Friday. It has also invested in broadcast technology, moving its news operation from widescreen enhanced definition to high definition in 2010 and expanding its local-news schedule with additional afternoon and evening newscasts. WTVG remains an active local media outlet rather than a standalone consumer-electronics brand.
History
WTVG began service on July 21, 1948, as WSPD-TV. Fort Industry Corporation, a Toledo company that later became associated with Storer Broadcasting, owned the station together with WSPD radio. The original studios were located at 136 Huron Street in downtown Toledo. As the city's first television station, WSPD-TV initially carried programming from all four major television networks: ABC, NBC, CBS, and DuMont. NBC was its principal affiliation, influenced by the radio station's established NBC relationship. The station's affiliations changed as Toledo gained additional television outlets. CBS moved to newly launched WTOL-TV in 1958, while WSPD-TV continued with ABC and NBC. In 1969, after ABC moved to channel 24, WSPD-TV became an exclusive NBC affiliate. The station was also the first in northwest Ohio to transmit in color. Storer later sold the associated radio properties, but retained channel 13. Because the station could no longer share the WSPD call sign with radio stations under different ownership, it became WTVG on October 1, 1979. That year it also moved from its original downtown facility to a new studio building on Dorr Street in southwest Toledo. Storer's corporate history brought another ownership transition in 1985, when Kohlberg Kravis Roberts took control of the group. WTVG was not included in the subsequent sale of many Storer stations to Gillett Communications because of regulatory and grandfathered-ownership circumstances. Instead, it went to Toledo Television, Inc., an employee and investor group. SJL Broadcast Management acquired Toledo Television in 1991. The 1994 national affiliation realignment created a major turning point. Capital Cities/ABC acquired WTVG and Flint station WJRT-TV for a reported transaction value of $155 million. Although the purchase was completed in August 1995, WTVG continued carrying NBC until its existing agreement expired. ABC assumed the station's primary affiliation on October 28, 1995, while NBC moved to WNWO-TV. Disney's 1996 acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC placed WTVG within the Disney-owned ABC station group and made it one of the smallest-market stations directly owned by a major broadcast network. During the ABC-owned period, WTVG carried ABC network events and programming while developing digital services. It broadcast the 2004 Veterans Day presentation of Saving Private Ryan when many other ABC affiliates preempted the film because of concerns surrounding federal indecency enforcement. The station also participated in ABC-owned-station digital-subchannel initiatives, including ABC News Now and later the Live Well Network and AccuWeather Channel. WTVG completed its transition to digital-only broadcasting on June 12, 2009. Its digital operation returned to channel 13 after a temporary channel 19 assignment, although the lower-power VHF operation created coverage concerns in some areas. SJL Broadcasting reacquired WTVG from Disney in 2011 in a transaction involving WJRT-TV as well. The station remained an ABC affiliate, but the new ownership dismissed approximately 20 behind-the-scenes employees shortly after the sale. SJL also sought and received authorization to increase WTVG's digital power. In July 2014, SJL agreed to sell WTVG and WJRT-TV to Gray Television; the transaction closed on September 15, 2014. Gray expanded WTVG's service by adding The CW to its second digital subchannel on September 1, 2014. The service replaced Live Well Network and incorporated programming and cable carriage associated with Toledo's former cable-only CW service. This gave The CW an over-the-air presence in Toledo for the first time since the network's launch. Gray later retained WTVG during its 2019 acquisition of Raycom Media while selling competing Toledo station WTOL to Tegna to address ownership limits. In 2021, Gray sold WJRT-TV to Allen Media Group, ending WTVG's long-standing sister-station relationship with the Flint outlet. WTVG has continuously expanded and modernized its local-news operation. It introduced widescreen production in April 2010 and became Toledo's first station to produce newscasts in high definition in July of that year. The station later introduced updated HD graphics, high-definition commercial production, a 4 p.m. newscast in 2021, and a 10 p.m. newscast on WTVG-DT2 in 2024. Its programming portfolio has included local discussion shows, high-school sports specials, extensive weather coverage, and regular ABC and CW network programming. The station formerly operated a high-powered Doppler weather radar known as Live Doppler 13000 HD, which was discontinued in 2018.
- 2024
A 10 p.m. newscast is launched on WTVG-DT2
[1]The station adds an evening newscast to its second digital channel.
- 2021
A 4 p.m. newscast is launched
[1]WTVG expands its local-news schedule with a new afternoon broadcast.
- 2018
Live Doppler 13000 HD is discontinued
[1]WTVG ends operation of its branded Doppler weather radar.
- 2014
Gray Television acquires WTVG
[1]Gray completes its purchase of WTVG and adds The CW to the station's second digital subchannel.
- 2011
SJL returns as owner
[1]SJL Broadcasting reacquires WTVG from Disney and retains its ABC affiliation.
- 2010
High-definition local news begins
[1]WTVG becomes the first Toledo station to broadcast its newscasts in high definition.
- 2009
Digital transition
[1]WTVG ends analog broadcasting and continues as a digital television station.
- 1995
WTVG returns to ABC
[1]ABC programming begins on October 28 after Capital Cities/ABC acquires the station.
- 1979
The station adopts the WTVG call sign
[1]The station changes from WSPD-TV to WTVG after its associated radio stations change ownership.
- 1969
WSPD-TV becomes an exclusive NBC affiliate
[1]ABC moves to channel 24, leaving WSPD-TV with NBC as its sole primary network affiliation.
Products and positioning
A locally focused broadcast-news and network-affiliate brand serving Toledo and northwest Ohio, combining ABC and CW programming with regional news, weather, sports, and community coverage.
Local television news
13abc local news
WTVG's core local-news service covers Toledo and northwest Ohio through regularly scheduled morning, daytime, evening, and weekend broadcasts. The operation combines local reporting with weather, traffic, public-service information, and regional features. The station has progressively expanded its schedule, including a 4 p.m. newscast and a 10 p.m. broadcast on WTVG-DT2.
Network television affiliation · 1995
ABC programming
The station's primary service carries ABC network programming, including the network's entertainment, news, daytime, and special-event schedules. WTVG has been an ABC affiliate at different points in its history and returned to the network in 1995 after a period as an NBC affiliate.
Digital subchannel · 2014
The CW on WTVG-DT2
WTVG's second digital channel carries The CW and related syndicated programming. The service began in 2014, replacing the Live Well Network and extending CW programming from a previous cable-only Toledo service to an over-the-air audience.
Regional sports programming
Football Friday
A seasonal Friday-night sports program focused on high-school football across northwest Ohio. The program is part of WTVG's local sports coverage and highlights games, teams, and results from the station's viewing area.
Regional sports programming
Basketball Friday
A seasonal sports program covering girls' and boys' high-school basketball in northwest Ohio. It complements WTVG's football coverage by providing recurring regional reporting during the basketball season.
Weather service · 2003
Live Doppler 13000 HD
A branded Doppler weather-radar operation used by WTVG to support local forecasting and severe-weather coverage. The station discontinued the radar service in 2018.
Public-affairs programming
Bridges
A local discussion and public-affairs program formerly produced by WTVG. It formed part of the station's community-oriented programming alongside other local interview and discussion formats.
Local discussion program
Coffee with the Fords
A Sunday discussion program hosted by former Toledo mayor Jack Ford and Cynthia Ford. WTVG ended the program on June 19, 2011, after it had been broadcast for more than four years.
Brand decisions
2024
Expansion with a 10 p.m. newscastProduct launchBackground
WTVG expanded local programming on its secondary digital service.
Action taken
The station premiered a 10 p.m. newscast on WTVG-DT2 on September 16, 2024.
Aftermath
The secondary channel gained a dedicated late-evening local-news program.
2021
Expansion with a 4 p.m. newscastProduct launchBackground
WTVG continued expanding its locally produced news schedule.
Action taken
The station launched a 4 p.m. newscast on September 13, 2021.
Aftermath
The newscast increased the station's weekday local-news offering.
2014
Gray Television acquisitionM&ABackground
SJL decided to sell WTVG and WJRT-TV after reacquiring them from Disney.
Action taken
Gray Television agreed to purchase both stations and completed the WTVG transaction on September 15, 2014.
Aftermath
WTVG remained an ABC affiliate and Gray added The CW to its second digital subchannel.
Reported WTVG and WJRT-TV transaction value. 128 million US dollars (2014 sale)
2014
Launch of The CW digital subchannelProduct launchBackground
Toledo previously had a cable-only CW service operated by Buckeye Cablesystem.
Action taken
WTVG placed The CW on its second digital subchannel and assumed associated syndicated programming and cable positions.
Aftermath
The CW became available over the air and in high definition in the Toledo market.
2011
SJL reacquisition from DisneyM&ABackground
Disney's ABC station group agreed to sell WTVG and WJRT-TV back to SJL Broadcasting.
Action taken
SJL completed the purchase of WTVG on April 1, 2011, with financing support from Bain Capital affiliate Sankaty Advisors.
Aftermath
The ABC affiliation continued, but approximately 20 behind-the-scenes employees were dismissed after the transaction.
Reported WTVG transaction allocation. 16.8 million US dollars (2011 transaction)
1994
Capital Cities/ABC acquisitionM&ABackground
National network-affiliation changes created uncertainty around WTVG's future affiliation and ownership.
Action taken
Capital Cities/ABC agreed to acquire WTVG and WJRT-TV, with the purchase completed in 1995.
Aftermath
WTVG returned to ABC on October 28, 1995, while NBC programming moved to WNWO-TV.
Sources2 sources
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