WTVQ-DT
ABC and MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station serving Lexington, Kentucky.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WTVQ-DT is a broadcast television station serving Lexington and the surrounding central Kentucky market. The station operates on digital channel 36 and carries programming from ABC, while also offering MyNetworkTV programming on a secondary service. It is owned by The E. W. Scripps Company and is operated alongside NBC affiliate WLEX-TV, another Lexington station owned by Scripps. The stations share studio facilities on Russell Cave Road in Lexington, while WTVQ’s transmission facilities are located near the outer loop of Man o’ War Boulevard in Fayette County. The station began broadcasting on June 2, 1968, under the call sign WBLG-TV. Its original allocation was channel 62, and it was established as an ABC affiliate from launch. The station was created by WBLG-TV, Inc., a partnership between Lexington businessman Roy White and Reeves Broadcasting Corporation. White already owned WBLG radio and served as the television company’s president and general manager, while Reeves brought experience from its ownership of stations including WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia, and WCBD-TV in Charleston, South Carolina. The station was designed for color broadcasting and became the market’s third commercial television outlet. WBLG-TV adopted the WTVQ-TV call sign in December 1973 after its sale to Starr Broadcasting Group. Under Starr, the company’s corporate base was moved to Lexington and the station pursued several technical and programming changes. It experimented with around-the-clock broadcasting in the mid-1970s and became an early Lexington adopter of electronic news gathering. These developments helped establish the station as a local television brand rather than simply a network relay. A major technical transition occurred in 1980, when the station moved from channel 62 to channel 36. Management argued that the lower channel position would improve coverage and reduce technical limitations associated with the original high-band allocation. The transition required a new transmitter and antenna system, and the station ultimately began transmitting on channel 36 on June 25, 1980. The change was accompanied by expanded facilities, new equipment, revised on-air presentation, and investment in local news. Ownership changed again in 1979 when Starr was acquired by Shamrock Broadcasting, a company wholly owned by Roy E. Disney. Shamrock expanded WTVQ’s facilities and news operation and emphasized public affairs and community involvement. The station remained an ABC affiliate despite periodic speculation and negotiations involving rival Lexington stations. ABC considered alternative affiliation arrangements during periods when WTVQ’s local ratings and production resources were comparatively weak, but the affiliation stayed with WTVQ. Local news has been an important part of WTVQ’s identity, although the station has generally ranked third among Lexington’s four principal television newsrooms outside portions of the 1990s. Its service includes local reporting, weather, sports, public affairs, emergency information, and community-focused programming, supplemented by ABC network content and syndicated or secondary-network programming. In the digital era, the station has operated under the WTVQ-DT designation and maintained an online presence through WTVQ.com. The E. W. Scripps Company acquired WTVQ from Morris Multimedia in 2026, according to the referenced station history. The acquisition placed WTVQ under common ownership with WLEX-TV and made it part of Scripps’ broader local television portfolio. As an active local broadcast outlet, WTVQ-DT’s principal role is to provide network entertainment and news, locally produced journalism, weather and public-service information to viewers in Lexington and central Kentucky.
History
WTVQ-DT traces its history to an application filed with the Federal Communications Commission on October 8, 1965, by WBLG-TV, Inc. The proposed station was a 50–50 venture between Lexington businessman Roy White and Reeves Broadcasting Corporation. White owned local radio station WBLG and was designated to lead the new television operation, while Reeves contributed regional broadcasting experience. The proposed service would use channel 62, then the final commercial television allocation available in the Lexington market. The application initially faced a competing proposal from Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company, but that company instead purchased WKYT-TV, removing the principal competing applicant. The FCC approved WBLG-TV’s application in 1967. Construction followed at a site near Winchester Pike and Bryant Road, now associated with Man o’ War Boulevard. The location required rezoning because it was largely agricultural, and local residents objected to the proposed tower’s height and appearance. Approval was eventually granted with conditions concerning access and visual screening. WBLG-TV began broadcasting at 9:30 a.m. on June 2, 1968. The station launched as an ABC affiliate and was equipped for color broadcasting. Its opening ceremony included Roy White, his daughter Barbara, and Lexington mayor Charles Wylie. The station reported strong early audience performance, and the FCC issued its permanent license in August 1970. From the beginning, WBLG-TV competed with WKYT-TV and WLEX-TV for local viewers and advertising. In 1973, Starr Broadcasting Group agreed to purchase WBLG-TV. The transaction was completed in November, and the station adopted the WTVQ-TV call sign in December. Starr later relocated its corporate operations to Lexington. During the 1970s, WTVQ experimented with extended-hours broadcasting and invested in newsgathering technology. It became the first Lexington station to use electronic news gathering and videotape-based field reporting, replacing the older film-based workflow used by competitors. The station’s most significant technical change came through its move from channel 62 to channel 36. WTVQ argued that the original channel caused coverage and interference disadvantages and that channel 36 would allow it to compete more effectively. The proposed move required changes to several channel allocations in Kentucky and Ohio and attracted objections from other broadcasters and Kentucky Educational Television. The FCC approved the plan in 1979. During the same period, Starr was acquired by Shamrock Broadcasting, a company owned by Roy E. Disney. Shamrock introduced management and operational changes at WTVQ, including expanded studio space, new technical equipment, a larger news budget, longer evening newscasts, and a stated emphasis on public affairs and community involvement. The station also experienced management turnover during the transition. A proposed news director resigned after management questioned claimed academic credentials, and longtime meteorologist Frank Faulconer briefly moved to WKYT before returning to WTVQ. WTVQ ended channel 62 transmissions shortly after midnight on June 21, 1980. Installation difficulties, including the weight of the old antenna and high winds, delayed the new service. Channel 36 ultimately began test transmissions at 2:18 p.m. on June 25, followed by the national anthem and regular service. The new system used substantially greater power and was intended to improve reception in parts of Lexington and the wider service area. A station renovation begun in 1985 doubled office space and created updated technical facilities; the expanded facilities were dedicated in 1986. The station periodically faced uncertainty over its ABC affiliation. During the late 1970s and 1980s, ABC explored whether stronger Lexington stations might replace WTVQ, including discussions involving WKYT-TV and WLEX-TV. A later approach by Fox affiliate WDKY-TV also raised the possibility of an affiliation change. None of these efforts displaced WTVQ, which retained ABC service throughout its history. WTVQ’s local news operation has generally occupied third place among Lexington’s four major television newsrooms, apart from much of the 1990s. Nevertheless, news, weather, public affairs, and community information have remained central to the station’s local identity. The station later adopted the WTVQ-DT designation as part of the digital television transition and continued to distribute content through television and its website. In 2026, The E. W. Scripps Company acquired WTVQ from Morris Multimedia. The transaction placed WTVQ alongside Scripps-owned WLEX-TV, creating a shared-ownership Lexington television grouping while preserving WTVQ’s ABC affiliation and local-service role.
- 2026
Acquired by Scripps
[1]The E. W. Scripps Company acquired WTVQ from Morris Multimedia and placed it alongside WLEX-TV under common ownership.
- 1986
Expanded facilities dedicated
[1]A major renovation expanded office space and modernized the station’s technical facilities.
- 1980
Move to channel 36 completed
[1]WTVQ ended channel 62 service and began broadcasting on channel 36 after installing a new transmitter and antenna.
- 1978
Shamrock acquisition announced
[1]Starr announced an acquisition by Shamrock Broadcasting, the Roy E. Disney-owned broadcaster.
- 1975
Extended-hours broadcasting experiment
[1]WTVQ experimented with overnight service by airing a sequence of feature films.
- 1973
Station becomes WTVQ-TV
[1]Starr Broadcasting completed its acquisition and the station adopted the WTVQ-TV call sign.
- 1970
Permanent license granted
[1]The FCC granted WBLG-TV its permanent broadcast license.
- 1968
WBLG-TV signs on
[1]The station began broadcasting on June 2 as a channel 62 ABC affiliate.
- 1967
FCC grants initial approval
[1]The FCC approved the WBLG-TV application after the competing applicant withdrew from the channel hearing.
- 1965
Application for channel 62 station filed
[1]WBLG-TV, Inc. filed an FCC application to construct a new commercial station on channel 62 in Lexington.
Products and positioning
A Lexington-focused network-affiliated television station combining ABC programming with local news, weather, public affairs, and community service.
Television programming · 1968
Local news
WTVQ’s locally produced news service covers Lexington and central Kentucky through scheduled newscasts, reporting, interviews, public-safety information, and community stories. The news operation has historically competed with the other major Lexington television newsrooms and has generally ranked third in local ratings outside much of the 1990s.
Network-affiliated television programming · 1968
ABC network service
ABC has been WTVQ’s principal network affiliation since the station launched as WBLG-TV in 1968. The service supplies national entertainment, news, daytime, primetime, and special-event programming, complemented by WTVQ’s local schedule and station branding.
Secondary network television programming
MyNetworkTV service
WTVQ also carries MyNetworkTV programming as a secondary service. This offering extends the station’s programming portfolio beyond its primary ABC affiliation and is distributed through the station’s digital television operation.
Local information programming · 1968
Weather and public-service information
Weather reporting, emergency information, public affairs, and community-service content form a recurring part of WTVQ’s local role. These services are intended for viewers across Lexington and the surrounding central Kentucky coverage area.
Controversies
1979
SEC investigation involving Starr principals
During regulatory review of Shamrock Broadcasting’s acquisition of Starr, Starr chairman William F. Buckley Jr. and other company principals were investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations of misleading or defrauding investors. Buckley denied wrongdoing, agreed to return money and stock to shareholders, and agreed not to serve as a director of a publicly traded company for five years. The matter concerned the station’s former parent company rather than a WTVQ programming controversy.
Brand decisions
2026
Acquisition by The E. W. Scripps CompanyM&ABackground
WTVQ was owned by Morris Multimedia before the transaction.
Action taken
Scripps acquired WTVQ and placed it under common ownership with Lexington NBC affiliate WLEX-TV.
Aftermath
WTVQ remained an ABC and MyNetworkTV affiliate serving Lexington and central Kentucky.
1981
Temporary removal and restoration of NightlineOtherBackground
Management cited weak local ratings for ABC’s Nightline during the May ratings period.
Action taken
WTVQ replaced Nightline with reruns of All in the Family, then restored Nightline several weeks later at a later time after receiving viewer complaints.
Aftermath
The station kept the reruns in the schedule while returning Nightline to a midnight slot.
1977
Petition to move from channel 62 to channel 36StrategyBackground
WTVQ argued that its high-band channel assignment created technical and coverage disadvantages compared with competing Lexington stations.
Action taken
The station petitioned the FCC to relocate its service to channel 36, requiring related allocation changes in Kentucky and Ohio.
Aftermath
The FCC approved the move in 1979, and WTVQ completed the transition in June 1980 with a new transmitter and antenna system.
Recent events
- 2026
The E. W. Scripps Company acquires WTVQ[1]
M&A
Scripps acquired WTVQ from Morris Multimedia, bringing the station under common ownership with WLEX-TV in Lexington.
- 1980
WTVQ moves from channel 62 to channel 36[1]
Product generation · Other
After an extended FCC allocation and construction process, WTVQ completed its move to channel 36 on June 25, 1980, with a higher-power transmission system intended to improve market coverage.
- 1973
WBLG-TV adopts WTVQ-TV call sign[1]
Other
Following its acquisition by Starr Broadcasting Group, the station changed its call letters to WTVQ-TV in December 1973.
- 1968
WTVQ-DT begins broadcasting as WBLG-TV[1]
Other
The station signed on June 2, 1968, on channel 62 as an ABC affiliate serving Lexington, Kentucky.
Sources3 sources
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