WVGN-LD

WVGN-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Charlotte Amalie on Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. Broadcasting on channel 19, it serves as an NBC affiliate for viewers across the U.S. Virgin Islands. The station's terrestrial transmission facilities are located on Signal Hill, while its programming is also distributed through local pay-television services, including Viya Cable and the Virgin Islands locals package on Dish Network. The station occupies an important role in the Virgin Islands television market because NBC programming was historically supplied to the territory through WNBC in New York before WVGN began operating as a local NBC outlet. In its earlier configuration, WVGN carried selected WNBC News 4 New York newscasts, including the morning, early-evening, and late-evening editions. This arrangement provided NBC news programming to the territory but did not amount to a locally produced newsroom. WVGN was also carried in Puerto Rico by many cable and satellite providers for a period. That distribution ended on December 31, 2013, when viewers in Puerto Rico received NBC programming through a new NBC service carried on the third digital subchannel of WKAQ-TV. WVGN consequently became more focused on its core U.S. Virgin Islands coverage area. The station was owned by Lilly Broadcasting by 2025. Following that ownership change, WVGN's local news presence expanded through a simulcast of USVI News, a news program produced by sister station WCVI-TV. This marked a significant change from the station's previous operating model, under which it had not offered local newscasts specifically for the U.S. Virgin Islands. WVGN is part of Lilly Broadcasting's local station group in the territory, alongside WCVI-TV, a CBS/ABC affiliate, and WVXF, which carries Cozi TV and Fox programming. Its principal role is to provide NBC network programming and related news content to the U.S. Virgin Islands through broadcast and multichannel distribution.

WVGN-LD is a low-power television station based in Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, in the United States Virgin Islands. It broadcasts on channel 19 and operates as an NBC affiliate. The station's transmission site is on Signal Hill, allowing its over-the-air signal to serve the territory's principal viewing market. In addition to broadcast reception, WVGN is distributed through local television systems, including Viya Cable channel 11 and the Virgin Islands locals package on Dish Network. Before WVGN became the territory's NBC outlet, NBC programming for the U.S. Virgin Islands was generally supplied through WNBC in New York. WVGN's earlier programming arrangement included simulcasts of selected WNBC News 4 New York editions: the 6 a.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. Eastern Time broadcasts. This gave Virgin Islands viewers access to a major-market NBC news service, but WVGN did not initially operate a newsroom or produce newscasts oriented specifically to the territory. The station also had a period of wider distribution beyond the Virgin Islands. It was carried by most cable and satellite providers in Puerto Rico, extending the reach of its NBC service into that neighboring market. That arrangement ended on December 31, 2013, when NBC programming became available in Puerto Rico through the third digital subchannel of WKAQ-TV. The change removed WVGN from most Puerto Rican multichannel lineups and left the station primarily serving the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lilly Broadcasting later acquired WVGN-LD. The company operates other television stations in the territory, including WCVI-TV and WVXF. WVGN is a sister station to WCVI-TV, which carries CBS and ABC programming, and WVXF, which carries Cozi TV and Fox programming. This shared ownership placed WVGN within a local broadcast group rather than leaving it as an isolated network outlet. A major operational development followed Lilly Broadcasting's ownership of the station in 2025. WVGN began simulcasting USVI News, a local news program produced by sister station WCVI-TV. This expanded the station's service beyond network programming and repurposed national news carriage, giving NBC viewers access to locally relevant reporting. The change represented WVGN's first local-newscast service specifically for the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the station's reference material. WVGN's current identity therefore combines its role as a low-power NBC affiliate with its participation in Lilly Broadcasting's broader local-news and television operations in the territory.

1. 2025Lilly Broadcasting ownership and local-news expansion

   Lilly Broadcasting owned the station and WVGN began carrying a simulcast of USVI News produced by sister station WCVI-TV.

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2. 2013Puerto Rico distribution ends

   Most cable and satellite distribution of WVGN in Puerto Rico ended on December 31 after NBC programming became available through WKAQ-TV's third digital subchannel.

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3. WVGN becomes an NBC affiliate serving the U.S. Virgin Islands

   WVGN-LD operates as the NBC affiliate for the U.S. Virgin Islands from Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, replacing the earlier reliance on WNBC as the territory's default NBC source.

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A local low-power NBC affiliate focused on delivering network entertainment, news, and sports programming to households in the U.S. Virgin Islands, with an expanded local-news role following Lilly Broadcasting's acquisition.

• NBC affiliate serviceBroadcast television

  WVGN-LD's core offering is the local broadcast distribution of NBC network programming to viewers in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The service includes the network's entertainment, news, sports, and special-event programming, delivered over the station's low-power channel 19 signal and through participating multichannel distributors.

• USVI News simulcastLocal news2025

  Introduced after Lilly Broadcasting acquired the station, this service carries USVI News, a local newscast produced by sister station WCVI-TV. It gives WVGN a locally focused news component for U.S. Virgin Islands audiences rather than relying solely on network or mainland news programming.

• WNBC News 4 New York simulcastsTelevision news

  In its earlier operating configuration, WVGN carried selected WNBC News 4 New York editions, including the morning, early-evening, and late-evening broadcasts. This arrangement supplied NBC news content to the territory before the station developed a locally produced news presence.

• 2025Expansion into locally focused newsStrategy

  Before Lilly Broadcasting's ownership, WVGN did not provide local newscasts specifically for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

  What changed. WVGN began simulcasting USVI News, produced by sister station WCVI-TV.

  Aftermath. The station added a local-news component while remaining an NBC affiliate.

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• 2013End of Puerto Rico carriageStrategy

  WVGN had been carried by many Puerto Rican cable and satellite providers, but NBC later gained a dedicated local outlet through WKAQ-TV's third digital subchannel.

  What changed. WVGN was removed from most Puerto Rican cable and satellite lineups on December 31, 2013.

  Aftermath. The station's distribution became centered on its home market in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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• 2025Lilly Broadcasting acquires WVGN-LD and adds local-news simulcast

  By 2025, Lilly Broadcasting owned WVGN-LD. The station began simulcasting USVI News from sister station WCVI-TV, giving WVGN a local-news service after previously carrying no newscasts produced specifically for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

  M&AProduct launchLeadership change
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• 2013WVGN loses Puerto Rico multichannel distribution

  WVGN ceased to be carried by most Puerto Rican cable and satellite providers on December 31, 2013, after a new NBC service launched on WKAQ-TV's third digital subchannel.

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1. WVGN-LD
2. WVGN official website