WVUE-DT
A Gray Media-owned Fox television station serving the New Orleans market under the Fox 8 brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WVUE-DT is a television station licensed to New Orleans, Louisiana, and affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company. It operates as Fox 8 and provides local news, weather, sports, public-affairs programming and syndicated or network content to viewers in the New Orleans television market and surrounding parts of southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. The station’s primary facilities are on Howard Avenue in New Orleans, while its downtown Benson Tower studio has supported morning programming and sports coverage. Its transmitter is located in Chalmette, Louisiana. The station began broadcasting on November 1, 1953, as WJMR-TV, the second television station in the New Orleans market. It initially used UHF channel 61, moved to channel 20 in 1955, and operated primarily as a CBS affiliate while sharing ABC programming with WDSU-TV. After WWL-TV launched in 1957 and took the CBS affiliation, WJMR became a full-time ABC affiliate. The station adopted the WVUE call letters in 1959, moved to channel 12 in 1962, and then moved to VHF channel 8 in 1970 in a highly publicized channel exchange with WYES-TV. The channel-8 position improved the station’s coverage potential and became central to its identity. Ownership changed several times during the station’s first decades. Screen Gems, the television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, acquired WVUE in 1965, followed by Gaylord Broadcasting in 1977 and Burnham Broadcasting in the late 1980s. In 1994, Fox and Savoy Pictures created SF Broadcasting and acquired WVUE and three other stations. WVUE switched from ABC to Fox on January 1, 1996. The change was part of the broader realignment that followed Fox’s acquisition of National Football Conference rights. It also made channel 8 an important local outlet for New Orleans Saints games, especially Sunday afternoon road contests carried through Fox’s NFL package. Silver King Communications acquired SF Broadcasting in 1995, and Emmis Communications bought the stations in 1998. Hurricane Katrina severely damaged WVUE’s New Orleans facility in August 2005. The station temporarily operated from sister station WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama, used online and low-power transmission arrangements, and gradually rebuilt its newsroom and production facilities. The disaster also led several staff members to leave the market after Emmis released them from non-compete restrictions. WVUE returned to full-power analog transmission from Chalmette in September 2005 and completed major newsroom and weather-center reconstruction in 2006. Emmis sold WVUE in 2008 to the Louisiana Media Company, founded by Tom Benson. The station later entered a shared-services agreement with Raycom Media in December 2013, under which Benson’s company initially retained the license while Raycom provided substantial operational support and employed much of the station’s staff. Raycom subsequently acquired the station’s license assets in 2017, while Benson retained a minority interest. Gray Television acquired Raycom in a transaction completed in January 2019, placing WVUE within Gray’s national broadcast portfolio. In 2023, the station announced the purchase of a four-story building on Howard Avenue for development as a digital television media center. WVUE remains a local Fox affiliate whose competitive identity is built around regional news, severe-weather coverage, Saints programming and community service.
History
WVUE-DT signed on November 1, 1953, as WJMR-TV. Supreme Broadcasting Company, a locally based firm headed by attorney Chester F. Owens, established the station as the New Orleans market’s second television outlet. It initially broadcast on UHF channel 61 before moving to channel 20 in 1955. The station began with a primary CBS affiliation and carried some ABC programming during periods not occupied by CBS. When WWL-TV entered the market in 1957 and obtained CBS through its established radio relationship with the network, WJMR shifted to full-time ABC service. The station used several channels and call signs during its early history. It briefly simulcast on VHF channel 12 in 1957 and 1958, moved to channel 13 in January 1959, and adopted the WVUE call letters the following month. It moved again to channel 12 in 1962 to permit Biloxi ABC station WLOX to use channel 13. In 1965, Screen Gems, Columbia Pictures’ television arm, purchased the station. On June 8, 1970, WVUE exchanged channel positions with PBS station WYES-TV and moved to VHF channel 8. The move was intended to provide broader coverage and eliminate the lower-power limitations associated with its prior channel. Columbia Pictures sold WVUE to Gaylord Broadcasting in 1977. A proposed acquisition by A. H. Belo in 1983 did not result in a completed transaction. WVUE began 24-hour broadcasting in June 1986, becoming the last commercial station in the New Orleans market to adopt an around-the-clock schedule. Gaylord later reduced its television holdings, and WVUE was sold to Burnham Broadcasting during the group’s divestiture period. A major strategic change came after Fox secured National Football Conference rights in 1993. Fox and Savoy Pictures formed SF Broadcasting, which acquired WVUE and several other former major-network affiliates from Burnham. The transaction was completed in 1995, and WVUE joined Fox on January 1, 1996. ABC programming moved to WGNO, while the former Fox affiliate WNOL-TV took WGNO’s former WB affiliation. The Fox affiliation gave WVUE a significant sports role because Fox carried many NFC games, including a substantial number of New Orleans Saints contests. The station also provided local coverage for Super Bowls XXXI and XXXVI held in New Orleans. Silver King Communications acquired Savoy and the SF stations in 1995. Emmis Communications then purchased WVUE and the other major-network stations in 1998. The station’s most disruptive operational event occurred after Hurricane Katrina struck the region on August 29, 2005. WVUE’s facility in a flood-prone area of New Orleans was heavily damaged after levee failures. Staff and production operations moved temporarily to WALA-TV in Mobile. During the initial recovery period, WVUE distributed short rotating newscasts online, restored over-the-air service through a low-power arrangement, and then returned to full-power analog transmission from its Chalmette transmitter in September 2005. Reconstruction of the newsroom, weather center and production facilities continued through 2006. Emmis, which was seeking to exit television broadcasting, sold WVUE to Tom Benson’s Louisiana Media Company in July 2008. Benson’s ownership added a direct connection to the region’s professional-sports community. In 2012, WVUE opened a downtown studio in Benson Tower, overlooking the Superdome area, for morning news and sports coverage. In December 2013, Raycom Media began operating the station through a shared-services agreement. Benson’s company initially retained the station license, while Raycom supplied management, staffing and regional operational infrastructure. Raycom exercised an option to acquire the license assets in 2017 and completed the purchase later that year, with Benson retaining a minority stake. Gray Television announced its merger with Raycom in 2018, and the transaction closed on January 2, 2019. WVUE consequently became part of Gray’s larger U.S. television portfolio and gained additional Gray-affiliated sister stations in nearby markets. In December 2023, WVUE announced the purchase of a building at 3900 Howard Avenue, describing plans to create a modern digital television media center. The station continues to operate as Fox 8 New Orleans, combining network programming with local journalism, weather warning, sports and digital services.
- 2023
Howard Avenue facility announced
[1]WVUE announces plans for a digital media center at a newly purchased Howard Avenue property.
- 2019
Becomes part of Gray Television
[1]Gray’s merger with Raycom closes, bringing WVUE into Gray’s station group.
- 2017
Raycom acquisition completed
[1]Raycom completes its purchase of WVUE’s license assets, with Benson retaining a minority interest.
- 2013
Raycom shared-services agreement
[1]Raycom begins operating WVUE under an SSA while Louisiana Media Company retains ownership of the license.
- 2008
Purchased by Louisiana Media Company
[1]Tom Benson’s Louisiana Media Company completes its acquisition of WVUE from Emmis Communications.
- 2005
Katrina recovery operation
[1]Hurricane Katrina floods and damages the New Orleans facility; operations temporarily move to Mobile while transmission and studios are rebuilt.
- 1996
Fox affiliation begins
[1]WVUE switches from ABC to Fox on January 1, becoming the market’s principal Fox outlet and a major local carrier of NFC football.
- 1986
Begins 24-hour broadcasting
[1]WVUE adopts a continuous daily broadcast schedule.
- 1977
Acquired by Gaylord Broadcasting
[1]Columbia Pictures sells WVUE to Gaylord Broadcasting.
- 1970
Moves to VHF channel 8
[1]WVUE exchanges channel positions with WYES-TV and begins operating on channel 8.
Products and positioning
A locally focused network-affiliated television station positioned around New Orleans news, weather, emergency information, sports and community relevance, with the Fox 8 brand extending across broadcast and digital platforms.
Local television news
Fox 8 New Orleans local news
The station’s core service consists of locally produced morning, daytime, evening and late-news programming focused on New Orleans and surrounding communities. Coverage typically combines breaking news, investigations, traffic, public affairs, regional features and live field reporting, with the Fox 8 brand extending to the station website and digital video products.
Television weather service
Fox 8 Weather
WVUE’s weather operation provides forecasts, severe-weather alerts and live coverage of hurricanes, tropical systems, flooding and other hazards relevant to southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Weather coverage is a central part of the station’s public-service identity, particularly during Gulf Coast emergencies.
Local sports broadcasting · 1996
Fox 8 sports coverage
As a Fox affiliate, WVUE carries network sports and has a longstanding local connection to New Orleans Saints coverage through Fox’s NFC rights. The station also produces or presents regional sports news and uses its downtown studio for sports-focused programming and event coverage.
Digital news and streaming
Fox8Live.com digital services
The station’s website and associated digital channels publish local news, weather, video, livestreams and emergency information. Digital distribution became especially important during disaster recovery, including the temporary online presentation of WVUE news after Hurricane Katrina.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Isaac evacuation-area stream
Louisiana · Arkansas · Texas
During Hurricane Isaac, WVUE made its storm coverage available as a web stream to KTBS-TV in Shreveport, allowing the station’s reporting to reach viewers who had evacuated to the Ark-La-Tex region.
Outcome. KTBS carried the WVUE stream on a digital subchannel, extending access to storm information outside the station’s normal market.
- 2005Post-Katrina information service
New Orleans metropolitan area · Southeastern Louisiana · Southern Mississippi
After Hurricane Katrina damaged the station’s New Orleans facilities, WVUE used temporary production arrangements in Mobile, online video and alternate transmission facilities to continue distributing news and emergency information while rebuilding.
Outcome. The station gradually restored regular programming, returned to full-power transmission in September 2005 and completed substantial newsroom and weather-center reconstruction in 2006.
Brand decisions
2019
Integration into Gray TelevisionM&ABackground
Gray Television agreed to combine its broadcasting assets with Raycom Media’s station group.
Action taken
The Gray–Raycom merger closed on January 2, 2019, placing WVUE under Gray’s corporate ownership.
Aftermath
WVUE gained additional sister stations in nearby Louisiana markets and became part of a substantially larger national broadcast network.
Reported transaction value for Gray–Raycom merger. $3.6 billion (Announced June 25, 2018; completed January 2, 2019)
2017
Raycom purchases WVUE license assetsM&ABackground
The shared-services relationship had developed into a path toward Raycom ownership after Louisiana Media Company exercised an option to sell.
Action taken
Raycom announced a $51.8 million purchase and finalized the transaction in August 2017, while Tom Benson retained a minority stake.
Aftermath
WVUE became part of Raycom’s owned-station portfolio before Raycom itself merged with Gray Television.
Reported purchase price. $51.8 million (Announced April 4, 2017; finalized August 8, 2017)
2013
Raycom shared-services agreementStrategyBackground
Raycom had a regional broadcast presence and operational resources across the Southeast, while Benson was not initially prepared to sell WVUE outright.
Action taken
Raycom began operating WVUE through a shared-services agreement while Louisiana Media Company retained the license and ownership interest.
Aftermath
Most station staff became Raycom employees, and the arrangement later led to Raycom’s acquisition of the station’s license assets.
2008
Sale to Louisiana Media CompanyM&ABackground
Emmis Communications was exiting the television-station business and sought a buyer for WVUE after the station’s post-Katrina recovery period.
Action taken
Emmis sold WVUE to Tom Benson’s Louisiana Media Company; the FCC approved the transaction in July 2008.
Aftermath
The station entered local ownership under Benson and later opened a downtown studio in Benson Tower.
Reported purchase price. $41 million (Announced May 2008; transaction completed July 18, 2008)
1996
Switch from ABC to FoxStrategyBackground
Fox’s acquisition of NFC football rights and the formation of SF Broadcasting reshaped the affiliations of several former major-network stations, including WVUE.
Action taken
WVUE ended its 43-year ABC relationship and affiliated with Fox on January 1, 1996.
Aftermath
The move made channel 8 a principal outlet for Fox programming and many locally televised New Orleans Saints games, while ABC moved to WGNO.
Recent events
- 2023
WVUE announces Howard Avenue media-center project[1]
Other
WVUE announced the purchase of a four-story building on Howard Avenue and plans to develop it as a digital television media center.
- 2019
Gray Television completes Raycom merger[1]
M&A
The completion of Gray’s merger with Raycom placed WVUE within Gray’s expanded television-station group.
- 2017
Louisiana Media Company agrees to sell WVUE to Raycom[1]
M&A
Raycom announced a purchase of WVUE’s license assets after several years of shared operational services, with Tom Benson retaining a minority interest.
- 2005
Hurricane Katrina disrupts station operations[1]
Other
Flooding and building damage forced WVUE to relocate operations temporarily to WALA-TV in Mobile while restoring transmission, newsroom and production capabilities.
- 1996
WVUE moves to Fox affiliation[1]
Other · Product generation
WVUE ended its long-standing ABC affiliation and became a Fox affiliate as part of the network realignment following Fox’s acquisition of NFC football rights.
Sources2 sources
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