WWBT

About WWBT

WWBT is a television station in Richmond, Virginia, broadcasting on channel 12 and affiliated with NBC. Branded as 12 On Your Side, the station is owned by Gray Media alongside CW affiliate WUPV. It first signed on April 29, 1956, as WRVA-TV, and is one of only a few stations in the country to have been affiliated with all three of the original major American television networks. The call letters derive from sister station WBTV and former radio sister WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina. The two stations share studios on Midlothian Turnpike in Richmond, where WWBT's transmitter is also located.

WRVA-TV: signing on in 1956

The station signed on April 29, 1956, as WRVA-TV, owned by the Richmond Television Corporation alongside WRVA radio. From 1959 until 1969, it broadcast the in-house children's series The Sailor Bob Show, a beloved local program. The station's early years established it as Richmond's second television outlet.

In 1960, the family-owned Larus and Brothers acquired full control of channel 12, beginning a period of local ownership.

Jefferson Standard ownership

In 1966, Larus and Brothers decided to split its interests after the death of longtime president William T. Reed. Jefferson Standard Insurance Company of Greensboro, North Carolina, emerged as the buyer for the television station. As part of the application, Jefferson Standard requested a call sign change to the current WWBT, which occurred November 28, 1968, reflecting its Charlotte flagship WBT.

The new owners overhauled the station's look. It was already second in the Richmond ratings, but by the early 1980s it was the highest-rated station in the market and one of the strongest NBC stations in the country. By then, Jefferson Standard had become Jefferson-Pilot Corporation, and NBC's rise to number one as the 1980s progressed helped matters further.

All three networks

WWBT is one of only a few stations in the country to have been affiliated with all three original major networks: CBS from 1956 to 1960, ABC from 1960 to 1965, and NBC from 1965 to the present. It also carried The WB as a secondary affiliation from 1999 to 2006.

The NBC affiliation, now in its seventh decade, has brought the network's news, sports, and entertainment programming to Richmond through the network's dominant eras.

12 On Your Side

Branded as 12 On Your Side, WWBT's news operation has consistently led the Richmond market ratings. The station's newscasts cover Virginia's capital region, from state politics in the General Assembly to the region's history, military presence, and growth.

On September 19, 1994, WWBT began producing a nightly 10 p.m. newscast for Fox affiliate WRLH-TV, the first locally produced primetime newscast in Richmond, later expanding to a morning extension as well.

Ownership evolution

Jefferson-Pilot's broadcast properties became Lincoln Financial Media in 2006. In 2008, Raycom Media bought WWBT, already owning CBS affiliate WTVR in the market. After a planned sale of WTVR to Sinclair was blocked by the Justice Department, Raycom traded WTVR to Local TV LLC for a Birmingham Fox affiliate, keeping WWBT. In 2019, Gray Television acquired Raycom for $3.65 billion, bringing WWBT into Gray Media.

Under Gray, the station operates alongside CW affiliate WUPV, giving the company two outlets in the Richmond market.

Technical operations

WWBT broadcasts on digital VHF channel 10, displayed as virtual channel 12, with an effective radiated power of 29 kW from its Midlothian Turnpike transmitter. Its 12.2 subchannel carries MeTV Richmond, offering classic television programming.

A low-power translator, WRID-LD, extends the station's signal within Richmond on virtual channel 12.6.

Community service

As Richmond's news leader, WWBT's community service has included extensive coverage of the region's transformation, from its Confederate monuments debate to its emergence as a growing metropolitan area. The 12 On Your Side brand reflects the station's consumer advocacy and community commitment.

The station's studios on Midlothian Turnpike have been its home since the Jefferson-Pilot era.

Digital presence

WWBT's digital home is 12onyourside.com, offering live streaming, on-demand video, and comprehensive coverage of Richmond news, weather, and sports. The station maintains mobile apps and active social media accounts under the 12 On Your Side brand.

As part of Gray Media, the station's digital operations are integrated with the company's digital platforms. Its official website is https://www.12onyourside.com.

The Raycom antitrust battle

Lincoln Financial Media was formed in 2006 following Lincoln National Corporation's acquisition of Jefferson-Pilot's television and radio operations. On April 1, 2008, Raycom Media consummated a transaction with Lincoln in which Raycom acquired WWBT-TV, the Richmond NBC affiliate. Raycom at that time already owned and continued to own WTVR-TV, the Richmond CBS affiliate. In 2007, WWBT-TV earned approximately 32 percent and WTVR-TV approximately 23 percent of the broadcast television spot advertising revenues in the Richmond market. The United States, acting under the direction of the Attorney General, brought a civil action to prevent Raycom from continuing to own two of the top four broadcast television stations in Richmond, alleging the acquisition eliminated substantial head-to-head competition between WWBT-TV and WTVR-TV in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act. As part of a consent decree in the Lincoln Financial Media transaction, the Department of Justice denied Raycom permission to sell WTVR to Sinclair and ordered it to find another buyer; Raycom ultimately traded WTVR to Local TV LLC in exchange for a Fox affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama. On June 25, 2018, Gray Television announced it had reached an agreement with Raycom to merge their broadcasting assets under Gray's corporate umbrella in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $3.6 billion. The sale was approved on December 20 and completed on January 2, 2019, making WWBT and WUPV sister stations to CBS affiliate WDBJ in Roanoke, ABC affiliate WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg, and CBS affiliate WCAV in Charlottesville.

Fox 35 News at 10

On September 19, 1994, NBC affiliate WWBT, then owned by the Jefferson-Pilot Corporation, began producing a nightly prime time newscast for WRLH-TV, the Fox 35 News at 10, from its Richmond studios. This was the first locally produced 10 p.m. newscast in Richmond. It was the second partnership between Jefferson-Pilot and Act III, as Act III's Fox affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina, already aired a newscast from the Jefferson-Pilot station there. On January 8, 2001, the weeknight broadcast was expanded to an hour. On January 16, 2012, WRLH launched an hour-long extension of WWBT's weekday morning news from 7 to 8 a.m., Fox Richmond Morning News, airing opposite national morning shows. The newscast briefly had competition from WUPV, which aired a 10 p.m. newscast produced by WTVR-TV between 2007 and 2008.

Gray Media and NextGen TV

WWBT is one of only a few stations in the country to have been affiliated with all three of the original major American television networks, having been a CBS affiliate from 1956 to 1960, an ABC affiliate from 1960 to 1965, and an NBC affiliate since 1965, with a secondary WB affiliation from 1999 to 2006. The call letters, adopted in 1968, are taken from sister TV station WBTV and former radio sister WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina. The station broadcasts digitally on VHF channel 10 with virtual channel 12, at an effective radiated power of 29 kW, and low-power translator WRID-LD carries its programming on virtual channel 12.6. It is branded 12 On Your Side, with MeTV Richmond on its DT2 subchannel, and its digital home is 12onyourside.com. On April 11, 2022, WRLH-TV began hosting WUPV's 65.3 subchannel as a result of WUPV converting to ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV, with WUPV in turn simulcasting WRLH-TV in the ATSC 3.0 standard.