CBS17 / WNCN (Raleigh)
U.S. center, locally focused
Background
Channel 17 launched in April 1988 as WYED, an independent station based in Clayton, North Carolina. Outlet Communications acquired it in 1994 and renamed it WNCN; by September 1995 it had replaced the weaker WRDC as the Raleigh-Durham market's NBC affiliate and built out a full local newsroom. NBC purchased the station in 1996 as part of absorbing the Outlet group, making WNCN an NBC owned-and-operated station for about a decade. In 2006, NBC Universal sold WNCN along with three other NBC affiliates to Media General for roughly $600 million. On February 29, 2016, WNCN swapped network affiliations with longtime rival WRAL-TV, becoming the market's CBS affiliate while WRAL moved to NBC. Nexstar Media Group absorbed WNCN in January 2017 after completing its $4.6 billion acquisition of Media General. In March 2018, the station rebranded from 'CBS North Carolina' to 'CBS 17.' Media Bias/Fact Check rates WNCN as 'least biased,' citing neutral straight-news reporting and no opinion content. At the corporate level, Nexstar has sought regulatory favor from the Trump administration — including over a proposed merger with Tegna, adding a Fox News commentator to its national cable outlet NewsNation, and running promos seen as flattering to the administration — but that posture is not clearly reflected in WNCN's own local coverage.
Sources
- WNCN - Wikipedia
- WNCN – Raleigh - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
- Nexstar Media Group - Wikipedia
- CBS North Carolina rebrands as CBS 17 - NewscastStudio
- Nexstar CEO says Tegna deal still on track despite Trump's opposition - NewscastStudio
Profile compiled 2026-07-13; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.