FOX59
U.S. center-right (Fox affiliate, Nexstar-owned local news)
Background
WXIN signed on February 1, 1984, after the FCC granted a license in mid-1983 to Indianapolis Television Inc., a group organized around Melvin and Fred Simon and Anacomp Corporation. The station was sold to Outlet Broadcasting in 1985 and took the WXIN call sign; it became a charter Fox affiliate on October 9, 1986, one of the first markets to join the new network. Ownership passed through Chase Communications (1989) and Renaissance Broadcasting (1993) before Tribune Company absorbed it in 1997 as part of Tribune's Fox affiliate group. Sinclair Broadcast Group agreed to buy Tribune Media for roughly $3.9 billion in 2017, but the FCC effectively blocked that deal in 2018, and Nexstar Media Group instead acquired Tribune Media in 2019 for about $4 billion, making Nexstar the largest local TV broadcaster in the United States. Nexstar operates FOX59 as a duopoly alongside CBS affiliate WTTV (ch. 4) in Indianapolis. In August 2025, Nexstar announced a $6.2 billion deal to acquire Tegna Inc.—which owns Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR—pending regulatory approval expected by late 2026. Media Bias/Fact Check rates WXIN as least biased for its local news output, citing neutral straight-news reporting and a clean fact-check record, though Nexstar's national cable outlet NewsNation has drawn criticism for a conservative tilt; FOX59's local coverage is generally considered more centrist.
Sources
- WXIN – Wikipedia
- WXIN – Fox59 – Indianapolis - Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
- Newsroom Profile: FOX59 and CBS4 – Poynter
- FOX 59, CBS 4 owner buying company that owns WTHR in $6.2B deal – Daily Journal
- Fox 59 and WTHR Will Be Under Nexstar After Merger – WIBC
- Nexstar Nation – Columbia Journalism Review
- WXIN – Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
- Sinclair buys FOX59's parent company Tribune Media for $3.9 billion – Fox59
Profile compiled 2026-09-05; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.