WAFB
U.S. center/local-news, mostly nonpartisan with a right-leaning corporate owner
Background
WAFB began broadcasting on April 19, 1953, as Baton Rouge's first television station, originally under local ownership (Modern Broadcasting of Baton Rouge). It changed hands several times over the following decades, including stints with Royal Street Corporation and Guaranty Corporation, before eventually becoming part of Gray Television's growing station portfolio. Gray Media has since become one of the largest owners of local TV stations in the country, controlling well over 100 stations across many markets, and has drawn scrutiny from media critics for centralizing some political and Washington-bureau content across its stations, as well as for lobbying against broadcast ownership regulations. Unlike Sinclair Broadcast Group, Gray does not require its stations to air mandatory conservative opinion segments, and WAFB's local newscasts are generally rated as factual with low ideological bias by outside media-bias monitors. The station has long been a ratings leader in the Baton Rouge market and focuses heavily on hyperlocal news, weather, and Louisiana state politics rather than national opinion content. Its national/Washington-sourced political stories, however, can reflect Gray's broader corporate positioning, which has included public support for loosening media-ownership rules under the current FCC.
Sources
- WAFB - Wikipedia
- WAFB - Media Bias/Fact Check
- Gray Media calls for elimination of 'unconstitutional' broadcast regulations - NewscastStudio
- How Sinclair Broadcasting puts a partisan tilt on trusted local news - PBS NewsHour
Profile compiled 2026-10-02; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.