WCTI

U.S. right-center (local broadcast, Sinclair-owned)

Background

WCTI went on the air on September 7, 1963, as WNBE-TV in New Bern, North Carolina, after founder Nathan Frank spent roughly a decade securing an FCC license. When Continental Television purchased the station in 1970, it was rebranded WCTI, reflecting the new owner's initials. The station subsequently passed through several ownership groups, including Bonten Media, before being acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the current owner. Sinclair, one of the largest U.S. local-TV broadcasters by household reach (approaching 40% of U.S. households across its portfolio), has drawn sustained criticism for using its stations to distribute mandated conservative-leaning segments, including a widely noticed 2018 'fake news' script that anchors across Sinclair properties were required to read on air. Sinclair has longstanding financial and editorial ties to Republican politics; executive chairman David Smith is a Republican donor, and the company has employed former Trump White House operatives in key roles. During both Trump terms, Sinclair stations aired content widely regarded as favorable to the administration. Media Bias/Fact Check rates WCTI as right-center biased with a high factual reporting score, which is consistent with its status as a standard local affiliate of a Sinclair-owned station rather than an outright ideological outlet.

Sources

1. WCTI-TV – Wikipedia
2. WCTI – New Bern News – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
3. Sinclair Broadcast Group – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
4. Sinclair Broadcast Group – Britannica Money
5. How Sinclair Sneaks Right-Wing Spin Into Millions of Households – FAIR
6. A comprehensive guide to the relationship between Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Trump administration – Media Matters
7. WCTI turns 50: Employees reflect on station's storied past – wcti12.com

Profile compiled 2026-08-27; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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