WNCT
U.S. center — local commercial TV
Background
WNCT-TV signed on December 22, 1953, making it the oldest continuously operating television station in eastern North Carolina and one of the four oldest in the state. It was originally owned by The Daily Reflector newspaper and served as the primary CBS affiliate for the region, also carrying ABC and briefly DuMont programming in its early years. In 1961, entrepreneur Roy H. Park acquired both the Daily Reflector and WNCT, folding the station into his Park Communications group; the '-TV' suffix was added at that time to distinguish it from co-owned radio properties. Park Communications was eventually sold to Media General, a Richmond, Virginia–based media conglomerate. Nexstar Media Group acquired Media General in 2016 as part of a wave of consolidation that made Nexstar the largest local TV broadcaster in the country by station count, and WNCT transferred to Nexstar at that time. Today it reaches Greenville, New Bern, Washington, and Jacksonville, North Carolina, relying on a mix of local reporting, CBS network programming, Nexstar's national wire service, and Associated Press feeds. Media Bias/Fact Check and Ground News both rate it as center or least-biased, consistent with its local-news focus and lack of a distinct ideological editorial voice.
Sources
- WNCT-TV — Wikipedia
- WNCT – Greenville News Bias and Credibility — Media Bias/Fact Check
- WNCT — TV Stations Wikia (Fandom)
- Nexstar Media Group — Company History
- Photographs of WNCT Television Station — ECU Digital Collections
Profile compiled 2026-08-27; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.