WWBT

U.S. center, local TV

Background

WWBT signed on the air on April 29, 1956 as WRVA-TV, a CBS affiliate in Richmond, Virginia, originally broadcasting from a converted barn near its current facility. Over subsequent decades it shifted affiliations, moving from CBS to ABC and ultimately to NBC, adopting the callsign WWBT in 1968. Ownership passed through several corporate hands: Jefferson Standard (later Jefferson-Pilot) held the station from the 1960s into the 2000s, after which it became part of Lincoln Financial Media following Jefferson-Pilot's 2006 merger with Lincoln Financial Group. Raycom Media acquired WWBT in 2008 for approximately $583 million as part of a broader deal that included Lincoln Financial's television properties. In January 2019, Atlanta-based Gray Television completed its $3.65 billion merger with Raycom, making Gray—now rebranded Gray Media—the owner of WWBT. Gray Media is one of the largest local broadcast groups in the United States, owning stations in over 100 markets. Media Bias/Fact Check rates WWBT as 'Least Biased' with a high factual-reporting score, consistent with its profile as a local affiliate with no opinion section and a focus on regional news and weather.

Sources

1. WWBT – Wikipedia
2. WWBT – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
3. NBC 12 WWBT Media Bias – AllSides
4. Gray Media – Wikipedia
5. Raycom Media – Wikipedia
6. Lincoln Financial Media – Wikipedia
7. History of NBC12 – 12onyourside.com
8. Gray DC Bureau – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check

Profile compiled 2026-09-10; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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