History of WCTV in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: April 7, 2025

WCTV is a television station based in Thomasville, Georgia, serving the Tallahassee, Florida market. It operates as a CBS and MyNetworkTV affiliate. Owned by Gray Media, WCTV shares studio facilities with WFXU in Tallahassee. The WCTV transmitter is located in Thomas County, Georgia.

October 13, 1954: Tallahassee Democrat Reports Plans for New Station

On October 13, 1954, the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper reported on the plans to establish WCTV, Tallahassee and southwest Georgia's first television station.

August 29, 1955: WCTV Airs Test Pattern

On August 29, 1955, WCTV began broadcasting a test pattern in preparation for its official launch.

September 15, 1955: WCTV Signs On

On September 15, 1955, WCTV officially signed on the air for the first time, broadcasting from its studios on North Monroe Street in Tallahassee. The station was originally owned by John H. Phipps.

September 20, 1959: WCTV Switches Primary Affiliation to CBS

On September 20, 1959, WCTV switched its primary affiliation to CBS from NBC. This change was made to resolve duplication issues with WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia. However, WCTV continued to carry a secondary ABC affiliation and aired some NBC shows on a per-program basis.

1964: FCC Requirement for All-Channel Capability

In 1964, the FCC mandated that all new television sets must have all-channel capability, including UHF. This requirement aimed to improve the viability of UHF stations, which previously required a converter and often offered marginal picture quality.

1976: WECA-TV (now WTXL-TV) Begins Operations

In 1976, WECA-TV (now WTXL-TV) began operations in the area and took the ABC affiliation, ending WCTV's status as the only commercial station in the market.

April 1983: WTWC Signs On

In April 1983, WTWC signed on and WALB had doubled as the default NBC affiliate for Tallahassee for many years until WTWC signed on.

1996: Phipps Family Sells WCTV to Gray Communications

In 1996, the Phipps family sold WCTV channel 6 to Gray Communications, now Gray Television. This purchase forced Gray to sell WALB, its flagship station in Albany, due to signal overlap.

1997: WTWC Operated News Department

WTWC operated a news department lasting from 1997 until 2000.

2000: WTWC Shuttered News Department

WTWC shuttered its news department in 2000 due to poor viewership, and new ownership instituting budget cuts upon taking control of the station.

2004: Gray Purchases WSWG

In 2004, Gray purchased WSWG in Valdosta, a UPN affiliate for the Albany market. The station dropped UPN in September of that year and joined CBS as a semi-satellite of WCTV. This acquisition created a strong combined signal with just under 50% overlap. WCTV had been the default CBS affiliate for Albany for many years.

2005: WSWG Operates as a Semi-Satellite of WCTV

From 2005, WSWG operated as a semi-satellite of WCTV. The station cleared all network programming as provided through its parent and simulcast most of WCTV's local newscasts. But aired a separate offering of syndicated programming.

March 2006: WCTV Moves to New Facilities

In March 2006, WCTV relocated from its longtime studios on County Road 12 to new facilities on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee. The new location was previously home to Florida's News Channel.

February 17, 2009: WCTV Shut Off Analog Signal

On February 17, 2009, WCTV ceased broadcasting its analog signal on channel 6, transitioning to digital-exclusive broadcasting on UHF channel 46.

August 3, 2009: WCTV Upgrades News Production to High Definition

On August 3, 2009, WCTV upgraded its news production to high-definition level, and the simulcasts on WSWG were included in the switch.

2017: Raycom Media Owns WTXL-TV

In 2017, Raycom Media owned ABC affiliate WTXL-TV.

June 25, 2018: Gray Television to Acquire Raycom Media

On June 25, 2018, Gray Television announced its intent to acquire Raycom Media, which owned ABC affiliate WTXL-TV since 2017. Due to FCC regulations, Gray opted to retain WCTV and sell WTXL to a third party.

August 20, 2018: Gray to Sell WTXL-TV to E. W. Scripps Company

On August 20, 2018, Gray announced that they would sell WTXL-TV and KXXV (along with semi-satellite KRHD-CD in Bryan) to the E. W. Scripps Company for $55 million.

January 2, 2019: Gray Sells WTXL-TV

On January 2, 2019, the deal for Gray to sell WTXL-TV and KXXV to the E. W. Scripps Company was completed.

April 2019: WSWG Sale to Marquee Broadcasting

In April 2019, the sale of WSWG to Marquee Broadcasting was formally broken after a transitional period. The sale enabled Gray to re-acquire WALB as part of its buyout of Raycom Media.

2019: WSWG Operates as a Semi-Satellite of WCTV

From 2005 until 2019, WSWG operated as a semi-satellite of WCTV. As such, that station cleared all network programming as provided through its parent and simulcast most of WCTV's local newscasts but aired a separate offering of syndicated programming.