WABG-TV

WABG-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Greenwood, Mississippi, and serving the Mississippi Delta. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 6 and is primarily affiliated with ABC. Its Fox service operates on the second digital subchannel, WABG-DT2, which has been branded Delta Fox 10. WABG's news operation is commonly associated with The Delta News, and the station also shares selected programming and newscasts with related Delta-area outlets. The station began broadcasting on October 20, 1959, during a period when the Federal Communications Commission's channel-allocation system left northwestern Mississippi with an unusually valuable VHF opportunity. The Delta market was positioned between several larger broadcast centers, including Memphis, Jackson, Tupelo-Columbus, Monroe-El Dorado, and Little Rock-Pine Bluff. As a result, WABG became the only commercial VHF station serving much of the region for many years. Its founder, Cy N. Bahakel, already owned WABG radio, and the television station initially inherited a secondary ABC connection through the radio operation. At launch, WABG was principally a CBS affiliate with secondary ABC programming. After constructing a 1,200-foot transmission tower near Inverness and increasing effective radiated power to 100,000 watts in 1966, the station moved to full-time ABC affiliation in November of that year. The stronger signal expanded its regional reach and helped establish WABG as the Delta's principal ABC outlet. Before other commercial stations entered the market, viewers in parts of the region relied on signals from Memphis, Jackson, or other distant markets for network programming. WABG's facilities suffered major damage in an electrical fire on March 11, 1986. The station had signed off for the night, and no injuries were reported, but the studio damage was substantial and forced a temporary relocation of transmission and production operations. The incident became one of the most significant disruptions in the station's history. Ownership changed several times after the Bahakel era. Bahakel Communications announced the sale to local businessman Charles Harker and his Commonwealth Broadcasting company in 2007. Commonwealth subsequently developed a locally based NBC service, WNBD-LD, and consolidated control of the market's major network affiliations after acquiring WXVT, then the local CBS station, through an affiliated transaction completed in 2013. This gave one operating group responsibility for ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox services in the Delta. WABG's Fox subchannel launched in September 2006 as Delta Fox 10. It replaced Foxnet, a cable-only national service that had previously supplied Fox programming in the market. The subchannel initially operated with a limited schedule because of programming-rights constraints, but it expanded substantially beginning in 2009 and later carried a full schedule. It also developed separate local-news editions while WABG continued its main ABC service. The station appeared with WXVT and other local media operations in the TruTV reality series Breaking Greenville, which aired from January through March 2015. Although the program gave the market's television news business national entertainment exposure, WABG's core role remained local reporting, weather, emergency information, and network programming. In 2014, its newscasts moved to high-definition production. The station later began producing news for KLAX-TV in Alexandria, Louisiana, reflecting the broader regional operating model of its ownership group. In 2016, WABG and related stations were acquired by Cala Broadcast Partners, associated with Brian Brady and Jason Wolff, in a transaction involving several Delta outlets. The stations later became part of the broader portfolio assembled through Apollo Global Management's acquisition of Northwest Broadcasting and Cox Media Group. Cox Media Group sold WABG and affiliated Delta stations to Imagicomm Communications in 2022. Imagicomm announced a subsequent sale to Webb Collums's Deltavision Media in 2025, with the transaction completed later that year according to the cited reference material. Today, WABG remains a regional broadcast brand rather than a nationwide consumer brand. Its value rests on local reach, the channel 6 VHF identity, ABC network programming, Fox programming through WABG-DT2, and a locally produced news operation serving communities across the Mississippi Delta.

WABG-TV began broadcasting on October 20, 1959, as a VHF station on channel 6 licensed to Greenwood, Mississippi. Its creation was closely tied to the FCC's post-1952 channel-allocation system. Because the Mississippi Delta sat between several established broadcast markets, the region had limited access to desirable VHF assignments. WABG obtained the only commercial VHF television allocation serving the area and consequently became an important regional outlet. The station was founded by Cy N. Bahakel, whose WABG radio operation already had an ABC Radio affiliation. WABG-TV initially operated as a CBS affiliate with secondary ABC programming. In 1966, it constructed a 1,200-foot tower near Inverness and raised its effective radiated power to 100,000 watts. Once the tower was completed in October, WABG dropped CBS and became a full-time ABC affiliate the following month. The improved signal increased its reach across the Delta and surrounding communities. For much of its early history, WABG served areas that lacked nearby commercial television alternatives. Viewers in different parts of the region often received network programming from Memphis, Jackson, or other distant stations. WABG's channel 6 signal also reached beyond the core market in the analog era. The later arrival of WMAO-TV in 1972 and WXVT in 1980 gradually reduced the station's monopoly over local commercial television, but WABG remained a central ABC and local-news provider. On March 11, 1986, an electrical short circuit caused a fire after the station had signed off for the night. The studios sustained extensive damage, estimated in the cited material at $5.5 million. No injuries were reported, but the station had to relocate its transmission operations while restoring its facilities. Bahakel Communications sold WABG in 2007 to Charles Harker and Commonwealth Broadcasting. Commonwealth expanded its Delta presence by launching WNBD-LD as a locally based NBC affiliate and by acquiring operational control of WXVT, the local CBS outlet. This arrangement eventually placed the market's ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox services under a coordinated ownership and operating structure. Fox programming reached the market through WABG-DT2 beginning September 13, 2006. Branded Delta Fox 10, the digital subchannel displaced Foxnet, which had supplied Fox programming to Delta cable viewers without a local over-the-air affiliate. The subchannel initially operated only during selected portions of the day because of limited syndicated-programming rights. It expanded its schedule in 2009 and ultimately adopted a continuous service model. WABG-DT2 later carried its own editions of local news while also serving as the area's Fox outlet. The station's local-news role developed alongside its network affiliations. WABG expanded its morning programming, shared selected newscasts with WNBD-LD and WXVT-LD, and began high-definition news production in 2014. It also supplied news programming for KLAX-TV in Louisiana beginning in 2019. In 2015, WABG and WXVT appeared in Breaking Greenville, a TruTV reality series that portrayed the competitive local-news environment in Greenville. The station changed ownership again in the mid-2010s. Commonwealth agreed in 2015 to sell WABG-TV, WNBD-LD, and WFXW-LD to Cala Broadcast Partners, with the sale closing in 2016. Cala was associated with Brian Brady and Jason Wolff. The station subsequently entered the ownership chain connected to Northwest Broadcasting, Apollo Global Management, and Cox Media Group. In 2022, Cox Media Group sold WABG and related Delta stations to Imagicomm Communications. In 2025, Imagicomm announced a sale to Deltavision Media, which the cited reference reports as completed on August 15. WABG also completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting. Its analog VHF signal ended on February 17, 2009, while its digital transmission continued on UHF channel 32 using virtual channel 6. The station continues to operate as a regional ABC broadcaster, with Fox available through WABG-DT2 and local news serving the Mississippi Delta.

• 2025

  Deltavision Media acquisition

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Imagicomm announces and, according to the cited reference, completes the sale of the Greenville stations to Deltavision Media.

• 2022

  Imagicomm Communications acquisition closes

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WABG and related stations are transferred from Cox Media Group to Imagicomm Communications.

• 2019

  News production expands to KLAX-TV

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WABG begins producing newscasts for sister station KLAX-TV in Alexandria, Louisiana.

• 2016

  Cala Broadcast Partners acquisition closes

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Cala completes its acquisition of WABG and associated low-power stations.

• 2015

  WABG appears in Breaking Greenville

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station and WXVT are featured in a TruTV reality series about Greenville's television news market.

• 2014

  Local newscasts move to high definition

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WABG begins producing its newscasts in high definition.

• 2013

  Commonwealth consolidates Delta network operations

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Commonwealth takes over operations of WXVT, placing the market's principal network stations under one operating group.

• 2009

  Digital transition completed

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WABG ends analog broadcasting and continues digitally on UHF channel 32 while retaining virtual channel 6.

• 2007

  Commonwealth Broadcasting acquires WABG

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Bahakel Communications sells the station to Charles Harker's Commonwealth Broadcasting.

• 2006

  Fox launches on WABG-DT2

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station launches Delta Fox 10 on its second digital subchannel, replacing the market's Foxnet service.

• 1986

  Studio fire damages station facilities

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  An electrical short circuit causes a major overnight fire, forcing temporary relocation of station operations.

• 1966

  Station becomes a full-time ABC affiliate

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  After completing a high tower near Inverness and increasing power, WABG drops CBS and adopts full-time ABC affiliation in November.

• 1959

  WABG-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WABG-TV signs on October 20 as a VHF channel 6 station licensed to Greenwood and serving the Mississippi Delta.

A locally focused Delta-region broadcast station combining ABC network service, a Fox digital subchannel, and regional news coverage.

• Broadcast television station · 1959

  WABG-TV ABC service

  The station's primary service is an ABC-affiliated television signal licensed to Greenwood. It combines ABC network programming with locally produced news, weather, public-affairs, syndicated, and promotional content for the Mississippi Delta. The channel 6 identity reflects its historic VHF allocation and remains the core WABG brand.

• Digital television subchannel · 2006

  WABG-DT2 / Delta Fox 10

  WABG's second digital subchannel provides Fox network programming to the Delta. It launched in 2006 as Delta Fox 10 after the market's cable-based Foxnet service was discontinued. The service initially had a restricted schedule, then expanded toward full-day programming. It also carries separate local-news editions, including morning, early-evening, and late-evening broadcasts.

• Local news programming

  The Delta News

  The Delta News is the station's local-news identity, covering communities across the Mississippi Delta. WABG's news operation includes weekday morning, evening, and weekend broadcasts, with selected programs simulcast on associated WNBD-LD and WXVT-LD services. The Fox subchannel carries separate editions of the news during key weekday time slots.

• 2015Breaking Greenville

  United States

  WABG-TV and WXVT appeared in Breaking Greenville, a TruTV reality series centered on the competitive local television news environment in Greenville, Mississippi. The appearance brought the stations and their market to a national entertainment audience.

  Outcome. The series aired from January 29 through March 26, 2015. No separate commercial campaign results are identified in the cited material.

  Source

• 2019

  Expansion of regional news productionStrategy

  Background

  WABG operated within a broader group of regional television stations.

  Action taken

  WABG began producing newscasts for KLAX-TV in Alexandria, Louisiana.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement extended WABG's production role beyond its home Mississippi market.

  Source

• 2014

  Transition to high-definition newscastsGeneration change

  Background

  WABG continued investing in its local-news operation and regional production capabilities.

  Action taken

  The station began broadcasting its newscasts in high definition.

  Aftermath

  The change modernized the presentation of the station's local programming.

  Source

• 2006

  Launch of Delta Fox 10Product launch

  Background

  The Delta had previously received Fox programming through the cable-only Foxnet service.

  Action taken

  WABG launched Fox programming on its second digital subchannel, branded Delta Fox 10.

  Aftermath

  The market gained a local over-the-air Fox service, which later expanded from a limited schedule to substantially broader programming.

  Source

• 1966

  Switch from CBS to full-time ABC affiliationStrategy

  Background

  WABG initially carried CBS with secondary ABC programming. A new high tower and higher effective radiated power improved the station's regional coverage.

  Action taken

  After the tower was completed, WABG dropped CBS and became a full-time ABC affiliate in November 1966.

  Aftermath

  The move strengthened WABG's role as the principal ABC outlet for the Mississippi Delta.

  Source

1. 1WABG-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WABG-TV official websiteyourdeltanews.com