An NBC-affiliated television station serving Wilmington and southeastern North Carolina.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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History
WECT signed on April 9, 1954, as WMFD-TV, an Atlantic Telecasting Corporation station serving Wilmington, North Carolina. Its original schedule included programming from NBC, CBS, ABC, and DuMont, but NBC was the station's principal affiliation. DuMont disappeared from the schedule after the network shut down in 1956. In 1958, after Atlantic Telecasting sold its Wilmington radio property, the television station changed its call letters to WECT. During its early decades, WECT operated in a relatively isolated television market. Wilmington did not gain a local competitor until WWAY launched in 1964. Because WWAY selected ABC, WECT continued to carry NBC as well as selected CBS programming, including daytime programs and Sunday afternoon NFL broadcasts. The arrival and expansion of cable television during the 1970s and 1980s gradually reduced the need for one station to combine multiple network schedules. WECT's distribution extended well beyond Wilmington. Its signal and cable carriage reached parts of the Fayetteville region, eastern North Carolina, and communities in northeastern South Carolina. Before the creation of a full-time NBC affiliate in the Florence–Myrtle Beach market, WECT served as an important NBC source for viewers in and around Myrtle Beach. The station used broader regional identifiers, including references to Wilmington, Fayetteville, and Myrtle Beach, to reflect that audience. It also maintained a Fayetteville news bureau for a period. In 1969, WECT moved its analog transmission operation to a 2,000-foot tower near White Lake in Bladen County. The structure was one of the tallest television towers in the eastern United States and supported the station's extensive regional coverage. The station's ownership changed repeatedly over the following decades. Atlantic Telecasting sold WECT to News-Press & Gazette Company in 1986. News-Press & Gazette later transferred its television group to the first New Vision Television, which sold the group to Ellis Communications in 1995. Ellis was incorporated into Raycom Media in 1997. Raycom's 2006 acquisition of Liberty Corporation briefly placed WECT and WWAY under the same corporate ownership. Because the combined ownership would have conflicted with Federal Communications Commission duopoly requirements, WWAY was divested to Morris Multimedia. WECT remained with Raycom and continued as Wilmington's principal NBC station. The station's news role expanded in the 2000s. In September 2003, WECT began producing a nightly prime-time newscast for WSFX-TV under a news-sharing agreement. The arrangement later included a morning news extension and additional WSFX newscasts. WECT became the first Wilmington television station to move its local news operation to high definition in August 2008. A short-lived WSFX early-evening program was later discontinued as the stations consolidated their prime-time news schedule. WECT was also central to Wilmington's early transition from analog to digital television. In May 2008, the FCC identified Wilmington as a test market for an accelerated transition, and WECT agreed with other local stations to terminate analog transmission on September 8, 2008. The digital transmitter near Winnabow was closer to Wilmington than the former White Lake site, but the change reduced coverage in some distant communities, including Fayetteville and Myrtle Beach. WMBF-TV, a new Raycom-owned NBC affiliate, began serving the Myrtle Beach area in August 2008, further reducing WECT's role there. Raycom later donated the White Lake tower site and surrounding land to the Green Beret Foundation. The tower was demolished by controlled explosive implosion on September 20, 2012, with proceeds from the land and scrap intended to support the foundation. The demolition was described at the time as a record-setting event for the height of a man-made structure removed in this manner. WECT's digital portfolio has changed over time. WECT-DT2 previously carried NBC Weather Plus and later WECT Plus, a local weather and information service featuring repeated newscasts, traffic, and travel updates. WECT replaced the local weather channel with Bounce TV in 2014 and subsequently added further multicast programming, including the network now branded Ion Mystery. In June 2018, Gray Television announced a cash-and-stock merger with Raycom Media. The transaction, valued at approximately $3.6 billion according to the announcement, was approved in December 2018 and completed on January 2, 2019. WECT consequently became a Gray station and a sister station to Gray-owned NBC affiliate WITN-TV in Greenville, North Carolina. It continues to operate as an NBC affiliate with a strong emphasis on local news, weather, emergency communication, digital publishing, and regional community coverage.
- 2019
Gray completes Raycom acquisition
[3]WECT becomes part of Gray Television after the Gray–Raycom transaction closes on January 2.
- 2014
Bounce TV replaces WECT Plus
[1]The station changes its second digital subchannel from local weather and information programming to Bounce TV.
- 2012
White Lake tower is demolished
[1]The former transmission tower is brought down by controlled demolition after the site and land were donated to the Green Beret Foundation.
- 2008
Wilmington analog shutdown
[1]WECT ends analog broadcasting on September 8 as part of the FCC's early digital-transition test in Wilmington.
- 2008
Local news moves to high definition
[1]WECT upgrades its local news broadcasts and the WSFX-produced newscasts to high-definition production.
- 2003
News-sharing arrangement with WSFX begins
[1]WECT starts producing a nightly prime-time newscast for WSFX-TV.
- 1997
WECT enters the Raycom ownership group
[1]Ellis Communications is folded into Raycom Media, bringing WECT into the Raycom station portfolio.
- 1986
Atlantic Telecasting sells WECT
[1]News-Press & Gazette Company acquires the station from Atlantic Telecasting.
- 1969
Transmission moves to White Lake tower
[1]WECT relocates its analog transmission facilities to a 2,000-foot tower near White Lake in Bladen County.
- 1964
WWAY launches as a local competitor
[1]WWAY begins broadcasting in Wilmington, creating the market's first local television competition for WECT.
Products and positioning
A locally focused NBC network affiliate emphasizing news, weather, emergency information, and broad regional service.
Local television news · 2003
WECT News
WECT's core local-news service covers Wilmington, New Hanover County, and the wider southeastern North Carolina region. Its output includes morning, daytime, evening, and late-night newscasts, with reporting on local government, crime, education, business, health, and community affairs. The operation also supplies news programming for WSFX-TV under a long-running news-sharing arrangement.
Weather and emergency information
WECT First Alert Weather
The station's weather operation provides forecasts, radar, severe-weather coverage, watches and warnings, hurricane information, and other emergency updates relevant to coastal and southeastern North Carolina. Weather content is distributed through television, the station website, digital video, and mobile-oriented channels.
Network television · 1954
NBC programming
WECT has been primarily affiliated with NBC since its 1954 launch. Its NBC service supplies the Wilmington market with national news, entertainment, sports, and special-event programming alongside the station's local schedule.
Multicast television · 2005
Digital multicast services
WECT has used its digital subchannels for several supplementary services, including NBC Weather Plus, the locally branded WECT Plus weather and information channel, Bounce TV, and later Ion Mystery programming. The lineup has changed as network and ownership strategies evolved.
Brand decisions
2019
Integration into Gray MediaM&ABackground
Gray Television agreed to merge with Raycom Media in a transaction announced in 2018 and approved by regulators in December of that year.
Action taken
The transaction closed on January 2, 2019, transferring WECT into Gray's television station group.
Aftermath
WECT became a sister station to Gray-owned WITN-TV and remained paired operationally with local stations including WSFX-TV.
announced transaction value. $3.6 billion (2018 announcement)
2014
Replacement of WECT Plus with Bounce TVStrategyBackground
WECT had used its second digital subchannel for weather, traffic, travel information, and repeated local news, after previously carrying NBC Weather Plus.
Action taken
The station replaced the local weather-oriented service with Bounce TV on August 18, 2014.
Aftermath
The change shifted the subchannel from a locally produced information format toward entertainment-oriented multicast programming.
2008
Voluntary early analog shutdownGeneration changeBackground
Wilmington was selected as an FCC test market for the transition from analog to digital television. WECT's former analog service reached some distant communities that would not receive equivalent coverage from the new digital transmitter.
Action taken
WECT ceased analog broadcasting on September 8, 2008, and continued with a digital transmission facility near Winnabow.
Aftermath
The digital configuration improved proximity to Wilmington but reduced or altered reception in parts of Fayetteville and Myrtle Beach. A new NBC affiliate, WMBF-TV, also began serving Myrtle Beach in August 2008.
Recent events
Sources5 sources
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