WMC-TV
NBC-affiliated television station serving Memphis, Tennessee, and the surrounding Mid-South region.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WMC-TV is a commercial television station based in Memphis, Tennessee, and affiliated with the NBC network. It broadcasts on virtual channel 5 and is branded as Action News 5. The station is owned by Gray Media and operates alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTME-LD. WMC-TV's studios are located on Union Avenue in Midtown Memphis, while its main transmitter is in northeast Memphis near Bartlett. The station began broadcasting on December 11, 1948, under the call sign WMCT. It was the first television station to sign on in Tennessee, and its inaugural day included coverage of a Tennessee–Ole Miss football game at Crump Stadium. The station initially transmitted on VHF channel 4 before moving to channel 5 in 1952 to resolve interference concerns involving another NBC station in Nashville. During its early years, WMCT was the only television station in the Memphis market and carried programming from NBC, CBS, ABC, and the DuMont Television Network, although NBC was its principal affiliation. WMC-TV originated as part of a broader Scripps media operation that included The Commercial Appeal, the Memphis Press-Scimitar, WMC radio, and WMC-FM. This newspaper and radio background helped establish a strong local-news identity. The station's riverboat imagery, whistle sounder, and long-running emphasis on regional reporting connect its brand to the Mississippi River and the culture of the Mid-South. Its news operation was particularly dominant in Memphis for much of the first four decades of television broadcasting in the market. Beyond network programming, WMC-TV developed a substantial local-programming portfolio. Wake-Up Call became a prominent morning program and, during the 1980s, was reported to have one of the highest local talk-show audience shares in the United States. Magicland, hosted by Dick Williams, was a long-running children's magic program that aired from 1966 through 1989. The station also carried locally produced professional wrestling, golf coverage from the Memphis Open, and other regional sports and entertainment programming. WMC-TV has also played a notable civic role. In the late 1960s, during the civil-rights and sanitation-workers conflicts in Memphis, station management created The 40% Speaks, a program intended to encourage racial dialogue. Hosted alternately by civil-rights leader James Lawson and Ben Hooks, the program gave Black Memphians an unusual television platform for discussing community issues. It later evolved into Face to Face, which continued to address race, social justice, and public affairs for approximately two decades. Ownership changed in 1993 when The E. W. Scripps Company sold WMC-TV and its associated radio stations to Ellis Communications. Ellis transferred the stations in 1996 to a broadcasting group backed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which became Raycom Media. Raycom later sold the radio properties, while WMC-TV remained part of its television portfolio. Gray Television announced an agreement to acquire Raycom in 2018, and the transaction closed on January 2, 2019. The combined company was later renamed Gray Media. WMC-TV continues to focus on locally produced news, weather, traffic, investigative reporting, community affairs, NBC network programming, syndicated content, and selected sports. The station expanded its local-news schedule over time, launched a 4 p.m. newscast in 2011, experimented with a morning newscast on a digital subchannel, and expanded its weekday morning coverage in 2018. It became the first Memphis-market station to present local newscasts in high definition in 2008. In 2024, it completed a transition of its digital broadcast signal from VHF channel 5 to UHF channel 30 to improve reception. In 2025, it added selected Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Redbirds games to its sports offering.
History
WMC-TV traces its origins to December 11, 1948, when it began broadcasting as WMCT from Memphis, Tennessee. It was the first television station in Tennessee. Its first-day programming included a televised Tennessee–Ole Miss football game from Crump Stadium, giving the station an immediate connection to local sports and regional culture. The station initially operated on VHF channel 4 and broadcast from studios in the Goodwyn Institute Building in downtown Memphis. WMCT was established by The E. W. Scripps Company as part of a Memphis media group that also included The Commercial Appeal, the Memphis Press-Scimitar, WMC radio, and WMC-FM. As the city's first television outlet, it initially carried material from all four major national television networks then operating: NBC, CBS, ABC, and DuMont. NBC was the principal affiliation because WMC radio had long been associated with the NBC Red Network. As competing Memphis stations launched, WMCT gradually lost secondary network programming. CBS became associated with WHBQ-TV in 1953 and later WREC-TV, while ABC moved fully to WHBQ-TV in 1956. DuMont disappeared when that network ceased operations. The station moved to VHF channel 5 on November 23, 1952, because of co-channel interference involving WSM-TV in Nashville. The change established the channel identity that remains central to the WMC-TV brand. The station's call sign changed from WMCT to WMC-TV on January 1, 1967. During the 1960s it promoted itself as The Showplace of the South and introduced a distinctive numeral 5 logo. Its riverboat emblem and riverboat-whistle sounder became enduring brand elements that associated the station with the Mississippi River and the broader Mid-South. The WMC stations moved to their Union Avenue facility in 1959. The station also became an important platform for regional public affairs and civic discussion. During the Memphis sanitation workers' strike and the period surrounding the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., general manager Mori Greiner established The 40% Speaks. The program featured James Lawson and Ben Hooks on alternating editions and gave Black residents a prominent television forum for discussing race, civil rights, and community conditions. The format later developed into Face to Face, which continued for roughly two decades with multicultural panels and sustained public-affairs coverage. WMC-TV developed an extensive local-programming tradition. Wake-Up Call, launched in 1979 as a lead-in to NBC's Today, became a highly successful local morning program hosted first by Dick Hawley and Peggy Rolfes and later by Hawley and Denise DuBois. Magicland, hosted by Dick Williams, aired from 1966 until 1989 and became one of the station's best-known children's programs. The station also broadcast professional wrestling, including Championship Wrestling and later USWA Championship Wrestling, and carried local golf coverage from the Memphis Open. These programs helped make WMC-TV a significant regional entertainment outlet as well as a news station. For much of its first four decades, WMC-TV was the dominant local-news station in Memphis. It later faced sustained competition from WREG-TV. WMC-TV continued to expand and modernize its news service, launching an updated news set and graphics package in 2006 and becoming the first Memphis-market station to broadcast local newscasts in high definition in 2008. It added an hour-long 4 p.m. newscast in 2011, experimented with a weekday morning newscast on its Bounce TV digital subchannel in 2013, and extended its main weekday morning schedule beginning at 4 a.m. in 2018. The newsroom was named for longtime employee Ed Greaney, who joined the station in 1949 and remained with it until retiring in 2000. Ownership changed several times. Scripps sold WMC-TV and its radio siblings to Ellis Communications in 1993. Ellis sold the stations in 1996 to a group backed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which became Raycom Media. Raycom sold the radio stations in 2000, but retained WMC-TV. Gray Television announced its acquisition of Raycom in 2018, and the merger closed in January 2019. WMC-TV consequently became part of Gray's large portfolio of local television stations; the parent company subsequently adopted the Gray Media name. Technically, WMC-TV ended analog broadcasting on VHF channel 5 in June 2009 and initially operated its post-transition digital signal on UHF channel 52 before returning to channel 5. Because viewers experienced reception difficulties with the VHF signal, the FCC approved a later move to UHF channel 30. WMC-TV implemented that change on December 3, 2024, and Gray established low-power translators serving parts of Mississippi and Tennessee to help address coverage gaps. The station remains an NBC affiliate serving Memphis and the surrounding Mid-South. Its present activities include local news, weather, traffic, digital reporting, community affairs, NBC programming, syndicated content, and selected sports. In 2025, WMC-TV expanded its sports role through agreements involving Memphis Grizzlies basketball and Memphis Redbirds baseball.
- 2025
Local professional sports agreements expand
[1]WMC-TV adds selected Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Redbirds games to its programming lineup.
- 2024
Digital signal moves to UHF channel 30
[1]The station changes its digital transmission facility from VHF channel 5 to UHF channel 30.
- 2019
Gray completes Raycom merger
[1]WMC-TV joins Gray's national group of owned-and-operated local television stations.
- 2011
4 p.m. newscast launches
[1]WMC-TV adds a weekday hour-long local newscast at 4 p.m.
- 2009
Analog television service ends
[1]The station ends regular analog broadcasts as part of the nationwide digital television transition.
- 2008
Local newscasts move to high definition
[1]WMC-TV becomes the first station in the Memphis market to broadcast local newscasts in HD.
- 1996
Raycom ownership begins
[1]The station becomes part of the broadcasting group that develops into Raycom Media.
- 1993
Ellis Communications acquires the station
[1]Scripps sells WMC-TV and its associated Memphis radio properties to Ellis Communications.
- 1979
Wake-Up Call launches
[1]The station creates a local morning program to strengthen its lead-in to Today.
- 1968
The 40% Speaks addresses racial issues
[1]WMC-TV introduces a public-affairs program that gives Black Memphians a new platform during a period of major civil-rights tension.
Products and positioning
A long-established Memphis television institution positioned around local news, severe-weather information, regional identity, community service, and NBC network affiliation.
Local television news
Action News 5
WMC-TV's primary local-news service covers Memphis and the surrounding Mid-South with regularly scheduled broadcasts, breaking-news reports, weather, traffic, investigative journalism, and community reporting. The newsroom produces a substantial weekly schedule across mornings, afternoons, evenings, and weekends. Its brand draws on the station's long history as a Memphis news institution and its NBC affiliation.
Broadcast information service
Local weather and severe-weather coverage
Weather forecasting and severe-weather coverage are central elements of WMC-TV's local-service proposition. The station provides routine forecasts, live storm coverage, warnings, radar information, and weather-related reporting for Memphis, western Tennessee, northeastern Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, and nearby areas. Its meteorological programming is integrated into the station's newscasts and digital output.
Local morning program · 1979
Wake-Up Call
Wake-Up Call was a locally produced morning talk and information program created in 1979 as a lead-in to NBC's Today. Hosted initially by Dick Hawley and Peggy Rolfes and later by Denise DuBois, it combined conversation, local information, and entertainment. During the mid-1980s it achieved an unusually large share of the local television audience.
Children's entertainment · 1966
Magicland
Magicland was a live-audience children's magic program hosted by Dick Williams, known on air as Mr. Magic. It ran on Sunday mornings from 1966 until Williams retired in 1989. The program accumulated approximately 1,200 original episodes and became one of the most distinctive locally produced series in WMC-TV's history.
Local sports entertainment · 1950
Championship Wrestling
WMC-TV's locally produced professional-wrestling broadcasts originated in the early 1950s and returned to the station in 1977. The live Saturday program later became associated with USWA Championship Wrestling and helped turn regional performers such as Jerry Lawler into local celebrities. The format continued until its cancellation in 1997.
Professional basketball · 2025
Memphis Grizzlies broadcasts
In 2025, WMC-TV reached an agreement to simulcast five Memphis Grizzlies games with FanDuel Sports Network Southeast during the 2024–25 season. The station also planned to carry selected Grizzlies games through NBC's NBA coverage beginning with the 2025–26 season, extending its role beyond news and network programming into locally relevant professional sports.
Minor-league baseball · 2025
Memphis Redbirds broadcasts
WMC-TV reached an agreement to broadcast 19 games involving the Memphis Redbirds, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The arrangement adds locally significant baseball coverage to the station's sports portfolio and complements its existing NBC and local-news identity.
Marketing campaigns
- 1968The 40% Speaks
Memphis
WMC-TV created this public-affairs initiative during a period of intense racial and social conflict in Memphis. James Lawson and Ben Hooks alternated as hosts, providing a television forum for Black residents and community leaders to discuss civil rights, race relations, and local conditions.
Outcome. The program developed into Face to Face, which continued the station's public-affairs and racial-dialogue role for approximately two further decades.
Brand decisions
2025
Expansion into Memphis professional sports coverageProduct launchBackground
WMC-TV sought to broaden its locally relevant programming beyond news and network content.
Action taken
The station agreed to simulcast selected Memphis Grizzlies games and broadcast 19 Memphis Redbirds games, with additional Grizzlies coverage planned through NBC's NBA package.
Aftermath
The agreements strengthened WMC-TV's role as a free over-the-air source for selected Memphis professional sports events.
2024
Digital transmission move to UHF channel 30Generation changeBackground
The station's VHF digital signal on channel 5 generated reception complaints in parts of the service area.
Action taken
After FCC approval, WMC-TV moved its digital transmission facility to UHF channel 30 and added low-power translators to reduce coverage loss.
Aftermath
The change was intended to improve reception for viewers and preserve service in outlying parts of the market.
2019
Gray Television merger with Raycom MediaM&ABackground
Gray Television sought to combine its station portfolio with Raycom Media's owned-and-operated television assets.
Action taken
The merger closed on January 2, 2019, transferring WMC-TV into Gray's station group.
Aftermath
WMC-TV gained new Gray-affiliated sister stations and continued operating as the NBC affiliate in Memphis.
Transaction value. $3.6 billion (2018 announced transaction; completed January 2019)
2011
Launch of the 4 p.m. newscastProduct launchBackground
The end of The Oprah Winfrey Show created an opening in the late-afternoon schedule.
Action taken
WMC-TV introduced an hour-long weekday 4 p.m. local newscast.
Aftermath
The newscast competed directly with a similar offering from WREG-TV and expanded WMC-TV's local-news inventory.
2008
Conversion of local newscasts to high definitionGeneration changeBackground
Local television news production was moving from standard-definition workflows to HD production.
Action taken
WMC-TV began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.
Aftermath
The station became the first in the Memphis market and the second in Tennessee to present local newscasts in HD.
1996
Transfer into Raycom MediaM&ABackground
Ellis Communications reorganized and sold its station group to a broadcasting entity backed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama.
Action taken
WMC-TV became part of the group later known as Raycom Media.
Aftermath
The station remained under Raycom ownership until the company's merger with Gray Television in 2019.
1993
Sale to Ellis CommunicationsM&ABackground
After more than four decades under Scripps ownership, WMC-TV was included in the sale of the Memphis WMC media properties.
Action taken
The E. W. Scripps Company sold WMC-TV, WMC radio, and WMC-FM to Ellis Communications.
Aftermath
Ellis introduced a blue-and-gold visual identity influenced by WSB-TV and later transferred the station to the group that became Raycom Media.
Purchase price. $65 million (1993 transaction)
1952
Change from channel 4 to channel 5StrategyBackground
The original VHF channel assignment created co-channel interference concerns involving WSM-TV in Nashville.
Action taken
WMCT moved its transmission assignment to VHF channel 5, establishing the channel identity used by the station thereafter.
Aftermath
Channel 5 became the station's principal consumer-facing identifier and remains central to its branding.
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