An independent television station serving the Miami–Fort Lauderdale market in South Florida.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
WPLG is a commercial television station serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and surrounding areas in South Florida. The station broadcasts on channel 10 and is marketed primarily under the Local 10 brand. Its studios are in Pembroke Park, Florida, while its transmitter operates from Miami Gardens. WPLG is notable for being the only television station owned by Berkshire Hathaway and for maintaining a long-standing reputation as one of the leading local-news outlets in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale market. The present station began broadcasting on November 20, 1961, as WLBW-TV. It replaced WPST-TV, an earlier channel 10 station whose license was revoked by the Federal Communications Commission after investigations found bribery and influence-peddling connected with the process used to obtain its license. L. B. Wilson, Inc., a Cincinnati-based broadcasting company, was selected to operate the replacement station because it was the only applicant for the license not implicated in the controversy. WLBW-TV was built with separate facilities and equipment because the former licensee’s owner declined to make its assets available. Although the station employed some former WPST-TV personnel and inherited its ABC affiliation, the replacement involved a new license and distinct operating organization. WLBW-TV initially operated from constrained facilities but gradually expanded. It introduced local color programming during the 1960s and opened a purpose-built, color-capable studio complex in 1967. Local news, public-affairs, entertainment, children’s, and community programming formed the core of its early service. The station’s transition to color was promoted through the “Colorvision 10” identity. In 1969, L. B. Wilson, Inc. sold WLBW-TV and radio station WCKY to the Washington Post Company’s Post-Newsweek Stations division. The transaction was approved later that year, and WLBW-TV changed its call letters to WPLG on March 16, 1970. The new call sign honored Philip Leslie Graham, a former Washington Post publisher and Miami-area resident. Under Post-Newsweek ownership, WPLG developed a strong local-news operation and became associated with prominent South Florida journalists and anchors. Its current four-color “10” logo was introduced in 1982, and the station adopted the Local 10 branding in 2004. WPLG retained its ABC affiliation through several major network changes elsewhere in the Miami market. That continuity helped distinguish it from competitors during the affiliation realignments of 1989 and 1995. Its news operation regularly competed for first place among English-language stations in South Florida, and it led the market during portions of the late 2000s. In 2009, changes to its evening-news anchor format were followed by a decline in total-day audience position, although the station remained a major local competitor. The station moved from its long-time Biscayne Boulevard facility to a new complex on West Hallandale Beach Boulevard in Pembroke Park in March 2009. A proposed 2008 acquisition of NBC station WTVJ by Post-Newsweek would have created a possible WPLG–WTVJ duopoly and involved shared facilities, but the transaction was abandoned in December 2008 because of economic conditions and the lack of regulatory approval. In 2014, Graham Holdings, the successor to the Washington Post Company after the sale of The Washington Post newspaper, sold WPLG to Berkshire Hathaway’s BH Media subsidiary. The transaction closed on June 30, 2014. Graham Media Group, the renamed successor to Post-Newsweek Stations, continued supplying selected centralized digital, design, and traffic services under transition and operating agreements. WPLG remains active as a South Florida broadcaster. According to the supplied reference material, it ended its ABC affiliation in August 2025 after declining the network’s requested increase in reverse-compensation payments and thereafter operated as an independent station, while ABC programming moved to a subchannel of WSVN.
History
Channel 10 in Miami first operated as WPST-TV, a station associated with National Airlines. Its license became the subject of a major federal controversy after allegations that FCC commissioner Richard A. Mack and Miami attorney Thurman A. Whiteside had engaged in improper influence and bribery connected with the license award. Congressional and FCC-related investigations examined the conduct of several applicants and intermediaries. The FCC revoked WPST-TV’s license in July 1960, and the station ultimately left the air in November 1961. The replacement license went to L. B. Wilson, Inc., a Cincinnati broadcasting company that had applied for the channel but was not implicated in the misconduct identified by investigators. The company assembled WLBW-TV under difficult circumstances because it could not acquire the former station’s facilities. WLBW-TV signed on November 20, 1961, with a new operating organization, new facilities, and the ABC affiliation previously held by WPST-TV. Some former WPST-TV personnel joined the replacement station, helping provide continuity for viewers despite the legal and corporate break between the two operations. WLBW-TV expanded during the 1960s, adding local color programming and developing a purpose-built facility on Biscayne Boulevard. Its new studios opened in 1967, and the station promoted itself as Colorvision 10. Local news, public affairs, entertainment, and community programming became important components of the schedule. Post-Newsweek Stations purchased WLBW-TV in 1969. On March 16, 1970, the station adopted the WPLG call letters, honoring Philip Leslie Graham. During the Post-Newsweek era, WPLG strengthened its local-news department and became a durable ratings competitor in South Florida. The station retained ABC through the major Miami affiliation changes of 1989 and 1995, when other network affiliates changed owners, channels, or affiliations. In 1982, it introduced the four-color design within its “10” logo, and in 2004 it adopted the Local 10 identity used for its news and digital presence. The station moved into a new Pembroke Park facility in 2009. A proposed acquisition of NBC station WTVJ by Post-Newsweek was cancelled in the same period after economic and regulatory difficulties. In 2014, Graham Holdings sold WPLG to Berkshire Hathaway’s BH Media. Graham Media Group, the successor to Post-Newsweek Stations, continued to provide certain centralized services after the transaction. The supplied reference material reports a further strategic change in August 2025, when WPLG ended its ABC affiliation after rejecting higher reverse-compensation demands. It then operated as an independent station, with ABC programming moving to a WSVN subchannel. WPLG’s continuing business centers on local news, weather, traffic, investigative reporting, syndicated programming, and digital journalism for the South Florida market.
- 2025
Transition to independent status
[1]According to the supplied reference, WPLG ended its ABC affiliation in August and continued as an independent station.
- 2014
Berkshire Hathaway ownership begins
[1]Berkshire Hathaway completed its acquisition of WPLG from Graham Holdings on June 30.
- 2009
Pembroke Park relocation
[1]WPLG moved its studios from Biscayne Boulevard to its current Pembroke Park facility.
- 2004
Local 10 branding introduced
[1]The station began using the Local 10 identity as part of Post-Newsweek’s branding approach.
- 1982
Four-color 10 logo introduced
[1]WPLG adopted the logo design featuring four colored stripes inside the zero.
- 1970
WPLG name adopted
[1]The station changed its call sign from WLBW-TV to WPLG.
- 1969
Post-Newsweek purchase announced
[1]The Washington Post Company’s Post-Newsweek division agreed to acquire WLBW-TV.
- 1967
New color studios open
[1]WLBW-TV opened a purpose-built facility capable of supporting local color productions.
- 1961
WLBW-TV signs on
[1]L. B. Wilson, Inc. launched the replacement channel 10 operation on November 20, 1961.
- 1960
FCC revokes WPST-TV license
[1]The FCC revoked the predecessor channel 10 station’s license following investigations into improper conduct surrounding the original license award.
Products and positioning
A South Florida local-news and broadcast service positioned around dependable regional reporting, weather information, traffic updates, investigative journalism, and broad over-the-air and digital reach.
Local television news
Local 10 News
WPLG’s principal news franchise, covering breaking news, politics, public affairs, crime, business, health, and community issues across Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and South Florida. The franchise is distributed through broadcast newscasts and the station’s digital platforms.
Weather broadcasting
Local 10 Weather
Weather forecasting and severe-weather information for South Florida, including tropical systems, flooding, thunderstorms, heat, and daily travel conditions. Weather content is carried through television reports and Local 10’s digital services.
Digital media
Local 10 digital news
The station’s web and connected-media news output extends WPLG’s local reporting beyond scheduled broadcasts. It includes articles, live coverage, video, weather information, traffic reporting, and updates for viewers using digital platforms.
Television programming
Local programming
Across its history, WPLG and its predecessor WLBW-TV have produced public-affairs, interview, children’s, entertainment, community, and locally oriented programs. Earlier examples included Important, Miami Press Conference, a local variety show, and Saturday Hop.
Controversies
1957
WPST-TV license bribery controversy
The predecessor station WPST-TV became embroiled in allegations that an FCC commissioner and an attorney had used bribery and influence-peddling to secure the channel 10 license. Investigations led to the license’s revocation in 1960. WPLG began later as a replacement operation rather than as a direct continuation of the revoked license.
Marketing campaigns
- 2004Local 10 branding
South Florida
WPLG adopted Local 10 as its principal consumer-facing brand, aligning the station with Post-Newsweek’s broader local-station branding strategy.
Outcome. Local 10 became the station’s dominant news and digital identity.
- 1982Four-color 10 identity
South Florida
WPLG introduced the four-stripe design inside its channel-10 logo, creating a durable visual identity associated with the station.
Outcome. The logo remained an important part of the station’s identity and later Local 10 presentation.
Brand decisions
2025
Leave ABC and operate independentlyStrategyBackground
The supplied reference states that WPLG’s ABC affiliation agreement expired after negotiations over increased reverse-compensation payments.
Action taken
WPLG declined ABC’s requested terms and ended the affiliation in August 2025.
Aftermath
The station became independent, while ABC programming moved to a subchannel of WSVN.
2014
Sale to Berkshire HathawayM&ABackground
Graham Holdings retained its broadcast assets after separating from The Washington Post newspaper business but elected to sell WPLG.
Action taken
WPLG was transferred to Berkshire Hathaway’s BH Media subsidiary in a cash-and-stock transaction.
Aftermath
WPLG became Berkshire Hathaway’s sole television property, while Graham Media Group continued providing selected centralized services.
2008
Proposed acquisition of WTVJM&ABackground
Post-Newsweek sought to expand its Miami presence through a proposed purchase of NBC-owned WTVJ.
Action taken
Post-Newsweek announced a planned $205 million acquisition and proposed combining operations with WPLG, but cancelled the transaction later that year.
Aftermath
WPLG remained a standalone station, and the proposed duopoly did not proceed.
Proposed purchase price. $205 million (2008 proposed transaction)
1969
Sell WLBW-TV to Post-NewsweekM&ABackground
L. B. Wilson, Inc. chose to sell its Miami television operation as part of a broader transaction involving WCKY radio.
Action taken
The company agreed to sell WLBW-TV and WCKY to the Washington Post Company’s Post-Newsweek Stations division for $20 million.
Aftermath
The acquisition was approved later in 1969, and the station changed its call sign to WPLG in 1970.
Transaction value. $20 million (1969 announced sale)
1961
Launch a replacement channel 10 stationStrategyBackground
The FCC revoked WPST-TV’s license and required a new operator to replace the station.
Action taken
L. B. Wilson, Inc. assembled WLBW-TV with separate facilities while retaining the ABC affiliation and hiring some experienced local personnel.
Aftermath
WLBW-TV signed on in November 1961 and developed into the station now known as WPLG.
Sources2 sources
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