WTVM is an ABC-affiliated television station serving Columbus, Georgia, and nearby areas of Georgia and Alabama.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WTVM is a television station licensed to Columbus, Georgia, and identified with the market’s ABC network service. Broadcasting on channel 9, it serves viewers in west-central Georgia and portions of east-central Alabama through its over-the-air signal, cable and satellite distribution, digital subchannels, and online publishing. The station operates from studios on Wynnton Road in Columbus’s Dinglewood area, shares facilities with Fox affiliate WXTX, and transmits from a tower near Cusseta, Georgia. WTVM is owned by Gray Media, which also owns NBC/CW+ affiliate WLTZ in the market; Gray provides certain shared operational and administrative services involving its Columbus stations. The station traces its history to October 6, 1953, when it began broadcasting as WDAK-TV on UHF channel 28. It was established by WDAK radio and the Martin Theaters chain under the name Television Columbus. At launch, it carried programming from NBC, ABC, and the DuMont Television Network, and for a short period it was the only television station serving Columbus. Martin became the sole owner in 1957 and changed the call sign to WTVM, reflecting the company’s ownership of the station. WTVM’s early years were shaped by the technical and commercial disadvantages faced by UHF stations competing with VHF broadcasters. The station advocated for a second VHF assignment in Columbus and worked with local civic and broadcasting interests on a channel reallocation plan. The Federal Communications Commission ultimately approved the change. In November 1960, WTVM moved from channel 28 to VHF channel 9 and began transmitting from the newly developed Cusseta tower. The move substantially improved coverage and reception. At the same time, WTVM made ABC its primary affiliation, while continuing to carry selected NBC programming for many years. Ownership changed several times. Martin Theaters merged with Fuqua Industries in the late 1960s, bringing WTVM into the Fuqua broadcasting portfolio. Fuqua moved the station into a larger Wynnton Road facility in 1970. In 1980, WTVM was sold to Western Broadcasting. Following the acquisition of Western by SFN Companies in 1984, the station received additional investment in management, programming, and news operations. Managers later acquired the broadcasting assets and formed Pegasus Broadcasting. In 1989, Columbus-based insurer Aflac acquired WTVM, returning local corporate ownership to the station and making it part of Aflac’s broadcast division. Raycom Media purchased Aflac’s broadcasting holdings in 1997. Gray Television acquired Raycom in 2019, placing WTVM within Gray’s nationwide local television group. Local news has been central to WTVM’s identity. The station was historically challenged by CBS affiliate WRBL, but its competitive position strengthened from the late 1970s onward. Expanded investment during the SFN and Pegasus period, including the hiring of prominent local news anchor Dick McMichael, helped WTVM move into first place in market news ratings during the 1980s. Under Aflac, its evening news programs continued to command a leading share, and the station added a 5 p.m. newscast and a morning news program in the 1990s. WTVM also marked a local diversity milestone in 1989 when Dee Armstrong became the first Black full-time anchorwoman on a Columbus station’s evening weekday newscasts. Today, WTVM combines ABC network programming with locally produced newscasts, weather, sports, community reporting, digital video, and web-based news. Its digital distribution has expanded through station subchannels and translators, including facilities serving Columbus and the surrounding Alabama-Georgia border region. The brand’s primary value proposition is local relevance: breaking news, severe-weather information, regional sports, public-affairs coverage, and market-specific reporting delivered through broadcast and digital platforms.
History
WTVM’s origins lie in the postwar expansion of American television. In 1951, a Federal Communications Commission channel-allocation proposal gave Columbus two commercial assignments: VHF channel 4 and UHF channel 28. WDAK, a Columbus radio station, and Martin Theaters each pursued a television application, eventually combining their efforts as Television Columbus in September 1952. A competing application from Phenix City, Alabama, delayed the process, but the competing applicant withdrew in March 1953. The FCC then granted Television Columbus a construction permit. The new station established studios in a former automobile dealership building in downtown Columbus and selected a transmitter site near Phenix City. It signed on with the call letters WDAK-TV on October 6, 1953. The station initially carried programming from NBC, ABC, and DuMont, and for a brief period it was the market’s only television service. WRBL-TV launched in November 1953 and took the CBS affiliation. Direct access to live national programming became available to Columbus stations in 1954. Martin gradually increased its ownership stake and became the station’s sole owner in April 1957. The call sign changed to WTVM in May of that year. The station’s UHF status created a competitive disadvantage against VHF station WRBL, especially because early television receivers often required modification to receive UHF signals. WTVM first supported an all-UHF solution for Columbus, but later promoted a plan that would give the city a second VHF station. The proposal involved channel changes affecting Columbus and Dothan, Alabama, and included construction of a shared tower near Cusseta. The FCC approved the channel plan in 1959–60 after resolving objections and technical issues. WTVM moved to channel 9 in November 1960 and began using the Cusseta tower. The improved VHF coverage gave the station a stronger regional signal. Management also reassessed the station’s network relationships: because ABC offered programming that was less duplicated by nearby NBC outlets, WTVM changed from a primarily NBC station with secondary ABC programming to a primarily ABC station. NBC programs continued to appear on a secondary basis for approximately another decade. The tower was later raised substantially, further improving the station’s reach. In 1968, Fuqua Industries announced a merger with Martin Theaters. The transaction, approved in 1969, placed WTVM under Fuqua ownership. Fuqua built a larger Wynnton Road studio facility, occupied in 1970, with multiple studios and room for the station’s expanding operations. WTVM’s local news began to become more competitive in the 1970s. It adopted the Action 9 News identity in 1976 and experimented with a 7 p.m. newscast, although the program was later returned to a more conventional schedule. Fuqua placed its broadcast assets on the market in 1979, and Western Broadcasting acquired WTVM in a transaction announced at $19.5 million and completed in 1980. After Western owner Dale Moore died in a 1981 plane crash, SFN Companies acquired Western Broadcasting in 1984. SFN strengthened WTVM’s management and programming resources. A major turning point came with the recruitment of Dick McMichael, a well-known former WRBL news anchor, in 1986. WTVM’s news ratings improved sharply, and by the late 1980s the station had become the dominant local news outlet in Columbus. SFN managers subsequently arranged a management buyout of the broadcasting properties, which became Pegasus Broadcasting. Aflac announced its purchase of WTVM from Pegasus in October 1988 and completed the transaction in 1989. The acquisition brought the station under the ownership of a Columbus-based company whose headquarters stood near WTVM’s studios. Aflac’s earlier experience with another Columbus station had shaped its expectations about local broadcasting, but WTVM was already a strong market performer. During Aflac’s ownership, the station maintained a leading position in local news, added a 5 p.m. news program in 1994, and expanded its morning output. In 1989, Dee Armstrong became the first Black full-time anchorwoman to present an evening weekday newscast on a Columbus station. Raycom Media bought Aflac’s broadcasting division in 1997. WTVM later became connected operationally with Fox affiliate WXTX after an affiliated company acquired WXTX and entered into a local marketing agreement with Raycom. WTVM-produced news programming for WXTX included a 10 p.m. newscast beginning in 2004. Gray Television announced its acquisition of Raycom in 2018 and completed the transaction in 2019. The station is now part of Gray Media’s local television group. Its broadcast identity continues to center on ABC programming, local news, weather, sports, community information, and digital distribution through WTVM.com, multicast channels, and translators.
- 2020
Expanded shared services
[1]Gray enters a shared-services agreement involving WLTZ and begins simulcasting some WTVM newscasts on channel 38.
- 2019
Gray acquisition
[1]Gray completes its merger with Raycom Media, bringing WTVM into the Gray station group.
- 2004
WXTX newscast partnership
[1]A WTVM-produced 10 p.m. newscast begins airing on sister-operated Fox affiliate WXTX.
- 1997
Raycom Media acquisition
[1]WTVM becomes part of Raycom Media after the company acquires Aflac’s broadcasting division.
- 1994
News expansion
[1]WTVM adds a 5 p.m. local newscast and expands its morning news schedule.
- 1989
Aflac ownership begins
[1]Columbus-based Aflac acquires the station from Pegasus Broadcasting; Dee Armstrong also becomes the market’s first Black full-time evening weekday anchorwoman.
- 1984
SFN Companies acquires Western Broadcasting
[1]The acquisition brings new resources and management attention to WTVM’s news and programming operations.
- 1980
Western Broadcasting ownership begins
[1]WTVM is sold by Fuqua Industries to Western Broadcasting.
- 1970
New Wynnton Road studios open
[1]Fuqua ownership brings the station into a larger studio facility in Columbus.
- 1960
Move to channel 9
[1]WTVM relocates to VHF channel 9 from its Cusseta transmitter and makes ABC its primary network affiliation.
Products and positioning
A long-established, locally focused broadcast news brand and ABC affiliate serving the Columbus, Georgia, television market and adjacent communities in Alabama and Georgia.
Broadcast news
WTVM local newscasts
Locally produced television news programs covering Columbus, west-central Georgia, and neighboring Alabama communities. The news operation includes evening, late-night, morning, and afternoon or early-evening programming, with reporting focused on breaking news, public safety, government, education, business, and community issues.
Network television affiliation · 1960
ABC programming
WTVM’s primary network service consists of ABC entertainment, news, sports, and special-event programming distributed through the station’s main channel and related digital platforms.
Weather information
WTVM weather
Forecasting, severe-weather alerts, radar information, and storm coverage tailored to the Columbus market and the surrounding Georgia-Alabama region. Weather reporting is a core component of the station’s local-news proposition.
Digital news
WTVM.com
The station’s web service publishes local news, video, weather information, sports coverage, traffic and community material, extending WTVM’s reporting beyond its broadcast schedule.
Digital television
Digital multicast services
WTVM’s transmitter and associated translators carry the main station service and additional digital programming, including Peachtree Sports Network and Telemundo-related distribution described in station and regulatory materials.
Brand decisions
2019
Gray acquisition of Raycom MediaM&ABackground
Gray Television pursued a transaction that combined its station group with Raycom Media’s broadcast portfolio.
Action taken
Gray completed the acquisition of Raycom Media, including WTVM.
Aftermath
WTVM became part of Gray’s national local-television group while retaining its Columbus identity and ABC affiliation.
1997
Raycom acquisition of Aflac broadcasting assetsM&ABackground
Aflac sold its entire broadcasting division as part of a broader exit from television ownership.
Action taken
Raycom Media acquired WTVM and the other stations in Aflac’s broadcasting group.
Aftermath
WTVM joined a larger regional broadcast portfolio and later developed operating ties with WXTX.
1988
Aflac acquisition of WTVMM&ABackground
Aflac sought to expand its broadcasting holdings and had local familiarity with the Columbus television market.
Action taken
Aflac announced the purchase of WTVM from Pegasus Broadcasting for $45 million.
Aftermath
WTVM became part of Aflac’s broadcast division and continued operating as a local ABC affiliate with a leading news operation.
Acquisition price. $45 million (Announced October 7, 1988; completed in 1989)
1960
Switch to ABC as primary network affiliationStrategyBackground
The move from UHF channel 28 to VHF channel 9 expanded WTVM’s coverage and prompted management to reconsider its network mix. Management cited the lower duplication of ABC programming in surrounding markets.
Action taken
WTVM made ABC its primary affiliation while retaining NBC programs on a secondary basis for a period of time.
Aftermath
The change established the ABC relationship that remains central to WTVM’s identity.
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