WVLT Volunteer TV

What WVLT Volunteer TV does

WVLT Volunteer TV is a local broadcast television station headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, serving the East Tennessee market. The station operates as the CBS affiliate under the brand "Volunteer TV," with a coverage area that spans Knox County and surrounding counties including Morgan, Loudon, Cocke, and Jefferson Counties. Owned by Gray Local Media, a subsidiary of publicly traded Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN), WVLT delivers hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and community programming through a multi-platform distribution model.

The station's core technology stack is built around over-the-air digital broadcast capabilities, with deployment of NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) for enhanced digital television transmission. Its product surface includes a primary news website (WVLT.tv), the WVLT+ subscription streaming service offering exclusive content, mobile applications for iOS and Android providing push notifications and streaming access, and a live on-demand streaming portal. The "First Alert Weather" sub-brand is a domain-specialized differentiator featuring live radar, a network of weather cameras, and severe weather alert systems tailored to the East Tennessee region. Additional content sub-brands include WVLT Investigates (investigative journalism) and Tennessee Valley Sports (regional sports coverage of University of Tennessee Vols, Knoxville Smokies, Ice Bears, One Knox, and Atlanta Braves).

WVLT's revenue model is anchored in three streams: local and regional television advertising (spot ads, sponsored segments, integrated content placements), digital advertising sold through both the station's website and Gray Digital Media Knoxville, and recurring subscription revenue from the WVLT+ premium streaming service. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, with the station targeting local and regional businesses seeking access to East Tennessee consumer audiences. Pricing for advertising is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, while consumer-side pricing for WVLT+ is also not listed in the source material. The station serves two primary customer segments: general public viewers in East Tennessee (news, weather, sports consumption) and local/regional SMB advertisers (audience reach).

Name

WVLT Volunteer TV

Legal name

WVLT-TV

Website

https://wvlt.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WVLT Volunteer TV is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based local broadcast television station (CBS affiliate) owned by Gray Television, delivering hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and advertising to East Tennessee consumers and regional businesses across digital, over-the-air, and streaming platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Regional news coverage
• Weather forecasting
• Sports broadcasting
• Digital advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Local broadcast television advertising sales including spot ads, sponsored segments, and integrated content placements during news broadcasts and programming
2. Digital Advertising: Website display advertising, digital marketing services offered through Gray Digital Media Knoxville, and sponsored content placements
3. WVLT+ Subscription: Premium streaming subscription service providing exclusive content, live streaming, and on-demand access beyond traditional broadcast

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WVLT Volunteer TV is a local broadcast television station serving Knoxville and East Tennessee, delivering hyperlocal news, weather forecasting (First Alert Weather), and regional sports coverage over the air, online, and through mobile apps. The station also operates WVLT+, a subscription streaming service for exclusive and on-demand content, and sells local television and digital advertising inventory to regional businesses through Gray Digital Media Knoxville.

Product overview

WVLT Volunteer TV operates as a local broadcast television station and digital news platform serving East Tennessee (Knoxville area). The core offering consists of the WVLT News Website delivering 24/7 digital news coverage alongside traditional broadcast. First Alert Weather provides weather forecasting with live radar and severe weather alerts. WVLT+ is a premium subscription add-on offering exclusive content. Stream WVLT enables live and on-demand viewing. The Tennessee Valley Sports sub-brand covers regional sports teams. WVLT is owned by Gray Television (Gray Local Media).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WVLT+: Subscription streaming service offering exclusive local content and on-demand programming.
• First Alert Weather
• WVLT Investigates

Products and services

• WVLT News Website

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Local News LiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Local News Live for national news content distribution, allowing WVLT to share national news stories on their digital platform
• Circle CountryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerContent partnership for country lifestyle programming that aligns with East Tennessee regional interests
• PowerNationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for motorsports and power sports programming content across the WVLT network
• Gray Television (Parent Company)coreOthersOwned by Gray Television Inc., one of the largest television broadcast companies in the United States, providing national advertising networks, content syndication, and corporate resources
• Gray Digital Media KnoxvilleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital marketing services partnership for local advertisers seeking digital advertising solutions alongside traditional TV spots

Scale indicators2 records

Direct peers

• WATE-TV: ABC affiliate in the Knoxville market. Competes head-to-head with WVLT for local news audience share and regional ad budgets in East Tennessee.
• WTVF: Nashville CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television. Same network affiliation and corporate parent, making it directly comparable in operations, content mix, and revenue model within Tennessee.
• WBXX-TV: CW affiliate also serving the Knoxville DMA and referenced in WVLT's public inspection file contacts. Competes for younger viewers and secondary ad inventory in the same market.
• WDEF-TV: CBS affiliate in Chattanooga, Tennessee, also owned by Gray. Another same-network, same-parent station with comparable mid-sized Tennessee market dynamics.
• WBIR-TV: Local NBC affiliate serving the same Knoxville/East Tennessee DMA. Directly competes with WVLT for local news viewers, advertisers, and sports rights in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Tegna: Owner of multiple network-affiliated local stations and a station-based digital business. Comparable in scale of local news production and digital monetization strategy.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US TV station operator. Operates network-affiliated stations in overlapping market sizes and competes for advertising, syndicated content, and political ad dollars at the national level.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major US broadcast group operating local network-affiliated stations. Directly comparable operator footprint, local news investment strategy, and ATSC 3.0 rollout to Gray/WVLT.
• Gray Television: Parent company and largest US operator of local TV stations. Owns WVLT and operates a portfolio of network-affiliated and independent stations with shared national ad sales and content infrastructure.

Emerging players

• NewsOn: Streaming aggregator of local TV news from stations across the US. Competes for digital audience attention and ad inventory, and intersects with WVLT's own streaming strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wvlt
• Facebookfacebook.com/wvlt8
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wvlt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WVLT Volunteer TV