What WAFF does

WAFF is an NBC-affiliated local broadcast television station operating on Channel 48, headquartered at 1414 North Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, Alabama, and serving the Tennessee Valley region across North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. The station is owned and operated by Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN), one of the largest US television broadcasting companies, and operates under the Gray Local Media, Inc. subsidiary alongside approximately 90 other Gray stations. WAFF delivers local news, weather, sports, and community-focused programming, with a regional reporting bureau in Florence, AL covering the Shoals area. The station was founded in 2001 and maintains a workforce of 51-100 employees.

WAFF's core technical platform combines traditional over-the-air broadcast on Channel 48 (including subchannels 48.2 and 48.3 carrying Bounce TV and additional programming) with the proprietary 48 First Alert Doppler Radar system for severe weather coverage, NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) broadcasting capability, the 48 Now 24/7 livestream, mobile applications for iOS and Android, and connected TV distribution via Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. The station's product portfolio spans news (including the 48 Investigates investigative unit), weather (48 First Alert Weather team), sports (Tennessee Valley Sports Network, 48 Blitz high school football coverage), and lifestyle content (Tennessee Valley Living). Content production leverages Gray Television's network resources including InvestigateTV and Local News Live for national/international coverage.

WAFF's revenue model is anchored in advertising sales across broadcast TV spots, digital advertising on its website and mobile platforms, programming sponsorships, and digital subscriptions or pay-per-view for special events. The station serves two primary customer segments: local viewers in the Tennessee Valley seeking news, weather, and community information, and local/regional advertisers targeting that consumer base. Distribution occurs through a combination of direct sales efforts for broadcast and digital advertising, and self-serve/over-the-air access for end consumers. The advertising-centric model is characteristic of US local broadcast television, with revenue cyclicality tied to local economic conditions and broader ad market trends.

Name

WAFF

Legal name

Gray Local Media, Inc.

Website

https://waff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WAFF is an NBC-affiliated local broadcast television station (Channel 48) owned by Gray Television, serving North Alabama and Southern Tennessee with news, weather, sports, and community content distributed via over-the-air broadcast, streaming, mobile apps, and connected TV.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Sales: Local broadcast advertising including TV spots, digital advertising on website and mobile platforms, and sponsorships of specific programming segments. Revenue generated from local businesses, regional advertisers, and national ad networks placing content during news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming.
2. Digital Subscriptions/Mobile Apps: Free mobile applications with premium features, streaming subscriptions for out-of-market viewers, and transaction-based pay-per-view content for special events

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WAFF 48 is a Gray Television-owned, NBC-affiliated local broadcast station that produces and distributes local news, weather forecasts, sports coverage, and community-focused programming for the Tennessee Valley region of North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. Programming is delivered free over-the-air on Channel 48, on digital subchannels 48.2 and 48.3, and through the 48 Now livestream on connected TV devices and mobile apps. The station monetizes primarily through local/regional broadcast and digital advertising sold to businesses targeting Tennessee Valley viewers.

Product overview

WAFF (Channel 48) is a Gray Television-owned local broadcast station serving the Tennessee Valley region of North Alabama. The station operates as a multi-platform news and entertainment organization offering traditional broadcast television programming alongside digital products including mobile applications, live streaming services, interactive weather tools, and regional sports coverage. The product portfolio centers on the WAFF 48 News App and 48 Now streaming platform for on-demand and live content delivery, complemented by specialized vertical offerings including Tennessee Valley Living lifestyle programming, the 48 First Alert Doppler Radar weather system, and the Tennessee Valley Sports Network covering regional collegiate and minor league athletics. The station also maintains investigative journalism through its 48 Investigates unit and has begun transitioning to NextGen TV broadcast technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 48 Now: WAFF's livestream and digital news platform for real-time news coverage
• 48 First Alert Weather
• 48 Investigates
• 48 Blitz
• Tennessee Valley Sports Network

Products and services

• WAFF 48 News App Standalone mobile applications for iOS and Android providing Tennessee Valley residents with local news, weather alerts, live streaming, and on-demand video from WAFF 48.
• 48 Now Livestream 24/7 streaming channel streaming WAFF newscasts and digital content live to viewers via the website and mobile apps.
• 48 First Alert Doppler Radar Interactive Doppler radar and storm-tracking tool providing real-time severe weather coverage for North Alabama and Middle Tennessee counties.
• Tennessee Valley Living (TVL) Lifestyle and community show covering local events, food, music, and people across the Tennessee Valley.
• Tennessee Valley Sports Network Regional sports network covering Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Rocket City Trash Pandas, Alabama A&M Bulldogs, UAH Chargers, North Alabama Lions, and other Tennessee Valley athletics.
• 48 Investigates Investigative journalism unit producing in-depth accountability reporting on issues affecting the North Alabama community.
• NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard offering enhanced picture quality, audio, interactivity, and improved emergency alert capability to over-the-air viewers with compatible televisions.

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gray Television/Gray Local MediacoreOthersParent company providing corporate structure, advertising technology, shared services, and network content. WAFF is a Gray Local Media station under Gray Television's portfolio of local broadcast stations across the United States.
• National Weather ServicecoreTechnology or IntegrationWeather forecasting partnership providing meteorological data, tornado warnings, and severe weather alerts for the Huntsville and North Alabama viewing area through the First Alert Weather team.
• Bounce TVminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast network carried on WAFF's 48.2 subchannel, providing entertainment programming that complements local news content.
• TN Valley LivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal lifestyle programming show produced in partnership with WAFF, covering local food, events, and community features in the Tennessee Valley.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WHNT-TV: Huntsville's CBS-affiliated local news station, directly competing with WAFF for the same Tennessee Valley audience, advertisers, and digital streaming share in the same DMA.
• WZDX: Fox-affiliated local TV station in Huntsville, competing head-to-head with WAFF for local news, weather, sports coverage and regional advertising budgets in the Tennessee Valley.
• WAAY-TV: ABC-affiliated local broadcast station serving Huntsville and North Alabama, competing with WAFF across broadcast, digital, and mobile app distribution.
• WMC-TV: NBC-affiliated Gray Television station in Memphis, TN; a direct sister-station peer within the same corporate portfolio, sharing Gray's ad-tech, content (InvestigateTV), and operational playbook as WAFF.

Regional players

• WBRC: Fox-affiliated station serving the larger Birmingham DMA in central Alabama; comparable mid-South NBC affiliate peer offering local news/weather/sports and CTV streaming in an adjacent Alabama market.

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: One of the largest U.S. local TV station operators; comparable as a broad incumbent whose portfolio includes multiple local affiliates and digital/CTV streaming capabilities that compete with Gray Television's WAFF.
• Tegna: Major U.S. broadcast group operating local affiliates and digital/streaming platforms; comparable as a broad incumbent offering multi-platform local news distribution analogous to WAFF's broadcast + 48 Now model.
• Scripps (E.W. Scripps Company): Diversified broadcast operator with local TV stations and national networks (ION, Court TV, Bounce); comparable as a broad incumbent whose local affiliates compete for ad budgets similar to WAFF.
• Hearst Television: Owns/operates ~30 local TV stations across the U.S.; comparable as a broad incumbent providing local news, weather, and digital streaming services akin to WAFF's Tennessee Valley operations.

Emerging players

• NewsNation: National cable/streaming news network and a Gray Television partner (via Local News Live); an emerging player whose streaming news content overlaps with WAFF's 48 Now livestream and digital distribution strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waff48
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@waff48news
• Facebookfacebook.com/waff48
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gray-television
• Instagraminstagram.com/waff48

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 WAFF