What WTVM does

WTVM (News Leader 9) is a local broadcast television station operating as the ABC affiliate for the Columbus-Tuscaloosa-Annan Designated Market Area, serving West Georgia and East Alabama. Founded in 1953 and headquartered in Columbus, GA, the station has been part of Gray Television's portfolio (NYSE: GTN) since 2002 through subsidiary Gray Local Media, Inc. WTVM produces local news, weather, sports, and community programming, with severe weather coverage anchored by Storm Team 9 and a multi-location sky camera network across Columbus, Auburn, Opelika, LaGrange, Eufaula, and Callaway Resort & Gardens. The station has 51-100 employees.

The product ecosystem spans a primary broadcast channel, dedicated 24/7 weather streaming, the InvestigateTV investigative unit, a Spanish-language Telemundo Columbus affiliate, and proprietary mobile apps (WTVM News Leader 9 and Storm Team 9 Weather) available on iOS, Android, and connected TV platforms including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire. Distribution extends across over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite providers, and major OTT streaming services (Hulu Live, YouTube TV). NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) deployment positions the station for next-generation broadcast features. Additional offerings include WTVM podcasts, community programming, and Bence Law Sky Cams.

WTVM's revenue model is advertising-led. Free over-the-air broadcast generates reach for traditional spot advertising (automotive, healthcare, political, local retail); WTVM Marketing Solutions and a separate Digital Marketing service (gdmcolumbus-auburn.com) monetize digital inventory for local and regional businesses. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The customer base is bifurcated: a primary segment of general consumers/viewers in the Columbus-Auburn DMA, and a secondary segment of local and regional advertisers. The station is privately held (not separately traded); its parent Gray Television is publicly traded on NYSE under ticker GTN.

Name

WTVM

Legal name

Gray Local Media, Inc.

Website

https://wtvm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WTVM is the ABC-affiliated local television station for the Columbus, GA market, owned by Gray Television, delivering local news, weather (Storm Team 9), sports, and community content across broadcast, mobile, and streaming platforms to West Georgia and East Alabama.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), 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 industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local news broadcasting
• Weather forecasting
• Television broadcasting
• Streaming services
• Advertising solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WTVM is a local ABC-affiliated television station serving the Columbus, GA market and East Alabama region. Its core offering is the WTVM News Leader 9 broadcast — providing local news, weather, sports, and community content via over-the-air broadcasting, supplemented by digital streaming through mobile apps, smart TV apps, and web. The station also operates Storm Team 9 weather coverage, Telemundo Columbus Spanish-language programming, and WTVM Marketing Solutions advertising services for local businesses.

Product overview

WTVM (News Leader 9) is a local broadcast television station operating as part of Gray Television's portfolio, serving Columbus, GA and the surrounding Chattahoochee Valley region with ABC network affiliation. The station operates a multi-channel content ecosystem consisting of primary broadcast channel WTVM News Leader 9, 24/7 weather streaming channel, investigative unit InvestigateTV, and Spanish-language affiliate Telemundo Columbus. Content distribution spans traditional broadcast, owned mobile applications (WTVM App and Storm Team 9 Weather App), streaming platforms (Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire), and live streaming services. Weather coverage features Storm Team 9 with Bence Law Sky Cams network. The station also operates WTVM Marketing Solutions for local advertising services and NextGen TV broadcast technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• News Leader 9: The news branding for WTVM's local news coverage, delivering local news, weather, and sports to the Columbus, GA area.

Products and services

• WTVM News Leader 9 Primary local news broadcasting product delivering local news, weather, sports, and community content to the Columbus, GA and East Alabama viewing area via over-the-air broadcast television and digital streaming. Serves general consumers, advertisers, and political campaigns in the DMA.
• Storm Team 9 Weather Weather forecasting and severe weather alert service providing local forecasts, radar imagery, and storm tracking for the Chattahoochee Valley region. Serves local consumers needing reliable severe weather alerts and daily forecasts.
• WTVM Mobile App Free mobile application for smartphones and tablets enabling users to access live news, weather alerts, and on-demand video content. Available on iOS, Android, and Apple TV.
• Storm Team 9 Weather App Dedicated weather application providing forecasts, severe weather alerts, radar imagery, and tropical storm tracking for mobile users in the Columbus, GA and East Alabama market.
• WTVM Livestream Live video streaming service providing real-time access to WTVM News Leader 9 broadcasts, the 24/7 Weather channel, InvestigateTV, and Local News Live content via web and connected TV devices.
• WTVM Marketing Solutions Marketing and advertising services offered by the station for local businesses, providing digital marketing solutions including campaign execution across WTVM's broadcast and digital inventory. Serves SMB advertisers, healthcare providers, automotive dealers, and political campaigns seeking to reach the Columbus-Auburn market.
• InvestigateTV Investigative journalism product producing in-depth investigative reports on consumer issues, government accountability, and community concerns. Distributed via WTVM and the broader Gray Television station network.
• Telemundo Columbus Spanish-language broadcast affiliate providing Telemundo network programming to the Columbus, GA market, extending WTVM's audience reach to Spanish-speaking viewers in West Georgia and East Alabama.
• WTVM Podcasts Audio podcast content distributed through the station's digital platforms, providing on-demand spoken-word programming to local audiences.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WLTZ: WLTZ is the NBC affiliate in the Columbus, GA market, also a Gray Television station, directly competing with WTVM in local news and ABC network programming reach.
• WXTX (Fox 54): WXTX is the Fox-affiliated station in the same Columbus, GA DMA, referenced in WTVM's own materials as a sister-promotions property, providing alternative network and local programming in the same market.
• WRBL: WRBL is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the same Columbus, GA television market as WTVM, making it the most direct head-to-head competitor for local news, weather, and advertising share in the DMA.
• WJBF (ABC affiliate, Augusta, GA): WJBF is a Gray Television ABC affiliate serving the Augusta, GA market, structurally identical to WTVM: same parent, same network, same business model of local news/weather/sports broadcasting in a Southeast mid-sized DMA.
• WSAV (NBC affiliate, Savannah, GA): WSAV is a Gray Television NBC affiliate serving the Savannah, GA market — the most direct operational comparison point for understanding WTVM's economics, staffing, and digital strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest U.S. commercial broadcast groups with stations nationwide, comparable to Gray Television as a broad incumbent portfolio operator of network-affiliated local stations.
• Hearst Television: Hearst Television is a top-10 U.S. broadcast group owning ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates, directly comparable to Gray Television as a portfolio competitor in local broadcast television.
• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest U.S. owner of local TV stations across many DMAs, comparable as the broader incumbent in the same local broadcast television category where WTVM competes for network affiliation deals and ad budgets.
• Tegna: Tegna is a major U.S. broadcast group whose portfolio of network-affiliated stations competes with Gray Television stations like WTVM for ad revenue, syndicated content, and audience share.
• Gray Television, Inc. (parent): Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) is WTVM's parent company and the entity that defines strategy, capital allocation, and shared services; useful as the direct incumbent benchmark for understanding WTVM's role within its portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wtvm
• YouTubebit.ly/2JaRv58
• Facebookfacebook.com/wtvmnewsleader9
• Instagrambit.ly/2XUpd26
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wtvm-news-leader-9

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 WTVM