What WBFF Fox45 does

WBFF Fox45 (channel 45) is a Fox-affiliated local broadcast television station headquartered at 2000 W 41st St, Baltimore, Maryland, owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI), one of the largest US television broadcasters. Founded in 1991, the station produces and distributes local news, weather, sports, and community programming across the Baltimore designated market area (Baltimore City and surrounding counties including Anne Arundel, Howard, and Harford). It employs 51-100 staff and reaches an audience scale cited at over 1.5 million Marylanders for major event coverage.

The station's technical stack centers on a broadcast transmission platform augmented by digital distribution: it simulcasts via over-the-air ATSC 1.0/3.0 signals, cable and satellite carriage (Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, Dish), native iOS/Android applications, and live streaming on foxbaltimore.com. Proprietary capabilities include an Interactive Radar System, a Hurricane Center for severe weather, and a Warn-on-Forecast AI/ML weather prediction system for hyper-local forecasting. Editorial differentiators include the investigative series Project Baltimore, FOX45 In Depth long-form segments, FOX45 Mornings, Sports Unlimited, and themed verticals such as BMORE Lifestyle, Money, and Shopping.

Monetization is advertising-led across three streams: television commercial spots (priced by daypart, AQH/Cume ratings, and contract length, typically multi-year), digital advertising on foxbaltimore.com, and sponsored editorial content (Partner Spotlight). Customer targets are Maryland-based local and regional advertisers — retail, automotive, healthcare, financial, home services — supplemented by national advertisers buying through Sinclair's centralized sales force. The audience customer segment is Baltimore-area residents, segmented horizontally by geography rather than by demographic, with weather, breaking news, and sports as primary consumption use cases.

Name

WBFF Fox45

Legal name

Sinclair Broadcast Group

Website

https://foxbaltimore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WBFF Fox45 is a Baltimore-area Fox-affiliated local TV station owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, delivering news, weather, sports, and investigative programming across broadcast, cable/satellite, mobile, and streaming, monetized primarily through television and digital advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Broadcast television
• Local news media
• Weather forecasting
• Digital advertising
• Sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Traditional broadcast television commercial spots sold to local businesses, regional chains, and national advertisers during news programming, sports coverage, and entertainment content
2. Digital Advertising: Website banner ads, sponsored content placements, and digital marketing services offered to advertisers seeking to reach the station's online audience
3. Sponsored Content: Partner Spotlight and sponsored editorial content sections featuring advertiser-branded stories and community features

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

WBFF Fox45 is a Fox-affiliated local broadcast television station (Channel 45) serving the Baltimore, Maryland designated market area. It distributes local news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming over-the-air, via cable/satellite carriage, through the foxbaltimore.com website, and on native iOS/Android mobile applications. The station monetizes its audience reach by selling broadcast TV commercial spots, digital advertising, and sponsored editorial content to local, regional, and national advertisers.

Product overview

WBFF Fox45 is a local broadcast television station (Channel 45) in Baltimore, Maryland, operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The station operates as a multi-platform news organization offering a unified news product that combines over-the-air broadcast television with digital platforms. The product portfolio includes the core WBFF Fox45 News broadcast, mobile applications for iOS and Android, weather services with radar/maps/hurricane tracking, Sports Unlimited coverage, live streaming via Watch, and specialized content verticals including Money, Shopping, and lifestyle programming. The station also features investigative journalism through Project Baltimore and morning programming through FOX45 Mornings. Weather services include dedicated Hurricane Center, radar maps, and severe weather alerts. The station offers ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV broadcasting technology for enhanced over-the-air reception.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WBFF Fox45 News
• WBFF Fox45 Mobile App
• Weather Services Weather forecasting and monitoring services including current conditions, radar maps, hurricane center, severe weather alerts, and closings information for the Baltimore region.
• Sports Unlimited Sports news and coverage section featuring the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Nationals, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, and regional athletic events.
• Watch / Live Streaming Live video streaming of WBFF Fox45 broadcasts including news and weathercasts delivered via foxbaltimore.com and mobile apps.
• Project Baltimore Investigative journalism unit focusing on local government, education (including Crisis in the Classroom), and public safety issues in the Baltimore region.
• FOX45 Mornings Morning news program featuring interviews, lifestyle segments, community highlights, and weather updates for the Baltimore area.

Quantifiable outcome

• Extensive regional sports coverage including Orioles, Ravens, Nationals, Capitals, and Wizards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WJZ-TV (CBS Baltimore): CBS-owned local broadcast station serving the same Baltimore DMA, competing head-to-head with WBFF Fox45 for news viewers, weather audience, and local advertising dollars across the same geographic footprint.
• WBAL-TV (NBC Baltimore): NBC-affiliated local broadcast station competing in the Baltimore DMA with overlapping news, weather, sports, and advertising offerings; directly comparable in market positioning and target audience to WBFF Fox45.
• WMAR-TV (ABC Baltimore): ABC-affiliated local broadcast station in the Baltimore DMA, competing for the same local news viewers and advertisers with comparable multi-platform distribution including mobile apps and streaming.
• WTTG Fox 5 (Washington DC): Fox-affiliated sister station also owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, sharing corporate infrastructure, content systems, and the same Fox network programming while serving the adjacent Washington DC DMA — directly comparable business model and GTM.
• KTTV Fox 11 (Los Angeles): Fox-owned local broadcast station operating a similar multi-platform news, weather, and sports model in a much larger DMA; directly comparable in product offering (local news, weather apps, investigative series) and network affiliation.
• WNYW Fox 5 (New York): Fox-owned flagship local broadcast station in the largest US DMA, with the same Fox network affiliation, multi-platform distribution model, and news/weather/sports product mix as WBFF Fox45 at national scale.

Broad incumbents

• Nexstar Media Group: The largest US owner of local TV stations, operating 200+ affiliates across all Big Four networks; comparable as a diversified local broadcast group competing for advertising and audience share in markets nationwide.
• Tegna: Major US local broadcast group operating 60+ stations with strong digital and data capabilities; comparable in multi-platform local news strategy and advertising monetization approach.
• Gray Television: Large US local broadcast group operating 180+ stations across mid-sized and large markets; comparable in station-level operations, network affiliation mix, and multi-platform content distribution.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Diversified local broadcast operator with 60+ stations plus national networks (ION, Court TV, Bounce); comparable in local news production and digital expansion strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/foxbaltimore
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FOXBaltimore
• Facebookfacebook.com/FOXBaltimore
• Instagraminstagram.com/foxbaltimore
• TikToktiktok.com/@foxbaltimore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbff-fox-45

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 WBFF Fox45