WLTX 19

What WLTX 19 does

WLTX 19 (legally WLTX-TV, branded as News 19) is a CBS-affiliated local broadcast television station licensed to Columbia, South Carolina, operating on digital channel 19 since 1953. The station produces and distributes local news, weather, sports, and community content across the Columbia metropolitan area and surrounding Midlands region, including Lexington, Richland, Aiken, Newberry, Sumter, and Orangeburg counties. Its core products include a main broadcast newscast at multiple daily timeslots, comprehensive weather coverage with Live Radar 24/7, sports programming covering University of South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers athletics, and the WLTX+ mobile application for iOS and Android providing on-demand video and personalized weather. The content portfolio is further diversified through sub-branded verticals including Street Squad (hyperlocal neighborhood coverage), VERIFY (fact-checking), Buddy Call 19 (breast cancer awareness), Speaking of Health (sponsored healthcare content), Love Local (business support), Building the Midlands (economic development), Climate Matters, and a COLAtoday partnership with 6am City for lifestyle coverage.

Underlying technology consists of broadcast television production infrastructure, digital content management, mobile app delivery, RSS syndication feeds, and presence on YouTube and Facebook. The station operates as part of TEGNA's national broadcast portfolio, with the parent providing shared technology infrastructure, content syndication, advertising sales support, and operational resources. Content distribution spans over-the-air broadcast, cable, satellite, web, and mobile channels.

The business model is advertising-based and free-to-consumer. Revenue streams consist of traditional broadcast television advertising (local commercial spots during news programming) and digital advertising (display ads, video ads, sponsored articles, and native content on wltx.com and mobile platforms). Advertising rates are quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The customer base consists of general public viewers in the Midlands region, while the paying side comprises local and regional advertisers purchasing on-air and digital inventory. Named commercial partnerships include Lexington Medical Center (healthcare sponsor), Locked On Podcast Network (sports content distribution), and 6am City (lifestyle content).

Name

WLTX 19

Legal name

WLTX-TV

Website

https://wltx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WLTX 19 is a CBS-affiliated local broadcast television station serving Columbia, South Carolina and the Midlands region with news, weather, sports, and community programming distributed via over-the-air, cable, digital, and mobile platforms under TEGNA ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

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 television news
• Broadcast weather coverage
• Local sports reporting
• Community news coverage
• Digital news platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Traditional broadcast advertising including local commercial spots, programmatic digital advertising, and sponsored content segments aired during news programming and available on digital platforms.
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising revenue generated through display ads, video ads, sponsored articles, and native content on the wltx.com website and mobile applications.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WLTX 19 is a CBS-affiliated local broadcast television station serving Columbia, South Carolina and the surrounding Midlands region. The station produces and delivers daily local news, weather forecasts, sports coverage (including University of South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers), breaking news, and community-focused content via over-the-air broadcast, cable, satellite, the wltx.com website, and the WLTX+ mobile application. Revenue is generated primarily through television and digital advertising.

Product overview

WLTX 19 is a local television news station serving Columbia, South Carolina and the broader Midlands region. The station operates as a multi-platform news organization offering a unified core news product that includes broadcast television (with live streaming video at multiple daily time slots), a mobile WLTX+ App for iOS and Android, and RSS syndication feeds. The station's content portfolio comprises the main news broadcast, specialized weather service, and numerous sub-branded content verticals including Street Squad (neighborhood-specific coverage), VERIFY (fact-checking), Buddy Call 19 (health awareness), Speaking of Health (medical content), A Seat at the Table (impact stories), Love Local (business support), and COLAtoday (local lifestyle content). Additionally, the station offers a Near Me user-generated content feature for photo and video submissions. WLTX 19 is owned by TEGNA and is part of a network of local stations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WLTX+ App: Free mobile application for watching News19 content on users' schedules
• Street Squad
• Building the Midlands
• Climate Matters
• Buddy Call 19

Products and services

• WLTX 19 News Broadcast
• WLTX+ Mobile App
• Live Streaming Video
• Weather Service
• RSS Content Syndication Feeds

Segments1 record

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.

• TEGNAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWLTX is operated by TEGNA, a national broadcast and digital media company. TEGNA provides shared technology infrastructure, content syndication, advertising sales support, and operational resources across its portfolio of local television stations.
• 6am City (COLAtoday)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with 6am City's COLAtoday for local lifestyle and culture content, including dining, entertainment, and community event coverage for the Columbia area.
• Locked On Podcast NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributes sports podcasts through the Locked On Podcast Network, including coverage of University of South Carolina Gamecocks athletics.
• Lexington Medical CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare sponsor for the 'Speaking of Health' segment and feature content, providing health-related programming and community health initiatives.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WIS News 10: WIS is the NBC-affiliated local television station directly competing with WLTX in the Columbia, SC market. Both stations produce local news, weather, sports, and digital content targeting the same Midlands viewers and advertisers, making them head-to-head competitors for audience share and ad dollars.
• WOLO-TV ABC Columbia: WOLO is the ABC-affiliated local television station directly competing with WLTX in the Columbia, SC market. It produces comparable local news, weather, and sports programming for the same Midlands audience and competes for the same regional advertising spend.
• WACH FOX 57: WACH is the FOX-affiliated local television station in Columbia, SC, providing another direct competitor in the Midlands market. It offers overlapping local news, weather, and sports coverage targeting the same viewer base and advertisers as WLTX.
• WFAA Channel 8: WFAA is a TEGNA-owned ABC-affiliated station in Dallas-Fort Worth, making it a direct operational peer to WLTX. It shares TEGNA's technology infrastructure, advertising sales support, and content syndication resources while operating comparable broadcast and digital local news operations.
• KUSA 9News: KUSA is a TEGNA-owned NBC affiliate in Denver, CO, operating as a sister station to WLTX within the same corporate portfolio. It runs a comparable multi-platform local news operation with broadcast, app, website, and streaming distribution.
• KARE 11: KARE is a TEGNA-owned NBC affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, serving as an operational peer to WLTX. It shares TEGNA's centralized resources while delivering local news, weather, and sports across broadcast and digital platforms in its market.
• WKYC Channel 3: WKYC is a TEGNA-owned NBC affiliate in Cleveland, OH, operating with the same corporate backing, technology stack, and multi-platform distribution approach as WLTX. It is a comparable mid-major market local broadcast news operation.

Broad incumbents

• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest television broadcasting operator in the U.S., owning over 200 stations across major and mid-sized markets. As a broad incumbent, Nexstar represents a scaled alternative model to WLTX's TEGNA ownership and operates similar CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX affiliates nationwide.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is a major U.S. broadcast group operating nearly 190 stations across multiple networks. It is comparable to WLTX through its portfolio of mid-market local TV stations with shared content, advertising, and operational infrastructure—though it operates at much larger scale.
• Gray Television: Gray Television operates over 100 local television stations across the U.S., with a portfolio strategy similar to TEGNA's. It serves comparable mid-sized markets with local news, weather, and sports content, making it a relevant peer for broadcast operations and advertising market dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/News19WLTX
• Facebookfacebook.com/WLTXNews19
• Xx.com/wltx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wltx-news-19

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 WLTX 19