WLBT

What WLBT does

WLBT is a local broadcast television station licensed to Jackson, Mississippi, branded as 'WLBT | 3 On Your Side' and operating as part of Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) through its subsidiary Gray Local Media, Inc. The station has been operating under Gray ownership since 2002 and serves the Jackson Designated Market Area, including Hinds County, Madison County, Rankin County, and surrounding Mississippi communities. Its programming spans local, state, and national news, First Alert Weather forecasting, local sports coverage (Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Jackson State, Southern Miss, Pelicans, Braves, Saints), investigative reporting, and lifestyle/community segments such as Studio 3.

The station's core technology stack consists of traditional broadcast television production and transmission infrastructure (over-the-air VHF/UHF), supplemented by digital streaming via its wlbt.com website, iOS and Android mobile applications, and dedicated live channels including WLBT+ for breaking news and a 24/7 First Alert Weather stream. Content distribution spans over-the-air broadcast, cable and satellite carriage (DirecTV, Dish Network), and owned digital surfaces; the station also carries syndicated Gray Television content including InvestigateTV, Local News Live, PowerNation, and Circle Country.

WLBT generates revenue exclusively through television advertising, selling airtime to local businesses and national advertisers via Gray Television's standard terms for advertising, production, consulting, and digital management services. Advertising pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is achieved through owned channels (website, apps, streaming, email newsletter), social media, and community engagement programs (St. Jude Dream Home, Senior Salute, Studio 3, We The People), with the advertising sales channel augmented by Gray Digital Media's Jackson office.

Name

WLBT

Legal name

Gray Local Media, Inc.

Website

https://wlbt.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WLBT is a Gray Television-owned local broadcast station in Jackson, Mississippi, delivering local news, weather, sports, and community programming to central Mississippi viewers through over-the-air, cable, satellite, and digital streaming distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Weather & Emergency Information Channels (MPABAIAF), News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Local news broadcasting
• Weather forecasting
• Television advertising
• Community programming
• Investigative journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: The station generates revenue through the sale of advertising time to local businesses and national advertisers. The site references advertising inquiries and Gray Television's standard terms for advertising, production services, consulting services, and digital management services.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WLBT is a local broadcast television station serving the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area, providing local news, weather forecasting (First Alert Weather), sports coverage, investigative journalism, and community lifestyle programming. The station distributes content across over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, website streaming, and mobile applications, monetized primarily through the sale of television advertising time.

Product overview

WLBT is a local broadcast television station operating as part of the Gray Television network. The station offers a unified media portfolio centered on its primary news channel 'WLBT 3 On Your Side,' supplemented by specialty channels including WLBT+ for breaking news and live events, the 24/7 First Alert Weather Stream for continuous weather coverage, and Studio 3 for lifestyle programming. Content is distributed across traditional broadcast, livestreaming, mobile apps, and on-demand video platforms. The station also carries Gray Television branded content including InvestigateTV for investigative journalism and Local News Live for supplementary live coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WLBT+ Breaking News and Live Events: Breaking news and live event streaming channel
• WLBT 24/7 First Alert Weather
• InvestigateTV
• Local News Live

Products and services

• WLBT 3 On Your Side

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gray TelevisioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWLBT is owned and operated by Gray Television, a major broadcast television company. Gray Television provides corporate resources, advertising systems, technical infrastructure, and operational support including the Gray AI Policy and digital platform infrastructure.
• Gray Digital MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital marketing services provided through Gray Digital Media's local office in Jackson, offering promotional services for businesses.
• InvestigateTVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWLBT carries InvestigateTV investigative journalism content, which is a Gray Television initiative producing in-depth investigative reporting. This partnership provides WLBT viewers access to regional and national investigative stories.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WJTV: WJTV is the other major local news broadcaster in the Jackson, Mississippi market (CBS affiliate, owned by Nexstar Media Group). It directly competes with WLBT for the same audience, advertising dollars, and sports/news rights in the Jackson MSA.
• WAPT: WAPT is the ABC affiliate serving Jackson, Mississippi (owned by Hearst Television). It competes head-to-head with WLBT for local news viewers and advertisers in the same DMA, with comparable local weather, news, and sports coverage.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest U.S. local TV station operators, owning stations in markets similar to Jackson. It competes with Gray Television for station acquisitions and operates peer stations that follow the same broadcast-plus-digital model as WLBT.
• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest U.S. television broadcaster and owns WJTV, WLBT's direct competitor in Jackson. Its operating model — combining local news, sports, weather, and digital streaming — mirrors WLBT's approach at national scale.
• Hearst Television: Hearst Television operates WAPT, WLBT's Jackson-market rival, and runs a similar network of local news, weather, and sports programming across mid-size U.S. markets. Highly comparable operating model and audience monetization approach.
• Tegna: Tegna is a major U.S. local broadcast TV station operator focused on mid-sized markets with strong local news, weather, and digital content — directly analogous to WLBT's positioning within the Jackson MSA.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Scripps operates a network of local TV stations and national networks (ION, Court TV) across similar mid-sized markets, following the same broadcast-plus-digital advertising model as WLBT and Gray Television.

Broad incumbents

• Gray Television: Gray Television (NYSE: GTN) is WLBT's parent company and the operator of the broader station portfolio. While WLBT is one station within Gray's network, Gray's overall operating model, technology stack, and advertiser relationships are directly relevant to understanding WLBT.

Regional players

• Allen Media Broadcasting: Allen Media Broadcasting operates local news stations in mid-sized Southern and Southeastern U.S. markets, overlapping with WLBT's broadcast-plus-digital news format and competitive set.

Others

• Cordillera Communications: Cordillera is a smaller broadcast TV station group operating in adjacent Southern markets. Comparable business model and audience profile, though not directly competing with WLBT in the Jackson DMA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wlbt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 WLBT