WSVN CHANNEL 7

What WSVN CHANNEL 7 does

WSVN Channel 7 is a privately held local broadcast television station headquartered at 1401 79th Street Causeway in Miami, Florida, operating under Sunbeam Television Corporation. The station traces its origins to 1962 when Sidney Ansin purchased the then-NBC affiliate WCKT-TV; it was rebranded WSVN-TV in 1983 upon joining the Fox network and now operates as the ABC Miami affiliate on Channel 18. WSVN serves the Miami-Dade and Broward County market with up to 10 hours of daily local news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming, and was an early pioneer of a fast-paced, visually-driven newscast format that became an industry standard.

The station's product portfolio centers on the 7News broadcast and extends into digital and mobile surfaces including the 7Weather App, Hurricane Tracker App, and live streaming via wsvn.com. Specialty segments such as "Help Me Howard" (consumer advocacy), "7 Spotlight" (investigative journalism), "Deco Drive" (entertainment), and "Bite with Belkys" (food/lifestyle) round out the editorial offering. Broadcast distribution is anchored by over-the-air transmission on Channel 7 and the ABC Miami Channel 18 affiliation, with secondary digital streaming and mobile app distribution.

WSVN's revenue model is advertising-led, structured around local, national, and digital sales teams selling commercial airtime and digital ad inventory to reach the South Florida audience. The business is family-controlled, with ownership and leadership transitioned in July 2020 from founder Ed Ansin to his sons Andy and James Ansin. The parent corporation also owns WHDH-TV in Boston, indicating a multi-station portfolio, though the WSVN entity itself remains a single-market operation supported by approximately 501-1,000 employees and FCC-licensed broadcast infrastructure.

Name

WSVN CHANNEL 7

Legal name

WSVN-TV

Website

https://wsvn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

WSVN Channel 7 is a privately held Miami-based broadcast television station owned by Sunbeam Television Corporation, delivering local news, weather, sports, and entertainment to the South Florida market as the ABC Miami affiliate on Channel 18.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

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 broadcasting
• Television advertising sales
• News and weather coverage
• Broadcast journalism
• ABC network affiliate

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

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: WSVN generates primary revenue through television advertising sales, with dedicated sales teams for local, national, and digital advertising. The station sells commercial airtime during news broadcasts, sports coverage, and other programming.
2. ABC Miami Affiliation: WSVN also operates as the ABC affiliate for Miami (Channel 18), generating revenue through network programming and associated advertising opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WSVN Channel 7 is a broadcast television station that produces and distributes local news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming for the South Florida market, operating as the ABC Miami affiliate on Channel 7 and Channel 18. It generates revenue primarily through television advertising sales to local, national, and digital advertisers via a dedicated sales team. It also distributes a live stream and on-demand content through wsvn.com and standalone mobile weather applications (7Weather App and Hurricane Tracker App).

Product overview

WSVN Channel 7 operates as a traditional broadcast television station offering a unified news product portfolio centered on the 7News broadcast. The station delivers local Miami/Broward news, weather, sports coverage (including Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, Miami Marlins, Florida Panthers, Inter Miami CF, and college teams), and national/international news. Digital products include the 7Weather App and Hurricane Tracker App for mobile weather services. Supplementary segments include Help Me Howard (consumer advocacy), 7 Spotlight (special investigations), Deco Drive (entertainment), and Bite with Belkys (food/dining). The station also broadcasts ABC network programming through its ABC Miami 18 sub-brand on channel 18.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 7Weather App: Mobile weather application for forecasts and radar tracking
• Hurricane Tracker App

Products and services

• WSVN 7News Broadcast Primary local television news broadcast covering Miami-Dade, Broward, Florida, US & World news, politics, investigations, sports, and weather for the South Florida market. Distributed over-the-air on Channel 7 and via streaming on wsvn.com.
• 7Weather App Mobile weather application providing forecasts, radar imagery, video forecasts, and weather alerts for the South Florida region. Available on iOS and Android.
• Hurricane Tracker App Dedicated mobile application for tracking hurricanes and tropical storm systems affecting the South Florida region. Available on iOS and Android.
• ABC Miami Channel 18 Broadcast ABC affiliate channel broadcast on Channel 18, providing ABC network programming for the Miami market alongside WSVN's local content.

Quantifiable outcome

• The tabloid journalism format pioneered by WSVN was emulated across the country by other local news stations
• +2 more outcomes

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Best Buddies InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSVN has maintained a partnership with Best Buddies International for over a decade, with Ed Ansin receiving the Spirit of Leadership award in 2019. The station sponsors Best Buddies events including galas, candy-making events, and cycling challenges. Gabriel Holmes, a Best Buddy, worked at Channel 7. The partnership creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships and inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Habitat for Humanity of Broward CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEd Ansin contributed $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Broward, which was matched by Rick and Rita Case, enabling the development of a nine-acre, 77-home Habitat community in Pompano Beach - one of the largest in the nation. The community includes Ansin Street. Ansin helped build homes and personally handed keys to new homeowners.
• United Way of Broward CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEd Ansin was a longtime supporter of United Way, renovating the United Way building in Fort Lauderdale and making possible the construction of a United Way building in Miami dedicated to his parents Sidney and Sophie Ansin. A section of the building is named after him.
• Feeding South FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEd Ansin made donations to Feeding South Florida to help thousands of families in need, particularly during natural disasters including hurricanes Dorian and Maria, government shutdowns, and the COVID-19 pandemic. His support enabled the organization to continue serving families during crises.
• Boys and Girls ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoys and Girls Club was among the organizations that received generous support from Ed Ansin over the decades as part of his commitment to South Florida communities.
• Best BuddiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBest Buddies is a global volunteer movement dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships and inclusive employment, leadership development, and living integration for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• WTVJ (NBC 6 South Florida): NBC-owned affiliate serving the same Miami-Fort Lauderdale DMA as WSVN. Both compete head-to-head for local news ratings, weather coverage, and advertising share in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
• WFOR-TV (CBS News Miami): CBS-owned affiliate operating in the same Miami-Fort Lauderdale market as WSVN. Directly competes for local news audiences, network programming carriage, and broadcast TV ad budgets.
• WPLG (Local 10): Former Fox-affiliated and now independent local station serving Miami-Fort Lauderdale. Competes directly with WSVN in the same geographic market for news, weather, and local advertising.
• WHDH-TV (7 News Boston): Sister station under Sunbeam Television Corporation. Direct operational peer sharing back-office, sales approach, and editorial format (tabloid-style news) pioneered by Ed Ansin.

Regional players

• WLRN Public Media: South Florida PBS and NPR member station serving the same Miami-Dade and Broward market. Competes for local news audiences and community mindshare, though funded by membership rather than advertising.

Broad incumbents

• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US television station operator with extensive local broadcast portfolio. Compares as a broad incumbent that competes with WSVN for national advertising dollars and represents a potential acquirer in any future station consolidation.
• Tegna: Major US local broadcast group with stations in mid- and large-size markets. Comparable business model of network-affiliated local stations and a relevant benchmark for valuation, cost structure, and digital strategy.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Large US broadcast operator with affiliated and independent stations. Comparable to WSVN in linear ad sales, network affiliations, and news production, but at greater scale across multiple markets.
• Gray Television: US broadcast group with a portfolio of network-affiliated local stations. Comparable in business model, revenue mix, and operational structure to WSVN, though operating across many DMAs.

Emerging players

• Graham Media Group: Mid-sized US local broadcast group with major-market stations (e.g., WDIV Detroit, WKMG Orlando, KSAT San Antonio). Comparable peer for a family-controlled or small-portfolio local broadcaster like Sunbeam.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wsvn
• Facebookfacebook.com/7newsmiami
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wsvn-channel-7

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 WSVN CHANNEL 7