What WMAR-TV does

WMAR-TV is a local broadcast television station headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, operating as the ABC network affiliate for the Baltimore DMA. Founded in 1947 and owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: GSSP) through its Scripps Media subsidiary, the station delivers local and regional news, 24-hour weather forecasting, sports coverage, and investigative journalism to viewers across Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Harford County, Howard County, Carroll County, Frederick County, and the Eastern Shore. Headcount is reported in the 501-1,000 range, supporting a substantial on-air newsroom plus production and sales operations. The station's content portfolio includes branded programs such as WMAR Investigates, Matter for Mallory (consumer advocacy), Maryland Cold Cases, Voice for Veterans, Midday Maryland, America 250, and dedicated Baltimore Orioles and Ravens sports verticals, plus Marketplace-sponsored content.

The underlying technology stack combines traditional over-the-air broadcast transmission with multi-platform digital distribution: the official wmar2news.com website (built on Scripps' Brightspot CDN), mobile applications, live streaming, social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, Pinterest), and email newsletters. Distribution is layered across free over-the-air reception, regional cable carriage, satellite delivery via DirecTV and DISH Network under retransmission consent agreements, and connected TV streaming for cord-cutters. Content operations are integrated with Scripps News Group for national/international coverage and the Associated Press for wire-service material, and the station carries ABC primetime programming, NFL on ABC content, and network news.

The business model is advertising-driven: WMAR-TV does not charge viewers for over-the-air reception and instead monetizes its audience through the sale of commercial spots during news broadcasts, weather segments, sports coverage, and digital properties, plus a growing native-advertising Marketplace vertical. Advertisers include local Baltimore-area businesses, regional brands, and national advertisers targeting the DMA. Customer segmentation is geographic, with primary viewers in the Baltimore metropolitan area and secondary reach across Maryland state. The station operates as a non-reporting subsidiary within Scripps' local media division, with no independent ownership or capital structure of its own.

Name

WMAR-TV

Legal name

Scripps Media, Inc.

Website

https://abc2news.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

WMAR-TV is the ABC-affiliated local broadcast television station for the Baltimore DMA, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, delivering local news, weather, sports, and investigative journalism to Baltimore-area and broader Maryland viewers across broadcast, cable, satellite, and digital channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local news broadcasting
• Television broadcasting
• Weather forecasting
• Investigative journalism
• Sports broadcasting

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: The station generates primary revenue through sale of advertising spots during news broadcasts, weather segments, sports coverage, and digital properties. Local businesses, regional brands, and national advertisers place commercials targeting Baltimore and Maryland viewers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WMAR-TV operates as the ABC network affiliate for the Baltimore, Maryland Designated Market Area, producing and broadcasting local news, weather, sports, and investigative journalism content to viewers across the Baltimore metropolitan area and surrounding Maryland counties. The station's core offering is the WMAR 2 News broadcast, delivered free of charge via over-the-air transmission, cable/satellite carriage, and digital streaming platforms, with revenue generated through advertising sales.

Product overview

WMAR-TV operates as a local broadcast television station in Baltimore, Maryland, affiliated with ABC and owned by Scripps Media. The station functions as a single primary offering—the WMAR 2 News broadcast—which encompasses local and national news coverage, weather forecasting, sports reporting, and investigative journalism through branded programs including Midday Maryland, WMAR Investigates, and Marketplace content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WMAR 2 News

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and standard.

• The E.W. Scripps Company (Parent)coreOthersWMAR-TV is owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company, operating as part of Scripps' portfolio of local television stations and digital media properties. The station operates under the Scripps Media brand with shared news gathering resources and operational infrastructure.
• ABC NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWMAR-TV is the ABC network affiliate in Baltimore, carrying ABC primetime programming, morning shows, sports content including NFL on ABC, and national news coverage. This affiliation provides access to network production resources and national content while providing ABC with local broadcast reach in the Baltimore DMA.
• Scripps News GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStation shares content and resources with Scripps News Group, providing national and international news coverage, investigative journalism, and political content including coverage of Governor Wes Moore and Maryland politics. The Scripps News logo appears on national news segments on the station.
• Associated Press (AP)standardTechnology or IntegrationWMAR-TV uses Associated Press content for national and international news stories, sports coverage, and wire service information. AP content is credited on stories such as extreme heat coverage and national political reporting.
• Baltimore OriolesstandardGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated sports coverage section featuring Baltimore Orioles baseball including game recaps, feature stories on ceremonial first pitches, and community involvement. The station provides extensive coverage positioning them as a key sports media partner.
• Baltimore RavensstandardGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated Ravens Football coverage including team news, player features, and game coverage. The station covered the tragic story of Calais Campbell's mother's murder, demonstrating deep team access and coverage commitment.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WUSA-TV: Washington DC's CBS affiliate; operates in the adjacent DMA with very similar scale, network-affiliate economics, and competitive dynamics to WMAR-TV in Baltimore.
• WRC-TV: NBC-owned flagship station in Washington DC; comparable to WMAR as a network-affiliate, top-10-market broadcast station with full multi-platform news operations.
• WJLA-TV: Washington DC's ABC affiliate, also Sinclair-owned; the nearest sibling-affiliate to WMAR, competing for the adjacent Washington DMA and sharing ABC network programming economics comparable to those WMAR receives.
• WBFF (FOX45 Baltimore): Baltimore's FOX affiliate, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group; a direct in-market competitor pursuing the same news and advertiser budgets as WMAR-TV within the Baltimore DMA.
• WBAL-TV: Baltimore's NBC affiliate owned by Hearst Television; directly competes with WMAR for the same Baltimore DMA news, weather, and sports audiences and operates an identical network-affiliate broadcast model.
• WJZ-TV: Baltimore's CBS affiliate (owned by Sinclair-aligned Paramount group), competing head-to-head with WMAR in the Baltimore DMA on local news, weather, and primetime network programming.

Broad incumbents

• Gray Television: Major US local broadcast group operating network affiliates in mid-to-large DMAs; comparable portfolio operator competing with Scripps for audience share and ad revenue in overlapping markets.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: One of the largest US local broadcast groups, owner of WBFF Baltimore and WJLA DC; competes with Scripps across multiple DMAs and at the corporate level for advertising inventory and sports rights.
• Hearst Television: Major US local-TV station group and owner of WBAL-TV; a portfolio competitor with overlapping scale in local news production and retransmission rights that competes with Scripps for market share and talent.
• Tegna: Large US local-TV station operator with stations in comparable-sized markets; competes with WMAR's parent for affiliate relationships, retransmission leverage, and digital ad growth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abc2news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCADaBeM0qiKEZIw9_OuYmuA
• Facebookfacebook.com/wmar-tv-abc2newscom-51379687226
• Instagraminstagram.com/wmar2news
• Pinterestpinterest.com/WMAR2News
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wmar-tv

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 WMAR-TV