WDEF-TV
WDEF-TV is a privately held local CBS-affiliate broadcast television station in Chattanooga, Tennessee, serving the Tennessee Valley region (Hamilton, Bradley, and Whitfield counties) with local news, weather, and sports programming distributed over-the-air, via cable/satellite, and through digital streaming and mobile apps.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1954
- HeadquartersChattanooga, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What WDEF-TV does
WDEF-TV, operating under the "News 12" brand, is a privately held local broadcast television station headquartered at 3300 Broad Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded in 1954, it serves as the CBS affiliate for the Tennessee Valley region, covering Hamilton County and Bradley County in Tennessee and Whitfield County in Georgia. The station broadcasts over-the-air, via cable and satellite carriage (including DIRECTV and Dish), and through digital streaming on WDEF.com and mobile applications for iOS and Android.
The station's core product is a 24-hour local news, weather, and sports offering branded as News 12, complemented by CBS national programming, CBSN streaming integration, and five secondary subchannel partnerships (Bounce TV, ION Mystery, Grit TV, Court TV, Laff TV). Technical infrastructure includes the Titan Interactive Radar, Weather Cam Network, and dedicated weather/news mobile applications with push notification capabilities. Content distribution spans traditional broadcast, digital streaming, social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), and email newsletters, providing multi-platform audience reach.
WDEF-TV generates revenue through two primary streams: local and regional advertising sales to businesses in the Chattanooga metropolitan area, and retransmission consent fees paid by cable and satellite providers for the right to carry its broadcast signal. The station operates as an FCC-regulated broadcaster under public file and children's programming compliance requirements, serving general public viewers seeking local news and advertisers seeking access to the Tennessee Valley consumer base. No parent company, private equity backing, or venture investment is indicated in the source data.
WDEF-TV firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WDEF-TV
- Legal name
- WDEF-TV
- Website
- https://wdef.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1954
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- WDEF-TV is a privately held local CBS-affiliate broadcast television station in Chattanooga, Tennessee, serving the Tennessee Valley region (Hamilton, Bradley, and Whitfield counties) with local news, weather, and sports programming distributed over-the-air, via cable/satellite, and through digital streaming and mobile apps.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WDEF-TV industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Broadcast Television
- 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
- News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)
Keywords
Where WDEF-TV is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chattanooga
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
WDEF-TV business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Local and Regional Advertising: WDEF-TV generates primary revenue through local and regional advertising sales, selling commercial airtime to businesses in the Hamilton County, Bradley County, and Whitfield County coverage areas
- Retransmission Consent: Fees paid by cable and satellite providers to carry WDEF's broadcast signal
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
WDEF-TV product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WDEF-TV (branded as News 12) is a local broadcast television station that produces and distributes local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage, and entertainment programming to viewers in the Chattanooga, Tennessee metropolitan area and surrounding Tennessee Valley counties. The station operates as a CBS affiliate and distributes its content through over-the-air digital broadcast, cable and satellite carriage, and live digital streaming via its website and mobile applications.
Product overview
WDEF-TV (branded as News 12) is a local broadcast television station serving the Chattanooga, Tennessee metropolitan area. The station operates as a single unified offering providing local news, weather, sports, and entertainment content through traditional broadcast distribution, live streaming, and mobile applications. The primary products include the main broadcast station, the News 12 Weather service, CBS News 24/7 streaming integration, and companion mobile applications for news and weather alerts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- WDEF-TV (News 12) Local Broadcast Station Core local broadcast television station providing 24-hour news coverage, local programming, weather forecasting, and sports coverage to the Chattanooga, Tennessee metropolitan area and surrounding Tennessee Valley counties (Hamilton County TN, Bradley County TN, Whitfield County GA). Delivered via over-the-air digital broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, and digital streaming.
- News 12 Weather Service Comprehensive local weather service providing forecasts, severe weather alerts, interactive radar (Titan Interactive Radar), weather camera network, air quality reports, closings and delays, and specialized forecasts such as the Dog Walk Forecast and Weather in the Classroom for the Tennessee River Valley region.
- CBSN Live Video Streaming 24/7 streaming video service providing CBS national and international news coverage, integrated into the WDEF digital platform and accessible via WDEF.com.
- News 12 Mobile App Mobile application for smartphones and tablets delivering breaking news alerts and push notifications to Tennessee Valley viewers; complements the main broadcast and digital news offerings.
- Weather Mobile App Dedicated weather mobile application providing real-time forecasts, severe weather alerts, and interactive radar access on iOS and Android devices for the Tennessee Valley region.
Companies that use WDEF-TV
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
WDEF-TV technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
WDEF-TV partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CBS NetworkcoreWDEF-TV operates as a CBS affiliate, carrying CBS national programming, CBS News Live Video (CBSN), and syndicated CBS content alongside local news programming. This affiliation provides access to national news, sports (including NFL on CBS), and entertainment content.
- Bounce TVminorWDEF carries Bounce TV programming on a secondary channel or subchannel, providing classic and contemporary African American entertainment and lifestyle programming.
- ION MysteryminorWDEF carries ION Mystery programming, providing crime and mystery-themed television entertainment.
- Grit TVminorWDEF carries Grit TV programming featuring classic westerns and action movies.
- Court TVminorWDEF carries Court TV programming providing live legal coverage and crime-related documentaries.
- Laff TVminorWDEF carries Laff TV programming featuring classic sitcoms and comedy content.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)coreWDEF operates under FCC licensing and regulation as a broadcast television station, maintaining public inspection files and children's programming documentation as required by federal law.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WDEF-TV competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WFLI-TV: WFLI-TV operates as a CW/MyNetworkTV affiliate in the Chattanooga market, offering comparable local broadcast and digital distribution to overlapping audiences.
- WTVC: WTVC is the ABC affiliate serving the Chattanooga DMA, directly competing with WDEF for local news viewers, advertisers, and retransmission deals in the same Tennessee Valley market.
- WRCB-TV: WRCB is the NBC affiliate in Chattanooga, competing head-to-head with WDEF for local news, sports, and advertising share in the same DMA with a comparable broadcast and digital offering.
- WDSI-TV (FOX Chattanooga): WDSI is the FOX affiliate in Chattanooga and another direct competitor for viewers and local ad spend in the same Tennessee Valley market.
Broad incumbents
- Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest U.S. owner of local TV stations and a likely consolidator/competitor for mid-market affiliates, with similar CBS and other network relationships and shared local advertising and retransmission dynamics.
- Gray Television: Gray Television operates a large portfolio of mid-market local TV stations comparable to WDEF's Chattanooga market position, sharing similar revenue mix of local advertising and retransmission consent fees.
- Tegna Inc. Tegna is a major U.S. local broadcast TV station group with network-affiliated stations in mid-size markets, comparable in operating model and revenue structure to an independent affiliate like WDEF.
- Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest U.S. television station operators and the type of group consolidator that could acquire or compete with independent affiliates like WDEF across programming, retransmission, and shared services.
Others
- CBS News / CBSN: CBSN is the network streaming partner whose content WDEF distributes, making it both an upstream content provider and a complementary digital distribution channel for the station's audience.
Regional players
- WTCI (PBS): WTCI is the PBS member station for the Chattanooga region, operating in the same DMA with non-commercial public broadcasting and competing for some local viewership and community engagement.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WDEF-TV social profiles
Digital presenceWDEF-TV financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WDEF-TV leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
WDEF-TV funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WDEF-TV M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WDEF-TV
What does WDEF-TV do?
WDEF-TV (branded as News 12) is a local broadcast television station that produces and distributes local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage, and entertainment programming to viewers in the Chattanooga, Tennessee metropolitan area and surrounding Tennessee Valley counties. The station operates as a CBS affiliate and distributes its content through over-the-air digital broadcast, cable and satellite carriage, and live digital streaming via its website and mobile applications.
Is WDEF-TV a public or private company?
WDEF-TV is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was WDEF-TV founded?
WDEF-TV was founded in 1954. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is WDEF-TV based?
WDEF-TV is headquartered in Chattanooga, United States, in the North America region.
How does WDEF-TV make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Local and Regional Advertising is the primary driver. The others are retransmission Consent.
Who are WDEF-TV's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WFLI-TV, WTVC, WRCB-TV and WDSI-TV (FOX Chattanooga). Broad incumbents are Nexstar Media Group, Gray Television, Tegna Inc. and Sinclair Broadcast Group. CBS News / CBSN is listed as an others. WTCI (PBS) is listed as a regional player.
Does WDEF-TV have an API?
No public API is recorded for WDEF-TV.
What industry is WDEF-TV in?
WDEF-TV's product category is Local Broadcast Television. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAE, Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.), with a secondary code of MPABAHAK, News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels. Its NAICS code is 51612 and its SIC code is 4833.