What WRTV does

WRTV is the ABC-affiliated broadcast television station (Channel 6 / RTV6) serving the Indianapolis designated market area and central Indiana, operating over-the-air on RF Channel 25 under an FCC broadcast license now held by Circle City Broadcasting I, LLC (operating entity CCB License, LLC). The station produces and distributes local news, weather forecasting with interactive radar and 7-day forecasts, sports coverage including the Indiana Pacers, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Fever, college sports, and the Indianapolis 500, plus dedicated investigative journalism through the WRTV Investigates unit. Content is distributed via over-the-air broadcast, cable and satellite carriage agreements (including DirecTV and Dish Network), the station's wrtv.com website, iOS and Android mobile applications, and social platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter). The station maintains sub-brands including Hiring Hoosiers (employment content), Don't Waste Your Money (consumer advice), Circle City Spotlight (local business features), and Money Matters. The underlying technology is a conventional broadcast TV operation — over-the-air RF transmission plus standard digital publishing — with no disclosed proprietary AI/ML systems, APIs, or software platform.

WRTV's business model is advertising-based, generating revenue through local business advertising, national spot advertising, and digital advertising on its website and social platforms, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The customer base is geographically segmented to Indianapolis-area viewers; the station does not sell to named enterprise customers and pricing is non-transparent. WRTV was sold by E.W. Scripps Company to Circle City Broadcasting in March 2026 for $83 million under an FCC ownership waiver, with significant staff layoffs executed by the new owner in April 2026. Circle City Broadcasting now operates WRTV alongside its existing CW and MyNetwork stations in Indianapolis, creating a three-station DMA footprint. Headcount is reported in the 101–250 range, and the station is headquartered at 1330 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis.

Name

WRTV

Legal name

Circle City Broadcasting I, LLC

Website

https://wrtv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WRTV is the ABC-affiliated broadcast television station (Channel 6 / RTV6) serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area, delivering local news, weather, sports, and investigative journalism across over-the-air, cable, satellite, and digital platforms, and now operated by Circle City Broadcasting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Television (Local TV News)

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 Sports Broadcast Stations (Regional Local Rights, High School/College) (MPABACAK)

Keywords

• Broadcast television news
• Local weather forecasting
• Local sports coverage
• Investigative journalism
• TV advertising sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

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. Broadcast Advertising: WRTV generates revenue primarily through advertising sales, including local business advertisements, national spot advertising, and digital advertising on its website and social platforms.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WRTV is an Indianapolis-based broadcast television station operating as the local ABC affiliate (Channel 6, RF Channel 25). It produces and distributes local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage (Pacers, Colts, Fever, Indy 500), and investigative journalism to viewers in the Indianapolis metropolitan area and central Indiana via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, and digital channels.

Product overview

WRTV is a local television news station serving Indianapolis and central Indiana as an ABC affiliate (Channel 6). The station operates as a unified news platform offering local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage, and investigative journalism through its website, mobile app, and broadcast programming. Core products include local news content, weather services with interactive radar, comprehensive sports coverage, and the WRTV Investigates unit. Additional offerings include the 'Don't Waste Your Money' consumer segment, Hiring Hoosiers career resources, and Circle City Spotlight business content. The station was acquired by Circle City Broadcasting from E.W. Scripps Company in 2025 for $83 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WRTV Local News Daily local news coverage for Indianapolis and central Indiana covering crime, politics, community events, and investigations, distributed via broadcast television, wrtv.com, and mobile apps for general viewers in the Indianapolis DMA.
• WRTV Weather Weather forecasting and alerts for central Indiana featuring interactive radar, 7-day forecasts, hourly forecasts, school closings, and weather alert pushes, distributed via broadcast, wrtv.com/weather, and mobile apps for central Indiana residents.
• WRTV Sports Local sports coverage for Indianapolis including the Indiana Pacers, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Fever (WNBA), college sports, the Indianapolis 500, and auto racing, distributed via broadcast, wrtv.com/sports, and mobile apps for Indianapolis-area sports fans.
• WRTV Investigates Investigative journalism unit producing in-depth reports on local issues, consumer protection, and accountability reporting for central Indiana viewers, distributed via broadcast and wrtv.com.
• WRTV Mobile App Native mobile application for iOS and Android providing WRTV news alerts, live streaming of broadcast content, and on-demand video for Indianapolis-area viewers.

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

One partnership is on record.

• Circle City BroadcastingcoreOthers · 8 April 2026Circle City Broadcasting completed acquisition of WRTV from E.W. Scripps Company in April 2026. The acquisition was finalized under an FCC ownership waiver, allowing Circle City Broadcasting to add the ABC affiliate to its existing CW and MyNetwork stations in Indianapolis.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TEGNA: Multi-station US local broadcaster (now part of Nexstar) that historically owned WTHR. Operates a portfolio of Big-Four affiliates with similar news, weather, and sports positioning in mid-to-large DMAs.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US local TV broadcaster and owner of WTHR/WXIN in Indianapolis. Comparable as a multi-station group operator with similar network affiliations, retransmission strategies, and digital expansion playbook applied across a national footprint.
• Hearst Television: Privately held US local broadcaster operating Big-Four network affiliates in mid-to-large DMAs. Comparable as a private station group with strong news and investigative journalism franchises similar to WRTV Investigates.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major US local broadcaster with a national portfolio of network-affiliated stations. Comparable in distribution mix (over-the-air plus digital) and in reliance on local news, weather, and sports as core audience drivers.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Former owner of WRTV and operator of a comparable portfolio of Big-Four and CW network-affiliated local TV stations. Provides a like-for-like benchmark on station economics, ad sales, and digital strategy in mid-sized DMAs.
• Gray Television: Large US local TV station group with a portfolio mix similar in profile to WRTV's former Scripps portfolio. Comparable in revenue mix between broadcast advertising, retransmission, and digital, and in mid-market Big-Four affiliate strategy.

Direct peers

• WISH-TV: Indianapolis-based local TV station that competes with WRTV for central Indiana audiences and ad budgets. Operates as a comparable local broadcast/digital news platform in the same DMA.
• WTHR: Indianapolis NBC affiliate and the principal remaining local news competitor to WRTV. Both stations compete for the same DMA audience, political and retail ad dollars, and local sports rights, making it the closest direct comparable in the Indianapolis market.
• WXIN (Fox 59): Indianapolis Fox-affiliated station competing head-to-head with WRTV for local news viewers and advertisers in the same DMA. Like WRTV, it operates over-the-air broadcast plus digital distribution.
• WTTV (CBS4 Indy): Indianapolis CBS/CW-affiliated station already owned by Circle City Broadcasting prior to the WRTV acquisition. A direct in-market peer serving overlapping central Indiana audiences with similar broadcast-plus-digital distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rtv6
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfLYcp8eh4VAC8_BBRsHhFg
• Facebookfacebook.com/wrtv6
• Instagraminstagram.com/wrtvnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wrtv

Compliance2 records

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 WRTV