What WBKO does

WBKO is an ABC-affiliated local television station headquartered at 2727 Russellville Road in Bowling Green, Kentucky, serving the south-central Kentucky market including Warren County and surrounding communities. Founded in 1962 and currently operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Gray Television (NYSE: GTN), WBKO delivers local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage, investigative reporting, and community-oriented programming. The station functions as a multi-platform media organization, distributing content via over-the-air broadcast, cable and satellite carriage, dedicated mobile applications (WBKO News and WBKO Weather on iOS/Android), connected TV apps (Roku, Apple TV), and third-party streaming platforms (Hulu Live, YouTube TV, VUit), with an additional Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing integration.

WBKO's product portfolio includes the core broadcast signal, WBKO Plus entertainment programming, the WBKO Investigates unit, WBKO Sports (covering WKU Hilltoppers and local high school athletics), a continuous 24/7 Weather streaming channel, the We the People community series, and the annual St. Jude Dream Home charitable fundraising campaign. The station's technology stack combines traditional broadcast infrastructure with digital streaming capabilities, location-based weather alerting, and mobile app delivery.

The business model relies on traditional local broadcast economics: advertising sales to regional businesses, retransmission consent fees from cable/satellite/streaming distributors, and ancillary community event sponsorships — all consolidated within Gray Television's reporting structure. WBKO itself does not publicly disclose standalone revenue or headcount figures (11-50 employees per available data). Strategic direction, technology platforms, and national content (InvestigateTV, Local News Live) are provided by parent Gray Television, while WBKO retains local editorial, sales, and community-relations autonomy within the south-central Kentucky market.

Name

WBKO

Legal name

Gray Television

Website

https://wbko.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WBKO is a Gray Television-owned ABC-affiliated local broadcast station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, delivering local news, weather, sports, and community programming across over-the-air TV, mobile apps, streaming platforms, and smart TV devices to viewers in south-central Kentucky.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), 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 industries

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), Local Sports Broadcast Stations (Regional Local Rights, High School/College) (MPABACAK)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Local news coverage
• Weather forecasting services
• Local sports coverage
• Community programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Bowling Green

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WBKO is a local ABC-affiliated television station that produces and distributes local news, weather forecasts, sports coverage, investigative reporting, and community programming for viewers in Bowling Green, Warren County, and south central Kentucky. Content is delivered via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, mobile applications, connected TV platforms (Roku, Apple TV), and live streaming services (Hulu Live, YouTube TV, VUit).

Product overview

WBKO is a Gray Television-owned local broadcast station serving Bowling Green, KY and surrounding south-central Kentucky communities. The station operates as a multi-platform news and entertainment organization offering content through its main broadcast signal, dedicated mobile applications (WBKO News App and WBKO Weather App), streaming services (including WBKO 24/7 Weather and live news streams), and digital platforms. The product portfolio includes core news/weather/sports coverage, WBKO Plus entertainment programming, WBKO Investigates investigative journalism unit, the St. Jude Dream Home charitable campaign, and the We the People community series. Content is distributed across iOS/Android apps, smart TV platforms (Roku, Apple TV), streaming services (Hulu Live, YouTube TV, VUit), and Amazon Alexa for Flash Briefings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WBKO News App: Mobile application for WBKO news content including breaking news, local stories, and video clips
• WBKO Weather App (First Alert Weather)
• WBKO 24/7 Weather

Products and services

• WBKO Main Broadcast Station Primary local broadcast television station (ABC affiliate) serving Bowling Green, Warren County, and south central Kentucky, providing local news, weather forecasts, sports coverage, and entertainment programming through over-the-air broadcast and digital platforms.
• WBKO News App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing local stories, breaking news alerts, live newscasts, and streaming content with personalized push notifications.
• WBKO Weather App (First Alert Weather) Mobile weather application featuring exclusive live radar, weather alerts based on user location, and detailed forecasts for Bowling Green and surrounding south central Kentucky areas.
• WBKO Weather Weather forecasting and tracking service providing 7-day forecasts, hourly conditions, radar imagery, severe weather alerts, and regional planning tools for multiple Kentucky communities.
• WBKO News Live Stream Live streaming service featuring WBKO News channel with real-time broadcast, WBKO 24/7 Weather continuous stream, InvestigateTV investigative journalism, and Local News Live national coverage.
• WBKO 24/7 Weather Continuous weather streaming channel providing around-the-clock weather imagery, forecasts, and severe weather coverage for the Bowling Green viewing area.
• WBKO Sports Local and regional sports coverage including high school athletics, WKU Hilltoppers, Bowling Green Hot Rods minor league baseball, and national sports content.
• WBKO Plus Entertainment and lifestyle programming featuring 'Stage Left Unsaid' interviews with authors and entertainers, 'Audrey's Photo Friday' segments, and community event coverage.
• WBKO Investigates Award-winning investigative journalism unit producing in-depth investigative reports on local and regional issues affecting the Bowling Green community.
• WBKO Video Gallery On-demand video library featuring latest news clips, weather forecasts, sports highlights, and special programming available for streaming anytime.
• St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway Campaign Annual fundraising campaign in partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, offering chances to win a new home while raising funds for pediatric cancer treatment and research.
• We the People Community Series Community storytelling series celebrating America's 250th anniversary, highlighting local history, people, and places that define the region's character and contribute to the nation's ongoing journey.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• St. Jude Children's Research HospitalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 February 2026WBKO partners with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital annually for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway campaign, selling tickets to raise funds for the hospital's mission to find cures and save lives. The campaign offers a new home valued at $450,000 plus additional prizes.
• Gray TelevisioncoreOthersWBKO is owned and operated by Gray Television, a major broadcast television company. Through this partnership, WBKO has access to Gray Television's national investigative journalism brand InvestigateTV, national content partnerships, and shared technology platforms.
• Gray TelevisioncoreOthersGray Television provides shared resources including InvestigateTV for investigative journalism, Local News Live for national coverage, and Gray AI Policy governance. WBKO participates in Gray's national programming initiatives and content sharing networks.
• Gray TelevisioncoreOthersWBKO is part of Gray Television's network, participating in shared initiatives like the St. Jude Dream Home campaign, investigative journalism partnerships, and national content distribution through InvestigateTV and Local News Live.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tegna: Tegna is a large U.S. broadcast group operating network-affiliated local TV stations with significant digital and OTT distribution, broadly comparable to Gray Television's operating model for WBKO.
• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest U.S. owner of local TV stations, operating network affiliates across small and mid markets — comparable to Gray's footprint and to WBKO as a typical small-market affiliate.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest U.S. local TV station operators, comparable to Gray/WBKO in business model — owning and operating network-affiliated and independent local stations across mid and small markets.
• Gray Television: Gray Television is WBKO's publicly traded parent company and a major U.S. broadcast group operating dozens of network-affiliated local stations — comparable as both parent and as the operator of WBKO's direct sister stations.

Direct peers

• WHAS11: WHAS11 is an ABC-affiliated local TV station in Louisville, KY, comparable as a same-network affiliate operating in the same state with similar local news, weather, and digital distribution.
• WNKY: WNKY is a local broadcast television station also serving the Bowling Green, KY market, directly competing with WBKO for local viewers, advertisers, and sports rights in the same DMA.
• WKRN: WKRN is an ABC-affiliated local TV station in Nashville, TN operating under the same network affiliation and similar Gray-style regional broadcaster profile, making it highly comparable as a mid-market ABC affiliate.
• WLWT: WLWT is an ABC-affiliated local TV station in Cincinnati, OH, comparable to WBKO as a network-affiliated mid-market broadcaster with multi-platform news and weather coverage.
• WBNS: WBNS is an ABC-affiliated local TV station in Columbus, OH, comparable to WBKO as a network-affiliated local broadcaster with news, weather, and sports coverage across broadcast and digital platforms.

Regional players

• WTVF: WTVF is a Nashville-based CBS affiliate and Scripps-owned local station in an adjacent Kentucky/Tennessee region, comparable as a mid-market network affiliate competing for regional audience and ad share.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wbkotv
• Facebookfacebook.com/wbkotv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbko

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 WBKO