WVTM 13

What WVTM 13 does

WVTM 13 (legal entity WVTM Hearst Television Inc.) is an NBC-affiliated local broadcast television station operating on Channel 13 from Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1949 and owned by Hearst Television — a division of privately held Hearst Communications — the station serves the Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Central Alabama designated market area with local news, weather forecasting featuring First Warning Doppler radar, sports coverage, political reporting, and syndicated NBC network programming. It is not an independent operating company; rather, it is a wholly owned subsidiary whose strategic, operational, and financial decisions sit within Hearst Television's national portfolio of NBC, CBS, and ABC affiliates.

The station's product portfolio centers on broadcast journalism distributed through four primary surfaces: an over-the-air television signal accessible via antenna, a dedicated website (wvtm13.com), a mobile news application on iOS and Android, and the Very Local free streaming channel on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and mobile devices. Underlying technology is conventional broadcast television production and distribution infrastructure paired with standard digital CMS-driven content delivery. Content syndication partnerships with the Associated Press and CNN supplement local reporting with national and international news wire services.

WVTM 13 generates revenue through three streams: (1) local and national advertising sold across broadcast slots, digital properties, and sponsored content integrations; (2) retransmission consent fees paid by cable (Comcast, Spectrum), satellite (DirecTV, Dish), and streaming providers for the right to carry the station's signal; and (3) digital content licensing of the station's video archive for documentary and production use. Go-to-market is sales-led, targeting local and regional advertisers seeking access to the Central Alabama audience, with quote-based pricing varying by time slot, program, and audience reach.

Name

WVTM 13

Legal name

WVTM Hearst Television Inc.

Website

https://wvtm13.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WVTM 13 is an NBC-affiliated local broadcast television station owned by Hearst Television, serving Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Central Alabama with news, weather, and sports programming distributed via OTA broadcast, website, mobile apps, and Very Local streaming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Regional news coverage
• Television advertising
• Over-the-air broadcasting
• Streaming news content

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Local and national advertising sold during programming slots, including news broadcasts, weather segments, sports coverage, and digital properties. Revenue generated through commercial spots, sponsored content, and promotional packages.
2. Retransmission Consent: Fees paid by cable, satellite, and streaming providers for the right to carry WVTM's broadcast signal as part of their channel lineup.
3. Digital Content Licensing: Licensing of video footage and content from the station's archive of historical and current news stories for documentary and production use.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WVTM 13 is a local broadcast television station (Channel 13) operating as the NBC affiliate for Birmingham and Central Alabama. The station delivers local news, weather, sports, and NBC network programming via over-the-air broadcast, complemented by a mobile app, website, and the Very Local streaming platform.

Product overview

WVTM 13 is a local broadcast television station (Channel 13) serving Birmingham and Central Alabama, owned by Hearst Television. The station delivers news content through its core broadcast TV operations, a dedicated mobile news application for iOS and Android, its primary website (wvtm13.com), and the Very Local streaming service. The product portfolio centers on local journalism and weather forecasting, encompassing live news broadcasts, real-time weather updates including First Warning Doppler radar, traffic information, sports coverage, political news, and entertainment content. The WVTM 13 News App provides on-the-go access to breaking news and weather alerts, while the website serves as the hub for comprehensive local coverage. Very Local extends the station's reach through a free streaming platform featuring original local content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WVTM 13 Broadcast Signal
• WVTM 13 Mobile App
• WVTM 13 Website
• Very Local Streaming Service
• Local News Programming

Named customers1 record

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Hearst TelevisioncoreOthersParent company that owns and operates WVTM-TV as part of its national broadcast television network. Provides national content, investigative resources, advertising partnerships, and operational support across all Hearst stations.
• NBC (National Broadcasting Company)coreTechnology or IntegrationNetwork affiliation providing national programming, Olympics coverage, network news, and primetime content. WVTM carries NBC's broadcast signal as the NBC affiliate for Central Alabama.
• Associated Press (AP)majorTechnology or IntegrationNews content partnership providing national and international news stories, wire services, and syndicated content for broadcast and digital platforms.
• CNNmajorTechnology or IntegrationSyndicated content partnership providing national news coverage, political reporting, and multimedia content for WVTM's news programming.
• Very LocalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFree streaming platform partnership providing on-demand local content, original series, and extended news coverage accessible on streaming devices.
• National Park Service / Department of InteriorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative coverage of national news including Washington D.C. reporting, national monuments coverage, and federal government stories through Hearst Television's Washington News Bureau.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• WALA Fox 10 (Mobile): Fox affiliate in Mobile, AL — a comparable Big Four local-news competitor in a separate Alabama DMA, useful for regional broadcast economics benchmarking against WVTM.
• WSFA 12 (NBC, Montgomery): Another Hearst-owned NBC affiliate in Alabama, serving the Montgomery DMA rather than Birmingham. Comparable NBC affiliate economics and shared Hearst Television resources, but operating in a different geography.
• WKRG 5 (CBS, Mobile): CBS affiliate in the Mobile DMA. Operates a comparable local-news/weather broadcast model to WVTM in a different Alabama market, providing regional station-group benchmarking.
• WPMI 15 / WJTC (NBC, Mobile): NBC-affiliated station in the Mobile/Pensacola market, also carrying NBC programming comparable to WVTM. Same network affiliation model and content mix, but serves a different Alabama/Gulf Coast geography.

Broad incumbents

• Gray Television: Major U.S. local broadcast group operating dozens of stations across mid-sized markets. Comparable broad incumbent for retransmission fee structure, digital growth, and local-advertising dynamics facing WVTM.
• Tegna: Large U.S. broadcast TV station group operator with overlapping local-news/advertising model. Comparable broad incumbent for local broadcast economics, retransmission strategy, and digital expansion benchmarks.
• Hearst Television: WVTM's parent company and operator of a national portfolio of NBC, CBS, and ABC affiliates. Provides shared resources (investigative unit, Washington bureau, Very Local) and serves as the broad incumbent that defines WVTM's strategic and operational ceiling.

Direct peers

• WBRC (Fox 6 Birmingham): Fox affiliate in the same Birmingham DMA, competing head-to-head with WVTM for local news viewers, weather audiences, and Birmingham-area ad dollars. Directly comparable in scale, audience, and Big Four affiliate economics.
• WIAT (CBS 42 Birmingham): CBS affiliate operating in the Birmingham DMA, directly competing with WVTM for local news viewers, political coverage, and advertising spend. Comparable Big Four affiliate model and audience target.
• ABC 33/40 (WBMA Birmingham): ABC affiliate serving the Birmingham market, sharing the same Big Four local-news competitive landscape as WVTM with overlapping news, weather, and advertiser overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wvtm13
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/alabamas13wvtm
• Facebookfacebook.com/WVTM13
• Instagraminstagram.com/wvtm13
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wvtm-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 WVTM 13