WTKR-TV

What WTKR-TV does

WTKR-TV (dba "News 3") is a CBS-affiliated broadcast television station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP). The station serves the Hampton Roads DMA in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, covering approximately 15 communities including Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, the Outer Banks, and the Eastern Shore. Its core product is local news programming supported by a proprietary weather system called "First Warning Forecast" that integrates National Weather Service data for severe weather alerting in the coastal region.

WTKR-TV distributes content across over-the-air broadcast, cable and satellite providers (DirecTV, Dish Network), its wtkr.com website, a NewsChannel 3 mobile application for iOS and Android, and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok @coastalcurr3nts). The content portfolio includes standard local news, sports coverage, and weather, supplemented by sub-brands: Coast Live (lifestyle programming), True Crime 757 (investigative podcast), Coast Comedy Live, Positively Hampton Roads (community features), and News 3 Investigates (investigative journalism unit). The station also shares a station employment unit with sister CW affiliate WGNT-TV, enabling cross-network sales and operational synergies.

Revenue is generated through traditional broadcast advertising (local and national spot sales), retransmission consent fees, digital advertising, and sponsored content. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; advertising rates are quoted based on time slot, program, and placement. Scripps News provides national content syndication that extends WTKR's content reach beyond the local market. No station-level revenue figures are publicly available, as financial data is consolidated within Scripps' SEC filings.

Name

WTKR-TV

Legal name

The E.W. Scripps Company

Website

https://wtkr.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

WTKR-TV (News 3) is a CBS-affiliated broadcast television station in Norfolk, Virginia, serving the Hampton Roads DMA under The E.W. Scripps Company. It delivers local news, weather, sports, and investigative journalism across broadcast, digital, mobile, and social platforms to viewers and local advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

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 television news
• Broadcast journalism
• Weather forecasting
• Investigative reporting
• Regional news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Norfolk

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WTKR-TV (News 3) is a CBS-affiliated local television station producing and broadcasting local news, weather, sports, and entertainment content for the Hampton Roads, Virginia and northeastern North Carolina markets. The station distributes content across over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, a digital streaming website, a mobile application, and social media channels, with weather reporting powered by the proprietary First Warning Forecast system.

Product overview

WTKR-TV (News 3) is a local television station serving Hampton Roads, Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. The station operates as a multi-platform news organization offering broadcast television, mobile applications, podcasts, and web content. Core offerings include local and national news coverage, weather forecasting with First Warning Forecast, sports reporting, investigative journalism (News 3 Investigates), lifestyle programming (Coast Live), and community-focused segments (Positively Hampton Roads). The station also produces the True Crime 757 podcast and operates sister station WGNT-TV. Weather services integrate automated National Weather Service data alongside meteorologist forecasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coast Live: Local entertainment and lifestyle program featuring community events, interviews, and features
• True Crime 757
• Coast Comedy Live
• News 3 Investigates

Products and services

• WTKR-TV / News 3 Broadcast Service Local television news station broadcasting local, national, weather, sports, and entertainment news to the Hampton Roads, Virginia and northeastern North Carolina areas. Free over-the-air broadcast supported by advertising revenue.
• Coast Live Local lifestyle and entertainment program featuring community stories, interviews, contests, and local business features for Hampton Roads viewers.
• True Crime 757 Podcast True crime investigative podcast series covering criminal cases in the Hampton Roads area, produced by News 3 Investigates.
• Positively Hampton Roads Segment and program highlighting positive community stories and everyday heroes in the Hampton Roads region.
• NewsChannel 3 Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android devices providing news alerts, weather updates, live streaming, and local news coverage for Hampton Roads.
• WGNT-TV (Sister CW Station) CW-affiliated television station in Norfolk, VA operated alongside WTKR-TV under the same station employment unit, providing additional entertainment and syndicated programming.
• Storm Shield Weather Alerts Weather data and alert service powered by National Weather Service providing automated forecasts and severe weather notifications to Hampton Roads residents.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Weather ServicecoreTechnology or IntegrationNational Weather Service provides weather data and alerts for the Storm Shield app and weather forecasting operations. The NWS receives data from automated stations and COOP stations for meteorological information across the coverage area.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WGNT-TV: CW-affiliated sister station co-located with WTKR under the same Scripps station employment unit. Operates with overlapping staff and shared newsgathering resources — the closest operational peer by structure.
• WAVY-TV: NBC-affiliated local TV station serving the same Hampton Roads DMA from Portsmouth, VA. WAVY is WTKR's most direct head-to-head competitor for local news viewers and local advertising dollars.
• WRAL-TV: NBC-affiliated local TV station in Raleigh-Durham, NC. Comparable mid-sized market operation with strong digital presence; serves a neighboring North Carolina market with overlapping Outer Banks coverage.
• WHRO Public Media: PBS/NPR affiliate serving Hampton Roads. While public-media funded, WHRO directly competes for local journalism audiences, especially on news, weather, and community programming.
• WTVR-TV: CBS-affiliated local TV station in Richmond, VA (the next-closest CBS affiliate in Virginia). Highly comparable as a same-network affiliate in a similarly-sized mid-Atlantic market.
• WVBT-TV (FOX 43): FOX-affiliated local TV station in Hampton Roads. Directly comparable in market, format (local news plus network programming), and audience targeting to WTKR.
• WVEC-TV: ABC-affiliated local TV station also serving Hampton Roads. Competes directly with WTKR for news audiences, local political coverage, and advertiser share in the same DMA.

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Largest US TV broadcast group; operates hundreds of local stations including affiliates that compete in overlapping DMAs. Comparable at the corporate/operational model level for broadcast group strategy.
• E.W. Scripps Company: WTKR's parent company (NASDAQ: SSP); operates ~40 local TV stations nationally. Scripps itself is a portfolio-level peer for broadcast-group analysis rather than a direct station competitor.
• TEGNA: Major US broadcast group operating dozens of local TV stations including top-market CBS/ABC/NBC affiliates. Comparable in scale, network-affiliation mix, and local news focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9AZ9PM8UaMrsto6pCjJ75Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/WTKR3
• Instagraminstagram.com/wtkr3
• TikToktiktok.com/@coastalcurr3nts
• Xx.com/wtkr3
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wtkr-tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 WTKR-TV