What WBND ABC57 does

WBND ABC57 is a privately held local television station operating as the ABC network affiliate for the Michiana region, covering South Bend, Northern Indiana, and Southwestern Michigan. Established in 1965 and currently employing 12 staff, the station is operated as WBND-TV Limited Partnership under Weigel Broadcasting Co., a Chicago-based, family-owned broadcasting group; the legal entity is domiciled in Illinois while operational headquarters and broadcast studios are in South Bend, Indiana.

The station distributes content across a multi-channel cluster that includes the primary ABC57 broadcast signal, the CW25 subchannel, MeTV (57.2), and additional digital subchannels such as MyMichiana. Its owned digital surfaces include the abc57.com news portal and dedicated iOS and Android applications for news and weather. Branded content programs include ABC57 Investigates (investigative journalism), First Warning Neighborhood Weather (forecasts, radar, severe weather alerts), ABC57 Kickoff and ABC57 Tipoff (high school sports coverage), Notre Dame Sports, and themed series such as Indivisible 250 (America's 250th anniversary coverage) and The Real Story (fact-checking).

Revenue is generated exclusively through advertising sales, primarily to local and regional businesses reaching the Michiana DMA via broadcast, cable/satellite distribution, digital streaming on abc57.com, and in-app inventory. The station does not disclose revenue or financial details, has no public listing, and has not raised outside capital; operating geographies are concentrated in a single mid-sized U.S. media market.

Name

WBND ABC57

Legal name

WBND-TV Limited Partnership

Website

https://abc57.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WBND ABC57 is a privately held ABC network affiliate television station serving the Michiana region of Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan with broadcast, digital, and mobile news, weather, and sports coverage, operating under Weigel Broadcasting Co.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local TV Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAA)

Keywords

• Local television broadcasting
• Local news coverage
• Weather forecasting services
• Broadcast advertising sales
• Regional sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

South Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Local television station generating revenue primarily through advertising sales. Sells commercials to local businesses, regional advertisers, and potentially national advertisers through network partnerships. Revenue derived from broadcast ratings and viewer demographics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WBND ABC57 is a local ABC network affiliate television station serving the Michiana region (Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan) with local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage, and entertainment programming. The station distributes content through over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, digital streaming, and mobile applications, generating revenue through advertising sales to local businesses and advertisers. It also operates branded programming including ABC57 Investigates, First Warning Neighborhood Weather, ABC57 Kickoff, and ABC57 Tipoff.

Product overview

ABC57 (WBND) is a local television news station serving the Michiana region (South Bend, Indiana and surrounding areas) operated by Weigel Broadcasting. The station offers a multi-platform news operation including broadcast television, mobile applications (ABC57 News App and ABC57 Weather App), and digital content. The core offering is local news coverage organized into sections: Local News, Weather (via First Warning Neighborhood Weather), Sports (including ABC57 Kickoff for football and ABC57 Tipoff for basketball), ABC57 Investigates for investigative journalism, and special projects like Indivisible 250 for the America's 250th anniversary. The station also operates multiple broadcast channels including MeTV on 57.2, MeTV Toons, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABC57 News App A mobile news application providing local news coverage for the Michiana region including breaking news, investigations, and community stories. Available on iOS App Store and Google Play for consumers in the South Bend viewing area.
• ABC57 Weather App A mobile weather application providing forecasts, radar imagery, and severe weather alerts for the South Bend and Michiana viewing area. Available on iOS App Store and Google Play for consumers seeking localized weather information.
• ABC57 Investigates Investigative journalism unit producing in-depth reports on local issues affecting the Michiana community, including consumer protection, government accountability, and crime reporting for broadcast and digital audiences.
• First Warning Neighborhood Weather Weather forecasting service offering radar, maps, temperature data, 10-day forecasts, and severe weather alerts for the Michiana region. Provides localized weather coverage through broadcast and digital channels.
• ABC57 Kickoff High school football coverage program featuring local teams, game highlights, and standings for the Michiana region. Serves local sports fans and community audiences interested in high school athletics.
• ABC57 Tipoff Basketball coverage program featuring local high school and college basketball games and analysis for the Michiana region. Serves basketball fans and community audiences during the basketball season.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Weigel BroadcastingcoreOthersParent company that owns and operates ABC57 (WBND-TV). Weigel Broadcasting is a media company that owns multiple television stations across the United States.
• ABC NetworkcoreOthersABC network affiliation providing access to national ABC programming, news content, and network branding as an ABC affiliate station.
• CW25minorOthersSubchannel partnership providing CW network content on CW25.1.
• MeTVminorOthersClassic television network distributed on subchannel 57.2, providing vintage television programming.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WSJV (Fox 28): Fox-affiliated local television station also serving the South Bend/Elkhart Michiana market. Competes directly with ABC57 for local news, weather coverage, and regional advertising dollars.
• WNDU: NBC-affiliated television station serving the same South Bend/Michiana market as ABC57. Directly competes for local advertising, sports rights (notably Notre Dame), and local news audience share in the same DMA.
• WSBT 22: CBS-affiliated television station serving the Michiana market from South Bend. Competes head-to-head with ABC57 for local advertisers, news viewership, and sports content in the same regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Hearst Television: Division of Hearst Corporation operating local TV stations in mid- and large-sized U.S. markets. Operates network affiliates with similar news, weather, and sports-driven content models to ABC57.
• Graham Media Group: Owns and operates local television stations in mid-sized U.S. markets with a focus on local news and digital content. Comparable in scale and operating philosophy to ABC57.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: One of the largest U.S. local TV station operators with hundreds of network-affiliated stations across mid- and small-sized markets. Operates in similar broadcast economics and faces the same secular pressures as ABC57.
• Gray Television: Major owner/operator of local TV stations focused on mid-sized and small U.S. markets. Highly comparable business model with network affiliate stations monetizing local advertising.
• Nexstar Media Group: The largest U.S. owner of local television stations with extensive mid-market presence. Operates network affiliates with similar advertising-driven business models and multi-channel strategies to ABC57.
• TEGNA: Owner of a portfolio of local TV stations in mid-sized U.S. markets. Comparable business model focused on network-affiliated local news, weather, and sports programming.
• Weigel Broadcasting Co. Parent company of WBND and operator of multiple broadcast stations (including MeTV network). Comparable as a multi-station local broadcasting operator that shares content, infrastructure, and advertising capabilities across its portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbnd-abc-57

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 WBND ABC57