WICS-TV

What WICS-TV does

WICS-TV is a local broadcast television station licensed to Springfield, Illinois, operating under the "NewsChannel 20" brand as the ABC network affiliate for the Springfield-Decatur-Champaign market in Central Illinois. The station delivers scheduled linear programming — network ABC content, local news, weather, and sports — over licensed over-the-air spectrum, with additional distribution via cable/satellite systems and owned digital channels including a live streaming feed and an over-the-air digital subchannel. The underlying technology stack comprises broadcast transmission infrastructure, a weather radar system, the BLOX Digital content management platform for the newsroom website, and live streaming delivery for the Watch Live product.

The station's product surface extends beyond linear broadcast into mobile and social: the Storm Team Weather App delivers branded forecasting to smartphones, while NewsChannel 20 maintains editorial presence on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram for short-form clip distribution. Feature content such as the Route 66 Road Trip series supports brand differentiation and audience engagement. Sister-station relationships with WRSP (Champaign) and WICD extend the content pool and transmitter footprint across the DMA, enabling shared production economics.

The business model is the standard local-TV dual-revenue structure: primary revenue comes from local and regional advertising sales to small and mid-sized businesses in Central Illinois, supplemented by retransmission consent fees paid by cable and satellite distributors carrying the ABC affiliate signal. The customer base is split between end consumers (viewers, reached free over-the-air or via cable) and advertiser buyers (local SMBs, regional brands, and political advertisers during cycles). No digital subscription or paywall is evident across the disclosed properties.

Name

WICS-TV

Legal name

WICS-TV

Website

https://wics.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WICS-TV (NewsChannel 20) is the ABC-affiliated local broadcast television station licensed to Springfield, Illinois, serving the Springfield-Decatur-Champaign DMA with local news, weather, sports, and network programming via over-the-air, cable, and digital streaming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

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 News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• News broadcasting
• Weather forecasting
• Local advertising sales
• Sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Local broadcast television generates revenue primarily through advertising sales to local and regional businesses, including direct broadcast spots, digital advertising on the website, and sponsorship opportunities for news segments and features.
2. Broadcast Distribution: Over-the-air television broadcast reaching households in Central Illinois through traditional TV reception and live streaming services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WICS-TV (NewsChannel 20) is a local ABC-affiliated television station that broadcasts local news, weather, sports, and community feature programming to Central Illinois viewers. The station distributes content through over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, website live streaming, and mobile applications, generating revenue primarily through advertising sales to local and regional businesses.

Product overview

NewsChannel20 is a local television news broadcasting station serving the Springfield, Illinois area. The offering consists of a primary broadcast news product delivering local, national, and world news via live television, online streaming (Watch Live), and digital platforms. Supporting features include a dedicated weather service with radar maps and the Storm Team Weather App, sports coverage, and special feature series such as Route 66 Road Trip. The station also provides content through social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NewsChannel20 Broadcast News The primary television news broadcasting brand providing local, national, and world news coverage to the Springfield, Illinois area. Delivers news content across multiple platforms including live television, website, and social media. Targeted at Central Illinois viewers and supported by advertising revenue from local businesses.
• Watch Live (Live Streaming) Live streaming video service allowing viewers to watch NewsChannel20 broadcasts in real-time online via the website and mobile applications. Provides digital access to broadcast content for Central Illinois viewers.
• Storm Team Weather App Dedicated weather mobile application providing real-time weather forecasts, radar imagery, weather guarantees, and storm alerts for Central Illinois viewers. Operates as a standalone mobile application available to the public.
• Local Advertising Sales Advertising sales services to local and regional businesses in Central Illinois. Includes direct broadcast spots, digital advertising on the website, and sponsorship opportunities for news segments and features. Targeted at SMB advertisers seeking to reach Central Illinois consumers.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ABC NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWICS-TV operates as an ABC affiliate, carrying ABC network programming and contributing local news content to the ABC network ecosystem.
• WRSP (Sister Station)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-branded news coverage with WRSP (Fox Illinois affiliate) on shared news stories in the Champaign area, with journalists filing stories for both stations.
• WICD (Sister Station)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated television station under the same ownership, also serving Central Illinois markets. FCC information and applications linked on the NewsChannel20 website.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WICD (ABC affiliate): ABC-affiliated sister station under common ownership with WICS-TV serving overlapping Central Illinois markets. It shares news operations and FCC filings and is the closest operational and structural comparable.
• WCIA-TV: CBS-affiliated television station based in Champaign, Illinois, operating in the same Central Illinois market as WICS-TV. It is the most direct local competitor for viewers, advertisers, and news coverage in the shared DMA.
• WRSP-TV: Fox-affiliated sister station co-located with WICS-TV's news operations in Champaign. It shares journalists filing stories for both stations and serves the same Central Illinois DMA under a co-branded news model.
• WEEK-TV: NBC-affiliated television station serving the Peoria-Bloomington market in central Illinois. Operates a comparable mid-sized-market local broadcast model with similar network affiliation economics and audience scale.
• WMBD-TV: CBS-affiliated television station in the Peoria DMA, providing similar mid-market local broadcast coverage in Illinois. Competes for regional advertisers and shares comparable audience reach characteristics.

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: One of the largest U.S. television broadcast operators with a portfolio of local stations. As a likely operator of WICS-TV under common ownership with WRSP and WICD, it serves as the broad incumbent comparable for station-group operating economics.
• TEGNA: Major U.S. local broadcast television group with stations in mid-to-large markets. Comparable in network affiliation economics, local news focus, and digital transformation initiatives at the station level.
• Nexstar Media Group: The largest U.S. owner of local television stations, operating across numerous markets. Comparable to WICS-TV in station operations, network affiliation economics, and advertising sales structure, but at vastly greater scale.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Diversified local broadcast operator running ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox affiliates across U.S. markets. Comparable in affiliate station economics, local news production, and the strategic shift toward digital revenue streams.
• Gray Television: Multi-market local television broadcaster operating stations across mid-sized U.S. markets. Comparable in operating model, market focus on mid-sized DMAs, and revenue mix of network affiliate advertising.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/wicsabcnewschannel20
• Facebookfacebook.com/wicsabc20
• Instagraminstagram.com/wics20
• TikToktiktok.com/@wics_abc20
• Pinterestpinterest.com/newschannel20
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wics-tv

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 WICS-TV