List of television stations in Ohio

The list of television stations in Ohio encompasses the full-power, Class A, low-power, and translator stations providing over-the-air broadcast television service across the state, organized primarily by Nielsen designated market areas (DMAs). Ohio includes eight DMAs, with the largest being the Cleveland–Akron–Canton market (ranked 19th nationally), followed by Columbus (35th), Cincinnati (37th), Dayton (64th), Toledo (81st), Youngstown–Warren (118th), Lima (190th), and Zanesville (204th). As of March 2025, the state features 52 full-power stations and approximately 45 low-power stations, serving a population of over 11.8 million.^[1] These stations deliver local news, weather, sports, and entertainment through affiliations with major networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW, MyNetworkTV, Ion Television, and PBS, alongside independent and digital multicast channels. Major markets like Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati host the bulk of commercial outlets owned by groups such as Nexstar Media, Gray Television, and Hearst Television.^[2] Television in Ohio traces its origins to December 17, 1947, when WEWS (channel 5) in Cleveland became the state's—and northern Ohio's—first station to sign on the air, as an ABC affiliate owned by the E.W. Scripps Company. This milestone preceded the launch of other early stations, such as WLWT (channel 5) in Cincinnati, which began operations in 1948 as Ohio's second outlet and an NBC affiliate. The post-World War II expansion of VHF and later UHF channels facilitated growth, with stations adopting color broadcasting in the 1950s and 1960s, and transitioning to digital signals by the 2009 FCC-mandated DTV switchover, enhancing high-definition programming and subchannels. Ohio's non-commercial sector is robust, with eight public television stations funded in part by the state's Broadcast Educational Media Commission, including key outlets like WOSU-TV in Columbus (PBS affiliate) and WVIZ in Cleveland (operated by Ideastream Public Media). These stations, often part of regional networks, provide educational content, local documentaries, and statewide programming via The Ohio Channel, a 24/7 service aggregating public affairs and government coverage across multiple PBS signals. The state's diverse media landscape reflects its urban centers and rural areas, where low-power translators ensure signal reach in underserved regions.

Overview

History of Television Broadcasting

Television broadcasting in Ohio traces its origins to the mid-1940s with experimental efforts by the Crosley Corporation in Cincinnati, where station W8XCT initiated transmissions on June 4, 1946, using facilities atop the Carew Tower to demonstrate early video technology.^[3] This paved the way for commercial operations, as Ohio's first such station, WEWS-TV (channel 5) in Cleveland, signed on December 17, 1947, under the ownership of the E.W. Scripps Company, marking it as the 16th commercial TV outlet in the United States and the pioneer for the state.^[4] The post-World War II period ushered in a boom of station launches across Ohio's major cities. In Cincinnati, WLWT (channel 4) commenced broadcasting on February 9, 1948, becoming the market's first commercial outlet after its experimental phase.^[5] Columbus followed suit with WLW-C (channel 3, later channel 4 and WCMH-TV) debuting on April 3, 1949, as the area's inaugural station.^[6] The 1950s brought technological advancements, including the introduction of color television; WLWT in Cincinnati aired its first local color program, the "50-50 Club," on August 9, 1957, one of the earliest such efforts in the Midwest.^[7] By the 1960s, expansion into UHF channels accelerated to meet growing demand, with stations like WUAB (channel 43) in Cleveland launching in September 1968, supported by the 1964 All-Channel Receiver Act that mandated UHF compatibility in new TV sets by 1970.^[4] Public broadcasting emerged as a significant force in the late 1950s, driven by educational institutions. Ohio University established a dedicated television studio in 1959 for instructional programming, transforming an existing building into a facility for student-operated broadcasts and laying foundational work for public media in the state.^[8] This initiative complemented earlier efforts, such as Ohio State University's WOSU-TV (channel 34) in Columbus, which began operations on February 20, 1956, as one of the nation's early non-commercial educational stations.^[9] These developments fostered statewide networks focused on educational content, expanding access to learning via television. The shift to digital broadcasting represented a major milestone, with the Federal Communications Commission mandating a nationwide transition on June 12, 2009, requiring all full-power Ohio stations to end analog transmissions and operate solely in digital format.^[10] This change enhanced picture and sound quality, enabled high-definition programming, and freed spectrum for other uses, though it initially posed challenges for viewers without digital converters or compatible equipment. In recent years, Ohio has advanced to ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV), with voluntary adoptions beginning across the U.S. in 2021; by 2025, markets like Cleveland and Columbus have seen initial implementations, introducing features such as 4K ultra-high-definition video, immersive audio, and interactive capabilities on stations including those affiliated with major networks.^[11]

Designated Market Areas and Coverage

Ohio's television broadcasting landscape is organized around several Designated Market Areas (DMAs) as defined by Nielsen, which delineate geographic regions based on shared viewing patterns and station signal dominance. These DMAs collectively cover the state's diverse urban and rural populations, influencing how local stations affiliate with national networks and extend their reach. The primary DMAs in Ohio vary significantly in size, with larger markets serving metropolitan hubs and smaller ones addressing rural communities. The major DMAs include Cleveland-Akron (Canton) at rank 19 with 1,554,340 TV households, Columbus at rank 35 with 1,018,390 TV households, and Cincinnati at rank 37 with 958,630 TV households. Mid-sized markets encompass Dayton at rank 64 (498,200 TV households), Toledo at rank 81 (424,050 TV households), and Youngstown-Warren at rank 118 (263,000 TV households), while smaller markets like Lima (rank 190, 69,630 TV households) and Zanesville (rank 204, 32,450 TV households) serve more localized audiences.^[12] Coverage in these DMAs often extends beyond Ohio's borders due to signal propagation and geographic proximity, creating overlaps with adjacent states. For instance, the Cincinnati DMA spans 24 counties across Ohio, Kentucky (including Boone and Kenton counties), and Indiana (such as Dearborn and Franklin counties), allowing stations to reach viewers in northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana. Similarly, the Toledo DMA includes Lenawee County in Michigan alongside 11 Ohio counties, facilitating cross-border viewership in southeastern Michigan. The Youngstown-Warren DMA covers three Ohio counties (Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull) and Mercer County in Pennsylvania, with signals potentially extending into West Virginia. Cleveland-Akron, while confined to 17 Ohio counties, sees its UHF and VHF signals propagate into northwestern Pennsylvania due to flat terrain near Lake Erie. In eastern Ohio, the Appalachian foothills pose challenges to UHF signal propagation, as the terrain's elevation variations can cause shadowing and reduced line-of-sight coverage, particularly in hilly areas around Zanesville and Youngstown.^{[13][14][15][16]} Ohio hosts approximately 52 full-power TV station licenses distributed across these DMAs, with major network affiliates from ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox predominantly located in the top markets like Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati to maximize audience reach. Public television stations, operated through networks like the Ohio University Teleplex and independent affiliates, provide statewide educational programming, ensuring coverage for non-commercial content even in smaller DMAs.^[2] As of the 2024-2025 television season, DMA rankings reflect minor adjustments following the 2020 U.S. Census and subsequent population shifts, including slight gains for Columbus due to urban growth in central Ohio, which increased its TV household count by about 10% from prior estimates.^[12]

Active Stations

Full-Power Stations

Ohio's active full-power television stations provide comprehensive over-the-air broadcast service across the state's eight designated market areas (DMAs), including major affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW, PBS, and other networks. As of November 2025, there are 49 full-power stations operating, owned by groups such as Nexstar Media Group, Gray Television, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and public entities. These stations deliver local news, weather, sports, and entertainment, with digital subchannels expanding programming options. The following table lists active full-power stations, organized by primary DMA, with details on call sign, city of license, virtual channel, physical channel, affiliation/format, and owner.^[17] Cleveland–Akron–Canton DMA Columbus DMA Cincinnati DMA Dayton DMA Toledo DMA Youngstown–Warren DMA Lima DMA Zanesville DMA Other Markets/Independent

Low-Power and Class A Stations

Low-power television (LPTV) and Class A stations in Ohio serve niche audiences with localized or specialty programming, operating at reduced effective radiated power (ERP) levels typically under 15 kW, which limits their coverage to specific communities or urban areas rather than statewide reach.^[18] As of 2025, Ohio is home to approximately 50 active LPTV and Class A licenses, focusing on formats such as ethnic language broadcasts, religious content, shopping networks, and independent community programming.^[19] These stations fill gaps left by full-power broadcasters by providing hyper-local content, often in underserved ethnic or rural pockets within major markets like Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Class A stations, a subset of low-power operations, receive enhanced regulatory protections under FCC rules, including safeguards against displacement by full-power stations and interference criteria similar to those for major network affiliates, ensuring their viability as community outlets.^[20] This status, established by the Community Broadcasters Protection Act of 1999, requires Class A stations to maintain minimum operational standards, such as four hours of local programming weekly.^[18] In Ohio, examples include transitions and upgrades post-2017 spectrum incentive auction, where several stations converted to digital-only operations to comply with repacking requirements, though no major new LPTV licenses have been issued since the last filing window in 2022.^[21] The following table presents representative active LPTV and Class A stations by market, highlighting their call signs, virtual/physical channels, approximate ERP, owners, and primary formats as of November 2025. These stations often overlap with full-power market signals but prioritize original or targeted content, such as ethnic programming for Ohio's diverse urban populations.^[31]

Translator and Booster Stations

Translator and booster stations in Ohio serve as auxiliary facilities to extend the reach of full-power television signals into areas with poor reception due to terrain or distance, particularly in rural and mountainous regions. These stations rebroadcast the programming of primary broadcasters without originating content, helping to fill coverage gaps in designated market areas (DMAs) such as Zanesville and Chillicothe. As of 2025, Ohio is home to approximately 43 such translator and booster stations, many operated by public or educational entities to serve underserved communities.^[32] Examples include W34FP-D in Eastlake, which translates WVIZ (channel 25, PBS) to improve signal availability in parts of Northeast Ohio near Lake Erie, where shoreline terrain can cause shadowing. In rural areas, stations like WOOH-LD in Zanesville rebroadcast WOSU-TV (channel 34, PBS) from Columbus, providing educational programming to the Appalachian region where primary signals struggle with hilly landscapes. Boosters, which operate on the same channel as their parent station to amplify signals without frequency changes, are less common but used in challenging topography; for instance, facilities supporting WLWT (channel 5, NBC) in the Cincinnati DMA address signal attenuation in northern Kentucky's hills adjacent to Ohio.^[33][34][35] Technically, these stations operate on VHF (channels 2-13) or UHF (channels 14-36) bands, with maximum effective radiated power (ERP) limited to 3 kW on VHF and 15 kW on UHF for digital operations, though most employ far lower outputs—typically under 1 kW—to minimize interference. Licensed by the FCC as secondary facilities, they hold no protected status and must yield to primary full-power stations or land mobile services if conflicts arise. All have been digital-only since the 2009 DTV transition, complying with ATSC 1.0 standards and passing through the parent station's signal unaltered.^[36] The primary purpose of these stations is to combat signal shadowing in Appalachian and rural DMAs, where geography limits over-the-air access; most, especially those affiliated with public broadcasters, carry no local commercial advertising, relying instead on the parent station's feed. Following the 2016-2020 broadcast incentive auction and repack, several translators relocated to new frequencies to avoid interference with reallocated spectrum, with the FCC facilitating transitions through special filing windows.^[37]

Defunct Stations

Full-Power Stations

The defunct full-power television stations in Ohio represent a mix of early UHF experiments, independent operations struggling with financial viability, and later consolidations driven by spectrum auctions and economic pressures. Many closures, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, stemmed from the challenges of UHF signal propagation and competition from established VHF affiliates, leading to reduced local programming options and market concentration among fewer broadcasters.^[38] In smaller designated market areas (DMAs), these sign-offs often diminished independent voices, forcing viewers to rely on signals from larger cities like Cleveland or Columbus.^[39] By the 2020s, economic factors and FCC incentive auctions accelerated closures, further impacting rural coverage.^[40] The following table enumerates eight major defunct full-power stations, organized chronologically by final sign-off date. Details include call sign, channel allocation, operational period, primary affiliation or format, cause of closure, and any successor arrangements. These examples highlight patterns of UHF failures in the mid-20th century and merger-driven consolidations in later decades. These closures, especially the 1950s UHF ventures like WICA-TV and WXTV, exemplified broader national trends where over 100 similar stations failed due to technological and economic hurdles, ultimately leading to fewer voices in Ohio's broadcast landscape.^[38] In the digital era, cases like WPBO-TV reflect spectrum reallocation pressures from 5G development, resulting in mergers that streamlined operations but curtailed hyper-local service in underserved areas.^[40] Overall, such defunct stations underscore how economic consolidation has reduced market competition, with independents particularly vulnerable in smaller DMAs.^[39]

Low-Power Stations

Low-power television stations in Ohio experienced significant attrition following the nationwide digital television (DTV) transition in 2009, as many operators faced prohibitive costs for digital equipment upgrades and lacked the resources to maintain operations in a competitive landscape dominated by full-power broadcasters.^[44] The 2015 deadline for LPTV stations to complete their digital conversions further pressured small-scale outlets, resulting in numerous license cancellations and call sign deletions throughout the 2010s.^[45] Formats such as religious programming, home shopping, and local community content were common among these stations, often serving niche audiences in rural or underserved areas. As of November 2025, no major new closures have been reported, though ongoing FCC incentive auctions continue to pressure small operators.^[46] Recent closures in the 2020s have continued this trend, driven by factors including FCC non-renewals for failure to demonstrate continued operation and economic challenges for independent owners.^[47] Representative examples of defunct low-power and Class A stations illustrate these patterns, with many analog-era outlets ceasing broadcasts immediately after the DTV transition due to redundancy with digital signals. The legacy of these defunct low-power stations includes contributions to hyper-local content, such as high school sports coverage and faith-based programming, which filled gaps left by larger networks. In some cases, their frequencies were reassigned as translators for full-power stations or integrated into multicast services, enhancing signal extension without independent operations.^[47]

Supplementary Information

Digital Subchannels and Multicast Services

Digital multicasting in Ohio allows full-power television stations to transmit multiple programming streams within a single 6 MHz channel using the Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP), as defined by the ATSC A/65 standard adopted by the FCC.^[52][53] This enables stations to allocate their total bandwidth of approximately 19.39 Mbps across 2 to 6 subchannels, typically with the primary channel in high definition (HD) and secondary subchannels in standard definition (SD) to optimize capacity. Under ATSC 1.0, the prevailing standard, subchannels often carry syndicated content, classic television, or niche programming, expanding viewer options without additional spectrum use.^[54] Common digital subchannel networks in Ohio include Antenna TV, MeTV, Heroes & Icons (H&I), Grit, Ion Television, Laff, and Cozi TV, which focus on retro sitcoms, dramas, movies, and lifestyle content.^[55] For instance, WXIX-TV in Cincinnati airs H&I on 19.2, Grit on 19.4, and Ion on 19.5 alongside its primary Fox affiliation.^[56] Public broadcasting stations, such as those affiliated with Ohio's public media networks, frequently multicast PBS Kids on secondary channels for educational children's programming and Create for how-to shows.^[57] These subchannels enhance programming diversity, with networks like TBD and Bounce TV also appearing on digital tiers in markets like Columbus and Dayton.^[58] In Ohio's top designated market areas (DMAs), multicasting adoption is robust, with approximately 80% of full-power stations in Cleveland offering three or more subchannels to serve diverse audiences.^[55] Similar trends hold in Cincinnati and Columbus, where stations like WKYC in Cleveland utilize subchannels for additional content, including True Crime Network on 3.2, Cozi TV on 3.3, and Quest on 3.4.^[59] Technically, ATSC 1.0 limits subchannel quality due to bandwidth constraints, often restricting secondary streams to SD while the primary remains HD, though this supports up to six subchannels per station. In contrast, the emerging ATSC 3.0 standard enables higher-resolution multicasting, including HD and 4K on multiple streams with improved efficiency. By November 2025, ATSC 3.0 has been deployed on four Ohio stations, such as WSTR-TV in Cincinnati (owned by Deerfield Media), WRGT-TV in Dayton (Sinclair Broadcast Group), WWHO in Columbus (Sinclair Broadcast Group), and public station WCVN-TV in Cincinnati (Kentucky Authority for Educational Television), allowing enhanced subchannel capabilities while maintaining ATSC 1.0 simulcasts for compatibility.^[60]

Licensing and Regulatory Notes

Television stations in Ohio operate under the regulatory oversight of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which governs full-power commercial and noncommercial licenses through competitive auctions designed to allocate spectrum efficiently. The most recent major allocation for full-power television licenses occurred as part of the FCC's Broadcast Incentive Auction (Auction 1000/1001/1002), which concluded in 2017 and resulted in the repurposing of UHF spectrum for wireless broadband while issuing new broadcast licenses, with the post-auction repack completing in 2020.^[61] Low-power television (LPTV) and Class A stations in Ohio renew their licenses every eight years, with applications due four months prior to expiration to ensure continued compliance with operational standards.^[62] All television facilities in the state—encompassing full-power stations, LPTV outlets, translators, and boosters—fall under FCC jurisdiction, with Ohio hosting over 600 such entities as of 2025. Ohio's public broadcasting sector, including stations affiliated with Ohio Public Broadcasting, maintains close ties to state universities, such as WOUB Public Media at Ohio University and WOSU Public Media at Ohio State University, facilitating educational programming and resource sharing.^[63][64] These integrations support noncommercial licenses but have faced financial pressures from 2025 state and federal budget reductions, including approximately $965,000 in cuts to Ohio Public Broadcasting operations, prompting operational adjustments like staff reductions.^[65][66] Compliance with FCC Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rules requires multi-station owners in Ohio, such as Nexstar Media Group—which operates outlets like WJW in Cleveland and WCMH in Columbus—to file annual EEO public file reports and biennial ownership reports detailing recruitment and hiring practices.^[67][68] In border markets shared with Michigan and Indiana, stations must adhere to FCC interference mitigation rules, including coordination to prevent signal overlap and blanketing interference within the 1 V/m contour.^[69][70] Recent FCC actions include mid-term EEO reviews initiated in June 2025 for Ohio television station employment units with five or more full-time employees, examining compliance with recruitment outreach over the prior two years.^[71] No new full-power television licenses have been issued in Ohio since the completion of the 2019 broadcast repack, which relocated stations to new channels and exhausted available full-power spectrum allotments.^[72][73]