WOWT

WOWT is a television station based in Omaha, Nebraska, operating on virtual channel 6 and serving the Omaha television market. It is affiliated with NBC and is owned by Gray Media. The station’s studios are located at Kiewit Plaza near downtown Omaha, while its transmitter operates from the North 72nd Street and Crown Point Avenue tower area in north-central Omaha. The station began broadcasting on August 29, 1949, as WOW-TV. It was the first television station to sign on in Nebraska and became one of the earliest television broadcasters in the Upper Midwest. Its original ownership was Radio Station WOW, Inc., which also operated WOW radio in Omaha and KODY in North Platte. Meredith Corporation acquired the WOW stations in 1951, beginning a period of corporate ownership that would shape the station’s early development. WOW-TV initially operated primarily as an NBC affiliate and carried some ABC programming. In the mid-1950s, it also became associated with CBS programming as Omaha’s network affiliations changed. On January 1, 1956, the station became Omaha’s CBS outlet, exchanging affiliations with KMTV. The arrangement continued until 1986, when the station returned to NBC on June 29 after negotiations with the network. NBC has remained WOWT’s principal network affiliation since that time. In 1975, Meredith sold the station to Chronicle Publishing Company. The transaction led to the adoption of the WOWT call letters on July 9, 1975. Because federal call-sign conventions ordinarily required a station west of the Mississippi River to use a K-prefixed call sign, Chronicle obtained a regulatory waiver allowing the station to retain the historic W-based identity. WOWT consequently became one of the westernmost American television stations with a W call sign. The station has emphasized local news, weather, sports, and community coverage throughout its history. It was an early adopter of local color broadcasting, live reporting during newscasts, multiple daily news editions, and online publishing. WOWT launched a station website in 1993, making it the first Omaha television station to do so according to the station’s historical account. Its news operation later expanded through branded services, additional broadcasts, sports programming, and digital subchannels. The station currently produces one of the largest weekly volumes of locally originated television news in the Omaha market. WOWT has also been associated with notable broadcasters. Johnny Carson worked at the station in the early 1950s, hosting a program called The Squirrel’s Nest before his national career. Steve Bell, who later became an ABC News and Good Morning America correspondent, worked at Channel 6 during the 1960s and reported from Dallas after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Ownership changed again in 1999, when Chronicle sold its media holdings. WOWT was transferred to Benedek Broadcasting through a transaction involving LIN TV Corporation. Gray Television acquired Benedek in 2002, bringing WOWT into the Gray station group. In 2021, Gray acquired Meredith Corporation, reuniting WOWT with several stations that had formerly shared ownership with it. The station has historically reached beyond Omaha, including through cable carriage in Lincoln, Nebraska, despite Lincoln being assigned to a separate television market. That arrangement declined after Gray acquired KSNB-TV, which assumed a more direct NBC role for Lincoln-area viewers. WOWT remains principally positioned as an Omaha-focused NBC affiliate, with its brand built around local journalism, weather alerts, sports, and regional service.

WOWT began broadcasting at noon on August 29, 1949, as WOW-TV. The station was the first television outlet in Nebraska and emerged during the initial expansion of commercial television in the American Midwest. Its original owner, Radio Station WOW, Inc., also controlled WOW radio in Omaha and KODY in North Platte. Meredith Corporation purchased the WOW stations in 1951. The station’s early network history reflected the fluid affiliation structure of the Omaha and Lincoln markets. WOW-TV launched primarily with NBC programming and also carried ABC content. After KFOR-TV began broadcasting from Lincoln in 1953, WOW-TV lost its ABC programming, although later market changes led to shared ABC carriage with KMTV. In January 1955, the station also became a secondary CBS affiliate after the WOW radio operations changed their network relationship. On January 1, 1956, WOW-TV became Omaha’s primary CBS station in an affiliation exchange with KMTV. It remained associated with CBS for three decades. During its early years, WOW-TV developed a reputation for local programming and broadcasting talent. Johnny Carson’s first television work took place at the station in the early 1950s, where he hosted The Squirrel’s Nest. Steve Bell later worked at Channel 6 before joining ABC News. Bell was the only local reporter to travel to Dallas to cover the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. Meredith considered selling WOW-TV to Pulitzer Publishing in 1974, but that proposed transaction did not close. Pulitzer instead acquired KETV. Meredith sold Channel 6 to Chronicle Publishing Company in 1975. On July 9 of that year, the station adopted the WOWT call letters. The new owner sought to preserve the established WOW identity, and the Federal Communications Commission granted a waiver permitting the station to retain a W-prefixed call sign despite its location west of the Mississippi River. WOWT returned to NBC on June 29, 1986, reversing the 1956 affiliation exchange. The station also developed a series of technical and programming distinctions in the Omaha market. It was an early local color broadcaster, pioneered live reports in daily newscasts, and became the first Omaha station to offer three live daily news editions. In 1993, it launched a station website, an early digital initiative for a local broadcaster. In 1991, the news operation changed its branding from Action News 6 to Channel 6 News. Four years later, WOWT introduced NEWS on ONE, a cable news service carried through Cox Communications. The service was subsequently renamed News 4 You after moving to another Cox channel in 2009. The sports department also introduced Channel 6 Sunday Sports Extra in 1995, a weekly program focused on local and regional sports. The station entered digital multicast television in October 2005 with a UPN service branded UPN Omaha. After UPN and The WB ceased operating as separate networks in 2006, the subchannel became an independent service called 62O. It later carried Universal Sports, but that network’s transition to a cable-and-satellite model led WOWT to replace it in 2011 with a locally oriented weather service branded The Weather Authority Channel. Chronicle sold its media assets in 1999. WOWT was transferred to Benedek Broadcasting through a three-party transaction involving LIN TV Corporation. Gray Television acquired Benedek in 2002. Gray later purchased Meredith Corporation in 2021, bringing WOWT back into common ownership with several former sister stations after a separation of more than four decades. For many years, WOWT was widely carried by cable systems in Lincoln, approximately 52 miles from Omaha, even though Lincoln belonged to a separate designated market area. The station’s analog signal reached parts of the Lincoln region, and its on-air legal identifications historically included Lincoln. This role diminished after Gray acquired KSNB-TV, which became the primary local NBC outlet for Lincoln-area viewers. WOWT is now principally an Omaha station. WOWT ended regular analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009, as part of the United States digital television transition. Its digital signal continued using virtual channel 6, with the physical digital transmission operating on UHF channel 22. The station marked the transition with a retrospective video connecting its 1949 launch to the digital era and temporarily retained an analog signal under the federal SAFER Act to provide transition information. The station’s current identity centers on NBC network programming, locally produced news, weather alerts, sports, and digital content. Its news output has generally ranked among the largest in the Omaha market by weekly hours. The news brand was updated to WOWT 6 News in 2013 and later became associated with the First Alert 6 name.

1. 2021Gray acquires Meredith

   Gray’s acquisition of Meredith reunites WOWT with several former sister stations.

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2. 2013News identity updated to WOWT 6 News

   The station rebrands its local newscasts under the WOWT 6 News name.

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3. 2011Weather Authority Channel replaces Universal Sports

   The station replaces Universal Sports on its second digital subchannel with a local weather service.

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4. 2009Analog broadcasting ends

   WOWT ends regular analog transmission and continues digital broadcasting using virtual channel 6.

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5. 2005UPN Omaha launches

   WOWT launches a UPN-affiliated second digital subchannel.

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6. 2002Gray acquires Benedek

   Gray Television acquires Benedek Broadcasting and adds WOWT to its station portfolio.

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7. 1999Chronicle exits television ownership

   Chronicle sells its media holdings, leading to WOWT’s transfer to Benedek Broadcasting through a transaction involving LIN TV.

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8. 1993Station website launched

   WOWT launches what it describes as Omaha’s first local television station website.

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9. 1986Return to NBC

   WOWT rejoins NBC on June 29 after three decades associated with CBS.

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10. 1975WOWT call letters adopted

    Following the sale to Chronicle Publishing, the station changes its call sign to WOWT while preserving the historic WOW identity.

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11. 1956WOW-TV becomes Omaha’s CBS station

    The station exchanges affiliations with KMTV and becomes Omaha’s CBS outlet.

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12. 1951Meredith acquires the WOW stations

    Meredith Corporation purchases the WOW radio and television properties, including WOW-TV.

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13. 1949WOW-TV begins broadcasting

    WOW-TV signs on from Omaha on August 29 and becomes the first television station in Nebraska.

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A locally focused NBC television station combining regional news, weather, sports, network programming, and digital distribution for Omaha and nearby communities.

• NBC programmingNetwork television1949

  WOWT carries NBC network programming for the Omaha market. The NBC affiliation has been central to the station’s current identity since its return to the network in 1986, complementing locally produced news, weather, and public-service content.

• First Alert 6Local news and weather2018

  First Alert 6 is the station’s current local news identity, covering Omaha and surrounding communities through regularly scheduled newscasts, breaking-news reports, severe-weather information, regional investigations, and community stories.

• WOWT digital newsDigital media1993

  WOWT’s website and associated digital channels extend its local reporting beyond linear television. The station publishes news, weather, video, alerts, sports, and other material for users in the Omaha region.

• Channel 6 Sunday Sports ExtraSports programming1995

  This weekly half-hour sports program was introduced in 1995 as a dedicated local sports-news offering airing after the Sunday late-evening newscast. It represented an early effort by the station to give sports its own recurring local format.

• Digital multicast servicesMulticast television2005

  WOWT has used its digital subchannels for several services, including UPN Omaha, the independent 62O service, Universal Sports, and a weather-focused channel. These services have allowed the station to broaden its programming beyond the main NBC signal.

• 2018Reintroduction of weekday 4 p.m. newscastProduct launch

  WOWT had previously been an early Omaha station to offer a 4 p.m. newscast, but the format had later been discontinued.

  What changed. The station restored a weekday 4 p.m. local newscast on July 16, 2018.

  Aftermath. The move increased WOWT’s local-news inventory and placed it in direct competition with KMTV’s afternoon newscast.

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• 2015Resolve Cox retransmission disputeOther

  A retransmission-consent agreement covering WOWT and other Gray stations expired at the end of 2014. A short extension was followed by a temporary removal from Cox lineups.

  What changed. Gray and Cox negotiated a replacement agreement, restoring WOWT and the other affected stations on January 11, 2015.

  Aftermath. The temporary carriage interruption ended after several days, although the dispute illustrated the importance of retransmission agreements to local broadcast distribution.

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• 2011Launch of a weather-focused digital serviceProduct launch

  Universal Sports moved to exclusive cable and satellite distribution, making it unsuitable for continued carriage on WOWT’s broadcast subchannel.

  What changed. WOWT replaced Universal Sports with The Weather Authority Channel, associated with The Local AccuWeather Channel.

  Aftermath. The subchannel shifted from national sports programming toward locally relevant weather information.

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• 2005Launch of UPN Omaha digital subchannelProduct launch

  Digital television enabled local broadcasters to add programming services without replacing their main channel.

  What changed. WOWT launched UPN Omaha on its second digital subchannel in October 2005.

  Aftermath. After UPN ended operations in 2006, the service became the independent 62O channel and later carried Universal Sports.

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• 1986Return to NBCStrategy

  WOWT had operated as Omaha’s CBS station since 1956, but negotiations with NBC created an opportunity to reverse the earlier affiliation exchange.

  What changed. WOWT switched back to NBC on June 29, 1986.

  Aftermath. NBC became the station’s continuing primary network affiliation.

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• 1975Preserve the WOW identity through a call-sign changeStrategy

  After Chronicle Publishing acquired the station, the owner wanted to retain the established WOW identity even though normal call-sign conventions posed a geographic issue for a W-prefixed station west of the Mississippi River.

  What changed. The station adopted WOWT and obtained an FCC waiver allowing it to continue using a W-based call sign.

  Aftermath. WOWT retained the historical association with WOW radio and WOW-TV while establishing the call sign it uses today.

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• 2018WOWT expands weekday afternoon news

  The station restored a weekday 4 p.m. newscast, increasing its local news presence and competing directly with another Omaha station’s afternoon broadcast.

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• 2015WOWT stations temporarily dropped from Cox cable systems

  WOWT and two other Gray-owned stations were removed from Cox cable lineups after a retransmission-consent agreement expired. The stations returned after a new agreement was reached several days later.

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• 1986WOWT returns to NBC affiliation

  WOWT reversed its earlier network switch and rejoined NBC on June 29, 1986.

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• 1975Station adopts WOWT call letters

  After Chronicle Publishing acquired the station, it changed its call letters from WOW-TV to WOWT on July 9, retaining the historic WOW identity under an FCC waiver.

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• 1956WOW-TV becomes Omaha’s CBS outlet

  Following an affiliation exchange with KMTV, WOW-TV officially became Omaha’s CBS television station on January 1, 1956.

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• 1949WOW-TV signs on as Nebraska’s first television station

  The station began broadcasting from Omaha on August 29, 1949, initially using the WOW-TV call sign.

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1. WOWT
2. WOWT official website