WSOC-TV
| Company type | Television station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1957-04-28 |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina , United States |
Area served | Charlotte, North Carolina and surrounding areas |
| Products | Television broadcasting (ABC and Telemundo affiliates) |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
| Website | www |
WSOC-TV (channel 9) is a television station located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with both ABC and Telemundo. Owned by Cox Media Group, it operates alongside the independent station WAXN-TV (channel 64), licensed to Kannapolis. Both stations share their studio facilities on West 23rd Street, just north of uptown Charlotte. WSOC-TV’s transmission tower is situated near Reedy Creek Park in Newell.
History
WSOC-TV began broadcasting on April 28, 1957, becoming Charlotte’s third television outlet and its second on the VHF spectrum. Initially under Carolina Broadcasting and the Jones family, which also owned WSOC radio stations, it launched as a primary affiliate of NBC while holding a secondary affiliation with ABC. In 1959, Carolina Broadcasting merged with Miami Valley Broadcasting Company—an early form of Cox Enterprises—and established studios on North Tryon Street.
Due to limited reach of Channel 36’s UHF signal and its frequent changes, ABC maintained secondary affiliations with WSOC and WBTV. By 1967, WSOC had transitioned to an exclusive NBC affiliate as WCCB assumed full ABC affiliation. However, in 1978, responding to ABC’s surge in ratings and the network’s desire for stronger affiliates, WSOC reverted to a full-time ABC affiliation; NBC programming shifted to WRET (now WCNC-TV). Meanwhile, WCCB operated independently until joining Fox in 1986. The WSOC radio stations were divested in the early 1990s.
During the mid-1990s, as expanding local news programming limited available slots for syndicated shows, WSOC entered into a joint sales agreement with independent WKAY-TV (channel 64). This partnership led WKAY-TV to relocate operations to WSOC’s studios and rebrand as WAXN-TV. After FCC rules allowed duopolies, Cox acquired WAXN outright in 1999. From 1974 through 2001, WSOC-TV served as Charlotte’s "Love Network" broadcaster for the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon; subsequently, the telethon alternated between WSOC and WAXN before concluding in 2014.
On December 21, 2010, an armed woman entered WSOC’s studios causing a brief disruption to broadcasts; fortunately, no injuries resulted and the firearm was found unloaded.
In February 2019, Apollo Global Management announced plans to purchase Cox Media Group along with Northwest Broadcasting stations. This acquisition was finalized on December 17, 2019, encompassing Cox’s radio and advertising divisions under the Cox Media Group brand.
For the 2024–25 Charlotte Hornets season, Cox Media Group arranged a simulcast of five Hornets games on over-the-air channels; two games will be broadcast on WSOC while three will air on sister station WAXN.
News operation
WSOC-TV currently produces a total of 37½ hours of local newscasts each week—5½ hours on weekdays and five hours daily during weekends. Additionally, it generates another 17 hours weekly tailored for sister station WAXN-TV. This includes a two-hour extension of WSOC’s weekday morning newscast and a one-hour program at 10 p.m.
Since the early 1970s, WSOC-TV has used the Eyewitness News branding with a format resembling the Action News style employed by its sister station WSB-TV in Atlanta. When the evening newscast at 6 p.m. expanded to one hour, ABC World News Tonight was scheduled at 7 p.m. until changes in 1993 moved it back to a 6:30 p.m. slot.
For its initial quarter-century on air, WSOC’s newscasts trailed behind market leader WBTV. The addition of longtime WBTV anchor Doug Mayes as noon anchor in 1981 helped improve ratings significantly. By 1982, WSOC had taken the lead in the 11 p.m. timeslot—a position it maintained for nearly 25 years—and by 1990 it surpassed WBTV across most other time periods, although it lost the noon lead in 1994.
WSOC’s strong performance during early evening news was partly attributed to airing The Oprah Winfrey Show as a lead-in from 1986 until its conclusion in 2011. As of February 2011 ratings reports, WSOC led viewership across all timeslots except noon and 11 p.m., which were won by WBTV; by February 2013 it had lost its noon audience lead. Key staff departures by February 2016 caused WSOC to fall into second place in all time periods but it maintained solid ratings east of the Catawba River. By 2023, WSOC had reclaimed market leadership during three crucial newscast slots.
Since the year 2000, WSOC has produced a nightly newscast at 10 p.m. for WAXN-TV. This newscast was originally produced under a news-sharing agreement by WCCB before briefly shifting to WCNC. According to February 2011 ratings data, this WAXN broadcast ranked second behind WCCB and ahead of WBTV’s program on WJZY as well as WCNC’s late news slot. Bill Walker served as an anchor at WSOC from 1971 until his retirement in 2005—holding the record for longest-serving television anchor in Charlotte.
On April 22, 2007, WSOC became the first station in Charlotte and only the second in North Carolina to present local news in high definition; WAXN followed suit with an upgrade in October 2008. In September 2010, WSOC expanded WAXN’s morning news with an additional two-hour segment from 7 to 9 a.m., directly competing with its own Good Morning America broadcast.
On August 26, 2012, WSOC unveiled a refreshed news set along with updated graphics and modernized "Circle 9" logo that dated back to its original design from 1984. Due to growing viewer demand, on December 2, 2013, WAXN extended its nightly newscast at 10 p.m. to a full hour; this program had become Charlotte’s highest-rated prime time news offering ahead of rival shows produced by WCCB and WBTV for WJZY (now Fox).
Distinguished former on-air personnel
- Peter Daut – served as anchor and reporter from 2012 to 2014; currently affiliated with KESQ-TV
- Doreen Gentzler – anchor and reporter between 1979 and 1983; subsequently worked at WRC-TV until retiring in 2022
- Chuck Goudie – functioned as news reporter and sports anchor from 1977 to 1980; presently with WLS-TV
- Harold Johnson – held the position of sports director from 1979 through 2006; retired; ran as the 2010 Republican candidate for North Carolina's 8th Congressional District
- Michelle Kosinski – reporter; now part of the team at CNN
- Bob Lamey – sportscaster and former Indianapolis Colts radio play-by-play announcer; retired
- Diana Williams – reporter from 1979 to 1982; later joined WABC-TV; retired
Digital subchannels
The station broadcasts multiple digital subchannels:
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Identifier | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WSOC-TV | ABC |
| 9.2 | TMNDO. | Telemundo | ||
| 9.3 | 480i | 4:3 | getTV | Get |
| 9.4 | 16:9 | CometTV | Comet | |
| 64.3 | 480i | 16:9 | Mystery | Ion Mystery (WAXN-DT3) |
On March 9, 2017, WSOC-TV revealed plans to introduce Telemundo Charlotte on subchannel 9.2, which launched on June 1, supplanting Laff that relocated to WAXN-DT4. WSOC-DT2 took over pay-TV channel slots for Telemundo’s national feed in Charlotte and operates a secondary Spanish-language local news service utilizing WSOC’s resources alongside original journalism. This marked Charlotte’s first full-power over-the-air Spanish-language station. On May 2, 2022, GetTV transitioned from WAXN-TV to WSOC-TV's subchannel 9.3.
Transition from analog to digital
In compliance with the federal directive mandating full-power U.S. stations to convert to digital broadcasts, WSOC-TV terminated its analog transmission on VHF channel 9 on June 12, 2009. Initially, its digital broadcast continued on UHF channel 34 until relocating to channel 19 during the digital repack in 2019. After this switch, some viewers in Charlotte needed attic or rooftop antennas to receive a strong signal. Digital tuners display WSOC-TV as virtual channel 9, maintaining continuity with its former analog designation.
NextGen TV implementation
On June 29, 2021, WSOC-TV enhanced its broadcast capabilities by adopting NextGen TV, delivering improved audiovisual quality consistent with the latest broadcasting standards.
Translator stations
Although equipped with a powerful million-watt digital transmitter, WSOC-TV encountered coverage limitations post-digital transition. To mitigate these gaps, the station operates three digital translators: W26FA-D in Valdese, serving the Unifour region since May 28, 2009; WSOCTV1 broadcasting on VHF channel 12 from Crowders Mountain for Shelby since January 15, 2010; and WSOCTV2 located in Statesville on VHF channel 12 since June 23, 2012. These translators extend broadcast reach and enhance signal consistency. Previously, WSOC managed a translator for WAXN-TV in China Grove (WAXNTV1), which also carried WSOC programming until its closure on October 15, 2012.
W26FA-D Marion
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Identifier | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WSOC-TR | Broadcast simulcast of WSOC-TV |
| 6.2 | 480i | WAXN-TR | Ion Mystery (from WAXN-TV) |
WSOC-CR Shelby
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Identifier | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.5 | 720p | 16:9 | WSOC-CR | WSOC-TV simulcast |
| 9.6 | 480i | TELE-CR | Simulcast of WSOC subchannel 9.2 |
WSOC-ST Statesville
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Identifier | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.9 | 720p | 16:9 | WSOC-ST | Simulcast of WSOC-TV main channel |
| 9.10 | 480i | Tele-ST | Simulcast of WSOC subchannel 9.2 |
Out-of-market cable and DirecTV carriage
Beyond its primary Charlotte area, WSOC extends its availability to cable providers in the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, Greenville, Florence–Myrtle Beach, and Tri-Cities regions spanning North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Additionally, DirecTV offers WSOC service in multiple counties within the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point area.