Benedek Broadcasting

Benedek Broadcasting was a television broadcasting company, who owned and operated 22 network-affiliated television stations throughout the United States, all affiliated with major television networks, serving mainly small and medium-size markets. The company was founded in the late 1970s by A. Richard Benedek but grew in the 1990s with buyouts of Brisette Broadcasting and Stauffer Communications. The company was based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Throughout its existence, namesake Benedek served as chairman and chief executive officer.

Benedek also owned U.S. Virgin Islands station WBNB-TV starting in 1986, but was knocked off the air by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Its facilities were so badly damaged that Benedek, with no financial resources to rebuild, essentially chose to abandon the station, and its license was deleted in 1995.

Benedek Broadcasting filed for bankruptcy in 2002, and sold off its 22 stations to different owners, many of them to Gray Television with the balance (all small or struggling stations) going to Chelsey Broadcasting. Barrington Broadcasting which began operations in 2004 with former Benedek president and COO K. James Yager as CEO, occupied what had been Benedek's headquarters and purchased two of the former Benedek stations which had been purchased by Chelsey, until it was acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2013.

Benedek Broadcasting had also operated Benedek Interactive Media, an 'Internet newsroom' that extended web-only coverage and editorial capabilities to its stations.

List of stations formerly owned by Benedek

Stations are arranged alphabetically by state and by city of license.

City of License / Market Station Channel
TV (RF)
Years owned Current ownership status
Dothan, Alabama WTVY 4 (36) 1995–2002 CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television
Santa Maria - Santa Barbara -
San Luis Obispo, California
KCOY-TV 12 (19) 1996–1999 CBS affiliate owned by VistaWest Media, LLC
(Operated through SSA by News-Press & Gazette Company)
Colorado Springs - Pueblo, Colorado KKTV 11 (10) 1999–2002 CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television
Peoria, Illinois WHOI 19 (19) 1996–2002 Comet TV affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Freeport - Rockford, Illinois WIFR 23 (41) 1986–2002 defunct, License cancelled in 2017.
(Intellectual unit and CBS programming transferred to a Gray Television-owned license and renamed WIFR-LD.)
Topeka, Kansas WIBW-TV 13 (13) 1996–2002 CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television
Wichita, Kansas KAKE-TV 10 (10) 2000–2002 ABC affiliate owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group
Bowling Green, Kentucky WBKO 13 (13) 1983–2002 ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television
Springfield - Holyoke, Massachusetts WWLP 22 (11) 1996–2000 NBC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Lansing, Michigan WILX-TV 10 (10) 1996–2002 NBC affiliate owned by Gray Television
Duluth, Minnesota KDLH 3 (33) 1985–2002 The CW affiliate owned by Quincy Media
Meridian, Mississippi WTOK-TV 11 (11) 1988–2002 ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television
Columbia - Jefferson City, Missouri KMIZ 17 (17) 1996–2002 ABC affiliate owned by News-Press & Gazette Company
Hannibal, Missouri - Quincy, Illinois KHQA-TV 7 (7) 1986–2002 CBS affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Omaha, Nebraska WOWT-TV 6 (22) 1999–2002 NBC affiliate owned by Gray Television
Youngstown, Ohio WYTV 33 (36) 1985–2002 ABC affiliate owned by Vaughan Media
(Operated through SSA by Nexstar Media Group)
Odessa - Midland, Texas KOSA-TV 7 (7) 1996–2000 CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television
Wichita Falls, Texas KAUZ-TV 6 (22) 1996–2002 CBS affiliate owned by American Spirit Media
(Operated through SSA by Gray Television)
Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands WBNB-TV 10 1986–1995 defunct, Off-air in 1989; license cancelled in 1995.
Harrisonburg, Virginia WHSV-TV 3 (49) 1986–2002 ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television
Parkersburg, West Virginia WTAP-TV 15 (49) 1979–2002 NBC affiliate owned by Gray Television
Wheeling, West Virginia - Steubenville, Ohio WTRF-TV 7 (7) 1996–2002 CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Madison, Wisconsin WMTV 15 (19) 1996–2002 NBC affiliate owned by Gray Television
Wausau - Rhinelander, Wisconsin WSAW-TV 7 (7) 1996–2002 CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television
Casper, Wyoming KGWC-TV 14 (14) 1996–2002 CBS affiliate owned by Big Horn Television, LLC
(operated through an SSA by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company)
Cheyenne, Wyoming KGWN-TV 5 (30) 1996–2002 CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television
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