Full-Power TV Stations
Major DMA Markets
KET PBS Transmitters
First KY TV Station (WAVE)
Kentucky's television landscape features diverse broadcasting markets serving the Bluegrass State, ranging from major metropolitan areas like Louisville and Lexington to smaller regional markets across the Commonwealth. The state's unique geography creates overlapping coverage zones, with multiple markets serving different regions and the nation's largest statewide PBS network reaching nearly every corner of Kentucky.
Kentucky television broadcasting began on November 24, 1948, when WAVE-TV in Louisville became Kentucky's first TV station and the 41st in the United States. The station made history the following year by broadcasting the first live telecast of the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 1949, using the first Zoomar lens in television sports broadcasting.
Kentucky is served by five major Designated Market Areas (DMA), with several out-of-state markets extending coverage into the Commonwealth. Nielsen rankings are for the 2024-2025 television season.
| Market | DMA Rank | TV Households | Primary Coverage Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | #33 | ~950,000 | Northern Kentucky (Covington, Newport, Florence, Ft. Thomas) |
| Louisville | #49 | 662,170 | North Central Kentucky, Jefferson County |
| Lexington | #63 | 517,660 | Central Kentucky, Bluegrass Region (40 counties) |
| Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg | #90 | 378,520 | Western Kentucky (10 counties) |
| Evansville-Owensboro-Henderson | #109 | 290,790 | Northwestern Kentucky |
| Bowling Green | #183 | ~110,000 | South Central Kentucky |
| Huntington-Charleston (WV) | #73 | ~460,000 | Eastern Kentucky (Ashland, Pike County) |
Louisville is Kentucky's largest television market with approximately 662,170 TV households, representing 0.6% of the U.S. population. The market features highly competitive news operations and has a rich broadcasting heritage dating to 1948.
Network: NBC | Channel: 3 (VHF Digital) | Owner: Gray Media
Website: wave3.com
History: WAVE first signed on November 24, 1948, as Kentucky's first television station and the 41st in the United States. The station has been an NBC affiliate since its debut. WAVE made history on May 7, 1949, by presenting the first live telecast of the Kentucky Derby in U.S. history, using the first Zoomar lens in television sports broadcasting.
Notable Milestones:
Studios: South Floyd Street, Downtown Louisville
Transmitter: Floyds Knobs, Indiana
Power: 100 kW
Network: ABC | Channel: 11 (VHF Digital) | Owner: Tegna Inc.
Website: whas11.com
History: WHAS-TV signed on March 27, 1950, as Louisville's second television station. Founded by the Bingham family (publishers of The Courier-Journal and operators of WHAS 840 AM radio), the station originally operated as a CBS affiliate until September 8, 1990, when it rejoined ABC after nearly 30 years with CBS.
Notable Programs:
Subchannels: 11.1 ABC, 11.2 True Crime, 11.3 Quest, 11.4 CourtTV
Studios: West Chestnut Street, Downtown Louisville
Transmitter: Northeastern Floyd County, Indiana
Signed On: March 27, 1950
Network: FOX | Channel: 41 (UHF Digital) | Owner: Block Communications (pending sale to Gray Media)
Website: wdrb.com
History: WDRB signed on February 28, 1971, as Louisville's first independent television station and the market's fourth commercial broadcaster. The call letters stand for "Derby." WDRB became a FOX affiliate on October 9, 1986, and launched its news department on March 12, 1990.
News Operations: WDRB delivers over 11 hours of weekday newscasts, positioning it as the largest local news operation in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The station is a ratings powerhouse, consistently winning viewership in key demographics across multiple time slots.
Awards: Won 19 Emmy Awards at the 2024 Ohio Valley Emmy Ceremony, including Overall Station Excellence.
Recent Development: In August 2025, Gray Media agreed to purchase WDRB and sister station WBKI from Block Communications for $80 million, pending regulatory approval.
Location: 624 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville
Power: 1000 kW
License Expires: August 1, 2029
Network: CBS | Channel: 32 (UHF Digital) | Owner: Hearst Television
Website: wlky.com
WLKY signed on September 16, 1961, as an ABC affiliate, causing WHAS-TV to become a CBS-exclusive affiliate. The station provides comprehensive news, weather, traffic, and sports coverage for Louisville and surrounding areas.
Networks: The CW / MyNetworkTV | Channel: 58 (UHF Digital) | Owner: Block Communications
Licensed to Salem, Indiana, WBKI serves as Louisville's dual CW and MyNetworkTV affiliate. Sister station to WDRB, part of pending Gray Media acquisition.
Network: PBS / Kentucky Educational Television | Channel: 15 (Digital) | Owner: Kentucky Authority for Educational TV
Power: 60.3 kW
WKPC is part of the statewide KET network. In 1997, KET took over WKPC-TV, which had formerly been a separate public television station in Louisville. On August 19, 1999, WKPC-DT became the first Kentucky television station to begin digital broadcasts.
The Lexington market serves 517,660 TV households across 40 counties in central Kentucky's Bluegrass Region. The market experienced 1% growth from the 2023-2024 to 2024-2025 television seasons.
Network: NBC | Channel: 18 (UHF Digital) | Owner: E. W. Scripps Company
Website: lex18.com
History: WLEX-TV began broadcasting in March 1955 as the first television station in Lexington and has been an NBC affiliate for its entire history. The founding ownership retained control for 44 years until selling to Cordillera Communications in 1999. E. W. Scripps Company acquired the station in 2019.
Coverage: WLEX's broadcast area spans 40 counties across central Kentucky, making it one of the most extensive coverage areas in the state.
Programming Highlights:
Subchannels: 18.1 NBC (1080i HD), 18.2 Grit, 18.3 Bounce TV, 18.4 Court TV, 18.5 QVC2
Studios: 1065 Russell Cave Road (KY 353), Lexington
Phone: (859) 259-1818
Power: 1100 kW
Signed On: March 1955
Networks: CBS / The CW | Channel: 27 (UHF Digital) | Owner: Gray Media
Website: wkyt.com
History: WKYT-TV signed on in September 1957 as the CBS affiliate for Lexington and has been "Standing for Kentucky" ever since. The station serves Central and Eastern Kentucky with comprehensive local news and sports coverage.
News Schedule: Newscasts air weekdays at 5-7am, 10-10:30am, noon-1pm, 4-6:30pm, 11-11:30pm, and weekends at 6pm and 11pm.
Original Programming:
Market Performance: WKYT regularly competes with WLEX for market leadership, with WKYT traditionally performing better in rural areas while WLEX leads in Fayette County itself.
Studios: Winchester Road (US 60), near I-75, East Lexington
Power: 30 kW
Signed On: September 1957
Network: ABC | Channel: 36 (UHF Digital) | Owner: Nexstar Media Group
Power: 2240 kW
WTVQ serves as Lexington's ABC affiliate, providing network programming, local news, and sports coverage for the Bluegrass Region.
Network: FOX | Channel: 56 (UHF Digital) | Owner: Sinclair Broadcast Group
Website: fox56news.com
FOX 56 covers news, sports, weather, and traffic for central Kentucky including Frankfort, Georgetown, Paris, Nicholasville, Richmond, Danville, Berea, Winchester, Harrodsburg, Lancaster, Junction City, Versailles, and Wilmore.
The Cincinnati Designated Market Area extensively covers Northern Kentucky, including the cities of Covington, Newport, Florence, Fort Thomas, Fort Mitchell, and Erlanger. Cincinnati stations have approximately 950,000 TV households across the Tri-State area of southwestern Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeastern Indiana.
Network: ABC | Channel: 9 (UHF Digital 26) | Owner: E. W. Scripps Company (flagship station)
Website: wcpo.com
Coverage Area: WCPO serves the Tri-State area encompassing southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and southeastern Indiana. The station is the flagship property of the locally-based E. W. Scripps Company.
Studios: Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati, next to the Elsinore Arch
Transmitter: Symmes Street, Walnut Hills section of Cincinnati
News Coverage: WCPO emphasizes consumer advocacy, breaking news, and severe weather coverage across greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana. Multiple daily newscasts include morning, midday, evening, and late-night programs.
Network History: WCPO rejoined ABC on June 3, 1996, after reversing a 1961 affiliation swap with WKRC.
Network: CBS | Channel: 12 (UHF Digital) | Owner: Sinclair Broadcast Group
Website: local12.com
Coverage: WKRC provides CBS programming and local news for the Cincinnati area, including Northern Kentucky communities such as Covington, Erlanger, Florence, Fort Mitchell, Fort Thomas, and Newport.
News Performance: WKRC and WCPO frequently compete for first place in local news viewership. Typically, WCPO leads evening news while WKRC leads in mornings and late evenings.
Subchannels: 12.1 CBS, 12.2 CW (WKRC CW HDTV)
Transmitter Location: The WKRC tower is located a bit east of downtown Cincinnati near I-71, providing approximately 55-65 mile radius coverage.
Network: FOX | Channel: 19 (UHF Digital) | Owner: Gray Media
Licensed to: Newport, Kentucky
Power: 4680 kW
Licensed directly to Newport, Kentucky, WXIX serves as the Cincinnati market's FOX affiliate with comprehensive news, weather, and sports coverage throughout the Tri-State region.
Network: PBS | Channel: 54 (UHF Digital) | Licensed to: Covington, Kentucky
Power: 53.5 kW
WCVN is licensed to Covington, Kentucky, providing PBS programming to Northern Kentucky and the greater Cincinnati area.
Kentucky Educational Television (KET) is the largest PBS state network in the United States, with 16 transmitters covering nearly all of Kentucky plus parts of seven surrounding states: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
History: KET's founding was conceived in 1959 by O. Leonard Press. The Kentucky Authority for Educational Television was established in 1962, and broadcasting began on September 23, 1968 - beating the debut of PBS by one year. KET was a member of National Educational Television (NET) for its first two years before joining PBS at its creation in 1970.
Milestone Achievement: KET was the first network in the nation designed to reach everyone in a state at once, setting a new standard for educational broadcasting.
KET operates four dedicated TV channels reaching across eight states:
Digital Broadcasting Pioneer: On August 19, 1999, KET's Louisville station WKPC-DT became the first Kentucky television station to begin digital broadcasts, placing KET among the first 10 public broadcasters nationwide to offer digital programming.
NEXTGEN TV broadcasting is available in Louisville and Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati areas, offering enhanced video/audio quality, more streams, and better reception with compatible TVs and HD antennas.
| Call Sign | Channel | City/Region | Market Served |
|---|---|---|---|
| WKPC | 15 | Louisville | Louisville Market |
| WKLE | - | Lexington | Lexington Market |
| WKPD | 29 | Paducah | Western Kentucky |
| WKMU | 21 | Murray | Western Kentucky |
| WKOH | 31 | Owensboro | Northwestern Kentucky |
| WKMA | 35 | Madisonville | Western Kentucky |
TV Households: 378,520 | Population: ~679,000 | Coverage: 44 counties across 4 states
This sprawling television market covers 10 counties in Western Kentucky, 21 counties in southeast Missouri, 14 counties in southern Illinois, and 6 counties in northwest Tennessee. It's the only market in America where ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates are based in separate states.
Owner: Paxton Media Group
Studios: 4th Street & Kentucky Avenue, Downtown Paducah
Coverage: 50+ counties in Western Kentucky, Missouri Bootheel, Southern Illinois, Northwest Tennessee
History: Signed on May 28, 1957. Call letters stand for "Paducah Sun-Democrat." Owned by Paxton family for entire existence alongside The Paducah Sun newspaper.
Focus: Among the market's big three, WPSD concentrates more on Western Kentucky coverage.
Owner: Gray Television
Licensed to: Cape Girardeau, Missouri (market flagship)
History: Signed on October 3, 1954, as the CBS affiliate for the Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg market
News Bureaus: Poplar Bluff, MO and Carterville, IL
Also in Market: WSIL (ABC, Marion, IL - locally owned by Wheeler family), KBSI (FOX, Cape Girardeau - Sinclair)
TV Households: ~110,000 | Coverage: South Central Kentucky
Bowling Green is Kentucky's smallest television market and the only market in the state with a PBS station separate from the statewide KET network.
Owner: Gray Media
Studios: Russellville Road (US 68/KY 80), West Bowling Green
History: Signed on June 3, 1962, as WLTV. ABC affiliate since 1967.
Market Position: WBKO is a market leader and one of the most-viewed small-market stations in the United States. In 2008, it was the second-highest-rated ABC affiliate in markets ranked above 100. In 2018, WBKO accounted for 76.1% of all local TV advertising revenue in Bowling Green.
Subchannels: 13.1 ABC, 13.2 FOX, 13.3 The CW
Owner: Marquee Broadcasting
Studios: Chestnut Street, Downtown Bowling Green
Transmitter: Pilot Knob near Smiths Grove
History: Began as WQQB on December 17, 1989, as religious independent. Became NBC affiliate WNKY on March 27, 2001.
Subchannels: 40.1 NBC, 40.2 CBS, 40.3 Me-TV
Sports: Carries Tennessee Titans preseason games on Me-TV subchannel.
Also in Market: WBGS-CD 34 (Telemundo, Gray Media), WBKY (PBS - independent of KET, serving Bowling Green)
TV Households: 290,790 | Population: ~659,751 | Coverage: Tri-State area (Indiana-Illinois-Kentucky)
This market serves Northwestern Kentucky including Owensboro, Henderson, and surrounding counties, along with southwestern Indiana and southeastern Illinois.
TV Households: ~460,000 | Coverage: 31 counties in West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Ohio
The Charleston-Huntington market is the second-largest television market (by geographical area) east of the Mississippi River. Its coverage extends into Eastern Kentucky, serving communities like Ashland, Pikeville, and Pike County.
Transmitter Locations: Three tall broadcasting towers on Barker's Ridge northeast of Huntington: WSAZ-TV (966 ft), WOWK-TV (1159 ft), WVPB-TV PBS (1060 ft)
Kentucky residents can receive free, high-definition digital television signals over-the-air using an antenna. Major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS) broadcast from centrally located towers in each market.
NEXTGEN TV Benefits:
Requirements: NEXTGEN TV-compatible television and HD antenna (same antennas work for both standard digital TV and NEXTGEN TV)
Use these free online tools to determine which channels you can receive:
Major Networks Available:
Major Networks Available:
Many Kentucky locations can receive signals from multiple markets. For example, some Northern Kentucky homes can receive both Cincinnati and Lexington stations with a quality outdoor antenna, providing access to 150+ channels.
| Market | Indoor Antenna Range | Outdoor Antenna Range | Primary Coverage Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 20-25 miles | 60-70 miles | Louisville, Jeffersontown, Shively, St. Matthews, Prospect |
| Lexington | 20-25 miles | 50-65 miles | Lexington, Georgetown, Nicholasville, Richmond, Winchester |
| Cincinnati | 20-25 miles | 55-65 miles | Covington, Newport, Florence, Erlanger, Ft. Thomas, Ft. Mitchell |
| Bowling Green | 15-20 miles | 40-55 miles | Bowling Green, Franklin, Scottsville |
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