WTOK-TV
  
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Meridian, Mississippi United States |
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| City | Meridian |
| Branding | Channel 11 (general) NewsCenter 11 (newscasts) myTOK2 (on DT2) Meridian CW 8 (on DT3) |
| Slogan |
Your News Leader for East Mississippi and West Alabama |
| Channels |
Digital: 11 (VHF) Virtual: 11 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 11.1 ABC 11.2 MyNetworkTV/JTV 11.3 CW+ |
| Owner |
Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC) |
| First air date | September 26, 1953 |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 11 (VHF, 1953–2009) Digital: 49 (UHF, until 2009) |
| Former affiliations |
Primary: CBS (1953–1980) Secondary: DuMont (1953–1955) NBC (1953–1972) Fox (mid-1990s) DT2: Fox / The Sportsman Channel (2006–2009) |
| Transmitter power | 40 kW |
| Height | 160 m |
| Class | DT |
| Facility ID | 4686 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°19′39.5″N 88°41′28″W / 32.327639°N 88.69111°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website |
www.WTOK.com www.MeridianCW.com |
WTOK-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Meridian, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter south of Meridian on Crestview Circle (along MS 145/Roebuck Drive) in unincorporated Lauderdale County. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 431. The station is owned by Gray Television and operated by the ABC Owned Television Stations subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company through a local marketing agreement. WTOK has studios at 815 23rd Avenue in Meridian's Mid-Town section.
It began broadcasting on September 25, 1953 [1] as the second television station in Mississippi and the first on the VHF band. WTOK was originally owned by Southern Television Corporation founded by Robert F. Wright. WJTV in Jackson had started broadcasting in January of that year on a UHF frequency. WTOK started as a primary CBS affiliate but carried programming from ABC, NBC, and DuMont as well. DuMont folded in 1955 and NBC went to WHTV (now WMDN) in 1972 (via its status as a satellite of Tupelo's WTWV now WTVA). It became an exclusive ABC affiliate in 1980 sending CBS to WHTV. ABC had become the highest-rated network in the nation by this time and wanted a station that would clear all of its programming. Wright sold the station to the Hobby family of Houston, Texas in 1981. In 1983, the Hobbys reorganized their broadcast holdings as H&C Communications after the Post was sold. H&C then sold WTOK to United Broadcasting who also owned KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1984.
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