Smith Media


Smith Media, LLC, successor to Smith Television aka Sunrise Television, was a broadcasting group co-based in Los Angeles, California and St. Petersburg, Florida, that formerly owned and operated several television stations across the United States. In 1986, it bought the three smaller television stations from publishing company Times Mirror Company. In 2002, Sunrise sold six of the stations to LIN Television.
Smith Television became Smith Media, LLC in 2004 at the death of Bob Smith, head of the family run organization. The family decided to re-capitalize their stations and sold the stations to Boston Ventures, which created Smith Media. The similarities in names have created much confusion.
During the early 2010s, Smith Media sold off its stations; on October 1, 2013, Smith Media reached a deal to sell its last remaining station, WKTV in Utica, New York, to Heartland Media, a company owned by former Gray Television executive Bob Prather, pending FCC approval. The sale was completed on March 20, 2014.

Former stations

Stations are arranged alphabetically by state and by city of license.
  • With the exception of KATN, KEYT, KJUD, KYUR, WFFF, & WKTV, the second incarnation of Smith Media never owned these stations. Smith Media, LLC was successor to Smith Television, Inc. who owned the following:
Media marketStateStationAcquiredSoldNotes
AnchorageAlaskaKIMO19952010
FairbanksAlaskaKATN20012010
JuneauAlaskaKJUD20012010
Santa BarbaraCaliforniaKEYT-TV19872012
Santa BarbaraCaliforniaKSBY19951996
Monterey–Santa CruzCaliforniaKSBW19951998
Dodge CityKansasKBSD-TV19891992
GoodlandKansasKBSL-TV19891992
HaysKansasKBSH-TV19891992
WichitaKansasKWCH-TV19891992
FlintMichiganWEYI-TV19972002
RenoNevadaKOLO-TV20002002
BinghamtonNew YorkWBGH-LP19972000
BuffaloNew YorkWGRZ-TV19861988
ElmiraNew YorkWETM-TV19862004
RochesterNew YorkWROC-TV19961999
UticaNew YorkWKTV19932014
WatertownNew YorkWWTI-TV19902000
WatertownNew YorkWNYF-LP19952002
BismarckNorth DakotaKFYR-TV19972002
DickinsonNorth DakotaKQCD-TV19972002
MinotNorth DakotaKMOT19972002
WillistonNorth DakotaKUMV-TV19972002
FargoNorth DakotaKVLY-TV19972002
DaytonOhioWDTN19982002
SteubenvilleOhioWTOV-TV19962000
ToledoOhioWUPW19992002
HarrisburgPennsylvaniaWHTM-TV19861994
JohnstownPennsylvaniaWJAC-TV19962000
ProvidenceRhode IslandWPRI-TV20012002
ProvidenceRhode IslandWNAC-TV19972001
AbileneTexasKRBC-TV19982002
San AngeloTexasKACB-TV19982002
BurlingtonVermontWPTZ19981998
BurlingtonVermontWFFF-TV19992013
BurlingtonVermontWVNY20052013
HartfordVermontWNNE19981998