Outlet profile

FOX 32 Chicago

U.S. center-right (local affiliate of Fox Corporation)

Owned byFox Corporation, through its Fox Television Stations subsidiary; operates as a duopoly with WPWR-TV (Channel 50) in the Chicago market

FundingAdvertising revenue — local and national spot advertising, political advertising; no subscriptions or public funding

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

WFLD signed on the air on January 4, 1966, founded by Field Enterprises — the Chicago-based media company behind the Chicago Sun-Times — which held a 50% stake and managed day-to-day operations. The station launched from studios in Marina City and was dubbed the 'Station of Tomorrow' for its technical innovations. Field sold a controlling interest to Kaiser Broadcasting in 1972, then regained full control in 1977 when Kaiser dissolved. In 1983, as part of a company-wide liquidation, Field sold WFLD to Metromedia. When Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation purchased Metromedia's television stations in 1986, WFLD became one of the founding owned-and-operated stations of the Fox Broadcasting Company. It has carried the Fox network affiliation ever since. Fox Corporation, spun off from News Corporation in 2019, now owns the station through its Fox Television Stations subsidiary. Unlike the Fox News cable channel — which is known for right-leaning opinion programming and strong alignment with conservative politics — FOX 32 Chicago's local news coverage is considered by media analysts such as Media Bias/Fact Check to be 'Least Biased,' relying heavily on wire services like the Associated Press for national political stories and focusing its original reporting on Chicago-area crime, weather, and local affairs.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-06; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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