Fox Carolina
U.S. center-right
Background
The station's broadcast license dates to 1953, but its modern incarnation began April 1, 1984, when Pappas Telecasting purchased the former WANC-TV and launched it as an independent station serving Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. It became a Fox affiliate in 1988, among the earlier stations to join the nascent Fox network. Cannell Communications — a group owned by television producer Stephen J. Cannell — acquired the station in 1990. In 1997, Meredith Corporation purchased WHNS along with three other stations from First Media Television in a deal valued at $435 million. Under Meredith, the station launched its own news department in 1999, starting with a 10 p.m. newscast before expanding to morning and evening broadcasts. Gray Media acquired WHNS in 2021 as part of its large purchase of Meredith's broadcasting assets. Gray Media is the third-largest U.S. television group by station count; its CEO Hilton Howell Jr. has a documented history of donating to Republican candidates and publicly praising conservative figures, though Gray's DC Bureau has been rated 'least biased' by the independent monitor Media Bias/Fact Check. As a local Fox affiliate, Fox Carolina carries national Fox network programming alongside its local newscasts; the network's national content leans right, while the station's own local reporting is more conventional local broadcast journalism.
Sources
- WHNS – Wikipedia
- WHNS | TV Stations Wikia – Fandom
- Gray Media – Wikipedia
- Gray DC Bureau – Bias and Credibility, Media Bias/Fact Check
- Is Gray Television Liberal or Conservative: A Media Analysis – Television USA
- WHNS Greenville Increases Local Content – Next TV / Broadcasting+Cable
- Fox Carolina News – About Us
- WHNS-TV – Muck Rack
Profile compiled 2026-07-15; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.