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Outlet profile

Queen City News

U.S. center

Owned byNexstar Media Group (owns ~200 local TV stations nationwide); also operates WMYT-TV (CW affiliate) in the Charlotte market under a shared-services arrangement
FundingAdvertising-supported local broadcast television; Nexstar derives substantial revenue from local and national spot advertising, retransmission consent fees paid by cable and satellite providers, and political advertising during election cycles
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

WJZY first signed on the air on March 9, 1987, as an independent station in Charlotte after Capitol Broadcasting Company (owner of WRAL in Raleigh) won the construction permit in 1985. The station passed through several network affiliations over the years — including UPN and The CW — before Fox Television Stations acquired it from Capitol Broadcasting and converted it to Charlotte's Fox affiliate on July 1, 2013, a market Fox coveted partly because of Carolina Panthers NFL games. Fox then sold WJZY and its sister CW outlet WMYT-TV to Nexstar Media Group on March 2, 2020, for approximately $45 million as part of a broader regulatory divestiture tied to Fox's acquisition of additional stations. Under Nexstar, the station's news department was rebranded as 'Queen City News' in January 2022, with the stated goal of emphasizing local Charlotte-area identity rather than a network identity. Nexstar is the largest local TV broadcaster in the United States by station count, and its PAC has historically given modest political donations that lean slightly Republican while also supporting Democratic incumbents. Media Bias/Fact Check assessed WJZY in August 2025 as 'Least Biased' with a high factual reporting rating, reflecting a newsroom that concentrates on local breaking news, weather, and crime rather than national partisan commentary. The station now produces more than 60 hours of locally originated newscasts per week, the highest output of any Charlotte market television station.

Sources

  1. WJZY – Wikipedia
  2. Charlotte station to drop Fox name from news branding – NewscastStudio
  3. WJZY – Charlotte: Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
  4. About Us – Queen City News
  5. Nexstar Media Group – Wikipedia
  6. Nexstar Media Group Profile – OpenSecrets
  7. Nexstar Nation – Columbia Journalism Review

Profile compiled 2026-07-04; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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