WTOK-TV

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. Owned by Gray Television, WTOK has studios on 23rd Avenue in Meridian's Mid-Town section.

History

It began broadcasting on September 26, 1953 as the second television station in Mississippi and the first on the VHF band. 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.