WOWK-TV is a Nexstar station in Huntington and Charleston, West Virginia. Broadcasting on channel 13, it is the CBS affiliate for the Charleston–Huntington market, the second largest television market (in terms of area) east of the Mississippi River. It is owned by Nexstar and serves 32 counties in central West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southern Ohio.
The station went on air on October 2, 1955, as WHTN-TV (for HunTingtoN), an ABC affiliate. It swapped affiliations with WCHS-TV and became a CBS station for the first time in 1958. It went back to ABC in 1962 and stayed with that network for 24 years. In 1975, it changed its call letters to WOWK to reflect the three states it served–Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. In 1986, WOWK changed affiliations again, returning to CBS.
WOWK-TV’s vision is to be the No. 1 news resource for our viewers. Our mission is to report about our state and surrounding communities fairly, accurately and completely with the best informed and most professional news staff.
As professional journalists, we will:
- Assure fair and balanced coverage of all perspectives.
- Focus on meaningful stories that have an impact on our viewers’ lives.
- Seek background information and conduct research to present the most accurate and in-depth stories possible.
- While examining the specific, offer a broader context.
- Treat interviewees with respect.
- Ask the tough, but fair question.
- Report on what’s good about our community, as well as expose wrongs.
- Expect to be held accountable for producing fair and accurate reports.
In fulfilling our public trust to observe and report the news, WOWK-TV hopes to improve the quality of life for all those people who call this area home.
