WLBT first signed on in 1953 by the Lamar Life Insurance Company, and became notorious for its aggressive support for racial segregation throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The station went as far as cutting out NBC programs with African-American actors or any reference to racial justice, and ignored coverage of the Civil Rights Movement. The station preceded broadacsts of NBC's Today Show with an advisory claiming that it contains "biased, managed Northern news," and in 1955, when civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall appeared on the Today Show, WLBT interrupted it by putting up a slide that falsely stated "Sorry, Cable Trouble." All of this led to petitions being sent to the FCC from civil rights groups, as well as NBC, to revoke WLBT's license. In the mid-1960s, WLBT began taking some measures to attempt to change its segregationist image, but the damage had been done as the United States Court of Appeals ordered the FCC to revoke WLBT's license in 1969.
In 1971, the FCC handed control of WLBT to "Communications Improvement, Inc.", a non-profit and bi-racial foundation, who controlled the station while hearings were being held for a permanent licensee. Communications Improvement would control WLBT over the next decade before handing over the license to "TV-3, Inc.," a consortum led by African-American executives, in 1979. WLBT today is currently owned by Gray Television.
1Owned by Branson Visitors TV, Gray holds a 50.1% interest in the company. 2Owned by Schurz Communications, Gray operated KGHZ through an SSA. 3Owned by Entravision Communications, Gray operates KDCU through a JSA. 4Gray operates this station owned by American Spirit Media. 5Gray operates this station owned by Tegna through an SSA. 6The E.W. Scripps Company operates this station through an SSA. 7Gray operates this station owned by Tougaloo College. 8Joint venture with Ryman Hospitality Properties.
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