So, 13WMAZ is trending in the US right now — and if you’ve been anywhere near Google Trends in the last few hours, you already know the name is popping up everywhere. Whether you’re a longtime Central Georgia TV viewer or you just stumbled across the name and thought, “Wait, who actually owns this station?” — you’re in the right place. I’ve dug into the full ownership history of 13WMAZ, and trust me, there’s more to this story than just some media company slapping their logo on a building in Macon.
Let’s break it all down — who owns it, how it got there, what’s changing, and why you should care.
What Is 13WMAZ?
Before we talk ownership, let’s quickly cover what 13WMAZ actually is — because not everyone scrolling Google Trends is a Macon local.
WMAZ-TV (Channel 13) is a television station based in Macon, Georgia, USA. It’s a CBS affiliate and also runs a secondary digital channel (13.2) affiliated with The CW Plus. The station first signed on the air on September 27, 1953 — making it one of the oldest TV stations in the entire state of Georgia. In fact, it’s the fourth-oldest TV station in Georgia and the oldest outside of Atlanta. That’s not nothing. That’s 70+ years of broadcasting from Central Georgia.
Its slogan? “Straight from the Heart.” Which, honestly, tracks — Macon is roughly in the geographic center of Georgia, so the slogan hits on multiple levels.
Who Owns 13WMAZ Right Now? (Current Owner: Tegna Inc.)
The current owner of 13WMAZ is Tegna Inc. — a publicly traded American media company headquartered in Tysons, Virginia. As of today, Tegna owns and operates dozens of television stations across the United States, making it one of the largest broadcast television companies in the country.
Tegna’s legal subsidiary that holds the license for WMAZ-TV is listed as Pacific and Southern, LLC. But make no mistake — Tegna is the parent. Think of it like how McDonald’s franchises work, but for broadcast licenses. The shell LLC holds the FCC license while the big parent company calls all the shots.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Station Name | WMAZ-TV (13WMAZ) |
| Location | Macon, Georgia, USA |
| Current Owner | Tegna Inc. |
| License Holder | Pacific and Southern, LLC |
| Network Affiliation | CBS (13.1), The CW Plus (13.2) |
| First Air Date | September 27, 1953 |
| FCC Facility ID | 46991 |
| Pending Acquisition | Nexstar Media Group |
The Big News: Nexstar Is About to Take Over
Here’s where it gets really interesting — and probably why 13WMAZ is trending today.
In August 2025, it was announced that Nexstar Media Group is acquiring Tegna Inc. for a whopping $6.2 billion. Yes, billion with a B. That means 13WMAZ — along with every other Tegna-owned station in the country — is in the process of changing hands. Once the FCC approves the deal, Nexstar will become the new owner of 13WMAZ. You can read more about this deal on TV News Check’s official report.
Nexstar is already the largest broadcast television station operator in the United States, and adding Tegna’s portfolio would make it even more dominant. For viewers in Macon and Central Georgia, the day-to-day experience of watching 13WMAZ News probably won’t change dramatically overnight — but behind the scenes, the ownership structure will be completely different.
The Full Ownership History of 13WMAZ — From 1953 to Today
Look, if you really want to understand who owns 13WMAZ, you have to go back to the very beginning. This station has had a fascinating ownership journey — kind of like tracing your family tree, except instead of great-grandparents, you’ve got media conglomerates.
| Year | Owner | Key Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Southeastern Broadcasting Company | Station signs on the air (Sept. 27, 1953) |
| 1963 | Southern Broadcasting Corporation | Southeastern sells WMAZ-AM-FM-TV |
| 1967 | Multimedia, Inc. | Southern Broadcasting merges with News-Piedmont Company |
| 1995 | Gannett Company | Gannett acquires Multimedia for $1.7 billion |
| 2015 | Tegna Inc. | Gannett splits into two companies; broadcast side renamed Tegna |
| 2025 (Pending) | Nexstar Media Group | $6.2 billion acquisition announced |
1953–1963: The Southeastern Broadcasting Era
When 13WMAZ first hit the airwaves in 1953, it was owned by Southeastern Broadcasting Company. The station took its call letters from co-owned radio station WMAZ (940 AM). At the time, WMAZ-TV was one of the most powerful VHF stations in the country — and it had a practical near-monopoly on the Central Georgia TV market, since the geography of the state made it nearly impossible for another VHF signal to get a license in the same area. Basically, they won the TV lottery before TV was even a big thing.
1963–1967: Southern Broadcasting Corporation
In 1963, Southeastern Broadcasting sold the AM, FM, and TV stations to Southern Broadcasting Corporation. This was a fairly routine ownership transfer in the mid-century American broadcasting world — big companies buying up local stations was standard practice, kind of like how tech companies buy up startups today.
1967–1995: The Multimedia Inc. Years
In 1967, Southern Broadcasting merged with Greenville, South Carolina-based News-Piedmont Company to form Multimedia, Inc. This was actually a significant moment — Multimedia became a mid-size but well-regarded media company that owned newspapers, TV stations, and cable systems across the Southeast. Under Multimedia, 13WMAZ continued to dominate the Central Georgia market. The station has been the ratings leader in Macon for as long as records have been kept — and that dominance started in this era.
1995–2015: The Gannett Company
In July 1995, media giant Gannett Company — yes, the same company that owns USA Today — announced its acquisition of Multimedia for $1.7 billion. WMAZ-TV became part of Gannett’s growing broadcast television empire. There was briefly a question about whether WMAZ would have to be divested due to FCC cross-ownership rules, but ultimately Gannett retained the station. For the next two decades, 13WMAZ operated as a Gannett station.
2015–Present: Tegna Inc.
On June 29, 2015, Gannett made a major corporate decision: it split into two separate public companies. One side would focus on print media (newspapers), and the other would focus on broadcast and digital media. WMAZ-TV went with the broadcast side, which was renamed Tegna Inc. — a name that, let’s be honest, most Americans had never heard of until they started googling their local TV station. You can learn more about Tegna’s full station portfolio on Tegna’s official website.
Under Tegna, 13WMAZ adopted the company’s standardized news branding and graphics package in 2018, dropping the old “Eyewitness News” name in favor of the simpler “13 WMAZ News” format.
What Does 13WMAZ Actually Broadcast?
Good question. Beyond the ownership drama, here’s what 13WMAZ actually puts on the air:
| Channel | Branding | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 13.1 | WMAZ-TV (13WMAZ) | CBS Network Programming + Local News |
| 13.2 | Central Georgia’s CW | The CW Plus (syndicated programming) |
| 13.3 | Crime / TCN | True Crime Network |
| 13.4 | Quest | Quest Channel |
| 13.5 | The Nest | The Nest Network |
The station currently broadcasts 27 hours of locally produced newscasts every week — four hours on weekdays and three hours on weekends. It also produces five hours of weekday news content for 13.2. For a mid-size market like Macon-Warner Robins, that’s a serious commitment to local journalism. You can catch their latest news directly on 13wmaz.com.
Who Is Tegna Inc.? (The Company Behind 13WMAZ)
Since Tegna is the current answer to “who owns 13WMAZ,” it’s worth knowing a bit more about them.
Tegna Inc. is a publicly traded American media company (NYSE: TGNA) headquartered in Tysons, Virginia. It was spun off from Gannett in 2015 and operates 64+ television stations in 51+ US markets. Some of its other notable stations include KHOU in Houston, WFAA in Dallas, KING-TV in Seattle, and WXIA-TV in Atlanta — which is actually a sister station to 13WMAZ in its own home state of Georgia. According to the FCC’s official TV station database, WMAZ-TV holds Facility ID 46991 under Tegna’s Pacific and Southern, LLC subsidiary.
Tegna positions itself as a “purpose-driven” media company focused on local journalism. Whether or not that branding matches reality, their stations — including 13WMAZ — have generally maintained strong local news operations.
Who Is Nexstar Media Group? (The Future Owner)
With the $6.2 billion Tegna acquisition pending, Nexstar Media Group is worth understanding too.
Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ: NXST) is already the largest broadcast television station group owner in the United States. Based in Irving, Texas, Nexstar operates 200+ television stations in 116+ markets. It also owns The CW Network (yes, the same CW that airs on 13WMAZ’s digital subchannel). You can follow the deal’s progress on Nexstar’s official investor relations page. Once the Tegna deal closes, Nexstar’s dominance in American local TV will reach a scale that hasn’t been seen before in the industry.
For 13WMAZ viewers, this means their local CBS affiliate in Macon will technically be owned by the same company that owns The CW — the network airing on the channel right next to it. Media consolidation at its finest, folks.
Quick Facts About 13WMAZ You Probably Didn’t Know
Since we’re already here, let me drop some fun facts that most people don’t know about this station:
- The call sign WMAZ has a meaning: It originally stood for “Watch Mercer Attain Zenith,” a nod to Mercer University in Macon.
- It’s the only VHF station in Macon: Due to a geographic “doughnut hole” created by surrounding cities, only one VHF license was ever possible for Central Georgia — and WMAZ got it in 1953.
- It beat the Columbus, Georgia station by just one day to become the fourth-oldest TV station in the state.
- The “Straight from the Heart” slogan dates to 1983 — inspired by Bryan Adams’ hit song of the same name. And no, I am not making that up.
- The station went HD in 2011, becoming the first full-power station in the Macon market to broadcast local news in high definition.
- Notable alumna: Morning anchor Maureen O’Boyle worked at 13WMAZ from 1982 to 1987 before going on to national fame as the host of A Current Affair.
Is 13WMAZ Owned by CBS?
This is one of the most common misconceptions, so let’s clear it up: No, CBS does not own 13WMAZ. CBS is simply the network that 13WMAZ is affiliated with — meaning 13WMAZ airs CBS programming (like the evening news, NFL games, and primetime shows), but the station itself is owned by Tegna Inc., not by CBS or its parent company Paramount Global.
Think of it this way: McDonald’s doesn’t own every McDonald’s restaurant. Most are independently franchised. Similarly, most CBS-affiliated TV stations are owned by separate media companies that simply pay for the right to air CBS content. Tegna owns the station; CBS just fills a big chunk of the programming schedule. For a full list of CBS affiliates and their owners, Wikipedia’s CBS affiliates list is actually a great reference.
If you’re curious about who owns other media giants like Google, the answer is equally fascinating — these massive tech and media companies have complex ownership structures that most people never think about until something like this pops up on Google Trends.
Final Verdict: Who Owns 13WMAZ?
To sum it all up: 13WMAZ is currently owned by Tegna Inc., a Virginia-based broadcast media company that was spun off from Gannett in 2015. The station has been on the air since 1953, is a CBS affiliate, and dominates the Central Georgia television market. A pending $6.2 billion deal will transfer ownership to Nexstar Media Group — the largest broadcast TV company in the United States — once federal regulators give the green light.
Whether you’re a Macon local who grew up watching 13WMAZ News, a media industry watcher keeping tabs on consolidation, or just someone who saw it trending and wondered what the deal was — now you know the full story.
Want to explore more ownership stories like this one? Check out who owns Stryker Corporation — another fascinating deep-dive into corporate ownership that most people never think about until they need to.
Sources: Wikipedia (WMAZ-TV), FCC Licensing and Management System, TV News Check, Tegna Inc. official website, Nexstar Media Group investor relations.