CBS shifts Atlanta affiliation to WUPA, exits Gray-owned WANF

The move gives network an O&O station in the nation’s seventh-largest market

Atlanta will get a new CBS outlet later this summer as it will move its affiliation to a station its owns in the market, WUPA (Ch. 69). Like they did in Detroit in 2022, CBS will launch a news operation from scratch (CBS News Atlanta) and a 24/7 news channel, similar to other markets where CBS owns stations, including Chicago’s WBBM-TV (CBS Chicago). The shift takes effect on August 16, when “Atlanta 69” becomes “CBS Atlanta”. 

WUPA would also be available to stream for paid subscribers of Paramount Plus, as the streaming service and CBS share a corporate parent in Paramount Global. CBS programming moving to WUPA includes Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Survivor, NCIS, NFL on CBS, March Madness, The Masters, and new soap Beyond The Gates, which is shot in Atlanta. 

Channel position won’t be an issue for WUPA despite being located on 69. Comcast slots the station on Channel 10 throughout Metro Atlanta. 

“Launching our first owned CBS station in Atlanta is a milestone moment for us,” said Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Stations and CBS News and Stations Digital. “This expansion allows us to bring the full strength of CBS’ award-winning news, sports, and entertainment programming directly to one of the most vibrant and influential markets in the country. With WUPA and the launch of the CBS News Atlanta streaming channel, we’re not just delivering content—we’re investing in the community, local journalism, and ensuring Atlanta viewers receive the same trusted, high-quality journalism that defines CBS in every market we serve.”

The move ends a 31-year relationship with Gray’s WANF (Ch. 46), who was previously known as WGCL-TV and WGNX-TV and will now go independent. Gray did renew its network affiliations in other markets with CBS in a long-term deal. 

“Since acquiring WANF and WPCH in December 2021, Gray has invested tens of millions of dollars to reinvigorate the stations and expand their capabilities,“ Gray Co-CEO Pat LaPlatney said. “Three years ago, WANF adopted its current call sign to emphasize its new commitment to delivering Atlanta News First. This is not just a slogan, it’s the philosophy for the entire organization. The next chapter as an independent station allows WANF to deliver on that commitment more fully, and our experience and our research make us optimistic that viewers and advertisers will increasingly turn to WANF as a result.”

Once known as WVEU, WUPA was actually owned by an earlier incarnation of CBS when the network bought the station in 1994 after it lost WAGA-TV and seven other longtime CBS affiliates to Fox in the Fox-New World deal. CBS was considering launching a news operation from scratch, but received a last-minute offer from then-Tribune-owned WGNX to affiliate since they already had an established news department. In 1995, CBS sold WUPA to Viacom-owned Paramount and became an affiliate of just-launched UPN, whose network at the time was owned by Chris-Craft and Paramount. WUPA came under CBS ownership once again in 1999, when CBS was bought by Viacom, 28 years after the network spun the company off and assumed full ownership of UPN after Chris-Craft bailed out. 

WUPA became a CW affiliate in 2006 after CBS merged UPN with Warner Bros.’ The WB, with each retaining a 50 percent stake. Paramount Global ended six of its affiliations with The CW in 2024 after it and Warner reduced their stakes in The CW to 12.5 percent each, allowing WUPA to become an independent. 

The new CBS News Atlanta will be the DMA’s fifth local news operation, matching the number that the larger New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago markets have. WANF’s news ratings have long finished behind more established rivals WAGA, NBC affiliate WXIA-TV, and top-rated ABC affiliate WSB-TV, with the latter two involved in an affiliation switch in 1980. 

Atlanta has grown considerably since the last major affiliation switch in 1994, now ranking seventh-largest television market in the country, with Georgia now a huge political swing state. With this move, CBS will now have primary outlets in eight out of the top ten markets. CBS also owns two stand-alone, non-duopoly independent stations in Tampa (WTOG) and Seattle (KSTW), which was a CBS affiliate from 1995-97 and from 1960-62 on a secondary basis.

Earlier this year, ABC and longtime Miami affiliate WPLG failed to come to a new contract and signed one with Sunbeam’s WSVN, ending a 64-year relationship.