WBTV

===Sale to Raycom Media===
On November 12, 2007, Lincoln Financial announced its intention to sell WBTV, [[sister station]]s [[WWBT]] in Richmond and [[WCSC-TV]] in [[Charleston, South Carolina]], and Lincoln Financial Sports, to [[Raycom Media]] for $583 million. Lincoln Financial also sold its Charlotte radio stations to [[Braintree, Massachusetts]]–based [[Greater Media]], effectively breaking up Charlotte's last co-owned radio/television station combination.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lfg.com/LincolnPageServer?KPage_PageID=LFG_Page&LFGPage=%2Flfg%2Flfgclient%2Fabt%2Fnews%2F2007%2Findex.html&KURL=%2Flfg%2Flfgclient%2Fabt%2Fnews%2F2007%2F2007-11-12%2Fcontent.xml |title=Lincoln Financial – Press Releases – LFG Announces Sale of Television, Sports, and Charlotte Radio Properties |publisher=Lfg.com |access-date=July 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215075853/http://www.lfg.com/LincolnPageServer?KPage_PageID=LFG_Page&LFGPage=%2Flfg%2Flfgclient%2Fabt%2Fnews%2F2007%2Findex.html&KURL=%2Flfg%2Flfgclient%2Fabt%2Fnews%2F2007%2F2007-11-12%2Fcontent.xml |archive-date=December 15, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to ''[[Charlotte Observer]]'' TV critic Mark Washburn, Lincoln Financial decided soon after taking over the former Jefferson-Pilot properties that it would never really be able to integrate them with the rest of the company's assets, and had decided to sell them as soon as possible.<ref>[http://www.charlotte.com/326/story/366593.html Charlotte Observer | 17 November 2007 | Old TV-radio couple breaking up<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119063551/http://www.charlotte.com/326/story/366593.html |date=November 19, 2007 }}</ref> The sale of the radio stations was finalized on January 31, 2008. However, WBTV still shares the Julian Price Place studio with its former radio sisters, and they also retain a news partnership.

The FCC approved the sale of WBTV on March 25, 2008, and Raycom formally took control of the station on April 1.<ref name="RaycomClose">Washburn, Mark. [http://www.charlotte.com/business/story/562865.html Raycom installs new GM at WBTV] {{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. ''[[Charlotte Observer]]'', April 2, 2008.</ref> With the purchase, WBTV became Raycom's second-largest station by market size, behind the [[Cleveland, Ohio]] duopoly of [[WOIO]] and [[WUAB]]. Since [[Raycom Sports]] is headquartered in Charlotte, WBTV had a very important role in Raycom Media's operations, and it shared its flagship status with NBC affiliate WSFA, located in the company's homebase of [[Montgomery, Alabama]].

In early 2008, Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports officially merged under the Raycom Sports banner. The merger coincided with the start of the 2008 [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] [[college basketball|basketball]] season. WBTV had been Charlotte's home station for ACC sporting events since C. D. Chesley piped in [[1956–57 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team|North Carolina]]'s historic win in the 1957 [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]] to channel 3 and several other television stations in the state. Raycom had produced ACC basketball games in partnership with Jefferson-Pilot/Lincoln Financial since 1982. The partnership was extended to [[college football|football]] in 2004; Jefferson-Pilot/Lincoln Financial had been the sole producer of ACC football telecasts since 1984. From 2010 onward, the package was branded as the [[ACC Network (syndication package)|ACC Network]].

In mid-May 2008, the former Jefferson-Pilot/Lincoln Financial stations launched redesigned websites, powered by the Local Media network division of WorldNow (which operates nearly all of the websites of Raycom's stations), assuming web platform operations from Broadcast Interactive Media. However, WBTV and WWBT retained their Jefferson-Pilot/Lincoln Financial-era logos and branding (WCSC has since changed its logo and graphics, following its switch to high definition newscasts).{{cn|date=September 2023}} WBTV changed its logo, in use since 2001, on September 7, 2023. The new logo incorporates the "GrayONE" graphics package used by most Gray stations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newscaststudio.com/2023/09/07/wbtv-new-logo-graphics-2023/#:~:text=Charlotte%27s%20Gray%2Downed%20WBTV%20has,used%20from%202001%20to%202023.|title=Charlotte station debuts new logo, switches to group graphics package|last=Hill|first=Michael B.|
work=NewscastStudio|date=September 7, 2023|access-date=September 8, 2023}}</ref>[[Image:WBTV logo.svg|thumb|Former logo used from 2001 to 2023]]

On November 15, 2013, both WBTV and WBT were dedicated with a North Carolina historical marker at the corner of [[Tryon Street|Tryon]] and Third Streets (reading "WBT/WBTV – Oldest broadcast stations in North Carolina established 1922. WBT radio long hosted live [[country music]]. WBTV sign-on, July 15, 1949. Studios here until 1955"). The Wilder Building, which was demolished in 1983, served as WBTV's studio facilities from 1949 to 1955.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.wbtv.com/story/23981467/state-dedicates-historic-marker-to-memorialize-ncs-oldest-broadcast-station |title= State dedicates historic marker to memorialize NC's oldest broadcast station |access-date= November 16, 2013 |date= November 15, 2013 |publisher= WBTV |location= Charlotte, NC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/14/4467170/historical-marker-spotlights-wilder.html#.Uod_FOLjV20 |title= Historical marker spotlights Wilder Building, broadcasting's Charlotte birthplace |access-date= November 16, 2013 |last= Washburn |first= Mark |date= November 15, 2013 |publisher= [[Charlotte Observer]] |location= Charlotte, NC |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140413142411/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/14/4467170/historical-marker-spotlights-wilder.html#.Uod_FOLjV20 |archive-date= April 13, 2014 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref>