WBIR-TV is a prominent NBC-affiliated television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, with a storied history dating back to its launch on August 12, 1956, as a CBS affiliate. The station famously beat out the much larger Scripps-Howard company for its license, thanks to a local consortium led by J. Lindsay Nunn, and has since passed through the hands of Taft Broadcasting, Multimedia (which merged with Gannett), and eventually became part of Tegna after Gannett split in 2015. A major milestone occurred on September 10, 1988, when WBIR swapped affiliations with WTVK to become an NBC affiliate, making it the last major commercial station in Knoxville to change networks. In a recent corporate twist, Nexstar Media Group—which already owned rival WATE-TV—acquired Tegna, completing the deal on March 19, 2026. The station is also cherished for its beloved local documentary series, The Heartland Series, hosted by Bill Landry, which highlighted the culture of East Tennessee. Today, WBIR continues to serve the region from its studios on Bill Williams Avenue, with its transmitter perched on Sharp's Ridge in North Knoxville.