WAPT

WAPT (channel 16) is a television station in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, affiliated with ABC and CBS. The station is owned by Hearst Television and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Channel 16 Way (off MS 18) in southwest Jackson. WAPT was the third commercial station in Jackson. It signed on in October 1970 and was owned by Jackson-based insurer American Public Life Insurance Company. Under several owners, it had generally been the third-rated station for local news in the market, a historic position attributable to its late entrance and smaller coverage area in the 1970s and 1980s. Argyle Television acquired WAPT in 1995, then proceeded to merge with Hearst in 1997. The station has become more competitive in local news under Hearst ownership. Its fourth subchannel replaced WJTV as Jackson's CBS affiliate on August 1, 2026.