WZVN-TV

WZVN-TV
CityNaples, Florida
Channels
BrandingGulf Coast ABC
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerMontclair Communications, Inc.
OperatorHearst Television via LMA
WBBH-TV
History
First air date
August 21, 1974 (1974-08-21)
Former call signs
WEVU (1974–1995)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 26 (UHF, 1974–2009)
  • Digital: 41 (UHF, 2002–2019), 15 (UHF, temporary share with WBBH-TV, 2019–2020)
Call sign meaning
sounds like "seven" (cable channel number position)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID19183
ERP1,000 kW
HAAT454.5 m (1,491 ft)
Transmitter coordinates26°49′22.4″N 81°45′53.6″W / 26.822889°N 81.764889°W / 26.822889; -81.764889
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.gulfcoastnewsnow.com

WZVN-TV (channel 26, cable channel 7), known as Gulf Coast ABC, is a television station licensed to Naples, Florida, United States, serving Southwest Florida as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Montclair Communications, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Hearst Television, owner of Fort Myers–licensed NBC affiliate WBBH-TV (channel 20), for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on Central Avenue in Fort Myers; WZVN-TV's transmitter is located along SR 31 in unincorporated southeastern Charlotte County.

Channel 26 went on the air in Naples on August 21, 1974, as WEVU, the first ABC affiliate in Southwest Florida. It operated from studios in Naples and suffered from turnover in ownership as well as poor local ratings. This continued even though the station moved its transmitter further north from its original location in the late 1980s in order to improve its signal in Fort Myers. In 1994, then-owner Ellis Communications entered into an LMA with then-WBBH owner Waterman Broadcasting by which WBBH began to provide the station's news programming. The station itself was then sold in 1996 to Montclair Communications, whose principal has family and business ties with the Waterman family. Though news ratings have remained low, the Waterman LMA gave the station access to additional resources and a path to profitability. The two stations have separate newscasts with separate anchors, though they share reporters, news resources, and—as of 2025—a common news brand.