The city of Providence, Rhode Island is part of a media market that includes New Bedford, Massachusetts. The area is served by several local television stations, radio stations, newspapers, and blogs based in the cities proper and the surrounding communities of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts.
Providence is the center of Southern New England's broadcasting market, which also encompasses Bristol County, Massachusetts, which includes the cities of Fall River and New Bedford. The city is served by television stations representing every major American television network, as well as radio stations originating from Providence and Boston.
| Channel | Call Sign | Network | Owner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | WLNE-TV | ABC, Grit, Court TV Mystery, Court TV | Standard Media | |
| 10 | WJAR | NBC, MeTV, Comet, TBD | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 12 | WPRI-TV | CBS, MyNetwork, Bounce TV, Dabl | Nexstar Media Group | |
| 28 | WLWC | Court TV | Inyo Broadcast Holdings | |
| 36 | WSBE-TV | PBS, Learn | Rhode Island PBS Foundation | |
| 51 | WRIW-CD | Telemundo | NBC Telemundo Licensee | |
| 64 | WNAC-TV | FOX, The CW, Laff | Mission Broadcasting (operated by Nexstar) | |
| 69 | WPXQ-TV | ION, Laff, Bounce TV, QVC, HSN | ION Media Networks |
Providence is the center of Southern New England's broadcasting area, with many radio stations located in the city and surrounding communities, as well as some radio stations located in Greater Boston, Central Massachusetts, and eastern Connecticut.
| AM Stations | Call Sign | Owner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 550 kHz | WSJW | Starboard Media Foundation | |
| 630 kHz | WPRO (AM) | Cumulus Media | |
| 790 kHz | WPRV | Cumulus Media | |
| 920 kHz | WHJJ | iHeartMedia | |
| 1110 kHz | WPMZ | Videomundo Broadcasting | |
| 1220 kHz | WSTL | Faith Christian Church | |
| 1290 kHz | WPVD | Rhode Island Public Radio | |
| 1320 kHz | WARA | Attleboro Access Cable Systems | |
| 1340 kHz | WNBH | Hall Communications | |
| 1400 kHz | WHTB | RVDE, LLC | |
| 1420 kHz | WBSM | Cumulus Media | |
| 1450 kHz | WWRI | DiPonti Communications, LLC | |
| 1480 kHz | WSAR | Bristol County Broadcasting | |
| 1590 kHz | WARV | Blount Communications |
| FM Stations | Call Sign | Owner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 88.1 MHz | WELH | The Wheeler School (leases to RIPR) | |
| 89.3 MHz | WXNI | Rhode Island Public Radio (Newport) | |
| 91.3 MHz | WDOM | Providence College | |
| 91.5 MHz | WCVY | Coventry Public Schools (leases to RIPR) | |
| 92.3 MHz | WPRO-FM | Cumulus Media | |
| 93.3 MHz | WSNE-FM | iHeartMedia | |
| 94.1 MHz | WHJY | iHeartMedia | |
| 95.5 MHz | WLVO | K-Love | |
| 98.1 MHz | WCTK | Hall Communications (New Bedford, MA) | |
| 99.7 MHz | WEAN-FM | Cumulus Media (Wakefield) | |
| 101.5 MHz | WWBB | iHeartMedia | |
| 101.1 MHz (share-time) | WBRU-LP WFOO-LP WVVX-LP | Brown Student Radio AS220 Providence Community Radio | |
| 102.7 MHz | WNPE | Rhode Island Public Radio (Narragansett) | |
| 103.7 MHz | WVEI-FM | Audacy (Westerly) | |
| 105.1 MHz | WWLI | Cumulus Media | |
| 106.3 MHz | WWKX | Cumulus Media (Woonsocket) |
Several newspapers serve the Providence-New Bedford media market.
| Newspaper | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| Attleboro Sun-Chronicle | United Communications Corporation | |
| Fall River Herald News | GateHouse Media | |
| New Bedford Standard-Times | Dow Jones Local Media Group | |
| Mothers News (defunct) | Rhododendron Festival | |
| The Providence Journal | GateHouse Media | |
| The Providence Phoenix (defunct) | Phoenix Media/Communications Group | |
| Providence Business News | Providence Business News, Inc | |
| Taunton Daily Gazette | GateHouse Media |
Providence and the surrounding area have been used as a backdrop for several movies and television series and the city remains invested in bringing filmmakers to its location, as is evidenced by a 25% tax credit on all Rhode Island spending offered to motion picture companies.[1]
The animated television series Family Guy takes place in Quahog, a fictional suburb of Providence, and prominently features the most pronounced segment of Providence's skyline several times an episode (the buildings are One Financial Plaza, 50 Kennedy Plaza, and the Superman Building).[2]
The city and its name were used in the television series Providence,[3] and Showtime's new series, Brotherhood, was also filmed and set in Providence.[4]
The Farrelly brothers used the city as a backdrop for several of their movies, notably Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary. Peter Farrelly set Outside Providence in Pawtucket, adjacent to Providence. The 1991 American-Canadian film Providence takes place at Brown University.[5] Although not set in Providence, the movie Amistad used the exterior of the Rhode Island State House as the United States Capitol exterior.[6] The movie Little Children was also filmed in Providence.[7] In 2006, Providence was the primary filming location for the film Underdog.[8]