| Type | Defunct Insurance and Media Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcast Television |
| Fate | Merged with Raycom Media |
| Founded | 1905 as Southeastern Life Insurance Company |
| Headquarters | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Area served | United States (Nationwide) |
| Key people | Elliott Estes, A. H. Twitchell, W. Frank Hipp, Herman Hipp, W. Hayne Hipp |
| Products | CableVantage, Take Ten Productions, Broadcasting Merchandising Corporation |
The Liberty Corporation (Public NYSE:LC) was a media corporation originally based out of Greenville, South Carolina. At its peak, The Liberty Corporation owned 15 network-affiliated television stations across the Midwest and Southern regions of the United States. On top of that, cable advertising sales group CableVantage Inc., video production facility Take Ten Productions and broadcast equipment distributor Broadcast Merchandising Corporation were also some of its assets.
The company formerly held Liberty Life Insurance Company and Pierce National Life Insurance Company, which it sold in 2000 to Royal Bank of Canada.
After the sale of its insurance division, the company employed approximately 1,400 people. The executive officers included chairman and CEO W. Hayne Hipp (who, with his family, owned about 25% of the company before its sale to Raycom Media), president and COO James M. Keelor, CFO Howard L. Schrott.
In August 2005, Liberty agreed to be bought out by Raycom Media. Raycom paid $987 million, or $47.35 per Liberty share, and assumed Liberty's debts of approximately $110 million in the buyout. The acquisition was completed in February 2006; After the closing of the purchase of Liberty, Raycom sold a number of stations, including two from the Liberty portfolio. They included ABC WWAY-TV in Wilmington, North Carolina to Morris Multimedia and CBS affiliate KGBT-TV in Harlingen-McAllen-Brownsville, Texas to Barrington Broadcasting.
| DMA Rank | Market | Station ... Channel Number (DT) | Network Affiliation | Notes |
| 49. | Louisville | WAVE 3 (47) | NBC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. |
| 73. | Toledo | WTOL 11 (17) | CBS | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. Second station for The Liberty Corporation. |
| 79. | Columbia | WIS 10 (41) | NBC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. Served as first and flagship station for The Liberty Corporation. |
| 87. | Harlingen - Weslaco - Brownsville - McAllen, Texas |
KGBT-TV 4 (31) | CBS | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006, then spun off to Barrington Broadcasting. |
| 90. | Jackson | WLBT 3 (9) | NBC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. |
| 102. | Evansville | WFIE 14 (46) | NBC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. |
| 104. | Myrtle Beach - Florence | WMBF-TV 32 | NBC | Construction permit acquired by Raycom Media in 2006. Television station built by Raycom Media after merger. |
| 109. | Tyler - Longview - Jacksonville - Lufkin - Nacogdoches |
KLTV 7 (10) | ABC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. |
| KTRE 9 (21) | ||||
| 118. | Montgomery - Selma | WSFA 12 (14) | NBC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. One of two flagship stations for Raycom Media. |
| 135. | Wilmington | WWAY 3 (46) | ABC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006, then spun off to Morris Multimedia due to FCC regulations. |
| 143. | Lubbock | KCBD 11 (9) | NBC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. |
| 145. | Albany | WALB 10 (17) | NBC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. |
| 163. | Biloxi - Gulfport - Pascagoula | WLOX 13 (28) | ABC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. |
| 175. | Lake Charles | KPLC 7 (8) | NBC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. Also serves the Lafayette, Louisiana market (#123). |
| 181. | Jonesboro | KAIT 8 (9) | ABC | Merged into Raycom Media in 2006. |