Owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside independent WBNX-TV (channel 55), WJW maintains studios on Dick Goddard Way (previously South Marginal Road) northeast of downtown Cleveland, with transmitter in suburban Parma, Ohio.

Mayer's attempt to build UHF stations in Portland, Oregon, and Kansas City succeeded in the former and failed in the latter, prompting the sale of Empire Coil—including WXEL—to Storer Broadcasting in January 1954, weeks after WXEL moved to channel 8.

After Anderson's departure, Bob "Hoolihan" Wells, "Big Chuck" Schodowski and "Lil' John" Rinaldi continued to host a weekly movie and comedy skit program on channel 8 for a combined 41 years.

Under the direction of Virgil Dominic, channel 8's newscasts attained ratings success throughout the 1980s, particularly with the lead anchor team of Tim Taylor, Robin Swoboda, Goddard, and sportscaster Casey Coleman.

[13][14] The FCC granted the construction permit for Empire on October 30, 1947; land for the station's studios and transmitter site were secured on a knoll on Pleasant Valley Road in Parma, 617 feet (188 m) above sea level,[10][12] thought to be among the highest elevations in Cuyahoga County.

[11] For a short time in 1952, Paul Newman did live commercial reads for National City, which sponsored a nightly news analysis program that directly followed Your Sohio Reporter.

[30][31] A phased expansion of WXEL's facilities was launched under Empire in 1951: the Pleasant Valley Road studio/transmitter building was first quadrupled in size,[45] and the company signed a long-term lease of the former Esquire Theatre on Euclid Avenue.

[63] Approval was contingent on Storer selling off KGBS and KGBS-TV in San Antonio, along with the FCC revising ownership limits so a company could own seven television stations, five on VHF; the latter took place in late September.

[78] The grand opening for the facility coincided with WXEL's renaming to WJW-TV on April 15, 1956;[79] the call sign change and building's dedication was telecast live, including a flyover by the Ohio Air National Guard and Cleveland mayor Anthony Celebrezze proclaiming "WJW Week" for the city.

Jim Doney joined the station in 1952 as an announcer and news reader; by December 1962, he became the host of Adventure Road, a daily showcase of filmed travelogues and in-studio interviews.

[105] Under the anchor team of Jim Hale and Jeff Maynor, WJW's ratings declined significantly against a resurgent WEWS,[96] which also adopted a "happy talk" format consulted by Frank Magid.

[114] The program ended after Rose Marie, who visited the station as part of a CBS promotional junket among the affiliates, sent tapes of the duo's material to Steve Allen, who hired Conway for his talk show.

When WJW acquired the local rights to the Shock Theater library, Anderson was tabbed as host of Ghoulardi under the belief an offbeat gimmick would make people overlook the poor quality of the movies.

[116] Debuting on January 18, 1963,[120] Anderson's portrayal of Ghoulardi—wearing a white fright wig, fake Van Dyke beard and lab coat with a beatnik dialect and anarchist demeanor—attracted largely negative critical reviews[119][121][122] but quickly became a ratings success and cult favorite, particularly among young children despite the late-night timeslot.

[124] A traveling intramural sports team, the "Ghoulardi All-Stars", was organized that frequently played against area professional athletes, first responders and talent from rival stations, all for charity.

[131][132] Rock bands Pere Ubu, Devo and The Cramps, along with singer Chrissie Hynde, comedian Drew Carey and filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, have all cited Ghoulardi as a direct inspiration.

[163] Relaunched on September 2, 1979, as Big Chuck and Lil' John,[164] the program aired on channel 8 for another 28 years until Schodowski's 2007 retirement, best remembered for the duo's working-class sensibilities and relatable, low-budget humor likened to burlesque.

[194] Carli left WJKW in December 1983 to be with husband Joseph Diminio, who took over for Flynn as general manager and, after their high-profile marriage, was promoted to lead Storer's television division in Miami.

[214] The on-air team of Taylor, Swoboda, Goddard and Coleman met with significant ratings success: by June 1988, WJW was ranked number one at noon, 6 and 11 p.m., and the 11 p.m. news was the top-rated program in all of Cleveland television.

[213] Swoboda was offered a lucrative contract in 1988 to anchor in San Diego[217] and co-hosted the pilot of a syndicated show alongside Ahmad Rashad,[215] but she opted to remain in Cleveland.

[227] KKR purchased Wometco Enterprises the previous year after no succession plan was found following the death of chairman Mitchell Wolfson,[228][229] and began the process of dismantling the conglomerate.

In 1987, George N. Gillett Jr. acquired majority control of the Storer stations;[243][244] the $1.3 billion deal was financed through junk bonds[245] and represented a valuation of nearly 15 times cash flow for the group.

[250] Shortly after the takeover, WJW debuted an hour-long morning newscast in February 1988 that included Dufala, sportscaster Dan Coughlin and meteorologist André Bernier, the latter arriving from KARE in Minneapolis–Saint Paul.

[257] By September 1991, the station cancelled Cleveland Tonight and laid off all personnel involved, effectively disbanding WJW's local production department; the move was blamed on both Gillett's financial woes and the departure of Swoboda, who took on additional duties with the show before leaving.

[273] Gillett's financial pressures continued to mount after the WMAR sale was renegotiated to a lower price and a Denver bankruptcy judge denied any further extensions on a Chapter 11 filing.

[275] Investor Ronald Perelman, regarded as a corporate raider and the owner of Revlon and Marvel Entertainment,[276] purchased majority control of SCI Television, including WJW-TV, on February 17, 1993,[277] pushing Gillett out entirely.

[278] The transaction came through a bankruptcy court-approved Chapter 11 reorganization: Perelman's holding company MacAndrews & Forbes made a $100 million investment in SCI, which was still burdened by $1.3 billion in debt, in exchange for 53 percent of its equity.

[311] News director Kathy Williams, who was reportedly upset over Coleman's demotion,[216] left for like duties at WKYC several weeks later, with Rowe tabbing Greg Easterly, a former producer/director at KNXV, as her replacement.

[216] Robin Swoboda left WJW a second time in early January 1998,[316] which she largely attributed to the station's handling of Coleman, saying, "[t]hat's one of the reasons I don't love this business anymore.

[324][325] WJW ranked as the highest-rated Fox affiliate in the country in February 2001, with the station leading in the 25–54 demographic in every newscast,[326] aided by Fox's primetime lineup and the acquisition of Judge Judy as a lead-in for 5 p.m.[327] The success in mornings came alongside increased viewership for morning news industry-wide,[328] while the success at 6 and 10 p.m. was attributed to the stability of WJW's anchor team of Smith, Taylor and Goddard; as Taylor told The Plain Dealer, "people in Cleveland abhor change".