# WCYB News 5 — Bristol News & Weather

> Instant news, weather, sports, and live broadcasts with breaking alerts. (iPhone/iPad app by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wcyb-news-5/id489854096 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/631472300)
- Category: News, Weather
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 257 App Store ratings · 71 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 16.3 · 149 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2011-12-23
- Data updated: 2026-09-06
- Monetization: ad-supported
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wcyb-news-5/id489854096/reviews.md

## What is WCYB News 5?

Stay connected with the latest local news, live weather updates, breaking stories, and sports coverage with the WCYB News 5 app.

Watch live newscasts, get real-time breaking news alerts, track traffic conditions, and stay ahead with accurate hourly and daily weather forecasts in the Tennessee, Virginia Tri-Cities area including Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City.

Features:

Breaking local news and national headlines

Live streaming newscasts and video coverage

Real-time weather forecasts and live radar

Traffic updates and road conditions

Instant push notifications for breaking news

Coverage of local events, politics, sports, and community stories

Personalized news experience

Whether you're at home or on the go, the WCYB News 5 app keeps you informed with fast, reliable, and up-to-the-minute coverage of news, local weather, traffic updates, and the stories that matter most across the Tennessee, Virginia Tri-Cities area including Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City

## Key features

- Breaking news alerts
- Live newscast streaming
- Local and national news
- Hourly and daily weather forecasts
- Live weather radar
- Traffic information

## What do users think of WCYB News 5?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 📱 Easy-to-use interface and navigation
- 🌤️ Reliable weather information and forecasts
- 📰 Comprehensive local news coverage
- 🔔 Timely push notifications and alerts
- 📺 Live streaming capabilities
- 🏫 School closings and delays information
- ⚡ Generally responsive performance
- 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Professional and personable news team

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- ⏳ Content fails to load or loads slowly
- 📺 Live stream cuts off unexpectedly
- 📢 Excessive and repetitive advertisements
- 🎬 Video audio issues and poor closed captioning
- 🔄 Outdated news articles displayed
- 🌙 Dark mode text visibility problems
- 🔗 Broken links and non-functional features
- 📱 Incompatibility with older iOS devices
- 🎯 Notifications don't link to correct articles
- 🎨 Poor app layout and cumbersome navigation after updates
- 🛡️ Security warnings on certain pages

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App fails to load content after opening
- Live stream playback cuts to black screen
- App crashes on older iOS versions (iOS 12 and below)
- Navigation broken - cannot return to main menu
- Text appears in black box in dark mode
- Video audio fails to load
- Closed captioning displays garbled text
- App hangs on iPad 2 and older devices
- Ads freeze the app during playback
- Submenu content missing or not loading
- App stops loading after ad preference question
- Notifications fail to navigate to correct articles
- Text display jumbled after updates
- School closings page shows insecure connection warning

**Most requested features**

- Ad-free premium version option
- Improved weather report display
- Better video player with consistent audio
- More frequent content updates
- Enhanced accessibility features for VoiceOver users
- More detailed sports coverage
- Police blotter and crime reports
- Improved Doppler radar accuracy
- Better organization of submenu categories
- Severe weather alerts functionality

## Recent user reviews (10 of 71)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wcyb-news-5/id489854096/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Load Error

*2026-05-10*

I used to visit the app frequently but it has not been functional in some time.  The app opens but content never loads. Uninstalling and reinstalling doesn’t help.

### 3/5 — Cuts off watching live segments

*2026-02-06*

I don’t have cable in my room so i TRY to watch the live stream while I’m getting ready for work in the mornings but it constantly cuts off, leaving me with a black screen. I have to close the app and then reopen the app which in return miss most of the news in the mornings. It’s very frustrating.

### 1/5 — Disappointing

*2025-07-15*

This used to be my go to app for local news and the ability to watch the weather report. Now there is no actual weather report, just a few vague words for the day and night. I have stopped watching the live segment of the news because of the ridiculous and continuously repeating ads. Bring back the ability to watch an actual weather report and live stream the news without ads and I’ll be back. Also update the app for the current day so days old news isn’t displayed.

### 5/5 — How you doing this weekend hot steam or steamming weather here Lenoir city Orr Johnson city hot hot

*2025-06-29*

Chris Mckeehan I love better weather staying inside before hot sunny weather don’t forget the water Orr it well burn you in the sunshine

### 2/5 — What happened?

*2024-01-15, version 9.6.0*

For the last several days there is no content in the sub menus.  Pertinent information like Schedule Changes and Closings cannot be found, and we are in midst of a winter storm!

### 3/5 — Weather

*2024-01-14*

I enjoy the app and have always watched news 5. My only complaint is the advertisements being directly over top of the weather forecast making it impossible to see.

### 4/5 — App Crashes and Won’t Open on Older Device

*2023-04-24, version 8.6.2*

UPDATE 4/24/23 I just downloaded the latest version and tried again.  It’s now working and seems to be fine!  Thank you for fixing it!  Your website still no longer works on this older iPad with iOS 12.  But now I can at least read the stories in the app.

The app will no longer open on my iPad Mini 2, which is stuck on iOS 12.  When I tap to open it, it tries to open but then immediately crashes and takes me back to my main screen.  Your website will no longer open in the browser, either.  Unfortunately, I’m stuck with this iPad until Apple comes out with a new iPad mini and fixes the “jelly scroll” issue.

### 1/5 — App Crashes and Won’t Open on Older Device

*2023-01-31, version 8.5.1*

The app will no longer open on my iPad Mini 2, which is stuck on iOS 12.  When I tap to open it, it tries to open but then immediately crashes and takes me back to my main screen.  Your website will no longer open in the browser, either.  Unfortunately, I’m stuck with this iPad until Apple comes out with a new iPad mini and fixes the “jelly scroll” issue.

### 1/5 — Garbage. Pure garbage.

*2022-03-23, version 7.35.0*

This app is infuriating. What’s the point of notifications if it doesn’t actually bring you to the article you were notified about? It brings me to the app where you can’t even find the article that you were notified about!!! I left this app for a long time and NOW I remember why.

### 1/5 — Doesn’t get to main page

*2021-06-10, version 7.35.0*

App stops after asking question about ad preferences and then nothing!  Useless!

## Frequently asked questions about WCYB News 5

### What does the News 5 WCYB.com Mobile app do?

The app delivers instant news, weather, and sports updates. It allows users to watch live newscasts, get up-to-the-minute local and national news, and stay informed about weather and traffic conditions.

### What are the key features of the app?

Key features include breaking news alerts and stories, live streaming of newscasts, a new weather section with hourly and daily forecasts, live weather radar, and traffic information. The app has been completely overhauled to be faster and easier to use.

### Is the News 5 WCYB.com Mobile app free to use?

Based on the provided information, the app is free to use and is supported by advertisements. There are no in-app purchases mentioned.

### What kind of news and information can I expect?

You can expect local and national news, real-time weather forecasts and radar, traffic conditions, and sports updates. The app also provides alerts for breaking news and local events.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 10.33.0 — 2026-09-02

This release includes improved video playback and closed-caption styling, corrects an issue with some social embeds on story pages, and fixes display issues when using larger device text sizes.

### 10.32.1 — 2026-08-19

This release includes some bug fixes in the video player, the story screen, and the gallery

### 10.31.0 — 2026-07-31

This release upgrades story commenting for a better user experience, and includes bug fixes.

### 10.30.0 — 2026-07-18

In this latest version, we’ve fixed bugs and made improvements to help the app run more smoothly.

### 10.29.0 — 2026-06-27

In this latest version, we’ve fixed bugs and made improvements to help the app run more smoothly. This update includes improvements to app startup, sign-in reliability, notification handling, and video playback.

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## More apps by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc

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- [WCHS / FOX Appalachia News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wchs-fox-appalachia-news/id379145605)

All apps by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc: https://appshunter.io/developer/631472300

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-06.*