Biggest markets that waited longest for a non-network commercial station

[chris12]

I was wondering in similar question to a previous post, which bigger area waited longest for a commercial non ABC, CBS, NBC station. I believe Madison, Wisconsin didn't have one until channel 47 signed on in 1986.

 

[mleach]

In Virginia and West Virginia...

Richmond had to wait until 1982 to get their first indie, that being WRLH channel 35.

Charleston/Huntington, I am not sure exactly when WVAH signed on but I do know there were on the air in the summer of 84 on channel 23. WVAH has since moved to channel 11.

Harrisonburg received their first indie in October 1985 when WAZT signed on. Even though WAZT is mainly known as a religious station, they do air commericals and some secular programs. Until last year WAZT even had a local newscast but Gray Television put a stop to that by not only expanding Harrisonburg's WHSV newscasts but also launching an ABC affiliate in Winchester ( which went on the air just last week ). WAZT saw the writing on the law and discontinued news.

 

[fortmill]

I'd hardly call WAZT an indie, since its affiliated with TBN and other fundamental "religious" networks. Besides, WAZT is a LPTV and reaches very few homes, other than on cable.

 

[oldschooler1]

The Syracuse market did not get an Indy until 1986, when ch. 68 WSYT signed on. Pretty late, compared to the other "Thruway" markets: Down the road, Rochester got WUHF-31 in 1980; Albany got 23-WXXA in 1982; Buffalo got ch. 29 WUTV in about 1970.

 

[wditto]

mobile alabama waited 1953-1982 to get an independent wpmi tv ch 15 now nbc at first the only programs was merv griffin and movies

 

[bk77]

I'd hardly call WAZT an indie, since its affiliated with TBN and other fundamental "religious" networks. Besides, WAZT is a LPTV and reaches very few homes, other than on cable.

I wouldn't call WAZT an indie either, well maybe a part-time indie. It is a very weird station. There were a few times in the past when WAZT more/less put religious programming on the back burner and had a very healthy does of secular shows. Then they go back to being mainly a religious station. I do know ( for reasons unknown ) WAZT did drop TBN at one time about 10 years ago and went home shopping at night. However WAZT has since went back to TBN.

Very true about their coverage area. How bad is it? I know quite a few people in Harrisonburg who cant pick them up at all even though they have a tower there. Cable is just as bad, on many systems they are so far up the dial one has to hunt to find them.

 

[Charles1]

Birmingham didn't get a 4th commercial station until 1982 when WTTO-21 signed on. I don't think Huntsville got one until 1984 when WZDX-54 signed on. Montgomery got one by default in late '85 or early '86 when WSLA-8 moved in from Selma and took the CBS affiliation away from WCOV-20, making 20 an independent station.

 

[ShawnHill1]

I mentioned on another thread that San Antonio was the largest market to get its first independent station (and first English-language UHF station), with KRRT (now KMYS), in 1985. Two years later, its current sister station KABB signed-on, and took the Fox affilliation from KRRT in 1995, setting up KRRT to take UPN that January.

KABB History: http://www.kabb.com/kabbinfo/history.shtml
KMYS History: http://www.kmys.tv/kmysinfo/history.shtml

 

[dhett]

#54 market Wilkes-Barre/Scranton PA didn't get an independent until June 1985, when WOLF-TV signed on channel 38. A little more than a year later, WOLF became a charter FOX affiliate, and WB/Scranton hasn't had an indie since.

 

[johnnya2k6]

Anchorage, Alaska (or Alaska in general) got its first independent station in 1983, when KTBY-4 signed on. Of course three years later they would become a charter affiliate with Fox, and they're still with them today. KYES, the second indie station, went on in 1989 before being part of UPN and now My Network TV.

In Fairbanks, there was talk about KSEV Channel 7 going on the air in 1984 and whether or not it would be independent or network. Of course it wouldn't be until 1992 when the station finally went on as K07UU (KFXF) Fox 7.

Jonathan Allen

 

[Ultimajock]

...if we're considering CA licenses here, La Crosse-Eau Claire got its first independent station just last January, when KQEG-CA/23 La Crescent dropped UPN the week that UPN and The WB announced their plans to merge into The CW. UPN then went to one of WKBT-DT's subchannels, where MyTV is now; The CW is on one of WXOW-DT's subchannels. KQEG has been running syndicated programming and movies, assuming their studio-to-transmitter link doesn't go down for an extended period of time, like it has on at least three occasions that I've noticed...

 

[jc]

In March 1984, New Orleans LA got its 2nd independent station, WNOL-TV 38 only to be affiliated with Fox 2 years later. In 1996 as a result of affiliate swaps, it became affiliated with the WB (now CW)

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

The Quad Cities market (Davenport, IA-Rock Island/Moline, IL, #95) didn't get its first independent (or commercial UHF) station until July 1985 when KLJB-18 signed on. They would affiliate with Fox in fall '86, only to lose the affiliation in 1988 because of numerous pre-emptions of Fox programming, but regained the affiliation in the fall of 1990 (on the heels of the Simpsons' popularity and much-ballyhooed move to Thursday nights at 7 CT against the "Cosby Show" that fall).

Neighboring Peoria-Bloomington (#117, I think) got its first indy in October 1982 when WBLN-43 (WYZZ since 1985 and Fox since Day 1) signed on as a more Bloomington-oriented independent station (with studios in Bloomington/Normal).

In Springfield, IL, the present WRSP Fox 55 signed on in 1979, while current MyNet affiliate WCFN-49 signed on as translator station W49AA of WCIA-3 (CBS) Champaign in September 1967 (becoming full-power and WCFN in July 1985 and becoming a standalone station in April 2002, first as UPN and now My).