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Not to be confused with WWAY-TV.

1959–1963 1963–1968 1968–1974 1974–1977 1977–1979
1959–1963 1963–1968 1968–1974 1974–1977 1977–1979
1979–1990 1990–2000 2000–2007 2007–2017 2017–present
1979–1990 1990–2000 2000–2007 2007–2017 2017–present

WAFG-TV[]

1959–1963[]

Wafg 31

The station's first broadcast was on August 1, 1959 as WAFG-TV. It was the second television outlet in the Huntsville region, signing on five years after NBC affiliate WMSL-TV (now WAFF). In addition, WAFG-TV is the longest serving station licensed to Huntsville, as WMSL was still licensed to Decatur at the time. From its launch, WAFG was Alabama's first primary ABC affiliate, which was an unusual arrangement for a two-station market, especially one as small as Huntsville was at the time.

WAAY-TV[]

1963–1968[]

When the station was sold to Smith Broadcasting (owners of WAAY radio, now WLOR) in 1963, the call sign was changed to WAAY-TV. At the time Smith Broadcasting held a permit from the FCC to put a new station on the air broadcasting on UHF channel 25, but when the Smith family received the offer to purchase WAFG, they decided to take that instead of building a new facility. (Channel 25 was later licensed to Alabama Public Television station WHIQ.)

1968–1974[]

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WAAY-TV switched its network affiliation to NBC on September 2, 1968 but returned to ABC nine years later, on December 11, 1977, citing ABC's higher network ratings at that time and the lack of a duplicate ABC affiliate in Florence (where WOWL, now WHDF, was then an NBC affiliate) as reasons. Despite ABC's fall from first place in the 1980s in favor of a renewed NBC, WAAY still routinely came in first or second place in the ratings during the 1980s and 1990s. However, despite having left full NBC affiliation behind back in 1977, WAAY would once again clear some NBC programming during the 1980s.

1974–1977[]

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1977–1979[]

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1979–2007[]

1979–1990[]

WAAY-TV1979

1990–2000[]

WAAY-TV (1996)

A star was added between the numbers, and the circle was removed. This version of the longtime 1970 numeral was used until 2007. Smith Broadcasting sold WAAY-TV to GOCOM Broadcasting (originally Grapevine Communications, later renamed Piedmont Communications) in 1999.

2000–2007[]

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In 2006, Piedmont Broadcasting agreed to sell WAAY to Calkins Media, a Pennsylvania-based company that owned several small newspapers in Pennsylvania and two other television stations, (WWSB in Sarasota, Florida and WTXL-TV in Tallahassee, Florida). The sale to Calkins became official on February 1, 2007. WAAY was Calkins' only broadcasting property outside of Florida.

2007–2017[]

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On April 11, 2016, it was reported that Calkins would exit the broadcasting industry and sell its stations to Raycom Media. As Raycom already owned WAFF, WAAY's license was instead to be sold to American Spirit Media, with Raycom operating the station under a shared services agreement. However, on August 26, 2016, Calkins agreed to instead sell WAAY to Heartland Media, through its USA Television MidAmerica Holdings joint venture with MSouth Equity Partners. The sale was completed on April 30, 2017, making WAAY a sister station to adjacent market station WTVA in Tupelo-Columbus, Mississippi.

2017–present[]

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In October 2019, Allen Media Broadcasting announced that it would acquire eleven of Heartland Media's television stations, including WAAY and WTVA, for $290 million.

External links[]


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