BrandWikiReturn

WIAT

WIAT (channel 42) is a television station in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are on Golden Crest Drive atop Red Mountain, where its tower is also located.

Channel 42 in Birmingham went on the air as WBMG on October 17, 1965, nearly nine years after its construction was approved. It was the city's third commercial station after channels 6 and 13 (now WBRC and WVTM-TV), whose very high frequency (VHF) signals carried further than WBMG's ultra high frequency (UHF) signal; the Birmingham Television Corporation, which built channel 42, had been unsuccessful in efforts to allocate a third VHF TV channel to Birmingham. The station initially aired the CBS and NBC programs not aired by channel 13 until the two stations each took full-time network affiliations in 1970. It was hemmed in by its weaker signal, the existence of CBS affiliates in Tuscaloosa and Anniston, and the dominance of the VHF stations in the ratings. Roy H. Park Broadcasting acquired WBMG in 1973, but WBMG never moved above third in the market. In response to low ratings, the station dropped local news in 1982 and restored it in 1987; the newscasts, titled Action News Birmingham, became known for a combative style and emphasis on metro-area news, but they were never highly viewed. By 1997, syndicated reruns of Sanford and Son attracted more viewers than WBMG's evening news, and a new Birmingham TV station pushed channel 42 into fourth place in news.

When Media General acquired the Park group in 1997, it planned a major overhaul of the long-struggling station. General manager Eric Land fired all of WBMG's on-air presenters as well as other news employees in December 1997. For a month, channel 42 aired a countdown clock at 5 and 10p.m. while the news department was rebuilt from scratch, a tactic that attracted national attention. On February 5, 1998, the station changed its call letters to WIAT—for its new slogan, "It's About Time"—and relaunched its newscasts as 42 Daily News. The news programs featured short stories, no on-camera reporters, and a high story count; while still in fourth place, they were a marked improvement in quality and ratings over their predecessors. After ratings plateaued in the early 2000s, the station moved to a more conventional format and brought in veteran Birmingham news personalities, which made channel 42 more competitive in the market.

Media General acquired WVTM-TV in 2006 and sold WIAT to New Vision Television to make the purchase. LIN Media acquired New Vision in 2012, and Media General acquired LIN in 2014—this time, keeping WIAT and selling WVTM. Nexstar purchased Media General in 2017.

Pre-launch

In March 1956, the Birmingham Television Corporation—formed by Harry and Elmer Balaban—was incorporated in Alabama and proceeded to file for Birmingham's unused ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 42.[1][2] That same month, Birmingham radio station WSGN filed for channel 42 as well. It was the second application for television made by WSGN, which had previously sought channel 48 and was an ABC affiliate in radio.[3] The fact that two applicants were seeking a UHF channel was of note given that UHF television had proved mostly an economic failure due to lack of transmitter power and the inability of many sets to tune UHF stations.[4]

WSGN's owners, the Winston-Salem Broadcasting Company, withdrew their application for channel 42 on November 28, 1956.[5] The withdrawal was part of a consolidation with the Balaban application, which was approved. Of the prospects for a new station, which would likely have been an ABC affiliate at that point in time, Roger Thames of The Birmingham News wrote,[6]

The Birmingham Television Corporation spent years trying to move a third commercial channel in the more established very high frequency (VHF) band to Birmingham. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the FCC considered adding such a channel to Birmingham on multiple occasions. In 1959, it considered moving channel 8 into Birmingham; WBMG favored a proposal to relocate channel 4 from Columbus, Mississippi, which was also denied.[7][8] In 1963, it opted to deny the addition of channel 3.[9][10] The pending proceedings spared the unbuilt station, with the call sign WBMG, from deletion. In 1960, the FCC sent letters to the permittees of 54 unused or unbuilt UHF stations, including WBMG, ordering them to resume or lose the permit.[11] WBMG and a permit in Grand Rapids, Michigan, were spared due to the pending proposals.[12] In 1963, Winston-Salem Broadcasting became the sole owner of the Birmingham Television Corporation when it bought out the Balabans' stake.[13]

Construction and early years

In November 1964, Winston-Salem Broadcasting filed to sell a two-thirds stake to four investors: William P. Dubois, Enterprise Funds Inc., Northwest Growth Fund Inc., and Exchange Capitol Corporation. The FCC approved this transaction in March 1965.[14] With the new ownership, plans were set in motion to construct WBMG, with Dubois as general manager.[15][16] Even at this juncture, the station attempted to improve its position by filing for the lower channel 21.[17]

WBMG began broadcasting on October 17, 1965.[18] The quarters it occupied on Red Mountain had belonged to radio station WJLD and were designed to accommodate a television operation. WBMG did not hold a primary network affiliation at launch. WAPI-TV (channel 13) held the primary affiliations with CBS and NBC in central Alabama, and not all of their programming was seen in Birmingham as a result; channel 42 filled this gap by airing the network shows not aired on channel 13. This was illustrated in its first day of programming: the inaugural program was an NBC News special, but later in the evening the station aired The Ed Sullivan Show from CBS. Likewise, WBMG aired the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite and NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on weeknights. Carson had gone unseen in Birmingham in several years.[19] Because WAPI-TV had first-call rights on the networks' programs, series moved between the stations, sometimes in the middle of the television season.[20][21]

The station broadcast with an effective radiated power of 479,000 watts until 1969, when it activated a new, 894 ft tower and increased its power to over a million watts. The new tower was boasted to increase the station's signal in areas from Anniston and Gadsden in the east to Tuscaloosa in the west.[22] By this time, Tuscaloosa and Anniston each had their own stations: Tuscaloosa's WCFT (channel 33) debuted in October 1965, while Anniston's WHMA-TV (channel 40) started in October 1969.[23][24] This situation persisted until May 31, 1970, when WAPI-TV became the sole NBC affiliate under a new agreement with NBC and WBMG the sole CBS affiliate.[25][26] Likewise, WCFT and WHMA-TV became full-time CBS affiliates.[27][28]

In 1971, WBMG moved into larger studios on Red Mountain.[29]

Park Broadcasting ownership

Park Broadcasting, the radio and television enterprise of Roy H. Park, acquired WBMG in 1973, bringing its station group up to the then-limit of seven outlets.[30][31] Park continued to make capital investments in channel 42 in spite of its reduced coverage area, including new video tape equipment, electronic news gathering, and a new antenna. However, these changes did not fully help WBMG, whose signal could not fully penetrate the hilly Central Alabama terrain.

The station produced a number of local programs; these included a public affairs series (Spectrum), live studio wrestling,[32] a weekly church service, and annual coverage of Birmingham's Veterans Day parade. In the late 1960s and 1970s, channel 42 offered Sgt. Jack, a children's show hosted by Birmingham disc jockey Neal Miller.[33] Its studios were the home to the first programs produced by Mother Angelica, founder of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN); she severed her relationship with WBMG in 1981 when it aired a CBS miniseries based on the 1972 novel The Word, which she believed presented Jesus as a fake.[34]

While WBMG debuted a local newscast when it signed on in 1965, its news efforts were generally minimal. One of its first employees was Bill Bolen, who had worked at WSGN radio and later left to spend 41 years at WBRC; he recalled channel 42 as "primitive".[35] By 1977, the news staff numbered four people, while WBRC and WAPI-TV each had 20 or more employees in their news departments.[36] Few people watched. In 1981, WBMG's 6p.m. newscast attracted six percent of the audience at that hour to 49 percent for WBRC and 33 percent for the recently renamed WVTM-TV, and the station had no newscast at 10p.m. General manager Hoyle Broome touted the straightforward format of his newscast as an alternative.[37] The newscast, known as Metro News, was then moved to 5p.m. in hopes of attracting an audience as the first newscast of the evening; WVTM dashed those hopes by debuting a 5p.m. newscast of its own, prompting station officials to reevaluate.[38] In March 1982, the newscast was replaced with short news updates during daytime and evening programming, and the news staff was reduced from five employees to two.[39] The station did not air local newscasts for the next several years;[40] Park instead invested in a new, taller tower and higher-power transmitter facility for WBMG, which were activated in 1983 and 1984, respectively.[41]

Action News Birmingham

In late 1986, WBMG began readying a return to local news production, prompting Tuscaloosa-based WDBB to cancel its low-rated 9p.m. local newscast.[42] Park invested $1.5 million to start WBMG Action News Birmingham, which debuted on January 12, 1987. The news department, with weeknight 5 and 10p.m. newscasts as well as weekend editions, focused on news in the five-county Birmingham metro area, rather than the much larger news coverage areas of WBRC and WVTM; the goal was not to be number one but merely to occupy a niche.[43] News director Frank Morock believed the expanding focuses of the other stations left Birmingham and its environs relatively underserved.[44] News viewership for Action News Birmingham hovered between five and nine percent of the audience, a far cry from the shares of 30 percent or above commanded by each of WBRC and WVTM.[45] The newscasts were losing in the ratings to syndicated reruns on Birmingham's independent station, WTTO, though station management contended and a coincidental telephone survey found that viewership was higher than reflected in ratings diaries.[46]

John Herrod left KTXS-TV in Sweetwater, Texas, to become WBMG's news director in 1990. He sought to give the station a defined news image by airing longer, more in-depth stories.[47] Channel 42 also became known for aggressive reporting. When WBRC anchor Janet Hall became a spokeswoman for the Birmingham Zoo, WBMG produced a news special openly asking whether WBRC could be considered a reliable source for reporting on the troubled facility.[48] Doors being slammed in WBMG reporters' faces became a common sight on channel 42's newscasts, and the station did a series of reports on why Birmingham city officials were not talking to WBMG.[49] Even though WBMG's news audience consisted of one to two percent of the market,[50] a study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that WBMG's Action News aired more local news stories and longer stories than its higher-rated competitors in one week in April 1994, concluding, "Channel 42 was guilty of some editorializing but clearly offered more substance than the other two stations."[51]

Shifting affiliations elsewhere, shifting ownership at Park

In 1994, Park Communications sold itself to Donald R. Tomlin and Gary B. Knapp in a deal backed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama pension fund.[53] The sale of Park led to the end of Herrod's Action News format and combative approach in favor of a more mainstream news presentation with the same amount of crime news as other local stations. A new news director was hired in late 1995; the station initiated new weekend, morning, and 5p.m. newscasts in 1996; and the newsroom was expanded from 1500 ft2 to 3900 ft2.[54]

Meanwhile, a major realignment of television station affiliations and ownership was brewing in the market. In May 1994, New World Communications agreed to affiliate 12 stations with Fox, including ABC affiliate WBRC-TV, which it had just agreed to buy from Citicasters. At the same time, New World agreed to buy Argyle Television, owner of NBC affiliate WVTM-TV; to resolve the conflict, WBRC-TV was sold directly to the Fox network. This deal set off a slow-motion affiliation shuffle in Birmingham as ABC sought a replacement affiliate.[55] ABC negotiated with WBMG and was even reported to be near a deal.[56] Instead, Park Communications signed a long-term renewal with CBS, owing to its upcoming deal to carry Southeastern Conference college sports and the company's lengthy relationship with the network.[57]

As a replacement, ABC persuaded the CBS affiliates in Tuscaloosa and Anniston, WCFT and WJSU, to switch affiliations. They would act as full-power satellites of a low-power station in Birmingham, WBMA-LP, with a new combined news operation in Birmingham. The new station, which debuted in September 1996 under the moniker "ABC 33/40", featured veteran Alabama news personalities including WBRC's James Spann and Brenda Ladun,[58][59] later poaching anchor Pam Huff from WVTM. The newscasts on WBMA immediately rose to third place in the Birmingham ratings, pushing channel 42 to fourth place.[60] Nielsen Media Research, which measures television ratings, proceeded to announce that it would fold Tuscaloosa and Anniston into the Birmingham Designated Market Area as a result of their local stations being merged with WBMA; in addition, it would introduce meters instead of diaries to the enlarged market.[61][62]

"It's About Time": Media General acquisition and relaunch as WIAT

New ownership and management

Media General, a broadcaster and publisher based in Richmond, Virginia, announced it would purchase Park Communications in July 1996, creating a company focused on media holdings in the Southeast.[63] The company assumed ownership of WBMG in January 1997 and fired 17-year general manager Hoyle Broome in March. His replacement was Eric Land, who arrived from WGRZ in Buffalo, New York.[64] Among Land's first moves was simulcasting WBMG's newscasts on WNAL in Gadsden, which had replaced WJSU as the CBS affiliate in the eastern portion of the state.[65] The station also ended its longtime relationship with UAB athletics; Broome, a noted booster, was known for preempting CBS prime time programming for sports.[66]

Land's priority was to fix the news department; he had previously overseen major overhauls at WGRZ and at WEYI-TV in Saginaw, Michigan. The station's newscasts had sunk below The Andy Griffith Show on WTTO and Sanford and Son on WABM in the ratings,[67] and they were so poor that not even the anchors' parents watched, Land later recalled.[68] Speculation of a major shakeup was fed by a major research project as well as the resignations of several senior managers over the course of 1997.[69]

On December 11, 1997, WBMG fired all of its on-air anchors and reporters as well as other news staffers, a total of 21 people, effective December 31. Land declared, "We just cannot continue to offer a traditional newscast. That's already being done in this market." The station's employees had expected Land to make significant changes. While lead weeknight anchorman Chris Schauble told the Birmingham Post-Herald that he had known as early as Thanksgiving that he was going to be fired, many other staffers did not know exactly what would take place until the firings were announced.[70][71] A day before the final newscast, on December 31, Land announced that it would be replaced with a clock counting down to the debut of a new newscast on February 5, coinciding with the start of the 1998 Winter Olympics, which aired on CBS; he joked, "More people will probably watch the clock than watched the news broadcast anyway."[72] The story attracted attention well beyond Birmingham; Mark Lorando in the New Orleans Times-Picayune compared Land's mass firing to the series finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which nearly every news staffer was fired.[73] During this time, the news department was reconstructed with input from focus groups and market research.[74] The newsroom also kept functioning; the station sent coverage of the January 29 bombing of the New Woman All Women Clinic in Birmingham's Southside neighborhood by Eric Rudolph to CBS Newspath, CNN, and stations in neighboring markets, even though it was not airing a newscast.[75]

Launch of 42 Daily News

On that date, at 5p.m., viewers saw Land push a plunger to blow up the WBMG logo before an audience of Birmingham community leaders. The station changed its call sign to WIAT, for It's About Time, the slogan of the station's new 42 Daily News newscasts, which aired at 5 and 10p.m. The Daily News format eschewed on-camera reporters; stories were packaged into topical minute segments such as "Alabama Minute" and "Education Minute". The format earned comparisons to CNN Headline News from Keith Cate, who came from WMAR-TV in Baltimore to serve as lead co-anchor, and an article in the Birmingham Post-Herald.[78] One anchor occupied the news desk, while the other read stories from various places on the new set. The 2-Minute Drill sportscast was provided by Paul Finebaum, a Post-Herald columnist and radio show host on WERC; the sportscast in the 5p.m. newscast aired live on TV and radio.[79] The other weeknight news presenters, like Cate, came from out of the market: Sherri Jackson was hired from WSAZ-TV in Huntington, West Virginia,[80] while Declan Cannon had worked at The Weather Channel. Al Primo, who created the Eyewitness News format at KYW-TV in Philadelphia in 1965, delivered sharp criticism of what he felt was "a product that was generated solely by research and implemented by people who don't know anything about the news business" and "the most disjointed presentation [of a newscast] that I have ever seen in my life".[81] Land responded to Primo's scathing remarks by comparing the format to the Al Schottelkotte News, a longtime staple of WCPO-TV in Cincinnati from the 1960s until 1990, for which he had been a reporter: "[The Al Schottelkotte News] was very nontraditional, but jam-packed with information."[81]

42 Daily News represented an immediate ratings improvement over its predecessor; the 10 p.m. newscast, in particular, had increased from a paltry 3% share in February 1997 to a 7% share in February 1998, partly due to having the Winter Olympics as a lead-in.[82] This was not enough to overtake any competitors, but it was higher than the last newscasts as WBMG.[83] Ratings also increased once Birmingham became a metered market, moving to 3 and 4 shares on most nights early in the fall of 1998,[84] and continued their steady climb in early 1999.[85]

Some of the firings resulted in legal action against channel 42. Seven Black former employees sued the station for racial discrimination in 1999, alleging they had been fired for their race and that White employees had been treated better;[86] Media General prevailed in multiple state and federal cases.[87] Doug Bell, the station's sports director since 1988,[88] and former general manager Broome each sued Media General for breach of contract.[89]

The WIAT relaunch did not include a morning newscast, which WBMG had debuted prior to 1997. The station did not begin airing a local morning show until 2000, when it began simulcasting an hour of the morning show hosted by Russ and Dee Fine on WYDE radio.[90] The station added a 6p.m. evening newscast the next year.[91] Land departed in 2001 when Media General tapped him to run WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida, the company's flagship television property; he reunited with Cate, who had joined the WFLA news staff the year before.[92] Finebaum left in May 2002 after a run of more than four years with channel 42;[93] WIAT began broadcasting a digital signal, including high-definition programming, on November 20 of that year.[94]

Ratings growth leveled off after several years of the 42 Daily News format, and viewing figures remained flat between 2000 and 2003. While the reporter-less format cost the station less—the WIAT news department had 25 employees in 2003, compared to 70 at WBRC—it was not prospering against more traditional news competition and with a lack of recognizable faces.[95]

Beginning in 2005, WIAT produced a 9p.m. newscast for WTTO, at that time the market's affiliate of The WB. The new WIAT production replaced WTTO's News Central hybrid newscast and required the expansion of channel 42's news staff.[96]

Since 2006

Sale to New Vision Television

In 2006, Media General announced it would acquire a package of four smaller-market NBC affiliates owned by the NBC network, which included WVTM. Media General opted to keep WVTM because its signal reached more households;[97] it also was third in the market in revenue compared to WIAT in fourth.[98] The company put four of its stations up for the sale, including WIAT, to finance the purchase and meet ownership limits in the Birmingham market.[99][100] WIAT and KIMT in Mason City, Iowa, were sold to Atlanta-based New Vision Television in a deal announced in August and completed in October 2006.[101]

After the sale, WIAT cemented itself as the number-three station in ratings. It debuted a full-fledged morning newscast in September 2007,[102] and it began attracting noted news personalities under general manager Bill Ballard, who ran the station from 2003 to 2013. Herb Winches, a veteran Birmingham sportscaster for WBRC and WVTM, worked at channel 42 from 2007 to 2008[103] before being replaced by Jim Dunaway, a 15-year veteran of WVTM and sports talk radio host.[104] The station also hired other longtime news presenters in Birmingham, including Ken Lass, Mark Prater, and David Neal.[105][106]

WIAT shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 42, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 30, using virtual channel 42.[107]

LIN, Media General, and Nexstar ownership

On May 7, 2012, LIN Media announced that it would purchase the New Vision Television stations, including WIAT, for $330.4 million and the assumption of $12 million in New Vision corporate debt.[108] LIN was acquired two years later by Media General, which opted to keep WIAT and divest WVTM, along with WJCL in Savannah, Georgia, to Hearst Television.[109][110][111] After purchasing LIN, Media General initially agreed to merge with the Meredith Corporation[112] but faced a shareholder revolt in the wake of an unsolicited offer from Nexstar Broadcasting Group,[113] which agreed to acquire the company in 2016.[114]

Several of the veteran personalities hired under Ballard departed in the late 2010s. Prater abruptly left WIAT in April 2018,[115] later pleading guilty to harassing a woman he had dated.[116] Dunaway moved to the news desk in 2015, co-anchoring the evening newscasts with Jackson,[117] before leaving in 2018.[118] He was replaced by Jack Royer, one of the youngest evening anchors in America at the time.[119] Royer moved to mornings in 2020 as part of a switch with Art Franklin,[120] who had been the first Black man to anchor an evening newscast in Birmingham at WBRC in the 1990s;[121] Franklin departed in 2022.[122]

Notable former on-air staff

  • Catherine Callaway – anchor, 1989–1993 (known as Catherine Gee at WBMG)[123]
  • Dale Cardwell – investigative reporter[124]
  • Alex Chappell – sports reporter[125]
  • Hank Erwin – anchor, early 1980s[126]

Subchannels

The WIAT transmitter is atop Red Mountain. The station's signal is multiplexed:

{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

References

  1. Video Station Incorporated Alabama Journal, February 1, 1956, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  2. TV concern applies for Channel 42 The Birmingham News, March 6, 1956, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  3. Roger Thames. The Thames line—WSGN seeks TV channel The Birmingham News, March 19, 1956, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  4. Roger Thames. The Thames line—UHF battle indicates something brewing in TV The Birmingham News, March 27, 1956, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  5. WSGN Withdraws TV Application Birmingham Post-Herald, November 29, 1956, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  6. Roger Thames. New station here near? Well, something's up The Birmingham News, November 30, 1956, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  7. Reply comments made in tv channel shifts Broadcasting, September 28, 1959^
  8. FCC rejects proposal—Local TV station is denied permit to use Channel 4 The Birmingham News, July 10, 1959, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  9. No answer yet on VHF drop-ins Broadcasting, March 4, 1963^
  10. FCC urged to reconsider drop-ins: Huddleston calls Birmingham VHF 'ill advised' Broadcasting, April 22, 1963^
  11. Build or quit, 54 uhf permittees are told Broadcasting, February 22, 1960^
  12. FCC deletes 26 uhf construction permits Broadcasting, November 28, 1960^
  13. FCC History Cards for WIAT Federal Communications Commission, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  14. For the Record Broadcasting, December 14, 1964^
  15. Turner Jordan. Another TV channel for city approved The Birmingham News, March 11, 1965, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  16. Way Cleared For New TV Station Here: FCC Approves Ownership Change Of UHF Channel Birmingham Post-Herald, March 11, 1965, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  17. Emmett Weaver. New UHF TV Station Aims At Fall Opening Birmingham Post-Herald, June 24, 1965, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  18. Here's Lineup Of Channel 42 Birmingham Post-Herald, October 16, 1965, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  19. Emmett Weaver. TV Notebook—Channel 42, Color Pep Up Programs Birmingham Post-Herald, October 19, 1965, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  20. Emmett Weaver. TV Notebook—Changes Continue On TV Picture Birmingham Post-Herald, January 13, 1966, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  21. Season Preview—WBMG-TV Gives Viewing Line-Up Birmingham Post-Herald, August 19, 1967, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  22. For Channel 42: Higher Tower Ups Coverage Birmingham Post-Herald, August 7, 1969, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  23. WHMA-TV Test Pattern Slated For Showing Soon The Anniston Star, October 5, 1969, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  24. WHMA-TV Makes Debut On Air Today The Anniston Star, October 26, 1969, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  25. WAPI-TV to become full-time NBC-TV Broadcasting, December 15, 1969^
  26. TV notebook: 13 going all-NBC and 42 to all-CBS Birmingham Post-Herald, May 30, 1970, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  27. WHMA Joins CBS Network The Anniston Star, March 24, 1970, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  28. CBS-TV's New Links Variety, August 18, 1971^
  29. WBMC-TV [sic] opens new facility Birmingham Post-Herald, November 29, 1971, retrieved December 19, 2023^
  30. New York firm to buy WBMG-tv for $5.5 million Birmingham Post-Herald, October 18, 1972, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  31. WBMG-tv transfer approved Birmingham Post-Herald, June 15, 1973, retrieved December 17, 2023^
  32. Big Bad John to team with Young Atlas Birmingham Post-Herald, April 26, 1971, retrieved December 19, 2023^
  33. 'Sgt. Jack' star dies at hospital The Birmingham News, July 6, 2002, retrieved December 19, 2023^
  34. Carol Ann Campbell. Mother Angelica: Five years ago, she put aside the peanuts and started a successful television network Birmingham Post-Herald, August 9, 1986, retrieved December 19, 2023^
  35. Bob Carlton. Fox 6 luminary Bill Bolen to retire The Birmingham News, January 17, 2010^
  36. Julie Held. Third station in three-station town acts like No. 1 The Birmingham News, June 17, 1977^
  37. Thomas Hargrove. WVTM takes late lead, but WBRC early king Birmingham Post-Herald, April 3, 1981, retrieved December 19, 2023^
  38. Channel 42 considers different news format Birmingham Post-Herald, February 27, 1982, retrieved December 19, 2023^
  39. Garland Reeves. WBMG changes its news format The Birmingham News, March 12, 1982^
  40. Sam Hodges. Network programming takes beating in city: Advertising revenue calls the tune when decisions are Birmingham Post-Herald, May 18, 1984, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  41. WBMG planning to power up Birmingham Post-Herald, June 14, 1984, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  42. Grace Fiorella Chandler. Channel 17 dumps 9 o'clock newscast: Channel 42 to resume local news operation at end of October Birmingham Post-Herald, September 10, 1986, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  43. Siona Carpenter. WBMG readies re-entry into newscast atmosphere Birmingham Post-Herald, December 23, 1986, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  44. Mitch Mendelson. WBMG prepares to sign on with new news program Birmingham Post-Herald, January 9, 1987, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  45. Susan Keith. Television stations tote up wins, losses Birmingham Post-Herald, June 20, 1987, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  46. Michaelle Chapman. Channel 13 rated the newscast king of Red Mountain, for now Birmingham Post-Herald, March 21, 1989, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  47. Cherry Rich. WBMG brings on new golden boy: Channel 42 news director has plans to pull station from cellar Birmingham Post-Herald, June 27, 1990, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  48. Elaine Witt. Zoo pact has TV stations snapping Birmingham Post-Herald, October 1, 1992, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  49. The 'bad' news airs: John Herrod: An underdog with attitude Birmingham Post-Herald, July 26, 1994, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  50. Gail Short. WBRC-6 evening news beats WVTM-13 in ratings Birmingham Post-Herald, July 1, 1993, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  51. Alec Harvey. Researchers claim Channel 42 offers more local coverage The Birmingham News, March 31, 1995^
  52. Park Communications names Byrd to board Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 28, 1983, retrieved June 26, 2024^
  53. David Rynecki. RSA backs big TV deal: WBMG parent firm is sold Birmingham Post-Herald, October 27, 1994, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  54. Nick Patterson. WBMG mainstreams news: Facilities, coverage expanding Birmingham Post-Herald, June 3, 1996, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  55. Jed Graham. Fox's hunting changes plans Birmingham Post-Herald, September 20, 1995, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  56. Michael Tomberlin. ABC poised to scramble local TV affiliations Birmingham Business Journal, August 14, 1995^
  57. Jed Graham. WBMG-42 will stay an affiliate of CBS Birmingham Post-Herald, October 12, 1995, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  58. Steve Joynt. Spann gets hot; TV future cloudy Birmingham Post-Herald, July 12, 1996, retrieved May 6, 2023^
  59. Steve Joynt. Year of visions, sights: The top 10 events had us cheering or groaning Birmingham Post-Herald, December 28, 1996, retrieved May 6, 2023^
  60. Switching channels: Changes still have television market in turmoil Birmingham Post-Herald, August 8, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  61. Claude Brodesser. Nielsen mulling expansion of market Mediaweek, September 1, 1997^
  62. Jon Lafayette. Birmingham's WBMG-TV cleans house with news staff December 18, 1997^
  63. Jed Graham. Media General plans to buy WBMG-42 Birmingham Post-Herald, July 23, 1996, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  64. Amy Hetzner. New broom sweeps GM at WBMG Birmingham Post-Herald, March 26, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  65. Richard Coe. Viewers to get another choice of local news The Anniston Star, April 5, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  66. Cary Estes. UAB tells WBMG bye: 16-year marriage ends Birmingham Post-Herald, May 22, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  67. Wade Kwon. New newscasters litter TV landscape Birmingham Post-Herald, May 23, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  68. Michael Malone. High-Flying Gannett Exec Lands on His Feet Broadcasting Cable, October 1, 2012, retrieved August 13, 2022^
  69. Patrick Rupinski. Another manager at WBMG-42 leaves Birmingham Post-Herald, November 11, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  70. Patrick Rupinski. Snowy picture for WBMG-42: Struggling station fires roster of newscasters Birmingham Post-Herald, December 12, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  71. John Archibald. Channel 42 fires all on-air staff The Birmingham News, December 12, 1997, retrieved July 13, 2025^
  72. Russell Hubbard. Time for change: Countdown clock subs for 42 news The Birmingham News, December 31, 1997, retrieved July 13, 2025^
  73. Tuning into the future? A Birmingham station pulls the plug on its entire news department The Times-Picayune, January 7, 1998^
  74. Patrick Rogers, Debra Durocher. From Birmingham to the World—in a Minute Philip Merrill College of Journalism, April 1998, retrieved December 10, 2015^
  75. Jon Lafayette. Alabama CBS affiliate tries spartan newscast February 9, 1998^
  76. Carrie James. TV news team gets two new members Birmingham Post-Herald, June 12, 1998, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  77. Call sign history for WIAT Consolidated Database System, Federal Communications Commission^
  78. Darin Powell. New 42 has slick, quick newscast Birmingham Post-Herald, February 6, 1998, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  79. Steve Joynt. Post-Herald columnist Finebaum adds WBMG anchor post to duties Birmingham Post-Herald, January 31, 1998, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  80. Elizabeth Wine. Anchorwoman, Sherri Jackson joins WBMG-42 Birmingham Post-Herald, December 30, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  81. Jon Lafayette. News guru whacks WIAT-TV February 16, 1998^
  82. Jon Lafayette. Birmingham newscast gains from re-start April 6, 1998^
  83. Darin Powell. Some good news for fledgling WIAT-42 Birmingham Post-Herald, April 23, 1998, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  84. Jon Lafayette. CBS affiliate's ratings grow by meters November 9, 1998^
  85. Darin Powell. WIAT's redesigned news attracts viewers Birmingham Post-Herald, March 11, 1999, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  86. Michael Tomberlin, Peggy Sanford. Ex-workers accuse WIAT of race bias The Birmingham News, May 21, 1999^
  87. Michael Tomberlin. WIAT ex-employees lose racial bias suit The Birmingham News, June 22, 2001^
  88. Tim Stephens. Staying on course: WBMG's Bell aims at national exposure Birmingham Post-Herald, July 3, 1997, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  89. Gilbert Nicholson. Legal woes plague CBS42 Birmingham Business Journal, April 12, 1999, retrieved December 10, 2015^
  90. WIAT to put Fines on tube: Morning show to air from radio studio The Birmingham News, September 21, 2000^
  91. Robin Clemow. Vying for viewers: After '96 switch, TV market more competitive than ever Birmingham Post-Herald, September 1, 2001, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  92. Walt Belcher. WFLA, Channel 8, welcomes new general manager The Tampa Tribune, July 12, 2001, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  93. Michael Tomberlin. Finebaum gives up sports gig on WIAT The Birmingham News, April 10, 2002^
  94. Television & Cable Factbook 2006^
  95. WIAT-42 still lags in viewers: Station's fast-paced format lacks familiar personalities Birmingham Post-Herald, May 10, 2003, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  96. Bob Carlton. CBS 42 takes over WB 21's newscast The Birmingham News, September 2, 2005^
  97. Bob Carlton. NBC 13 bought; CBS 42 for sale: Media General deal covers other stations The Birmingham News, April 7, 2006^
  98. Michael Malone. Sweet Home Alabama Broadcasting & Cable, June 22, 2007, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  99. Media General to Buy NBC Affiliates for $600 Million The New York Times, April 6, 2006, retrieved March 5, 2017^
  100. Media General buying WVTM-NBC13, selling WIAT-CBS Birmingham Business Journal, April 6, 2006, retrieved December 12, 2015^
  101. Media General Completes Sale of Iowa, Alabama Stations to New Vision Media General, June 26, 2006, retrieved September 10, 2012^
  102. Michael Malone. Station Cooperation Broadcasting & Cable, February 2, 2009^
  103. Jimmy DeButts. Sportscaster Winches sues Channel 42 over contract Birmingham Business Journal, September 7, 2008, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  104. Bob Carlton. Birmingham sportscaster Jim Dunaway moves to the news desk at CBS 42 The Birmingham News, May 11, 2015^
  105. Jimmy DeButts. Weatherman David Neal returns to TV on CBS 42 Birmingham Business Journal, September 30, 2008^
  106. Bob Carlton. CBS 42 executive Bill Ballard is out after station's owner elects not to renew his contract The Birmingham News, October 14, 2013^
  107. DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds Federal Communications Commission, retrieved March 24, 2012^
  108. Michael Malone. LIN Acquiring New Vision Stations for $330 Million May 7, 2012, retrieved May 7, 2012^
  109. Media General, LIN Sell Stations In 5 Markets TVNewsCheck, August 20, 2014, retrieved August 20, 2014^
  110. Michael Malone. Media General, LIN Divest Stations in Five Markets August 20, 2014, retrieved August 20, 2014^
  111. Media General Completes Merger With LIN Media Media General, December 19, 2014, retrieved December 19, 2014^
  112. Cynthia Littleton. TV Station Mega Merger: Media General Sets $2.4 Billion Acquisition of Meredith Corp. September 8, 2015, retrieved September 9, 2015^
  113. Matthew Patane. Meredith, Media General stand by deal despite report The Des Moines Register, October 8, 2015, retrieved October 8, 2015^
  114. Leslie Picker. Nexstar Clinches Deal to Acquire Media General The New York Times, January 27, 2016, retrieved January 27, 2016^
  115. Jeremy Gray. Mark Prater, CBS 42 chief meteorologist, no longer with station The Birmingham News, April 12, 2018^
  116. Carol Robinson. Meteorologist Mark Prater pleads guilty to misdemeanor AL.com, August 30, 2019, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  117. Bob Carlton. Birmingham sportscaster Jim Dunaway moves to the news desk at CBS 42 The Birmingham News, May 11, 2015^
  118. Jeremy Gray. Jim Dunaway leaving CBS 42 anchor desk on Wednesday The Birmingham News, May 23, 2018^
  119. Anna Beahm. Jack Royer named co-anchor at CBS 42 The Birmingham News, July 9, 2018^
  120. Shauna Stuart. CBS 42 News announces new anchor team for evening, morning newscasts The Birmingham News, October 27, 2020^
  121. Veteran newscaster back in Birmingham The Birmingham News, January 27, 2016^
  122. A.J. O'Leary. Broadcast journalist, entrepreneur to leave CBS 42, focusing on new business venture Birmingham Business Journal, March 16, 2022, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  123. Moving to CNN Birmingham Post-Herald, May 27, 1993, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  124. Teen killer holds up his life as bad example to follow Birmingham Post-Herald, May 20, 1988, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  125. Scott Allen. Alex Chappell will make her MASN debut as Nats' on-field reporter Saturday The Washington Post, February 22, 2019, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  126. Henry To Serve New Church The Daily Times, June 29, 1984, retrieved December 20, 2023^
  127. RabbitEars TV Query for WIAT RabbitEars, retrieved December 12, 2015^