WAMY-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "WAMY-TV" | |
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| Huntsville - Decatur - The Shoals, Alabama |
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| Branding | My 8 |
| Slogan | Alabama's My 8 WAMY-TV |
| Channels | Analog: none (available on cable) |
| Affiliations | MyNetworkTV |
| Owner | Grant Broadcasting System II |
| Founded | January 11, 1995 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Alabama MYNetworkTV |
| Former callsigns | "WAWB-TV" (1995-2006) |
| Former affiliations | The WB (1995-2006 via The WB 100+) |
| Website | mywamy.com |
"WAMY-TV" is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Northern Alabama. The call letters are fictional as the station is only available over-the-air via WZDX's DT2 digital subchannel. In most areas, the station broadcasts on channel 8 via Comcast and Charter cable systems. As a result, it is known on-air as "My 8". However, there are some areas, including Decatur, where the station is located on other cable television channels.
WAMY and the area's FOX affiliate WZDX are owned by Grant Broadcasting System II. The two stations share studios located on North Memorial Parkway (a.k.a. US 231, US 431, US 72)
Along with MyNetworkTV primetime and overnight paid programming, WAMY's syndicated lineup includes: Sex and the City, Roseanne, The Cosby Show, The Greg Behrendt Show, Montel, Jerry Springer, Maury, The Tyra Banks Show, Friends, and Judge Mathis. There are no news or sports on the station.
Many MyNetworkTV affiliates are housed on digital subchannels, but WAMY and "WNFM-TV" in Southwest Florida are the only MyNetworkTV affiliates that also have fictional callsigns.
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[edit] History
The station first began broadcasting on January 11, 1995. It was only offered on cable and was affiliated with the new WB network via The WB 100+, a group of cable-only WB stations. It had the call letters WAWB-TV and used them in a fictional manner. The call sign should not be confused with WUPV in Richmond, Virginia which used the calls officially from 1995 until 1997. As a WB affiliate, WAWB was known on-air as The Valley's WB.
It was unusual that when WAWB signed on, it was a cable-only WB affiliate. That arrangement was common for television markets numerically ranked at 100 or above. In those markets, The WB was offered on cable as part of The WB 100+ Station Group. The Huntsville - Decatur - Florence market is ranked at 84, well below the cut off at 100.
In 2002, when WZDX launched the second digital signal of the market, WAWB began to be seen on that station's DT2 digital channel. This move was made in order to offer non-cable viewers access to WB programming.
[edit] The WB and UPN Shut Down
On January 24, 2006, the WB and UPN networks announced that they would end broadcasting and merge to create a new broadcast television network. The new network would be called The CW, the letters representing the first initial of its corporate parents CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner.
On February 22, FOX announced that they would start up another new broadcast television network called MyNetworkTV. The new network, which would be a sister network to FOX, was to be operated by FOX Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also created to compete against The CW.
On April 4, WHDF, the area's UPN station, was announced as becoming the market's CW affiliate. On April 18, it was announced that WAWB was to become the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate. WAWB began showing the new MyNetworkTV network logo in the corner of the screen on June 1 during promotions of the coming switch.
WAWB changed its fictional call letters to WAMY-TV when MyNetworkTV began broadcasting on September 5. The CW began broadcasting on WHDF on September 18.
[edit] Administration
- Jim Laura - Station Manager / General Sales Manager
- Everett Lawrence - Local Sales Manager
- JJ Vincent - Sales Assistant
- Virginia Jackson - National Sales Assistant
- Joyce May - Senior Account Executive
Account Executives
- Stephen Rice
- Kelli Norwood
- Karen Farrell
- Sandy Stewart
- Inez Bradley
- Michael Stone
[edit] Logos
 The station's logo when it was known as WAWB and affiliated with The WB. |
 The station's current logo reflecting its cable location in most areas on channel 8. |
[edit] External links
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