Huntsville had no "local" TV in the market until 1954. WMSL-TV23 went on the air
in Decatur AL in 1954,but never was even on Huntsville cable until 1969.(Decatur was
larger than Huntsville in 1954) The Huntsville market was assigned no VHF channels
so they had to watch TV from other markets with antennas or Cable TV (after 1957).
By 1969 Huntsville finally had full-time network stations. Many people grew up enjoying
the people and personalities of these other cities. As Cable channels started rolling with
HBO in 1976 the Chattanooga, Nashville and Birmingham stations gradually vanished.
Huntsville Cable TV started in 1957 with just 4 channels. Take a look at history and ads/
logos from these eras. These fantastic pictures are from my personal collection along
with the below sources and other submissions. Please feel free to submit more pictures at  
 lance@huntsvillerewound.com Chattanooga stations are still watched in Jackson and
DeKalb counties, but they were on in Madison and Marshall counties on cable up until the
Mid'70's. Birmingham stations remain on a few systems around Hartselle. South Tennessee
still gets a mixture of Huntsville and Nashville. Up until around 2000 WHNT was the only
CBS station on the Iuka MS cable system. (As WCBI in Columbus MS in analog had interference from WSM/WSMV) This site focuses on
the local AND distant channels (The distant channels vanished as national cable channels were added, The distant channels duplicated the
locals 70% of the time anyway by the '80's) 

               interesting fact: Huntsville Metro had 3 fulltime commercial network affiliates in November 1963-before Birmingham!

enjoy!!!

some Birmingham pictures-      some Huntsville pictures-

some Nashville pictures- 

some Chattanooga pictures-

                                             Check your favorite bookstore for these great books!

1949 WAFM/13 Birmingham sign ontest pattern

                  WBRC/4 Birmingham sign on

                  first TV setup in business in Huntsville-Wone's Barbeque in Lincoln Village   A 16" Admiral set

1950 WSM/4 Nashville TN sign on  

                FCC holds TV construction permits

1952 UHF startsconverters are required as ALL TVs are VHF-only(2-13)

Huntsville is all-UHF TV market. Lexington KY was only other market like this in the Southeast USA

1953 WSIX/8 Nashville sign on 

               WROM/9 Rome GA sign on

                WBRC moves from 4 to 6 to avoid interference in North Alabama from WSM

1954 WMSL/23 Decatur sign on

               WLAC/5 Nashville sign on

               WDEF/12 Chattanooga sign on

1955 WBIQ/10/Birmingham and WTIQ/Talladega sign onAPT is first public TV network in country

1950's pictures   

        WBRC/6

 WAFG/31WMSL/23

WMSL/23

 4 WRBL-TV (CBS, ABC) .................... 1350 13th Ave., Columbus, Ga.
 6 WBRC-TV (CBS) ............................. Atop Red Mtn., Birmingham
 9 WTVY    (CBS, ABC) ........................... Cottonwood Rd., Dothan
12 WSFA-TV (NBC, ABC) ..................... 10 E. Delano St., Montgomery
13 WAPI-TV (NBC, ABC) ........................ P.O. Box 2553, Birmingham
15 WOWL-TV (NBC, CBS) ........................... P.O. Box 634, Florence
20 WCOV-TV (CBS, ABC) ........................ P.O. Box 2111, Montgomery
23 WMSL-TV (NBC, CBS) .................. Mutual Life Ins. Bldg., Decatur
28 WTVM    (NBC, ABC) ................... 1307 First Ave., Columbus, Ga.

Alabama Educational Network .......... Protective Life Bldg., Birmingham
      2 WAIQ (Andalusia)    7 WTIQ (Munford)    10 WBIQ (Birmingham)

WBRC has been a NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX station over the years in Birmingham

Huntsville's Sesquicentennial on WMSL/WAPI (Thanks Donald Derrick/Bryson Studios)

1956 WRGP/3 Chattanooga sign on

                Dumont TV network ends

                WCBI/4 Columbus MS sign on

1957WOWL/15 Florence sign on 

                WTWV/9 Tupelo MS sign on

                 Huntsville cable starts carrying channels 6-BHM,13-BHM,4-NSV,8-NSV

1958 WROM/9 Rome GA becomes WTVC/9 Chattanoogaallowing channel swap in Columbus GA

1959 WAFG/31 Huntsville sign on

1962 WDCN/2 Nashville sign on   

                FCC requires UHF on all new TV sets 

                  FCC issues a construction permit for WAAY/25

1963 WHNT/19 Huntsville signs on

                 WAFG becomes WAAY    25 CP goes to APT as Smith Broadcasting buys WAFG

1960's picturesAPTN  WSM/4

WAPI-13WSIX/8WSM/4

Bozo- on Birmingham's WBRC/6 and Nashville's WSIX/8              Romper Room WSIX/8 in Nashville with a very young Brenda Lee

1965 and 1967 ads (Huntsville TV Cable headend* was near Montview)    *antenna site

1965 Huntsville TV Cable lineup from "The Huntsville News" 1/65
3 WAAY/31 ABC Huntsville
4 WSM/4 NBC Nashville
5 WLAC/5 CBS Nashville
6 WBRC/6 ABC Birmingham
7 WMSL/23 NBC Decatur
8 WSIX/8 ABC Nashville
9 WHNT/19 CBS Huntsville
10 WBIQ/10 NET Birmingham

(13 in Birmingham was probably avoided because of their NBC/CBS affiliation)

WAAY/31

Interactive Huntsville Rewound TV facebook sites   Check out all 4! (all posted on home page)

1965 WHIQ/25 Huntsville sign on 

                WBMG/42 Birmingham sign on gets channel 13's leftovers from WAPI/13 (leftovers of CBS/NBC programming)

1966 Huntsville ETV Center begins operation(4 channels)KHU-75 (later on Huntsville cable systems as )

1967 WFIQ/36 Florence signs on

                   WAAY gets taller tower, and goes NBC  

                   Alabama Cablevision/Reeves Broadcasting buys and merges all 3 Huntsville cable systems-Huntsville TV Cable ,

TV Distibution(WBHP) ,and T&G Cable

The Huntsville CATV antennas (Alabama Cablevision/TelePrompTer/Group W/Comcast) for Birmingham(6,10,13,42)

were behind Burritt Museum and eventually moved to Brindlee Mtn (near WRSA/WTAK tower) Nashville(2/4/5/8/17) were on Drake Mountain

 (near WAHR/WRTT/WDRM/WYFD/WWFF/WDRM/WQRV towers) Chattanooga(3/12)/Atlanta(17) were on top of Lookout Mtn in Ft. Payne.

 Cable Alabama's Birmingham antennas were on a mountain in Redstone Arsenal. Athens CATV antennas were near I-65/AL251.

 Decatur's Nashville Antennas were on Capshaw Mountain (near WZYP tower)

1968 WMSL goes ABC (NBC was on 23 and 31 for several months)

1969 WMSL moves to Huntsville on 48. Ends Decatur broadcasting on 23(local color programs too)

                WHNT installs taller tower   

1970 NET becomes PBS

                           WBMG goes CBS/WAPI goes NBC

1971 Alabama Cablevision becomes Teleprompter

                Teleprompter begins local channel (later CHRM-17 on Cable Alabama )

1971 Huntsville/Decatur cable lineup

1973 WTCG/17 added in Huntsville (from Chattanooga headend in Fort Payne. WTCG went on satellite in 1976)

  WDCN/2 and WSIX/8 become WNGE/2 and WDCN/8 Nashville  

Teleprompter headend flooded on Traylor Island

1974 WMSL becomes WYUR  

                WAAY gets weather radar

1970's pictures

     WBRC/6WBMG/42WAPI/13

WSM/4 1971

WHNT/19               (WLAC/5 rolled out TV radar in 1959!)

John Tesh is next to Dan Miller

WDEF/12WLAC/5

 WTVC/9

CATV/9(HSV) WSMV/4

WAAY/31's "Dialing for Dollars"(Hank Price)                     The Captain and Bobby

Grady and Linda from "Mornin Folks" on WHNT/19

WNGE/2

                                                                                                                                                 (Click to play above)

1975WAAY gets COLOR weather radar

1976 HBO starts in Huntsville (lineup change) Chattanooga Stations dropped off HSV cable    

                KIH-20(weather radio) starts from WYUR/48 tower

1977 WAAY installs tall tower  

               WAAY/WYUR swap networks again

               WOWL boosts power trying to serve Huntsville

1978 WYUR becomes WAFF

                CBN added to cable (lineup change)   Showtime added/HBO dropped

1979 WZTV/17 Nashville added to HSV   

              ESPN starts  (Nashville/Birmingham pulled as new channels launch gradually)

1980 HBO added back in HSV

1981 WAFF new tall tower completed  

                WGN/9 added,CNN and 3 other channels start(HSV cable)       KIH-20 moved to WHIQ tower

1982 WAFF studio/transmitter destroyed in fire (back up in 2 1/2 weeks!) Studio moved to North Parkway longterm (temporarily uses ETV studio)

                WOR/9 added in HSV

1983 WTCG HSV feed changes to national feed 

1983 Teleprompter becomes Group W

1985 WZDX signs on-Studio on Mastin Lake Road  

                 Group W issues after they announce door-to-door cable audit/Cable Alabama comes to HSV from Madison as customers are outraged.

1986WTRT/26 Florence sign-on

                FOX signs on nationally

                Cable Alabama launches in Huntsville with 70 channels (Group W has 36)  Cable Alabama adds  

                WTTO21/Birmingham KTVT/11Dallas WTVS/56 Detroit  

1980's pictures

1987 WHNT moves studio to downtown

                 Group W becomes Comcast   HSV cable wars begin (rates got about cut in half for about 2 years)

1990 WZDX goes FOX

1995 WZDX moves to North Parkway

                UPN and WB launch nationally

1998 WTZT-CA signs on in Athens AL in channel 28,later 11

2000 WOWL/15 NBC becomes WHDF/15 and moves transmitter to Minor Hill TN      

                 Cable Alabama becomes Knology(rolls phone)

2002 WHIQ-TV/DT transmitter/ETV fireWHIQ-TV/DT/KIH20 transmitters destroyed    ETV studio destroyed

                WAWB starts as Knology cable channel (later on 54.2)

2003 WAAY tower collapses  (temporarily on WHNT tower in analog)

                Comcast rolls phone

                WHNT launches Weather 24/7 on 19.2

2004 WAAY tower rebuilt. WAAY and WZDX move to new tower(share)

                WAFF begins "Weatherplus" on 48.2 "The Tube" on 48.3

2006 WHNT and UAH launch the world's first Dual Pol TV Radar "Armor"

2007 UPN/WB merge resources-new network goes to WHDF/15.

                Valley's WB becomes My8(My Network TV)on 54.2

                WZDX adds outsourced local news

                WAFF's "The Tube" goes dark nationally

2008 WHNT/19 begins 16x9(widescreen) news and RTN/later RTV on 19.2

2009 WYLE/26 Florence license cancelled  

                 CP for ch.56 never used for Arab  

                 Analog TV ends

                 WAFF launches THIS TV and drops the local version of WeatherPlus

2010WZDX begins WAAY local news partnership

                WAFF begins HD local news

2011WHNT begins Antenna TV on 19.2

        WHNT and WAAY begin HD local news

                WAFF radar is destroyed by F-4 tornado. Replaced by new 1 million watt radar

2012WAFF Swaps THIS TV for BOUNCE TV  1/1/2012

                WZDX adds MeTV on 54.3     4/15/12       

other Birmingham/Nashville/Chattanooga/Columbus-Tupelo/Atlanta stations did not affect the Huntsville market

today's websites for Huntsville and surrounding markets:TV

                                                                           04/15/2012 09:09:22 PM

also check these sites out:

DISCLAIMER: This page is NOT sanctioned by, nor is it produced under the auspices of any city or company.  All graphics are self-produced; photos and other memorabilia found on this page originate from the private collection of the Webmaster and local citizens, and from the high generosity of other, history-loving people (credited throughout the Website/facebook site).  All logos, past and present, are the property of their respective owners.  They're featured for historical purposes, and the Webmaster does not challenge any ownership rights. Please also get permission before posting any item from an existing website onto the facebook site. When permission is given you will probably need to link to that site in your description. Seeing picture content on a public website such as this does NOT translate to their being in the public domain. Please contact the webmaster with any of these concerns.  Thank You