The Huntsville had no "local" TV in the DMA (Designated Market Area) until 1954. In fact the area was not even recognized

as an independent DMA until the 1960's. WMSL-TV23 went on the air in Decatur AL in 1954, but never was even on some of

the Huntsville cable systems (Huntsville had 3 cable systems in the 1960's/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,when the first system started).

By 1963 the Huntsville area finally had full-time network stations. (BEFORE Birmingham) Many people enjoyed the people

and personalities of these other cities via cable and antenna. (Huntsville had one of the highest cable penetration rates of any

city in the US in the 1960's/'70's/'80s) 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 1970'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)

The Huntsville/Decatur/Florence market by sign on date--WMSL(23) in Decatur-1954
WOWL(15) in Florence-1957, WAFG(31) in Huntsville-1959, WHNT(19) in Huntsville-1963
WHIQ(25) in Huntsville-1965, WFIQ(36)in Florence-1967, WZDX(54)in Huntsville-1985
and WTRT(26)in Florence in 1985
 

interesting fact: Huntsville Metro had 3 NBC stations for about 6 months in 1967/1968 (15/23/31) (no ABC)

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 on test 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 starts converters 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 on APT is first public TV network in country

1950's pictures

WBRC/6

WAFG/31 WMSL/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 Chattanooga allowing 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 pictures APTN WSM/4

WAPI-13 WSIX/8 WSM/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/6 WBMG/42 WAPI/13

WSM/4 1971

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

John Tesh is next to Dan Miller

WDEF/12 WLAC/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