WMYA-TV

WMYA-TV is a television station licensed to Anderson, South Carolina, and serving viewers across the Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina markets. The station broadcasts on digital channel 35 and is historically associated with its former analog channel 40 identity and the “My 40” brand. Its present operating structure is closely connected with Sinclair Broadcast Group: Cunningham Broadcasting holds the station license, while Sinclair operates it through a local marketing agreement with WLOS, the Asheville-based ABC affiliate that Sinclair owns. Because Cunningham has long been linked to the Sinclair family, the formal ownership and practical control of the station have been treated as distinct issues in regulatory and industry discussions. The station began broadcasting in December 1953 as WAIM-TV, founded by newspaper publisher and radio owner Wilton E. Hall. It initially operated as a CBS affiliate, but its prospects were weakened by the arrival of stronger VHF competition in the region and by the structural disadvantages faced by UHF stations before cable and universal UHF reception became widespread. WAIM-TV became an ABC affiliate in 1956 and maintained a limited schedule with relatively modest local advertising support. In the late 1970s, ownership changes and the loss of the ABC affiliation led to an attempted transformation into a full-time independent station. That effort failed commercially, and the station went silent in 1979. The channel returned to the air in 1984 under the WAXA call sign after a major technical rebuild, including a high tower and a more powerful transmitter intended to expand coverage across the Upstate. WAXA carried syndicated entertainment and movies, produced several local programs, and became the area's first Fox affiliate in 1986. The Fox affiliation ended after ownership and programming difficulties, followed by another period off the air. In the early 1990s, WAXA returned primarily as a retransmitter of WLOS programming, with limited local opt-outs and South Carolina-oriented news and public-affairs content. After a change in ownership, the station adopted the WFBC-TV call sign in 1995 and resumed separate programming as an independent outlet. It later affiliated with The WB and then MyNetworkTV, adopting the “My 40” identity associated with its former channel position. In 2021, MyNetworkTV programming moved to a subchannel of WLOS, and WMYA-TV was subsequently used largely to distribute national digital multicast services. In 2022, the station became an ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, transmission facility for the Upstate South Carolina market. Its programming services are now carried through other local television stations participating in the NextGen TV arrangement. WMYA-TV therefore remains an active broadcast asset, although its role has shifted from a conventional standalone network affiliate toward a technically important shared-transmission and multicast platform.

WMYA-TV traces its history to WAIM-TV, which was established in Anderson, South Carolina, by Wilton E. Hall, publisher of the Anderson Independent and Daily Mail and owner of local radio stations. The Federal Communications Commission granted the construction permit in September 1953, and the station began broadcasting on December 11 of that year. It initially operated as a CBS affiliate on UHF channel 40. The station faced difficult competitive conditions almost immediately. A nearby VHF station, WSPA-TV, received authorization to operate from Paris Mountain, giving it a stronger regional signal than the UHF facilities then serving Anderson and Greenville. WAIM-TV challenged the authorization before the FCC and the federal courts, arguing that the move would damage its finances and network position. The challenge was unsuccessful. WSPA-TV began broadcasting in 1956, and WAIM-TV's economic position deteriorated. That year, WAIM-TV shifted to ABC, while also carrying selected CBS material and, for a period, educational programming. Its schedule and advertising base remained limited. Hall sold his broadcasting interests in the late 1970s to Frank L. Outlaw II and Bob Nations, who operated through The ONE Corporation. ABC extended the station's affiliation temporarily, but the owners ultimately converted WAIM-TV into a full-time independent station on January 1, 1979. The independent model required substantially more advertising and cable reach than the station could obtain. It reduced its schedule within weeks, returned to the market for sale, and went silent in May 1979. Ownership groups explored a return to service, but the station remained off the air for approximately five years. In 1983, Mark III Broadcasting, a South Carolina subsidiary of Agronomics, acquired the dormant station and changed its call sign to WAXA. The new owner constructed a much taller tower near Fountain Inn and installed a more powerful transmitter designed to cover the Upstate. WAXA returned on October 1, 1984, with movies, syndicated reruns, music-video programs, and public-affairs content. It also began stereo transmission in 1985, becoming an early South Carolina adopter of the technology. In October 1986, WAXA became the first Fox affiliate in the area and later gained carriage on Asheville cable systems, improving its reach into Western North Carolina. The station's progress was disrupted by the death of Agronomics owner Anthony Kupris in 1987. His estate explored a sale, but a proposed transaction with Jones Commercial did not close. WAXA also lost its Fox affiliation after a competing station secured a Fox group agreement. The station experienced staff reductions and eventually went off the air again in September 1989 while a proposed acquisition by AnchorMedia, owner of WLOS, awaited regulatory review. The FCC initially rejected an outright transfer because it would have produced an impermissible overlap between stations in the same market. The parties instead arranged for WAXA to return in 1991 as a near-total WLOS simulcast. A federal appeals court later ordered the FCC to reconsider the transaction. During this period, WAXA carried limited local material, including the Anderson-oriented public-affairs program Viewpoint 40. WLOS also worked with the Anderson Independent-Mail on news gathering and introduced a South Carolina-focused newscast for channel 40. AnchorMedia, operating as Continental Broadcasting, sold its stations to River City Broadcasting in 1994. River City pursued a separate-programming strategy, and the station became WFBC-TV on September 2, 1995. Its schedule combined newly acquired syndicated shows with programs already held by WLOS. River City was sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group in 1996. Because of broadcast ownership restrictions, the WFBC-TV license was assigned to Glencairn, later associated with Cunningham Broadcasting, while WLOS operated the station under a local marketing agreement. The arrangement drew regulatory and public criticism because of the relationship between Glencairn's ownership and Sinclair's controlling family interests. WFBC-TV later affiliated with The WB and subsequently with MyNetworkTV, adopting the My 40 branding and eventually the WMYA-TV call sign. In 2021, the MyNetworkTV service was shifted to a WLOS subchannel. WMYA-TV then became primarily a carrier for digital multicast services rather than a conventional standalone network affiliate. In 2022, it was selected as the Upstate South Carolina ATSC 3.0 transmission facility. Its participating subchannels are delivered through other local stations, allowing WMYA-TV to function as part of a shared NextGen TV infrastructure while retaining its Anderson license and regional broadcast identity.

• 2022

  NextGen TV conversion

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WMYA-TV becomes an ATSC 3.0 transmission facility for Upstate South Carolina.

• 2021

  MyNetworkTV service moves to WLOS

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station's MyNetworkTV programming moves to a WLOS digital subchannel.

• 1995

  WFBC-TV launches separate programming

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopts the WFBC-TV call sign and resumes a separate independent schedule.

• 1991

  WLOS simulcast resumes

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WAXA returns to the air largely retransmitting WLOS programming.

• 1986

  Fox affiliation

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WAXA becomes the first Fox affiliate serving the area.

• 1984

  WAXA relaunches

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  A rebuilt station returns under the WAXA call sign with expanded technical coverage.

• 1979

  Independent-station experiment and shutdown

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station becomes independent but suspends broadcasting in May after advertising and distribution problems.

• 1956

  ABC affiliation begins

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WAIM-TV changes its primary network affiliation from CBS to ABC after the arrival of stronger VHF competition.

• 1953

  WAIM-TV signs on

  [1]WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The Anderson-licensed station begins broadcasting on December 11 as a CBS affiliate.

Regional broadcast television station and digital transmission platform serving Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina.

• Broadcast television

  Local television programming

  WMYA-TV has historically carried locally oriented news, public-affairs, and community programming for Anderson and the wider Upstate South Carolina region. Examples include the Anderson-focused Viewpoint 40 and South Carolina news content produced in connection with WLOS and the Anderson Independent-Mail. The station's present role is less centered on a standalone local schedule than during its WFBC-TV and My 40 periods.

• Network television

  MyNetworkTV programming

  WMYA-TV served as a MyNetworkTV affiliate and used the My 40 identity associated with its former channel position. The service provided nationally distributed entertainment programming alongside the station's local and syndicated content. In 2021, the MyNetworkTV schedule moved to a digital subchannel of WLOS, reducing WMYA-TV's role as a conventional network affiliate.

• Digital broadcast infrastructure · 2022

  ATSC 3.0 transmission

  Since 2022, WMYA-TV has operated as an ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, transmission facility for Upstate South Carolina. Under the shared-transmission arrangement, participating stations' digital services can be transmitted through other local facilities, making WMYA-TV an infrastructure platform as well as a licensed television station.

• 1998

  Glencairn-Sinclair ownership and local marketing arrangement challenged

  The station's ownership and operating structure became the subject of regulatory and public challenges after the WFBC-TV license was assigned to Glencairn while WLOS, owned by Sinclair, operated the station under a local marketing agreement. Critics argued that the relationship effectively gave Sinclair control of two stations in the same market despite ownership restrictions, and questioned Glencairn's claimed independence and minority-ownership status.

  Source

Read more

• 2022

  Conversion to ATSC 3.0 serviceGeneration change

  Background

  Broadcasters in the Upstate South Carolina market adopted a shared NextGen TV transmission model.

  Action taken

  WMYA-TV became the market's ATSC 3.0 transmission facility, while participating stations' subchannels were delivered through other local transmitters.

  Aftermath

  The station remains active as part of the region's digital broadcast infrastructure.

  Source

• 2021

  Migration of MyNetworkTV programmingStrategy

  Background

  The station's role within the Sinclair-operated local television group was reorganized as digital multicast distribution expanded.

  Action taken

  MyNetworkTV programming moved from WMYA-TV to a WLOS subchannel.

  Aftermath

  WMYA-TV shifted away from its traditional network-affiliate role and toward multicast and transmission functions.

  Source

• 1995

  Separate-programming relaunch as WFBC-TVStrategy

  Background

  River City Broadcasting sought to operate the station as a distinct outlet rather than as a near-total WLOS simulcast.

  Action taken

  The station adopted the WFBC-TV call sign and assembled a separate independent schedule from newly acquired and existing program rights.

  Aftermath

  The channel later moved through WB and MyNetworkTV affiliations before adopting the WMYA-TV identity.

  Source

• 1991

  Return as a WLOS retransmitterStrategy

  Background

  A proposed purchase by WLOS owner AnchorMedia faced FCC concerns about common ownership and market overlap.

  Action taken

  The parties used a simulcast arrangement rather than completing an immediate outright transfer, returning WAXA largely as a WLOS satellite.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement restored service and later included limited Anderson-oriented programming and news opt-outs.

  Source

• 1984

  Technical rebuild and WAXA relaunchStrategy

  Background

  The dormant station needed substantially greater coverage to compete across the Upstate market.

  Action taken

  Mark III Broadcasting changed the call sign to WAXA, constructed a taller tower near Fountain Inn, and installed a higher-power transmitter.

  Aftermath

  The station returned to the air with broader regional ambitions and later gained Fox affiliation and Asheville cable carriage.

  Source

• 1979

  Conversion to independent programmingStrategy

  Background

  The station lost its ABC affiliation and faced weak advertising demand, limited cable carriage, and competition from stronger regional signals.

  Action taken

  WAIM-TV became a full-time independent station and attempted to build a schedule from syndicated and other non-network programming.

  Aftermath

  The strategy proved commercially unsustainable, and the station went silent in May 1979.

  Source

1. 1WMYA-TVen.wikipedia.org