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| City | Troy, Alabama |
| Channels | |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WALE-LD,WCOV-TV | |
| History | |
| Founded | December 18, 1986 (1986-12-18) |
First air date | November 24, 2000 (24 years ago) (2000-11-24) |
Former call signs | WRJM-TV (1986–2009) |
Former channel number(s) |
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Call sign meaning | "It's Your Country"(former slogan; based on its previous affiliation withTCN) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 62207 |
| ERP | 185 kW |
| HAAT | 322.3 m (1,057 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°3′36.5″N85°57′1.8″W / 32.060139°N 85.950500°W /32.060139; -85.950500 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
WIYC (channel 48) is atelevision station licensed toTroy, Alabama, United States, serving theMontgomery area as an affiliate ofCozi TV. It is owned byAllen Media Broadcasting alongsideFox affiliateWCOV-TV (channel 20) andlow-power local weather stationWALE-LD (channel 17). The three stations share studios on WCOV Avenue in the Normandale section of Montgomery; WIYC's transmitter is located on County Road 37 in ruralBullock County.
The station came on the air on November 24, 2000, as WRJM-TV, an affiliate of the United Paramount Network (UPN). Following the announcement of the merger between UPN andThe WB to formThe CW, WRJM signed an affiliation agreement withNews Corporation's new upstart programming service,MyNetworkTV. The station made the switch between affiliations on MyNetworkTV's first day of broadcast, September 5, 2006. In addition to MyNetworkTV programming, WRJM-TV showed traditional syndicated fare, local programming, and sports, includingTroy University and high school sports.
In February 2008, the station went into receivership after defaulting on a $2.9 million loan to Citizens Bank.[citation needed] WRJM received an extension of time to construct its previously approved digital facilities, through November 19, 2008.[3]
Bankruptcy receiver Walter P. Lunsford filed with theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) that the station is being offered for sale. He noted that any new owner would be responsible for construction of WRJM's digital facilities, since no construction has taken place due to the station's financial condition.[4]
On January 16, 2009, Southern Venture Capital Group began operating WRJM via alocal marketing agreement; on April 20, SVCG entered an agreement to purchase the station outright for $3 million.[5] In August 2009 SVCG assigned the LMA and purchase agreement to Artists and Fans Network, Inc.
In April 2009, the station ceased to carry MyNetworkTV programming; at the time, the station cited satellite problems and a need to reconfigure the station's equipment for its digital transition (though the station has also since dropped all syndicated programming, in favor ofThe Country Network (TCN), a subchannel featuring country music videos and performances). That May, WRJM suffered alightning strike, forcing the station to end analog transmission; the station then ordered equipment to convert to digital. It would not be until 2014 when MyNetworkTV found another affiliate, low-poweredWDSF-LD, which serves the immediate Montgomery area. Since WRJM's disaffiliation, most area cable systems carriedWABM from the adjacentBirmingham market.
The station changed its call letters to WIYC in November 2009.
In 2011, WIYC dropped TCN in favor ofWeatherNation, a weather information network similar toThe Weather Channel.[6] It then changed affiliates again in 2013, this time affiliating with Cozi TV.
On November 15, 2017, Neal Ardman filed to sell WIYC to Woods Communications Corporation for $1 million.[7] The sale would create aduopoly with Fox affiliate WCOV-TV (channel 20); as Montgomery does not have enough television stations to permit a legal duopoly, Woods sought a failing station waiver for the purchase. The sale was completed on April 3, 2018.[8]
In 2020, MyNetworkTV reaffiliated with WIYC, sharing 48.2 withDecades.
On December 15, 2021, it was announced that Allen Media Group, a subsidiary ofLos Angeles–basedEntertainment Studios, would purchase WIYC, WCOV-TV and WALE-LD for $28.5 million;[1] the sale was completed on April 14, 2023.[9]
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | Cozi TV | Cozi TV |
| 48.2 | Catchy | Catchy Comedy /MyNetworkTV | ||
| 48.3 | 480i | H & I | Heroes & Icons | |
| 48.4 | 1080i | CourtTV | Court TV | |
| 48.5 | 480i | TBD | TBD | |
| 48.6 | 4:3 | Comet | Comet | |
| 48.7 | 16:9 | Charge | Charge! |