Editing WIAT (section)

==Pre-launch==
In March 1956, the Birmingham Television Corporation—formed by Harry and [[Elmer Balaban]]—was incorporated in Alabama and proceeded to file for Birmingham's unused [[ultra high frequency]] (UHF) channel 42.<ref name="Alab560201">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/alabama-journal-video-station-incorporat/136776512/|date=February 1, 1956|page=11-A|title=Video Station Incorporated|newspaper=Alabama Journal|location=Montgomery, Alabama|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 17, 2023|archive-date=December 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217055233/https://www.newspapers.com/article/alabama-journal-video-station-incorporat/136776512/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --><ref name="Birm560306">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-tv-concern-applies-f/136776547/|date=March 6, 1956|page=1|title=TV concern applies for Channel 42|newspaper=The Birmingham News|location=Birmingham, Alabama|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 17, 2023|archive-date=December 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217055236/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-tv-concern-applies-f/136776547/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> That same month, Birmingham radio station [[WAGG|WSGN]] filed for channel 42 as well. It was the second application for television made by WSGN, which had previously sought channel 48 and was an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate in radio.<ref name="Birm560319">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-the-thames-linewsgn/136776577/|date=March 19, 1956|page=24|first=Roger|last=Thames|title=The Thames line—WSGN seeks TV channel|newspaper=The Birmingham News|location=Birmingham, Alabama|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 17, 2023|archive-date=December 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217055235/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-the-thames-linewsgn/136776577/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon --> The fact that two applicants were seeking a UHF channel was of note given that UHF television had proved mostly an economic failure due to lack of transmitter power and the inability of many sets to tune UHF stations.<ref name="Birm560327">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-the-thames-lineuhf/136776621/|date=March 27, 1956|page=19|first=Roger|last=Thames|title=The Thames line—UHF battle indicates something brewing in TV|newspaper=The Birmingham News|location=Birmingham, Alabama|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 17, 2023|archive-date=December 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217055243/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-the-thames-lineuhf/136776621/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue -->

WSGN's owners, the Winston-Salem Broadcasting Company, withdrew their application for channel 42 on November 28, 1956.<ref name="Birm561129">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/birmingham-post-herald-wsgn-withdraws-tv/136776644/|date=November 29, 1956|page=37|title=WSGN Withdraws TV Application|newspaper=Birmingham Post-Herald|location=Birmingham, Alabama|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 17, 2023|archive-date=December 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217055232/https://www.newspapers.com/article/birmingham-post-herald-wsgn-withdraws-tv/136776644/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The withdrawal was part of a consolidation with the Balaban application, which was approved. Of the prospects for a new station, which would likely have been an ABC affiliate at that point in time, Roger Thames of ''[[The Birmingham News]]'' wrote,<ref name="Birm561130">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-new-station-here-nea/136776666/|date=November 30, 1956|page=50|first=Roger|last=Thames|title=New station here near? Well, something's up|newspaper=The Birmingham News|location=Birmingham, Alabama|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 17, 2023|archive-date=December 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217055230/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-new-station-here-nea/136776666/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri -->

{{bq|Personally, I don't believe anybody's going to establish a UHF station in Birmingham. I don't believe there are very many sets in use here which will bring in the UHF signal. And UHF operators elsewhere have had little luck in persuading folks to spend money to gear their sets to get UHF. But ... it costs money to keep an application alive, and something must be in the air.}}

The Birmingham Television Corporation spent years trying to move a third commercial channel in the more established [[very high frequency]] (VHF) band to Birmingham. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the FCC considered adding such a channel to Birmingham on multiple occasions. In 1959, it considered moving channel 8 into Birmingham; WBMG favored a proposal to relocate channel 4 from [[Columbus, Mississippi]], which was also denied.<ref>{{cite news|page=115|title=Reply comments made in tv channel shifts|work=Broadcasting|id={{ProQuest|963319274}}|date=September 28, 1959}}</ref><ref name="Birm590710">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-fcc-rejects-proposal/136776731/|date=July 10, 1959|page=15|agency=Associated Press|title=FCC rejects proposal—Local TV station is denied permit to use Channel 4|newspaper=The Birmingham News|location=Birmingham, Alabama|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 17, 2023|archive-date=December 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217055240/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-fcc-rejects-proposal/136776731/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --> In 1963, it opted to deny the addition of channel 3.<ref>{{Cite news|title=No answer yet on VHF drop-ins|pages=61–62|date=March 4, 1963|work=Broadcasting|id={{ProQuest|1014456387}} }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=FCC urged to reconsider drop-ins: Huddleston calls Birmingham VHF 'ill advised'|page=78|date=April 22, 1963|work=Broadcasting|id={{ProQuest|1014459790}} }}</ref> The pending proceedings spared the unbuilt station, with the call sign WBMG, from deletion. In 1960, the FCC sent letters to the permittees of 54 unused or unbuilt UHF stations, including WBMG, ordering them to resume or lose the permit.<ref>{{Cite news|work=Broadcasting|title=Build or quit, 54 uhf permittees are told|pages=9–10|date=February 22, 1960|id={{ProQuest|962842128}} }}</ref> WBMG and a permit in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]], were spared due to the pending proposals.<ref>{{Cite news|id={{ProQuest|962868984}}|title=FCC deletes 26 uhf construction permits|work=Broadcasting|date=November 28, 1960|page=62}}</ref> In 1963, Winston-Salem Broadcasting became the sole owner of the Birmingham Television Corporation when it bought out the Balabans' stake.<ref name="hc">{{Cite web|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=85884|title=FCC History Cards for WIAT|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=December 20, 2023}}</ref>