WANF
From Bubblegum Wiki
| WANF-DT | |
|---|---|
| Florence, Alabama | |
| Branding | Anime 26 |
| Subchannels | 26.1 Anime National/ShopNBC 26.2 Animovie 26.3 JTN 26.4 Kids Box TV 26.5 ShinCast 26.6 Anivision 26.7 ON-ANIME 26.8 Weather Tube 26.9 Anime Music Television 26.10 Asahi Vision 26.11 FUNi+ |
| Digital channel | 26 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | Anime National ShopNBC |
| Owner | Taylor Media Stations Group |
| Founded | January 11, 1982
Analog shutoff March 12, 2009 |
| Call letters meaning | Anime National Florence |
| Former affiliations | Shop at Home, Jewelry TV |
WANF is a commercial television station in Florence, Alabama, broadcasting locally on digital channel 20 (virtual channel 26) as an affiliate of Anime National and ShopNBC. Founded April 19, 1986, the station is owned by Taylor Media Stations Group.
WYLE has been silent since February 8, 2007 due to financial difficulties until August 1, 2008, when Taylor Media bought the station. The station went digital on February 12, 2009 due to it's digital transition nightlight for a period of twelve consecutive weeks. Changed call letters to WANF on March 12, 2009 to reflect it's network.
History
The FCC granted a construction permit to Alabama Management Company on January 11, 1982 as WYLE, to build a full-service television station to serve Florence, Alabama on UHF channel 26. Originally given the call sign WTUK, it changed to WTRT in December 1985. On April 19, 1986, the station began broadcasting and was licensed November 24, 1986. Alabama Management Company sold the station to Bridgerland Television on December 1, 1988. By 1993, the station was in financial trouble. ETC Communications Inc. bought the station out of bankruptcy on June 11, 1993 and changed its call sign to WYLE two weeks later, but being a small operation, ETC Communications was never able to steer the station away from financial danger. WYLE was granted a permit to build digital television facilities on UHF channel 20 on December 11, 2001, but was forced to seek several extensions of its permit due to financial hardship and inability to secure financing.[2] The digital facilities were never built. In 2005, combination of losing their primary prime-time programming and the buyer of Josh Taylor, president and CEO of Taylor Media Stations Group, buy the station in severe financial distress, and it was affiliated with Anime National February 8, 2007.[3] Unable to find an out-of-market buyer, ETC Communications sought to sell the station to Taylor Media, seeking a waiver of the rule which Taylor Media owns WYAM-LP in a market with fewer than eight owners. The waiver was approved. Despite broadcasting a 24-hour Anime National programming beginning January 3, 2008, to avoid being silent for twelve consecutive months, ruled that the affilation was sufficient, and renewed the station's license and all outstanding applications and permits on January 12, 2009. Taylor Media was allowed to move WYLE's digital broadcasts back to it's original channel position Channel 26 after the analog shutdown.
