from 2015 to 2019. Technical information Subchannels The station's digital signal is multiplexed: On October 4, 2010, WABM launched a digital subchannel on virtual channel 68.2 as an affiliate of TheCoolTV; the network was removed from the subchannel on August 31, 2012, after Sinclair dropped the music video network on 32 of its then-approximately 70 stations nationwide. The subchannel was reactivated on September 18, 2014, to act as a simulcast feed of WBMA-LD. Analog-to-digital conversion On February 2, 2009, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced to all cable and satellite television providers carrying its television stations via an e-mail release that regardless of the exact date of the mandatory switchover to digital-only broadcasting for full-power stations (which Congress rescheduled days later to June 12), its stations (including WABM) would shut down their analog signals on the originally scheduled transition date of February 17. WABM shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 68, at 11:59 p.m. on that date. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 36. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 68, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition. As part of the SAFER Act, WABM kept its analog signal on the air until March 19 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters. With the digital conversion, WABM moved its transmitter facilities from its analog transmitter site near Ishkooda Road (overlooking Elmwood Cemetery), across the western side of Red Mountain to the American General candelabra transmitter facility overlooking downtown Birmingham, where WTTO's transmitter is based. References External links MyNetworkTV affiliates Sinclair Broadcast Group ABM Television channels and stations established in 1986 1986 establishments in Alabama