state. In 1984, WDBB began broadcasting from Tuscaloosa, and it activated a new transmission facility in 1986 that extended its signal to Birmingham. It was WDBB (and WNAL-TV, a station in Gadsden that primarily rebroadcast it) that served as the market's first Fox affiliate. In September 1986, HR Broadcasting Company, a unit of HAR Communications, purchased the station along with WCGV-TV in Milwaukee from Byron Lasky's companies. HAR Communications was 20% owned by Hal Roach Studios. In June 1990, Qintex Entertainment sold its stake in HR Broadcasting Co., which owned WTTO and WCGV, to ABRY Communications for over $40 million. ABRY was successful in winning the Fox affiliation from WDBB, which moved to WTTO on September 1, 1990. As a result of their financial difficulties, WDBB and WNAL began simulcasting WTTO on January 30, 1991. Several stronger WDBB syndicated programs were added to WTTO's schedule as a result. In addition to programming contracts, WTTO also purchased WDBB's Birmingham business offices and W62BG, a translator improving service in parts of the city. The structure of WTTO's relationship with WDBB and WNAL changed to one of an affiliation; the stations also had the ability to air some of their own programming. The three stations functioned as a regional network of their own, providing coverage comparable to WBRC and WVTM-TV. By 1993, Abry had purchased WDBB and WNAL outright and converted both stations into full-time satellites of WTTO. WDBB then relocated its transmitter facilities to a tower in Moundville and reduced its transmitter power to reduce overlap with WTTO, but continued to maintain Bessemer as its city of license. That same year, WTTO entered into a local marketing agreement with WABM, which had been sold a few months earlier to a locally based group. By 1994, WTTO had become one of the highest-rated Fox affiliates in the country, and managed to overtake CBS affiliate WBMG as the third-highest-rated television station in central Alabama. Late that year, both WDBB and WNAL began airing separate programming during the daytime and late evening hours, consisting of syndicated sitcoms, drama and animated series that WTTO did not hold the rights to broadcast as well as local newscasts. In 1994, Abry Communications merged with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which—in addition to acquiring WTTO and WDBB—also assumed the rights to the local marketing agreement with WABM. At that time, the station moved its operations into WABM's facilities on Beacon Parkway