KASY-TV (channel 50) is a television station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting alongside Santa Fe–licensed de facto CW owned-and-operated station KWBQ, channel 19 (and its Roswell-based satellite, KRWB-TV, channel 21). The two stations share studios with dual CBS/Fox affiliate KRQE (channel 13) on Broadcast Plaza in Albuquerque; KASY-TV's transmitter is located atop Sandia Crest. Nexstar Media Group, which owns KRQE and holds a majority stake in The CW, provides master control, technical, engineering and accounting services for KASY-TV and KWBQ through a shared services agreement (SSA), though the two stations are otherwise operated separately from KRQE as Mission handles programming, advertising sales and retransmission consent negotiations. History KASY-TV first signed on the air on October 6, 1995, owned by Ramar Communications and managed by Lee Enterprises (then-owners of CBS affiliate KRQE) under a local marketing agreement (LMA). The station was primarily a UPN affiliate, but had a secondary affiliation with The WB; this was easy to do as neither network had more than a couple nights a week of programming at that time. Initially, KASY ran cartoons (such as Highlander: The Animated Series, The Flintstones, Mutant League and Mighty Max), old movies, talk shows, classic sitcoms (such as Gilligan's Island, I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show), recent off-network sitcoms (such as Harry and the Hendersons). In fall 1997, KASY dropped WB programming and became an exclusive UPN affiliate; The WB would return to the market when upstart KWBQ signed on in March 1999 with a similar general entertainment format. In the interim, WB programming was brought in out-of-market from KTLA in Los Angeles or Chicago-based superstation WGN on Albuquerque area cable providers. In June 1999, ACME Communications, KWBQ's owner, bought KASY from Ramar and terminated the local marketing agreement with Lee Enterprises, resulting in the creation of the first major television duopoly in the Albuquerque market. Most of the programming inventory airing on KASY was also acquired by ACME, while some of the shows that aired on KASY under the LMA remained with Lee to be broadcast on KRQE. After the sale to ACME was completed, KASY stopped rebroadcasting certain local newscasts from KRQE. That fall, KASY dropped its UPN affiliation due to contract disputes between the network and ACME Communications (which was closely associated with UPN's rival The WB) and became an independent station. In the interim,