other local broadcast sites in Delco. WILM is one of five Wilmington commercial television stations that agreed to end analog transmissions early and became digital-only on September 8, 2008. This move was intended to make the area the first all-digital market in the United States. On that date, WILM shut down its analog signal along with four other Wilmington television stations as part of the voluntary early digital transition. If this agreement had not happened, the decision to shut off analog transmission at any time would have been voluntary for WILM because Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations exempted low-power television stations from the 2009 analog shutdown. Its analog channel 10 identification is still used as its virtual channel using PSIP. In 2015, WILM signed on a translator on channel 24, WILT-LD, to better serve areas such as Monkey Junction, Carolina Beach, and Wrightsville Beach south to Southport and Oak Island. In January 2016, sister station and Capitol Broadcasting flagship WRAL announced it would drop its CBS affiliation due to a contract impasse, effective February 29, 2016. Immediately, WRAL struck a pending affiliation agreement to switch to NBC. On March 30, 2016, CBS announced it would pull its affiliation from WILM and transfer it to the second subchannel of WWAY on January 1, 2017. WILM subsequently became an independent station, adding additional syndicated programming, and promising increased coverage of local college sports. Programming Syndicated programming Syndicated programming on WILM-LD includes Dr. Phil, The Doctors, Rachael Ray and The Big Bang Theory (which used to air its first-run episodes on WILM-LD through CBS from 2007 to 2016). Newscasts WILM-LD simulcasts WRAL's newscasts weekday mornings from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and at 6:00 p.m., with local weather inserts for the Wilmington area. This practice dates to its tenure with CBS; its studios were not large enough for a full-fledged news department. From March 10, 2008 until February 27, 2009 through a news share agreement, WWAY produced a prime time newscast weeknights at 7 p.m. Technical information Subchannels The station's digital signal is multiplexed: Translator References External links WILM-LD WRAL-TV Independent television stations in the United States MeTV affiliates Stadium (sports network) affiliates Capitol Broadcasting Company Television channels and stations established in 1989 ILM-LD Low-power television stations in the United States 1989 establishments in North Carolina