TV". However, the weather channel was reinstated on digital channel 12.3 in mid-2009. Freedom announced on November 2, 2011, that it would bow out of television and sell its stations, including WPEC, to the Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair had earlier announced the acquisition of Four Points Media Group, owner of WTVX, and the two purchases resulted in the first full duopoly in West Palm Beach. Sinclair began operating the Four Points stations (including WTVX and its low-power sisters) through time brokerage agreements at some point in October; the company entered into a similar arrangement with the Freedom stations (including WPEC) two months later. The deal was completed on April 2, 2012, although the physical operations of WPEC and WTVX (along with WTCN and WWHB) initially remained separate. WTVX, WTCN, and WWHB would eventually move into WPEC's studios. WPEC formerly housed the studios for the American Sports Network, a Sinclair-run sports channel and syndication service. After its replacement with Stadium (whose studio programming is based out of Chicago), WPEC retained the ASN set as a secondary studio, first using it as a temporary set during the reconstruction of the station's main studio, and later being used for a remotely-produced newscast for sister station WGFL in Gainesville. Programming Syndicated programming Syndicated programming on WPEC includes Inside Edition, Entertainment Tonight, and Dr. Phil among others, all of which are distributed by CBS Media Ventures. News operation Following the May 2009 sweeps period, WPEC finished in third place in household ratings in the early weeknight time slots. WPTV regularly beats WPBF and WPEC in Nielsen ratings as the most watched station in the West Palm Beach market. The NBC affiliate regularly retains its title as the most-watched television station in the state of Florida based on sign-on to sign-off household ratings in metered markets. For most of the time, WPBF has more or less remained at second place. After Fox required most of its affiliates to air local newscasts, the area's affiliate WFLX (then owned by Malrite Communications; eventually acquired by Raycom Media) entered into a news share agreement with WPEC. On September 11, 1991, this station started producing a nightly prime time broadcast on that channel known as Fox 29 10 O'Clock News. Originally thirty minutes long, it soon expanded to a full hour. In 2000, an hour-long weekday morning show at 7 began to air on WFLX entitled Fox 29 Morning News.