were dedicated in April 1986. Possible loss of ABC affiliation On several occasions throughout its history, the ABC network has studied the possibility of moving its affiliation away from WTVQ, even going so far as to enter into discussions with rival stations about relocating its programming there. The first attempt came in the late 1970s, when ABC had become the top-rated television network in the United States. Due to its rising fortunes, the network began to look for stronger affiliates across the country. Lexington was no exception, and in December 1978, The Lexington Herald reported that ABC had held talks with WKYT about that station potentially returning to ABC after ten years. Nothing ever materialized from those discussions, and WKYT renewed its affiliation with CBS, with WTVQ continuing as Lexington's ABC affiliate. WTVQ had been Lexington's third-rated station since its sign-on and was noted for having marginal production values around this time. In August 1982, top ABC executives visited with WKYT once again, talking with that station's general manager about ending their affiliation with CBS and rejoining ABC. With WKYT turning them down, ABC then turned its sights to WLEX-TV about the possibility of them leaving NBC to join ABC. Nothing ever came of that either, with WLEX's general manager going so far as to say that his station "hasn't been offered a contract with ABC". The closest WTVQ came to losing its affiliation came in late 1988, when upstart Fox affiliate WDKY-TV (channel 56), on air since 1986, approached ABC about becoming the new Lexington affiliate. ABC went as far as to hear formal presentations from it and WLKT on why the network should move to their station. An optimistic K. David Godbout, WDKY general manager, said "We're doing everything we can to get the affiliation. We're pulling out all the stops." For his station's part, WTVQ acting general manager Jerry Fox seemed to shrug off WDKY's ploy, saying that he did not "blame them" and adding that if his station was an independent he would "do whatever I could to survive". When asked why ABC was considering leaving channel 36, George Newi, ABC's senior vice president for affiliate relations matter-of-factly said that "We have some concerns about WTVQ's performance in the market. We'll just leave it at that." The network was also concerned at the amount of programming WTVQ was regularly preempting. After much deliberation, in January 1989,