ABC ultimately agreed to retain WTVQ as its Lexington affiliate. In exchange for keeping the network's programs on its air, WTVQ pledged to improve its newscasts, preempt less of the network's programming, and increase its promotion of network shows. Additionally, ABC would no longer pay the station to air its programming, in one of the earliest cases of a network moving away from the longstanding practice of paying its local affiliates to air its programming on an annual basis. Newi added that all parties "agreed that everything that has happened in the past is in the past". Sale to Park; subsequent merger with Media General On January 30, 1992, Park Communications purchased WTVQ from Shamrock Broadcasting. The $11 million purchase came after the improvements under Shamrock, particularly in the area of news, had pushed the station into a position of second-place contention and improved its reputation. Countering Park's noted image for frugality, Park invested in new equipment for the station. In July 1995, Park Communications was sold to Gary B. Knapp and Donald R. Tomlin, Jr., under the name Park Acquisitions. Knapp was a Lexington securities dealer whose bid was backed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama pension fund. Media General purchased Park Acquisitions and its properties (including WTVQ) in January 1997. On February 26, 2002, it became central Kentucky's first commercial television station to broadcast a digital television signal on UHF channel 40. In 2004, WTVQ, along with Media General ABC affiliates WJBF and WMBB, preempted an uncut Veteran's Day broadcast of the 1998 movie Saving Private Ryan, citing uncertainty over whether the film's obscenities would cause FCC repercussions in light of new commission policy. Morris Multimedia era On October 29, 2007, Media General announced that it was exploring the sale of WTVQ and four other stations in order to help reduce debt. Media General announced on March 7, 2008, that it had reached an agreement to sell WTVQ to Morris Multimedia for $16.5 million; it was the largest acquisition in Morris's history. By the time of this acquisition, WTVQ had fallen to fourth place in Lexington, behind WDKY, in revenue. In 2008, WTVQ launched a subchannel carrying MyNetworkTV, replacing the low-power WBLU-LP, whose poor signal hampered its reach; this became an acute issue when MyNetworkTV became the new broadcast home of WWE's Smackdown!. A 10 p.m. newscast was also aired for a time on the subchannel. Local programming