the new station would be viewable in cities like Altoona in the eastern part of the market, Evergreen acquired WOPC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Altoona, disaffiliated it from the network, and converted it to satellite operation as WWPC-TV; the two would serve as one independent station. WWCP-TV began on October 13, 1986, and WWPC-TV started the next day. Originally, both stations aired a general entertainment format running cartoons, classic sitcoms, old movies, recent sitcoms, and drama shows. Finding itself in the unusual position of being an independent on the VHF band, WWCP-WWPC immediately took most of the stronger shows from the only other independent in the market, WFAT (channel 19). That coup was the beginning of the end for the latter station (it went dark in 1991, returned in 1996, and is now Pittsburgh's CW affiliate WPCW). Within ten months of going on-the-air, WWCP and WWPC obtained a Fox affiliation; for the network's first ten months of existence, the network's York affiliate WPMT served the eastern portion of the Johnstown market, while the network's Scranton affiliate WOLF-TV (now WSWB, a CW affiliate) served the northern portion, and WPGH served the western portion of the market. Since WOPC had gone dark in the early-1980s, the eastern portion of the market had received ABC programming from WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, while the northern portion was served by WNEP-TV in Scranton, and the western portion was served by WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh. At the time, both stations preempted a moderate number of network shows. It soon became obvious that Johnstown needed its own ABC affiliate. In 1988, WWCP converted WWPC to a separate operation as WATM-TV, which then took the ABC affiliation. That station was soon sold off to a separate licensee in order to comply with FCC regulations on station ownership but the commission allowed WWCP to continue to control that channel under a local marketing agreement. WWCP successfully contended that if operated separately, both stations may have been in danger of going dark. For a time, a repeater was set up that allowed WWCP to be received on UHF channel 57 in the Altoona area. This was not effective, however, because the transmitter was twenty miles away near Martinsburg. Altoona viewers who did not possess a high-powered antenna could not receive this signal. Throughout most of the city, viewers only saw a picture with no sound. WWCP was the first Fox affiliate in