stˈeɪʃən pɹˈɛzɪdənt bˈɑːb bˈækmən ɐpɹˈoʊtʃt ˌɛnbˌiːsˈiː fɚɹən ɐfˌɪlɪˈeɪʃən ɐɡɹˈiːmənt ˈæftɚ wˈɑːtʃɪŋ wˈʌn ʌvðɪ ˌaʊɾəvmˈɑːɹkɪt ˌɛnbˌiːsˈiː ɐfˈɪlɪˌeɪts ˌɔn kˈeɪbəl ɐ fjˈuː jˈɪɹz ˈɜːlɪɚ, dɪsˈæɾɪsfˌaɪd æt ðə lˈæk ʌv lˈoʊkəl nˈuːz kˈʌvɚɹɪdʒ fˈoʊkəsɪŋ ɔnðə dˈɛlmɑːɹvɚ ɹˈiːdʒən.
Station president Bob Backman approached NBC for an affiliation agreement after watching one of the out-of-market NBC affiliates on cable a few years earlier, dissatisfied at the lack of local news coverage focusing on the Delmarva region.