Even though almost all media markets were assigned two commercial VHF channels plus one non-commercial VHF channel, the Hattiesburg–Laurel market was sandwiched between Alexandria, Louisiana (channel 5) and New Orleans (channels 4, 6, 8, and 12) to the west, Gulfport–Biloxi (channel 13) to the south, Jackson, Mississippi (channels 3 and 12) to the north, and Meridian (channel 11) and Mobile–Pensacola (channels 3, 5, and 10) to the east. As a result, Hattiesburg became one of the few media markets that were assigned only "one" VHF channel. WDAM was fortunate enough to gain that license, and consequently became the only television station to be based in Hattiesburg until WHLT (channel 22) signed on the air in 1987. Although there was no station operating on channel 2 in the immediate area, it was assigned to Starkville and Baton Rouge, which are too close to Hattiesburg to allow for such an allocation in the Pine Belt.