The station first signed on the air on February 18, 1984 as independent station WCAY-TV. WCAY-TV was owned by the TVX Broadcast Group, which had signed on a few stations in other markets. The station maintained a general entertainment format featuring cartoons, sitcoms, movies and drama series, operating from studios located on Peabody Street in downtown Nashville. Along with the other TVX stations, WCAY became a Fox affiliate on April 5, 1987 as part of a groupwide affiliation deal. Fox affiliated with all of TVX's stations as a condition of affiliating with WNOL-TV in New Orleans.