The channel 55 allocation remained dormant until 1979, when a group of local investors led by local businessman Michael Pascucci filed for a new construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which was awarded in 1982. Channel 55 went on the air April 28, 1985 as WLIG, with the on-air branding "TV-55". It was the first Long Island-based independent television station since the demise of WSNL-TV (channel 67), which had gone dark a decade earlier. The station's first studio was located at its transmitter site in Ridge, while offices were located on Crossways Park Drive in Woodbury, Long Island. Local news was included at the station's launch; a live 30-minute program, "News 55 Long Island", began with the station, with just three full-time staff and two camera crews. During its first year of operations, WLIG employed a number of gimmicks to attract viewers, such as a "Watch and Win Sweepstakes" in which viewers were shown a "code word" on-screen during a particular show and had to send in a postcard with that word for the chance to win a prize and offering 100,000 free loop antennas to non-cable viewers who could not receive the station clearly. The efforts paid off, as WLIG gradually became a solid ratings player.