The current incarnation of channel 27 signed on the air on March 10, 1986 as WVFT, a Christian-oriented independent station that was originally owned by Roanoke Christian Television. Initially, the station ran only religious programming; soon after its sign-on, the station was sold to Family Group Television. Beginning that fall, the station began transitioning towards a general entertainment programming format; by 1987, WVFT had become a conventional independent station. The station originally operated from studio facilities located on Colonial Avenue Southwest (along I-581/US 220) in Roanoke's Franklin-Colonial section.