In 1968, Springfield Television announced the sale of WJZB to Buckley and his new corporation, Evans Broadcasting. Buckley planned significant upgrades, including a new color transmitter capable of 1 million watts of power. However, before Buckley could close on the purchase, the studio and transmitter were destroyed by fire in May 1969. When it was apparent the station would never return to the air, Springfield Television surrendered the license to the FCC, which deleted it in February 1970, with its frequency reassigned to two-way radio and land mobile use. In 1971, it became a translator for WUNI.