WDBB/WNAL officially joined Fox when that network launched on October 9, 1986. As was the case with other Fox stations during the network's early years, channels 17 and 44 continued to essentially program as "de facto" independent stations as, by the time it expanded its programming outside of late-night in April 1987, Fox initially ran prime time programs only on weekend evenings; the network would not carry seven nights a week of programming until September 1993. Until Fox began airing programming on a nightly basis, WDBB aired movies (and later, syndicated programs) in the 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. time period on nights when the network was not scheduled to air any programming.