Channel 21 was programmed as a typical UHF independent, maintaining a schedule reliant mainly on cartoons, sitcoms and movies. From its sign-on in 1982 until 1985, WTTO also carried programming from the Financial News Network. WTTO quickly became known in the market for airing a broad mix of cult films as part of its film lineup (the station also hosted film festivals at parks throughout central Alabama, featuring public screenings of the movies that it broadcast), as well as spoof promotional campaigns for its programs. WTTO quickly became the strongest independent station in Alabama, and one of the highest-rated independents in the United States. In 1984, the station launched a low-power translator in downtown Birmingham, W62BG, which served areas that could not receive the main WTTO signal due to the rugged mountainous terrain of the area. Chapman Broadcasting sold WTTO to Arlington Broadcasting in 1983; Arlington, in turn, sold the station to HR Broadcasting in 1987. WTTO remained the only independent station in central Alabama for its first two years of operation; however, it would eventually gain a competitor in the west-central part of the state.