Originally operating as an independent station, it was the second independent to sign on in Alabama—debuting a few weeks after WPMI-TV (now an NBC affiliate) in Mobile—and the first to begin operations in the Birmingham market. On paper, the Birmingham market had a large enough population to provide suitable viewership for an independent station since the early 1970s. However, as a whole, Birmingham is a very large market in terms of geographical size, and portions of the area are somewhat mountainous. UHF stations do not get good reception over wide areas or in rugged terrain. By the early 1980s, cable television service had gained enough penetration in central Alabama to make an independent station viable in the region.