WDAM Hattiesburg Partnering With ABC Network

Raycom's WDAM Hattiesburg (Miss.), an NBC affiliate in DMA No. 167, will begin airing ABC on its subchannel June 11, replacing This TV. 

Word of WDAM picking up ABC was previously reported on Examiner.com, and an ABC spokesperson confirmed the development.

WDAM grabs almost 80% of the TV revenue in the Hattiesburg-Laurel DMA, according to BIA/Kelsey, while Media General's WHLT is a CBS affiliate.

In October, WHPM took over the Fox affiliation, the first time Fox was represented in the market.

Picking up a Big Four network for a subchannel is becoming more common in the smaller markets where a major affiliation does not exist. Morris Network's WXXV Biloxi (Miss.), a Fox affiliate, will air NBC programming as a multicast starting July 1.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.