Dothan Alabama

[gartv]

The Dothan Alabama market covers parts of Alabama, Georgia and Florida and has three local network affiliated stations. The oldest is WTVY (CBS) which started on channel 9 in the mid 1950's and moved to channel 4 in 1960 when channel positions were reassigned between Columbus Georgia's WRBL (ch4 to ch3) and WTVM (ch 28 to ch9)

WTVY is also considered the CBS station for Panama City, FL which does not have their own CBS station.

Station WDHN-18 signed on in the 1970's as the second commercial station in the Dothan area.

And WDFX-34 signed on in the late 1980's as the area's FOX affiliate. Dothan does not have an NBC station. Alabama residents rely on WSFA-12 Montgomery, Georgia residents rely on WALB-10 Albany and Florida residents rely on WJHG-7 Panama City for NBC programing.


WDHN studios and Transmitter. Northeast of Dothan near Greenville Alabama (just over Georgia state line)

Note the original 1970's vintage logo for the station and for ABC.




And just up the road is the abandoned original studio property for WTVY including the original WTVY channel 4 sign.

[newsdudeatl]

You weren't kidding when you said "abandoned." The old WTVY looks like quite a gem. You'd think the station would want to preserve an artifact like that...

[gartv]

I forgot to mention that both locations are also the station's transmitters. The WTVY transmitter's tie down wires actually cross the road.

WTVY now uses a transmitter somewhere just across the Florida state line, I guess that move was to better serve the Panama City audience. I remember reading that a radio station currently uses the old WTVY transmitter.

There used to be a history section on the WTVY website. It's not there now and I cannot find other resources for the story.

I do know that WTVY's studios are now in downtown Dothan, possibly in a renovated old building. But it would have been nice if someone preserved the old location better.