Independent station

An independent station is a broadcast station, usually a television station, not affiliated with a larger broadcast network. As such, it only broadcasts syndicated programs it has purchased; brokered programming, for which a third party pays the station for airtime; and local programs that it produces itself.

In North American and Japanese television, independent stations with general entertainment formats emerged as a distinct class of station because their lack of network affiliation led to unique strategies in program content, scheduling, and promotion, as well as different economics compared to major network affiliates. The Big Three networks in the United States — ABC, CBS, and NBC — traditionally provided a substantial number of program hours per day to their affiliates, whereas later network startups—Fox, UPN, and The WB (the latter two were succeeded by The CW and, to a lesser extent, MyNetworkTV)—provided substantially fewer shows to their affiliates. Through the early 1990s, Fox affiliates were often considered independents.

Programming

The term independent station most often is used to refer to stations with general entertainment formats. Historically, these stations specialized in children's programming, syndicated reruns or first-run shows, and sports coverage.

Some independent stations, mostly those once having been affiliated with a major network, produce substantial amounts of news and public affairs programming. The model for these stations was WSVN in Miami, an NBC affiliate that switched to Fox in January 1989 and dramatically expanded its news output. Further affiliation changes and news expansions from the 1990s onward have produced a number of additional stations, such as KTVK in Phoenix (an ABC affiliate until 1995); WJXT in Jacksonville, Florida (a CBS affiliate until 2002); and WHDH in Boston (an NBC affiliate until 2017), as well as stations such as WGN-TV in Chicago and KUSI-TV in San Diego that never held a major network affiliation.

However, in a broader sense, there are independent stations that focus on a specific genre of television programming. For instance, religious independent stations buy and schedule, or produce locally, evangelism and study programs, and ethnic independent stations purchase or produce programs in specific languages or catering to specific communities.

Overview

Early history

During the 1950s and 1960s, independent stations filled their broadcast hours with movies, sports, cartoons, filmed travelogues, and some locally produced television programs, including in some instances newscasts and children's programs. Independents that were on the air during this period would sign-on at times later than that of stations affiliated with a television network, some not doing so until the early or mid-afternoon hours. Another source of programming became available to independent stations by the mid-1960s: reruns of network programs which, after completing their initial runs, were sold into syndication.

As cable television franchises began to be incorporated around the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, independent stations from large and mid-sized markets were imported by these systems via wire or microwave relay to smaller media markets, which often only had stations that were affiliated with the Big Three television networks (ABC, NBC and CBS); these independents became the first "superstations," which were distributed on a statewide or regional basis. In December 1976, Ted Turner decided to uplink his struggling Atlanta, Georgia station WTCG to satellite for national distribution. Soon, other companies decided to copy Turner's idea and applied for satellite uplinks to distribute other stations; WGN-TV in Chicago, KTVU in Oakland-San Francisco, and WPIX and WOR-TV in New York City would begin to be distributed nationally during the late 1970s and early 1980s (in the case of KTVU, it would revert to being a regional superstation by the early part of the latter decade).

By the start of the 1970s, independent stations typically aired children's programming in the morning and afternoon hours, and movies and other adult-oriented shows (some stations aired paid religious programs) during the midday hours. They counterprogrammed local network-affiliated stations' news programs with syndicated reruns – usually sitcoms and hour-long dramas – in the early evening, and movies during prime time and late night hours. In some areas, independent stations carried network programs that were not aired by a local affiliate.

In larger markets such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, independent stations benefited from a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that barred network-affiliated stations within the top 50 television markets from airing network-originated programs in the hour preceding prime time. This legislation, known as the Prime Time Access Rule, was in effect from 1971 to 1995, and as a result independents faced less competition for syndicated reruns. Some stations in larger markets (such as WGN-TV in Chicago; KTLA, KCOP-TV and KHJ-TV in Los Angeles; KWGN-TV in Denver; and (W)WOR-TV, WPIX and WNEW-TV in New York City) ventured into local news broadcasts, usually airing at 10:00 p.m. in the Eastern and Pacific time zones, and 9:00 p.m. in the Central and Mountain time zones. Network stations aired their late newscasts an hour later.

From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, independent stations in several U.S. cities, particularly those that had yet to receive a cable franchise, carried a form of a network affiliation through subscription television networks (such as ON TV, Spectrum and SelecTV); these services – which were formatted very similarly to their pay cable counterparts – ran sports, uncut and commercial-free movies (both mainstream and pornographic, broadcasts of the latter often created legal issues that were eventually largely cleared up due to an FCC regulation that legally allowed the broadcast of programs featuring content that would otherwise be deemed indecent when broadcast "in the clear" if the encrypted signal was not visible or audible to nonsubscribers), and on some services, television specials. Independents usually ran the services during the evening and overnight hours in lieu of running movies and other programs acquired off the syndication market by the station, although a few eventually began to carry these services for most of the broadcast day. The services required the use of decoder boxes to access the service's programming (some of which were fairly easy to unencrypt due to the transmission methods stations used to scramble the signal during the service's broadcast hours); some required the payment of an additional one-time fee to receive events and adult films. As cities added cable franchises, thus allowing people to subscribe to conventional premium television networks like HBO and Showtime, nearly all of the over-the-air subscription services had shuttered operations by the end of the 1980s.

Until the late 1970s, independent stations were usually limited to the larger American television markets, due to several factors. Most smaller markets did not have a large enough population to support four commercial stations. Even in markets that were large enough to support a fourth station, the only available license was on a UHF channel allocation. During the analog television era, the reception quality of UHF stations was not nearly as good as stations on the VHF band, especially in areas with rugged terrain (the reverse is true in the present day with the transmission of digital signals) or in markets that cover large geographic areas. Since independent stations had to buy an additional 16 hours of programming per day – a burden not faced by network-affiliated stations – these factors made prospective owners skittish about signing on a television station as an independent. By the 1970s, however, cable television had gained enough penetration to make independent stations viable in smaller markets. This was especially true in markets that were either located in rugged terrain or covered large areas; in these regions, cable (and later satellite) are all but essential for acceptable television. Nearly 300 independent stations existed in the United States by the mid-1980s, in markets of varying sizes, up from fewer than 100 in 1980. They could buy new shows without cash using barter syndication. Many stations belonged to the Association of Independent Television Stations (INTV), a group similar to the National Association of Broadcasters, and which lobbied the FCC on behalf of independents.

In the 1980s, television syndicators began offering original, first-run series such as Solid Gold, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Star Search, Independent Network News and Star Trek: The Next Generation (as well as canceled network series revived for first-run syndication such as Fame, Too Close for Comfort, Charles in Charge, It's a Living and Baywatch), and made-for-television movies and miniseries like Sadat. This trend primarily benefited independent stations. Independents scheduled these first-run programs during prime time and on weekends.

In the United States, many independent stations were commonly owned. Companies that operated three or more independents included:

• Chris-Craft Industries, and its subsidiary BHC Communications
• Christian Broadcasting Network
• Clear Channel Communications
• Cox Enterprises
• Gaylord Broadcasting
• Grant Broadcasting System
• Kaiser Broadcasting, and its successor Field Communications
• Meredith Corporation
• Metromedia
• Pappas Telecasting Companies
• Renaissance Broadcasting
• RKO General
• Scripps-Howard Broadcasting
• Sinclair Broadcast Group
• Taft Television and Radio Company
• Tribune Broadcasting
• TVX Broadcast Group, and its successor Paramount Stations Group

Decline

In 1986 several independent outlets, led by the Metromedia stations, formed the Fox Broadcasting Company, the first major venture at a fourth U.S. broadcast television network since the DuMont Television Network shut down in August 1956 (which resulted in some of its affiliates, including those owned by Metromedia, becoming independents). Fox made efforts, slowly at first, to have its affiliates emulate a network programming style as much as possible; but in turn, Fox only carried a late-night talk show at its launch in October 1986, and beginning in April 1987, offered one night of prime time programming a week (on Sundays). The network only programmed two hours of prime time programming each night (and, beginning in the 1990s, some children's programming through Fox Kids), but gradually expanded its prime time lineup to all seven nights until January 1993. Fox's owned-and-operated stations left INTV in March 1992.

The lack of programming in other dayparts forced most Fox affiliates to maintain the same programming model as independent stations during non-prime time slots, and during its early years, on nights without prime time programming from the network. Fox coerced most of its affiliates to air prime time newscasts (there were some holdouts as late as 2013, while many others opted to run outsourced local newscasts from a competing network affiliate) as well as news programming in other dayparts common with other major network affiliates. When a complicated six-station affiliation switch in South Florida saw WSVN in Miami switch from NBC to Fox in 1989, the station adopted a news-intensive format unlike any independent station or Fox affiliate prior, a scheduling choice initially ridiculed in local media but quickly attracted industry attention and saw ratings success. This model was copied by stations owned by New World Communications and SF Broadcasting that switched to Fox in the mid-1990s, and to other news-producing Fox and minor network affiliates, and independent stations, by the 2000s.

In September 1993, many independents began carrying the Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN), an ad-hoc programming service that emulated a network model, which featured drama series and made-for-TV movies intended for first-run syndication. In January 1995, many remaining independents, including those that carried PTEN, joined upstart networks The WB and the United Paramount Network (UPN). The WB, UPN and their affiliates used a very similar programming model to that initially used by Fox and its stations during their first four years of existence (although neither network would expand their prime time lineups to all seven nights); the launch of those networks resulted in PTEN's demise in 1997, as most stations that became affiliates of UPN and The WB (whose respective founding parents, Chris-Craft Industries and Time Warner, jointly owned PTEN) either dropped the service or moved its lineup out of prime time when those networks launched. Other stations banded together to become charter outlets of the Pax TV (now Ion Television) network in August 1998, although some of the stations that aligned with Pax had earlier affiliated with its predecessor, the Infomall TV Network (inTV), two years before.

The launches of these networks drastically reduced the number of independent stations in the United States; some mid-sized markets would not regain a general entertainment independent until the early 2000s, through sign-ons of unaffiliated stations and disaffiliations by existing stations from other commercial and noncommercial networks. In 2001, Univision Communications purchased several English language independents in larger markets (which mostly operated as Home Shopping Network affiliates until the late 1990s) from USA Broadcasting to form the nuclei of the upstart Spanish language network Telefutura (now UniMás), which launched in January 2002. Several stations affiliated with The WB and UPN became independent again when the respective parent companies of those networks (Time Warner and CBS Corporation) decided to shut them down to form The CW, which launched in September 2006 with a schedule dominated by shows held over from and an affiliate body primarily made up of stations previously aligned with its two predecessors. Some of the newly independent stations subsequently found a new network home through MyNetworkTV, itself created out of the prospect that the UPN affiliates of corporate sister Fox Television Stations would become independents due to The CW choosing to affiliate with CBS Television Stations and Tribune Broadcasting stations in overlapping markets.

Today

As a result of the various network launches that have occurred since the 1986 launch of Fox, true independent stations have become a rarity. The smallest stations, which in the past would have been forced to adopt a locally originated independent program schedule, now have other options – 24-hour-a-day networks that require no local or syndicated programming for the station to carry; some of these networks, such as AMG TV or America One, follow a full-service variety format, while others are devoted primarily to classic television (such as MeTV) and/or films, or carry mainly niche programming. Many stations that are affiliated with the larger post-1980s networks still behave much like independents, as they program far more hours a day than a station affiliated with one of the Big Three networks.

This is especially the case with MyNetworkTV, whose efforts to offer first-run programming were largely unsuccessful. By 2009, the network had abandoned its first-run programming efforts and became a "programming service", with its programming now focused upon off-network reruns of drama series. After this transition, many of MyNetworkTV's affiliates began to downplay their affiliation with the network, and move the block to alternate timeslots (such as late-night).

Current independents follow a very different program format from their predecessors. While sitcom reruns are still popular, expanded newscasts and other syndicated programs such as talk shows; courtroom shows; reruns of recent scripted comedy and drama series; and no-cost public domain programming are common. Another type of content being added to many independent station lineups in recent years has been brokered programming, including infomercials, home shopping and televangelist programs; the Federal Communications Commission did not allow infomercials to be broadcast on American television until 1984, but since then, it has proven to be a lucrative, if somewhat polarizing with viewers, way to fill airtime. During the 1990s when infomercials gained popularity, many stations began broadcasting 24 hours a day rather than signing off at night. By filling the overnight hours with infomercials, the station would be able to generate extra revenue where they had previously been off the air. Home shopping programs (mainly simulcasts of cable services that also have over-the-air distribution such as QVC and the Home Shopping Network) or syndicated programs fill overnight time periods on stations that do not run infomercials during that day part.

Since the FCC revised its media ownership rules to permit station duopolies in August 1999, independents that operate on a standalone basis have become quite rare in the United States and, in turn, independents that are senior partners in duopolies are fairly uncommon. With the proliferation of duopolies and local marketing agreements since that point, most independent stations are operated alongside a major network affiliate (more commonly, one of either ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox), which may share syndicated programming with and/or produce newscasts in non-competitive timeslots for its unaffiliated sister. This is because in most markets, independents tend to have lower viewership than that of a network affiliate, and usually fall within part of the FCC's duopoly criteria (which allows a company to own two stations in the same market if one is not among the four highest-rated at the time of an ownership transaction).

List of notable independent stations, past and present

• Partial listing: bold text denotes an independent station.

List of notable U.S. independent stations

Media market	State	Stations	First air date	Last air date	Current network
Albany-Schenectady-Troy	New York	WXXA-TV 23	July 30, 1982		Fox
		WUSV 45 (now WCWN)	March 22, 1982		The CW
		WOCD 55 (now WYPX-TV)	December 14, 1987		Ion
Anchorage	Alaska	KTBY 4	December 2, 1983		Fox
		KYES-TV 5 (now KAUU)	January 21, 1990		5.1 CBS 5.4 MyNetworkTV
		KDMD 33	October 1, 1989		33.1 Ion 33.2 Telemundo
		KCFT-CD 35	July 17, 1984
Atlanta	Georgia	WATC-DT 57	April 14, 1996
		WQXI-TV/WATL-TV 36	December 18, 1954 (original incarnation) August 16, 1969 (2nd incarnation) July 5, 1976 (current incarnation)	May 31, 1955 (original incarnation) April 1, 1971 (2nd incarnation)	MyNetworkTV
		WGNX 46 (now WANF)	June 6, 1971		CBS
		WHOT 34 (now WUVG-DT)	April 18, 1989		Univision
		WJRJ-TV/WTCG/ WTBS 17 (now WPCH-TV)	September 1, 1967		The CW
		WVEU/WUPA 69	August 22, 1981
Austin	Texas	KBVO 42 (now KEYE-TV)	December 4, 1983		CBS
Baltimore	Maryland	WBFF 45	April 11, 1971		Fox
		WMAR-TV 2	October 27, 1947		ABC
		WNUV-TV 54	July 1, 1982		The CW
Baton Rouge	Louisiana	KZUP-CD 20	November 26, 2002
Beaumont	Texas	KBMT-LD 64 (now KUIL-LD 12.5)	2003		MyNetworkTV
Birmingham	Alabama	WTTO 21	April 21, 1982		The CW
		WABM 68	January 31, 1986		68.1 MyNetworkTV 68.2 ABC
Bloomington-Peoria	Illinois	WBLN/WYZZ-TV 43	October 18, 1982		Fox
Boise	Idaho	KTRV-TV 12	October 18, 1981		Ion
Boston	Massachusetts	WSBK-TV 38	October 12, 1964
		WKBG-TV/WLVI-TV 56	December 21, 1966		The CW
		WXNE-TV 25 (now WFXT)	October 10, 1977		Fox
		WSMW-TV/WHLL 66 (now WUNI)	February 12, 1985		Univision
		WQTV/WABU 68 (now WBPX-TV)	January 2, 1979		Ion
		WXPO-TV/WNDS/ WZMY-TV/WBIN-TV 50 (now WWJE-DT)	September 5, 1983		True Crime Network
		WSMW-TV/WHLL 27 (now WUTF-TV)	January 1, 1970		UniMas
		WWDP 46	December 6, 1986		ShopHQ
		WDPX-TV 58	January 16, 1984		Grit
		WNEU 60	August 14, 1987		Telemundo
		WMFP 62	October 16, 1987		OnTV4U
		WHDH 7	May 22, 1982
Buffalo	New York	WUTV 29	December 21, 1970		Fox
		WNLO 23	May 13, 1987		The CW
		WBBZ-TV 67	March 12, 1993		MeTV/Independent
		WNYO-TV 49	September 1, 1987		MyNetworkTV
Charlotte	North Carolina	WAXN-TV 64	October 15, 1994
		WCCB 18	September 5, 1961 (2nd incarnation) November 1, 1964 (current incarnation)	May 16, 1963 (2nd incarnation)	The CW
		WJZY 46	March 9, 1987		Fox
		WRET-TV 36 (now WCNC-TV)	July 9, 1967		NBC
		WHKY-TV 14 (now WWJS)	February 14, 1968		Sonlife
Chicago	Illinois	WGN-TV 9	April 5, 1948
		WFLD 32	January 4, 1966		Fox
		WSNS-TV 44	April 5, 1970		Telemundo
		WCIU-TV 26	February 6, 1964		26.1 The CW 26.2 Independent
		WPWR-TV 60 (now WPWR-TV 50)	April 4, 1982		MyNetworkTV
		WGBO-TV 66 (now WGBO-DT)	September 18, 1981		Univision
		WMEU-CD 48	October 28, 1987
Chico	California	KCVU-TV 20	May 14, 1986		Fox
Christiansted	U.S. Virgin Islands	WCVI-TV 23	May 16, 1997		23.1 CBS 23.2 ABC
Cincinnati	Ohio	WXIX-TV 19	August 1, 1968		Fox
		WIII-TV/WSTR-TV 64	January 29, 1980		MyNetworkTV
Cleveland-Akron	Ohio	WUAB 43	September 15, 1968		The CW
		WBNX-TV 55	December 1, 1985
		WKBF-TV 61	January 19, 1968	April 25, 1975
		WCLQ 61	March 3, 1981		Univision
		WOIO 19	May 19, 1985		19.1 CBS 19.2 MeTV/MyNetworkTV
		WMFD-TV 68	January 10, 1986
		WGGN-TV 52	December 5, 1982
Colorado Springs-Pueblo	Colorado	KXRM 21	January 22, 1985		Fox
		KXTU 57	November 5, 1999		The CW
		KWHS 51	1992		CTN
Columbus	Georgia	WXTX 54	August 29, 1983		Fox
Columbus	Ohio	WTTE 28	June 1, 1984		TBD
		WWAT 53 (now WWHO)	August 31, 1987		The CW
Dallas-Fort Worth	Texas	KDFI 27	January 26, 1981		MyNetworkTV
		KFWD 52	September 1, 1988		Shop LC
		KLDT 55 (now KAZD)	March 18, 1997		55.1 Spectrum News 1 55.2 MeTV
		KMEC-TVKBFI-TV/ KXTX-TV/KDTV/ KRLD-TV 33 (now KDAF)	September 29, 1980		The CW
		KSTR-TV 49 (now KSTR-DT)	April 17, 1984		UniMas
		KTVT 11	September 11, 1955		CBS
		KTXA 21	January 4, 1981
		KXTX-TV 39	February 5, 1968		Telemundo
Davenport -Rock Island	Iowa -Illinois	KLJB 18	July 28, 1985		Fox
Dayton	Ohio	WSWO-TV 26	July 14, 1968	December 6, 1972
		WKTR-TV/WOET-TV 16 (now WPTD)	March 20, 1967		PBS
		WTJC/WDPX 26 (now WBDT)	September 7, 1980		The CW
		WRGT-TV 45	September 23, 1984		Dabl
Denver	Colorado	KWGN-TV 2	July 18, 1952		The CW
		KCDO-TV 3	December 18, 1963
		KDVR 31	August 10, 1983		Fox
		KTVD 20	December 1, 1988		MyNetworkTV
Detroit	Michigan	WKBD-TV 50	January 10, 1965
		WMYD 20	September 15, 1968		The CW
		WGPR-TV 62 (now WWJ-TV)	September 29, 1975		CBS
		WADL 38	May 20, 1989		MyNetworkTV
Des Moines	Iowa	KCBR/KDSM-TV 17	March 7, 1983		Fox
El Paso	Texas	KILT 13 (now KVIA-TV 7)	September 1, 1956		7.1 ABC 7.2 The CW
		KCIK-TV 14 (now KFOX-TV)	August 1, 1979		Fox
		KJLF-TV 65 (now KTFN)	June 22, 1991		UniMas
Evansville	Indiana	WTVW 7	August 21, 1956		The CW
Fargo	North Dakota	KVRR 15	February 14, 1983		Fox
		KNRR 12	January 1, 1986		Fox
		KBRR 10	September 1985		Fox
Fresno-Visalia	California	KMPH-TV 26	October 11, 1971		Fox
		KAIL 53 (now KAIL 7)	December 18, 1961		TCT
Fort Wayne	Indiana	WFFT 55	December 21, 1977		Fox
Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek	Michigan	WXMI 17	March 18, 1982		Fox
Green Bay-Appleton	Wisconsin	KFIZ-TV 34	August 1, 1968	November 30, 1972	Independent/NET/PBS
		WXGZ-TV/WACY-TV 32	March 7, 1984 (original incarnation) June 1994 (current incarnation)	February 14, 1992 (original incarnation)
		WSCO/WPXG/ WIWB/WCWF 14	February 22, 1984 (original incarnation) April 30, 1997 (current incarnation)	1987 (original incarnation)	The CW
		WLRE/WGBA-TV 26	December 31, 1980		NBC
Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point	North Carolina	WGNN-TV/WJTM/ WNRW-TV 45 (now WXLV-TV)	September 22, 1979		ABC
		WGGT 48	May 9, 1981		MyNetworkTV
		WRDG/WAAP 16 (now WGPX-TV)	August 7, 1984		Ion
		WEJC 20 (now WCWG)	October 30, 1985		The CW
		WLXI 61 (now WLXI 43)	March 5, 1984		TCT
Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville	South Carolina North Carolina	WAXA/WFBC-TV 40 (now WMYA-TV)	December 11, 1953		Dabl
		WGGS-TV 16	October 29, 1972
		WHNS 21	April 1, 1984		Fox
		WASV-TV 62 (now WYCW)	October 31, 1984		The CW
		WNEG-TV 32 (now WGTA)	September 9, 1984		MeTV
Harrisburg-Lancaster-York	Pennsylvania	WPMT 43	December 21, 1952		Fox
Hartford-New Haven	Connecticut	WHCT 18 (now WUVN)	September 25, 1954		Univision
		WCCT-TV 20	September 10, 1953		The CW
		WTIC-TV 3 (now WFSB)	September 23, 1957		CBS
		WTIC-TV 61	September 17, 1984		Fox
		WTWS 26 (now WHPX-TV)	September 15, 1986		Ion
		WWAX-LD 27	March 11, 2013
Hilo	Hawaii	KOHA-TV/KHBC-TV 13 (now KSIX-TV)	August 22, 1983		13.1 NBC 13.2 Independent 13.3 CBS
Honolulu	Hawaii	KIKU-TV/KHNL 13	July 4, 1962		13.1 NBC 13.2 Independent 13.3 Telemundo
		KHAI-TV/KIKU 20	December 30, 1983
		KFVE 5/KFVE 9 (now KHII-TV)	February 7, 1988		MyNetworkTV
		KWHE 14	August 23, 1986
Houston	Texas	KHTV 39 (now KIAH)	January 6, 1967		The CW
		KRIV 26	August 15, 1971		Fox
		KTXH 20	November 7, 1982		MyNetworkTV
		KCVH-LP 30 (now KCVH-LD 6)	November 2, 1988
		KNWS-TV 51 (now KYAZ)	November 3, 1993		MeTV
		KTBU 55	July 15, 1998		Quest
		KUBE-TV 57	May 18, 1988		Shop LC
Indianapolis	Indiana	WURD/WHMB-TV 40	February 22, 1971
		WTTV 4	November 11, 1949		4.1 CBS 4.2 Independent
		WWKI-TV/WTTK 29	May 1, 1988		29.1 CBS 29.2 Independent
		WXIN 59	February 1, 1984		Fox
		WMCC-TV 23 (now WNDY-TV)	October 19, 1987		MyNetworkTV
Jackson	Mississippi	WDBD 40	November 30, 1984		Fox
Jacksonville	Florida	WAWS 30 (now WFOX-TV)	February 15, 1981		30.1 Fox 30.2 MyNetworkTV/MeTV 30.4 Telemundo
		WJXT 4	September 15, 1949
		WXAO-TV/WNFT/ WTEV-TV 49 (now WJAX-TV)	August 1, 1980		CBS
Kansas City	Missouri	KBMA-TV/KSHB-TV 41	September 28, 1970		NBC
		KZKC/KSMO-TV 62	December 7, 1983		MyNetworkTV
		KMCI-TV 38	February 1, 1988
		KUJH-LP 31	April 23, 1996	June 9, 2014
Knoxville	Tennessee	WKCH-TV/WTNZ-TV 43	December 31, 1983		Fox
		WMAK/WKNX-TV 7	July 31, 2004
Lafayette	Louisiana	KADN-TV 15	March 1, 1980		Fox
Lansing	Michigan	WSYM-TV 47	December 1, 1982		47.1 Fox 47.4 MyNetworkTV
Las Vegas	Nevada	KVVU-TV 5	September 10, 1967		Fox
		KHSV 21	July 31, 1984		MeTV
		KFBT 33 (now KVCW)	July 30, 1989		33.1 The CW 33.2 MyNetworkTV
		KTUD-CA 25	February 12, 1999	October 10, 2013
		KMCC 34	August 21, 2003
Louisville	Kentucky	WDRB-TV 41	February 21, 1971		Fox
		WBNA 21	April 2, 1986
Los Angeles	California	KTLA 5	January 22, 1947		The CW
		KFI-TV/KHJ-TV/ KCAL-TV 9	October 6, 1948
		KLAC-TV/KCOP-TV 13	September 17, 1948		MyNetworkTV
		KIIX/KPOL-TV/ KWHY-TV 22	March 29, 1965
		KDOC-TV 56	October 1, 1982		TCT
		KCET 28	September 28, 1964		PBS
		KSCI 18	June 30, 1977		Shop LC
		KBEH 63	August 17, 1985		Canal de la Fe
		KTTV 11	January 1, 1949		Fox
		KMTW-TV/KBSC-TV 52 (now KVEA)	June 29, 1966		Telemundo
Madison	Wisconsin	WISC-TV 3.2 (branded as "TVW")	September 2000		MyNetworkTV
		WHPN-TV/WBUW/ WIFS 57	June 30, 1999		Ion
		WMSN-TV 47	June 8, 1986		Fox
		WZCK-LD 8	June 9, 1992		OnTV4U
Memphis	Tennessee	WPTY-TV 24 (now WATN-TV)	September 10, 1978		ABC
		WMKW-TV/WLMT 30	April 18, 1983		The CW/MyNetworkTV
Miami-Fort Lauderdale	Florida	WCIX 6 (now WFOR-TV 4)	September 20, 1967		CBS
		WBFS-TV 33	December 9, 1984
		WDZL/WBZL/ WSFL-TV 39	October 16, 1982		The CW
		WYHS/WYHS-TV/ WAMI-TV 69 (now WAMI-DT)	August 10, 1988		UniMas
		WSMS-TV/WKID 51 (now WSCV)	December 6, 1968		Telemundo
Milwaukee	Wisconsin	WOKY-TV/WXIX 19/ WXIX/WUHF/WVTV 18	October 3, 1953 (original incarnation) July 20, 1959 (current incarnation)	April 1, 1959 (original incarnation)	18.1 The CW 24.1 MyNetworkTV
		WCGV-TV 24 (now WVTV-DT2 24)	March 24, 1980	January 8, 2018	MyNetworkTV
		WDJT-TV 58	November 10, 1988		CBS
		WJJA/WBME-TV/ WMLW-TV 49	January 27, 1990
		W65BT 65/W41CI/ WMLW-CA 41 (now WBME-CD)	1983		MeTV
Minneapolis-St. Paul	Minnesota	WTCN-TV/WUSA 11 (now KARE)	September 1, 1953		NBC
		KEYD-TV/KMGM-TV/ KMSP-TV 9 (now KMSP-TV 9.9)	January 9, 1955		9.9 Fox 9.10 MyNetworkTV (SD simulcast)
		WFBT/KITN-TV 29 (now WFTC 9.2)	October 11, 1982		9.1 Fox (SD simulcast) 9.2 MyNetworkTV
		KVBM/KSTC-TV 45 (now KSTC-TV 5.2)	June 19, 1994
		KTMA/KLGT/KMWB 23 (now WUCW)	September 22, 1982		The CW
		KXLI 41 (now KPXM-TV)	November 24, 1982		Ion
		K34HO-D 34.2	1998
		K21GN-D 21
Mobile -Pensacola	Alabama Florida	WPMI 15	March 12, 1982		NBC
		WFGX 35	April 7, 1987		MyNetworkTV
		WJTC 44	December 24, 1984
Nashville	Tennessee	WMCV/WTLT/WZTV 17	August 5, 1968		17.1 Fox 17.2 The CW
		WCAY-TV/WXMT 30 (now WUXP-TV)	February 18, 1984		MyNetworkTV
New Orleans	Louisiana	WLAE-TV 32	July 8, 1984
		WWOM-TV/ WGNO-TV 26	October 14, 1967		ABC
		WNOL-TV 38	March 25, 1984		The CW
New York City	New York	WNYE-TV 25	April 5, 1967
		WABD/WNEW-TV 5 (now WNYW)	May 2, 1944		Fox
		WOR-TV/WWOR-TV 9	October 11, 1949		MyNetworkTV
		WPIX 11	June 15, 1948		The CW
		WATV/WNTA-TV 13 (now WNET)	May 15, 1948		PBS
		WLIG/WLNY-TV 55	April 28, 1985
		WNJU-TV 47	May 16, 1965		Telemundo
		WTZA/WRNN-TV 48	December 15, 1985		Shop LC
		WVVH-CD 18	1988		YTA TV/Outside TV
Norfolk	Nebraska	KNEN-LD 35	2015
Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News	Virginia	WYAH-TV/WGNT 27	October 1, 1961		The CW
		WTVZ 33	September 24, 1979		MyNetworkTV
		WVBT 43	March 22, 1993		Fox
		WSKY-TV 4	October 19, 2001
Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	KOKH-TV 25	February 2, 1959		Fox
		KAUT-TV 43	October 15, 1980		The CW
		KGMC/KOCB-TV 34	August 28, 1979
		KSBI 52	October 3, 1988		MyNetworkTV
Orlando-Daytona Beach	Florida	WCEU/WDSC-TV 15	February 8, 1988
		WRES/WBCC/WEFS 68	June 18, 1987
		WESH 2	June 11, 1956		NBC
		WSWB/WOFL 35	March 31, 1974 (original incarnation) October 15, 1979 (current incarnation)	September 30, 1976 (original incarnation)	Fox
		WKCF 68 (now WKCF 18)	December 1988		The CW
		WRBW 65	June 6, 1994		MyNetworkTV
		WRDQ 27	April 23, 2000
Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	WACP 4	June 18, 2012		TCT
		WPHL-TV 17	July 17, 1960		17.1 The CW 17.2 Antenna TV/ MyNetworkTV
		WIBF/WTAF-TV 29 (now WTXF-TV)	May 16, 1965		Fox
		WKBS-TV/WGTW-TV 48	August 13, 1992		TBN
		WWSG-TV/WGBS-TV/ WPSG 57	June 15, 1981
		WYBE 35 (now WPPT)	June 10, 1990		PBS
		WFMZ-TV 67	December 4, 1954	April 15, 1955
		WFMZ-TV 69	November 25, 1976
		WTVE 51	May 4, 1980		OnTV4U
Phoenix	Arizona	KPHO-TV 5	December 4, 1949		CBS
		KNXV-TV 15	September 9, 1979		ABC
		KUTP 45	December 23, 1985		MyNetworkTV
		KOOL-TV/KTSP-TV/ KSAZ-TV 10	October 24, 1953		Fox
		KTVK 3	February 28, 1955
		KUSK/KAZT-TV 7	September 5, 1982		The CW
		KPHE-LD 44	July 13, 1995
		KASW 61	September 23, 1995
Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	WPGH-TV 53	July 14, 1953 (original incarnation) February 1, 1969 (2nd incarnation) January 14, 1974 (current incarnation)	July 2, 1954 (original incarnation) August 16, 1971 (2nd incarnation)	Fox
		WPTT-TV/WCWB/ WCMY/WPNT 22	September 26, 1978		The CW/MyNetworkTV
		WEPA-CD 59	1995	October 25, 2017	Cozi TV
		WNPA/WPCW/ WPKD-TV 19	October 15, 1953
Portland	Oregon	KPTV 27 (now KPTV 12)	September 20, 1952		Fox
		KPDX 49	October 9, 1983		MyNetworkTV
		KUTF 32 (now KRCW-TV)	May 8, 1989		The CW
Providence-New Bedford	Rhode Island Massachusetts	WNET/WSTG-TV/ WNAC-TV 64	August 29, 1953 (original incarnation) September 5, 1981 (current incarnation)	August 6, 1956 (original incarnation)	64.1 Fox 64.2 The CW
Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville	North Carolina	WFCT 62 (now WFPX-TV)	March 1985		Bounce TV
		WLFL-TV 22	December 18, 1981		The CW
		WRAY-TV 30	August 7, 1995		TCT
		WRMY 47 (now WRPX-TV)	July 8, 1992		Ion
		WKFT 40 (now WUVC-DT)	June 1, 1981		40.1 Univision 40.2 UniMas
		WYED-TV 17 (now WNCN-TV)	April 11, 1988		CBS
		WAUG-LD 8	1988
		WNGT-CD 34	1988
Richmond	Virginia	WRLH-TV 35	February 20, 1982		35.1 Fox 35.2 MyNetworkTV/TBD
		WZXK/WAWB 65 (now WUPV)	March 9, 1990		The CW
Reno	Nevada	KNSN-TV 21	October 11, 1981		Independent/MyNetworkTV
Rochester -Mason City	Minnesota -Iowa	KXLT-TV	August 21, 1987		Fox
Rochester	New York	WUHF 31	January 27, 1980		Fox
		WBGT-CD 46	February 2, 1998		MyNetworkTV
Sacramento-Stockton	California	KTXL 40	October 26, 1968		Fox
		KMUV/KRBK/KMAX 31	October 5, 1974
		KSCH 58 (now KQCA)	April 13, 1986		The CW/MyNetworkTV
		KBFT	unknown
St. Louis	Missouri	KPLR-TV 11	April 28, 1959		The CW
		KNLC 24	September 12, 1982		24.1 MeTV 24.2 Religious Independent
		KDNL-TV 30	June 8, 1969		ABC
Salt Lake City	Utah	KSTU 13	October 4, 1978		Fox
		KAZG/KPNZ 24	December 6, 1998		TCT
		KXIV/KJZZ-TV 14	February 14, 1989
		KUEN 9	December 1, 1986
		KUPX-TV 16	April 21, 1998		16.1 Independent 16.4 Ion
San Antonio	Texas	KCOR-TV/KUAL-TV 41 (now KWEX-DT)	June 10, 1955		Univision
		KABB 29	December 16, 1987		Fox
San Diego	California	KCST-TV 39 (now KNSD)	November 14, 1965		NBC
		XETV-TV/XETV-TDT 6	April 29, 1953		Canal 5
		KUSI-TV 51	September 13, 1982
		KTTY 69 (now KSWB-TV)	September 30, 1984		Fox
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose	California	KCSM-TV/KPJK 60	October 12, 1964
		KRON-TV 4	November 15, 1949		The CW/MyNetworkTV
		KTVU 2	March 3, 1958		Fox
		KBHK-TV/KBCW/ KPYX 44	January 2, 1968
		KGSC-TV/KICU-TV 36	October 3, 1967
		KEMO/KTZO/ KOFY/KBWB/ KOFY-TV 20	April 1, 1968		Grit
		KFTY 50 (now KEMO-TV)	April 1981		Estrella TV
		KQSL 8	1990		TLN
		KNTV 11	September 12, 1955		NBC
		KSTS 48	May 31, 1981		Telemundo
		KTNC-TV 42	June 19, 1983		TCT
		KTSF 26	September 4, 1976
San Juan	Puerto Rico	WKAQ-TV 2	March 28, 1954		2.1 Telemundo 2.2 Independent 2.3 NBC
		WAPA-TV 4	May 1, 1954
		WCCV-TV 54	November 15, 1981
		WDWL 36	May 11, 1987		Enlace
		WIDP 46	1997
		WIPR-TV 6	January 6, 1958
		WSTE-DT 7	February 2, 1958
		WWXY-LD 38	2001
		WLII-DT 11	May 23, 1960		Univision
		WORO-DT 13	November 1, 1984
		WJPX 24	February 15, 1987		America TeVe
		WTCV 18	October 1, 1962 (original incarnation) July 29, 1984 (current incarnation)	1972 (original incarnation)	Mega TV
		WVQS-LD 20	1990		CTNi
		WRFB 5	1997		ABC
		WUJA 58	July 25, 1983
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre	Pennsylvania	WSWB/WOLF-TV 38 (now WSWB)	June 3, 1981		The CW
		WERF/WWLF-TV 56 (now WOLF-TV)	June 6, 1985		Fox
Seattle-Tacoma	Washington	KTNT-TV/KSTW 11	March 1, 1953
		KMO-TV/KTVW/ KCPQ 13	August 2, 1953		Fox
		KVOS-TV 12	June 3, 1953		Univision
		KONG 16	July 8, 1997
		KTZZ-TV/KTWB-TV/ KMYQ/KZJO 22	June 22, 1985		MyNetworkTV
Shreveport	Louisiana	KMSS-TV 33	April 11, 1985		Fox
		KWLB/KSHV-TV 45	April 15, 1994		MyNetworkTV
South Bend	Indiana	WHME-TV 46	August 3, 1974
Spokane	Washington	KAYU-TV 28	October 31, 1982		28.1 Fox 28.2 Antenna TV/ MyNetworkTV/CW Sports
		KNEE-LD 10	July 1, 2006	February 9, 2023
Springfield-Decatur-Champaign	Illinois	WBHW/WRSP-TV 55	June 1, 1979		Fox
		WFHL 23 (now WBUI)	May 14, 1984		The CW
Springfield	Missouri	KOZL-TV 27	September 22, 1968		MyNetworkTV
Tampa-St. Petersburg	Florida	WTOG 44	November 4, 1968
		WTTA 38	June 21, 1991		The CW/MyNetworkTV
		WMOR-TV 32	January 11, 1984
		WFTS-TV 28	December 14, 1981		ABC
		WPDS-LD 14	1990
Toledo	Ohio	WUPW 36	September 22, 1985		Fox
Tucson	Arizona	KZAZ/KMSB-TV 11	February 1, 1967		Fox
		KDTU/KTTU 18	December 31, 1984		MyNetworkTV
		KPOL 40 (now KHRR)	January 5, 1985		Telemundo
Tulsa	Oklahoma	KOKI-TV 23	October 26, 1980		Fox
		KGCT-TV/KTFO 41 (now KMYT-TV)	March 18, 1981		MyNetworkTV
		KRSU-TV 35	1987
		KTCT/KWHB 47	June 3, 1985		CTN
Washington	D.C.	WTTG 5	December 10, 1946		Fox
		WDCA-TV 20	April 20, 1966		MyNetworkTV
		WFTY 50 (now WDCW)	November 1, 1981		The CW
		WJAL 68	August 1, 1984		ShopHQ
		WHAG-TV/WDVM-TV 25	January 3, 1970
Waterloo-Cedar Rapids	Iowa	KWWF 22	December 1, 2002	August 2, 2013	Untamed Sports TV
West Palm Beach	Florida	WBEC-TV	1999
		WFLX	October 1, 1982		Fox
		WTVX	April 5, 1966		The CW
		WHDT	May 25, 2000
Wilmington	North Carolina	WILM-LD 10	April 3, 1989

List of notable Canadian independent stations

While independent stations were not as common in Canada, there were several notable examples of such:

Media market	Province	Station(s)	First air date
Hamilton	Ontario	CHCH-DT	June 7, 1954
Lethbridge	Alberta	CJIL-DT	January 14, 1996
Montreal	Quebec	CFHD-DT	December 11, 2013
		CFTU-DT	August 20, 1986
St. John's	Newfoundland and Labrador	CJON-DT	September 6, 1955
Vancouver	British Columbia	CHNU-DT	September 15, 2001
Victoria	British Columbia	CHEK-DT	December 1, 1956
Winnipeg	Manitoba	CIIT-DT	February 6, 2006

Since the mid-1990s, most independent television stations in Canada have merged into television systems (such as CTV Two) by adopting common branding and/or programming, or have become fully owned-and-operated stations of networks with which they had previously had more informal programming arrangements as with CIHF, CICT and CITV, which are all now Global stations. However, this trend was partially reversed in 2009 with the demise of Canwest's E! system, which resulted in three of its stations, with CHCH in Hamilton, CJNT in Montreal and CHEK in Victoria, with CHCH-DT becoming independent; CJNT-DT becoming subsequently affiliated with City in 2012 (later becoming a full-time O&O in 2013) and CHEK-DT becoming independent as well (Although having a secondary affiliation with Yes TV).

CHCH and CHEK are the only television stations in Canada currently operating as independent stations in the American sense of the term. However, since the fall of 2010, these two stations (previously along with CJNT) have resumed sharing some common American programming.

CJON in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, while officially unaffiliated with a network, in practice airs a mix of programming sublicensed from two of Canada's main commercial networks, CTV (which it was formally affiliated with until 2002, with only CTV's news programming being carried on the station since then) and Global, rather than purchasing broadcast rights independently.

CFTU and CFHD in Montreal also operate as independents. However, each of these stations has a specific programming focus: educational programming in the case of the former, and multicultural programming in that of the latter.

Three independent religious stations also exist in Canada: CHNU in the Fraser Valley Regional District, CIIT in Winnipeg, and CJIL in Lethbridge. CIIT and CHNU formerly served as part of the two-station Joytv religious television system from 2005 until the system's dissolution in 2013.

Apart from these, some additional independent stations exist in Canada as community-oriented specialty stations. These stations, such as CFTV-DT in Leamington, Ontario and CHCO-TV in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, transmit at low power.

Independent television in Japan

Chiba TV is one of the members of the Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations.

Further information: JAITS

In Japan, independent television stations are generally those not affiliated with one of the national networks based in Tokyo, which supply the vast majority of their affiliates' programs. Independent stations in Japan primarily serve heavily urbanized areas and frequently band together in the purchasing of programs and sale of advertising.

See also

• List of independent television stations in the United States
• List of programs broadcast by independent stations
• List of United States television networks
• Operation Prime Time
• Prime Time Entertainment Network
• Superstation