WAKA
WAKA is a CBS-affiliated television station serving Montgomery, Selma, and surrounding areas of Alabama.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
WAKA is a commercial television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, and serving the Montgomery television market. The station broadcasts on channel 8 and is affiliated with CBS. Although its license remains associated with Selma, its principal operations are based in Montgomery, where it shares facilities on Harrison Road with Bahakel Communications sister station WBMM and provides services to WNCF under a shared-services arrangement. Its transmitter is located near Gordonville, Alabama, approximately between Selma and Montgomery. The station began broadcasting on March 17, 1960, under the call sign WSLA. It was established by the Brennan family through Deep South Broadcasting, which also owned WBAM radio in Montgomery. WSLA initially operated as an independent station and soon became an ABC affiliate. Its early technical facilities were modest: the station broadcast from a converted house in Selma, with a studio in the garage, a small tower, and limited effective coverage concentrated largely in Dallas County. Because of its constrained resources, WSLA initially obtained ABC programming through an improvised relay arrangement involving Birmingham station WBRC-TV rather than a direct network feed. For decades, the station faced a structural challenge. Its VHF channel assignment could potentially reach a much larger audience if its transmitter were moved or substantially upgraded, but proposals to relocate the facility toward Montgomery, Birmingham, or other regional sites encountered opposition from competing broadcasters, regulatory complications, and concerns about interference and the development of UHF television. A station fire in 1968 destroyed the original facility and caused more than $100,000 in reported damage. After a change in ownership and rebuilding process, WSLA returned to the air in November 1973 as a full-time CBS affiliate. The station's long effort to increase power and expand its service area eventually succeeded. Following regulatory approvals during the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new high-power transmission facility was constructed near Gordonville. A tornado damaged the former tower in May 1984, but the transmitter survived and the station returned to the air within weeks. In preparation for its expansion toward Montgomery and to avoid confusion with Montgomery NBC affiliate WSFA, the station adopted the WAKA call sign on October 29, 1984. The new 1,684-foot tower became operational in April 1985, greatly enlarging the station's coverage across central and southern Alabama. Bahakel Communications announced its acquisition of WAKA in late 1984. The transaction connected WAKA with Bahakel's Montgomery broadcasting interests and helped establish the station as a major local television operation. Following the expansion, WAKA developed a larger news department and moved its operations progressively toward Montgomery. By the end of the 1980s, the station had shifted its main operation from Selma to Montgomery while retaining a West Alabama news presence in Selma. Local news is central to WAKA's identity. The station has generally ranked behind the long-dominant WSFA in Montgomery ratings, but it has maintained a strong runner-up position through expanded newscasts, additional staff, improved production, and bureaus in Selma, Greenville, and Troy. WAKA has also produced or supplied news programming for other local stations, including WBMM and WCOV-TV, at different times. In 2011, Bahakel announced plans to acquire WBMM and consolidate operations with WNCF through a shared-services arrangement. The stations subsequently moved into a modernized, shared facility on Harrison Road in Montgomery in 2012. WAKA has also been notable for its programming decisions. Until September 2020, it aired Jeopardy! at 9:30 a.m., making its broadcast one of the earliest scheduled airings of the syndicated program in North America. That schedule gained unusual national attention during James Holzhauer's 2019 winning streak because viewers in the Montgomery area saw his loss before the episode aired in most other American and Canadian markets. The station later moved Jeopardy! and Inside Edition to afternoon timeslots. Today, WAKA functions as a regional CBS affiliate with a broad central Alabama footprint. Its business combines network programming, locally produced news, syndicated programming, digital distribution, and operational relationships with other Montgomery stations. The WAKA name is therefore best understood not as a packaged-goods brand, but as the broadcast identity of an established Alabama television station.
History
WAKA began as WSLA on March 17, 1960. The station was founded by the Brennan family and Deep South Broadcasting, which also operated WBAM radio in Montgomery. Its original facilities were located in a converted house in Selma, with the studio operating from a garage. WSLA initially broadcast as an independent station before taking an ABC affiliation. At first, the station had limited technical resources and coverage. It used a small tower west of Selma and reached mainly Dallas County. The station also lacked a direct ABC network feed and relied on an engineering arrangement involving Birmingham's WBRC-TV to carry network programs. The station's position was complicated by the separation between the Selma and Montgomery television markets. Various owners and prospective owners sought to improve channel 8's reach by moving or upgrading its transmitter, but these plans repeatedly met objections from competing stations and regulatory obstacles. Competing broadcasters feared that a high-powered VHF station could undermine UHF development or threaten existing affiliations. Proposals involving sites near Montgomery, West Blocton, and other locations were challenged or rejected over several decades. On July 31, 1968, a fire destroyed WSLA's facility on Land Line Road. The incident followed a threatening telephone call made during a religious broadcast, although the available account does not establish a definitive motive or perpetrator. The damage was reported at more than $100,000. The station had already been offered for sale, and negotiations continued after the fire. A proposed sale to Gay-Bell Broadcasting was ultimately dismissed. In 1970, the Brennan family filed to sell the station to Charles Grisham and Central Alabama Broadcasting, which owned WHNT-TV in Huntsville and WYEA in Columbus, Georgia. Central Alabama Broadcasting pursued reconstruction and higher transmission power. The Federal Communications Commission approved a substantial power increase in 1971, followed by another increase in 1975. WSLA returned to the air on November 1, 1973, as a full-color CBS affiliate. At that stage it remained a small-market station with a limited news operation. Its commercial viability continued to depend heavily on expanding the area reached by its signal. The FCC eventually approved a high-power transmitter proposal in 1980, after years of proceedings and appeals. Final regulatory approval followed in 1983, and further legal challenges were rejected the next year. A tornado toppled the existing tower on May 3, 1984. The tower fell into the trailer used by the news department, but no injuries were reported and the transmitter was not destroyed, allowing the station to resume broadcasting within weeks. As construction of the new facility proceeded, WSLA changed its call sign to WAKA on October 29, 1984. The change helped distinguish the station from WSFA, the established Montgomery NBC affiliate, as channel 8 prepared to expand its service area. Bahakel Communications announced its intention to acquire the station in November 1984. The new Gordonville transmission facility, featuring a 1,684-foot tower, went into service in April 1985. The improved signal gave WAKA a much larger footprint across Alabama, extending from areas near Birmingham and Tuscaloosa toward the Florida Panhandle and the Wiregrass region. WAKA became more closely integrated into the Montgomery market after the acquisition. Its expanded local news department launched from a new Montgomery studio in February 1986, with some programming initially divided between Montgomery and Selma. Before the end of the decade, the station moved its main operation entirely to Montgomery, while retaining a news bureau in Selma. WAKA generally settled into second place behind WSFA in local news ratings and sought to compete through additional personnel, newscasts, specialized coverage, and regional bureaus. The station entered several local news-production arrangements. In 2007, it produced a prime-time newscast for WBMM, a CW affiliate then separately owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting. That arrangement ended after WBMM established a different relationship involving WNCF and the Independent News Network in 2010. WAKA later produced a prime-time newscast for WCOV-TV after WCOV's earlier agreement with WSFA ended in 2010. These arrangements reflected the competitive and highly interconnected nature of the Montgomery television market. In 2011, Bahakel announced plans involving WBMM and a shared-services agreement with WNCF. The stations were consolidated at a facility on Harrison Road in Montgomery, a property associated with Bahakel's earlier ownership of WNCF. WAKA moved its operations there in 2012. The shared facility supported common technical and production resources while the stations retained distinct programming identities. WAKA also became known for airing Jeopardy! unusually early in the broadcast day. Until September 2020, the program aired at 9:30 a.m. Central Time. This scheduling practice gained national notice in 2019 when WAKA's viewers saw the episode ending James Holzhauer's 33-game winning streak before it was broadcast in most other United States and Canadian markets. The station later moved Jeopardy! and Inside Edition to afternoon positions. WAKA remains an active CBS affiliate serving the Montgomery-area market. Its identity combines a Selma license, a Montgomery-centered operation, a broad central Alabama signal, locally produced journalism, and shared infrastructure with related stations operated by or associated with Bahakel Communications.
- 2020
Jeopardy! leaves its unusual morning timeslot
[1]WAKA moves Jeopardy! and Inside Edition from their former morning placements to afternoon scheduling.
- 2012
Operations move to Harrison Road
[1]WAKA consolidates its operations at the shared Montgomery facility.
- 2011
Bahakel announces WBMM and WNCF operating plans
[1]Bahakel announces plans involving WBMM and shared services with WNCF.
- 2007
WAKA begins producing a WBMM prime-time newscast
[1]WAKA starts producing the CW News at Nine for WBMM under a news-sharing agreement.
- 1986
Expanded Montgomery news operation launches
[1]WAKA debuts a revamped local news department from a new Montgomery studio.
- 1985
Gordonville tower enters service
[1]A new 1,684-foot transmitter tower near Gordonville begins operation, substantially enlarging the station's coverage.
- 1984
Call sign changes from WSLA to WAKA
[1]The station adopts the WAKA call sign on October 29 while preparing to expand its reach toward Montgomery.
- 1973
WSLA returns as a CBS affiliate
[1]After reconstruction, WSLA resumes broadcasting on November 1 as a full-color CBS affiliate.
- 1968
Station facility destroyed by fire
[1]A fire destroys the WSLA facility on Land Line Road and causes more than $100,000 in reported damage.
- 1960
WSLA begins broadcasting
[1]Channel 8 signs on as WSLA from Selma, initially operating as an independent station before taking an ABC affiliation.
Products and positioning
A regional CBS television station emphasizing local news, weather, public-affairs coverage, and service to Montgomery, Selma, and surrounding central Alabama communities.
Network television · 1973
WAKA CBS programming
WAKA's core service is the broadcast of CBS network programming to the Montgomery television market, including national news, entertainment, sports, and prime-time content. The station also carries syndicated programs and other scheduled programming selected for its local market.
Local television news · 1960
WAKA local news
WAKA produces local news, weather, sports, and public-interest coverage for Montgomery, Selma, and surrounding Alabama communities. Its reporting operation has included bureaus and live-capable newsrooms in Selma, Greenville, and Troy, supporting a regional rather than strictly city-focused coverage model.
Syndicated television
Syndicated programming
WAKA has carried syndicated programs alongside its CBS schedule. Its former morning presentation of Jeopardy! was particularly distinctive and became nationally recognizable during James Holzhauer's 2019 run. The station subsequently moved Jeopardy! and Inside Edition to afternoon timeslots.
Controversies
1968
WSLA facility fire
A fire destroyed the station's Selma facility on July 31, 1968, causing more than $100,000 in reported damage. The account also mentions a threatening telephone call made during a religious broadcast, but the available material does not establish a confirmed perpetrator or definitive motive.
Brand decisions
2020
Change to syndicated-program schedulingStrategyBackground
WAKA had long aired Jeopardy! in an unusual 9:30 a.m. slot, a practice that had increased the station's visibility during the 2019 Holzhauer news cycle.
Action taken
The station moved Jeopardy! and Inside Edition to afternoon timeslots.
Aftermath
The change ended WAKA's distinctive early-market airing of Jeopardy! while aligning both programs with more conventional daytime scheduling.
2011
WBMM acquisition and shared-services planM&ABackground
Bahakel sought to integrate its Montgomery-area television assets and improve operational scale.
Action taken
Bahakel announced plans to acquire WBMM and operate shared services with WNCF, including a consolidated facility.
Aftermath
WAKA moved its operations to the Harrison Road facility in 2012, where the related stations shared infrastructure and production resources.
1985
Expansion through the Gordonville transmitterStrategyBackground
WAKA's commercial prospects depended on reaching the larger Montgomery market rather than remaining limited to the Selma area.
Action taken
The station activated a 1,684-foot transmitter tower near Gordonville in April 1985.
Aftermath
The station obtained a much broader service area across central and southern Alabama and progressively shifted its main operations toward Montgomery.
1984
Adoption of the WAKA call signStrategyBackground
WSLA was preparing to expand its technical reach from Selma toward the Montgomery market, where another station used the similar WSFA call sign.
Action taken
The station changed its call sign from WSLA to WAKA on October 29, 1984.
Aftermath
The new identity accompanied the station's transmitter expansion and its transition into a larger Montgomery-area television operation.
Sources1 sources
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