WYMT-TV

WYMT-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Hazard, Kentucky, and serving the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield region. The station is affiliated with CBS and operates as a semi-satellite of WKYT-TV, Gray Media’s CBS affiliate in Lexington. WYMT carries CBS network programming supplied through WKYT while maintaining a distinct local identity, separate advertising inventory, station identifications, syndicated programming, and locally produced news and sports coverage. The station began broadcasting on October 20, 1969, as WKYH-TV on UHF channel 57. Its creation addressed a major service gap in southeastern Kentucky, where rugged Appalachian terrain prevented reliable reception of Lexington television stations and where commercial broadcasters had historically been reluctant to invest in translators or full-power facilities. WKYH was founded by local businessman Bill Gorman, who also owned the area’s cable television system. The station initially operated as an independent outlet before taking an NBC affiliation in 1970. In its early years, WKYH combined network programming with a strong local and regional flavor. Country, bluegrass, Southern gospel, church programs, and community-oriented broadcasts were important parts of the schedule. The station nevertheless faced serious technical and financial limitations. Its facilities and transmission equipment were often assembled from used or surplus components, its signal deteriorated outside Hazard, and network programming had to be received through microwave links from stations in Lexington and Bristol rather than through a direct network feed. A lengthy transmitter failure in 1980 highlighted the community’s dependence on the station. Bluegrass Broadcasting, a unit of Kentucky Central Insurance Company and the owner of WKYT, purchased the station in 1985. The new ownership changed the call letters to WYMT, commonly interpreted as “We’re Your Mountain Television,” and switched its affiliation from NBC to CBS to match WKYT. Investment followed in the form of improved studios, transmission facilities, and presentation technology. When Kentucky Central entered bankruptcy in 1993, Gray Communications, now Gray Media, acquired WYMT and WKYT. WYMT’s principal service remains local journalism. It produces separate weekday morning, evening, and late-night newscasts, while also simulcasting selected WKYT programs. Its newsroom covers communities across the Eastern Kentucky Coalfields, including areas that overlap the Lexington, Huntington–Charleston, Tri-Cities, and Knoxville designated market areas. The station operates a bureau in Pikeville and functions as WKYT’s principal news presence in eastern Kentucky. Its programming also includes high-school sports coverage, the long-running Sports Overtime franchise, public-affairs programming, weather reports using regional radar data, and special coverage of severe weather and local emergencies. The station has expanded its technical reach over time. Its digital signal uses VHF channel 12 with virtual channel 57, a change that improved reception in mountainous terrain compared with its original UHF service. WYMT ended analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009, and began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition in 2014; some simulcast programming remained in standard definition until a later master-control modernization. WYMT-DT2 has carried several secondary services, including a WKYT simulcast, This TV, and Heroes & Icons. Although WYMT is widely available through cable in its core territory, satellite providers generally carry WKYT instead because the two stations are treated as duplicate CBS affiliates within the Lexington market. A Gray Media effort to obtain a special satellite carriage area for WYMT was rejected by the FCC in 2018. Today, WYMT combines the national programming and resources of a major broadcast group with a distinctly regional role. Its brand is built around mountain-community news, weather, public a…

WYMT-TV signed on October 20, 1969, as WKYH-TV, a UHF independent station established to provide commercial television service to Hazard and surrounding Appalachian communities. The region had unusually poor over-the-air access to stations in Lexington because of mountainous terrain, and local viewers had limited alternatives beyond educational television and cable. Founder Bill Gorman, a local businessman and cable-system owner, created the station after becoming concerned that outside media presented an incomplete picture of mountain life. WKYH became an NBC affiliate in 1970. Its early schedule included network programs, local news, religious broadcasts, and music programs rooted in the region’s country, bluegrass, and Southern gospel traditions. The station operated with limited resources. Its transmitter and studio equipment were often second-hand, and network programming was delivered through microwave connections from Lexington and Bristol rather than a dedicated network feed. Technical failures could interrupt service for extended periods; a transmitter breakdown in 1980 kept the station off the air for more than two weeks. In June 1985, Gorman sold the station to Bluegrass Broadcasting, a Kentucky Central Insurance Company subsidiary that also owned Lexington CBS affiliate WKYT-TV. The transaction was followed by a major repositioning. On October 19, 1985, WKYH became WYMT, a call sign associated with the phrase “We’re Your Mountain Television,” and the station changed from NBC to CBS. The new owner invested in a stronger transmitter, improved studios, and a more modern broadcast presentation. The first WYMT-branded newscast aired the following day. Kentucky Central’s bankruptcy led to another ownership change in 1993, when Gray Communications acquired WYMT and WKYT. Under Gray, WYMT continued to operate as a distinct station while functioning operationally as a semi-satellite of WKYT. The arrangement allowed the stations to share network and technical resources while preserving separate local news, commercial breaks, syndicated programming, and community coverage. The station’s digital development was especially important in the mountainous service area. In 2004, its digital facility was assigned VHF channel 12. VHF propagation improved reception across uneven terrain, and WYMT ended analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009. WYMT-DT2 first carried a standard-definition WKYT simulcast in 2009, later changing to This TV in 2014 and Heroes & Icons in 2017. The station introduced high-definition local newscasts in 2014 and completed further master-control improvements in 2022. WYMT’s contemporary identity centers on regional journalism and public service. Its weekday schedule includes separate local morning, evening, and late-night newscasts, while selected daytime and weekend broadcasts are supplied by WKYT. A Pikeville bureau extends reporting into the eastern portion of the market, and WYMT also serves as WKYT’s Eastern Kentucky news bureau. Weather coverage, including the Live Pinpoint Doppler presentation, is a major part of the service because the region is vulnerable to severe storms, flooding, winter weather, and other emergencies. Sports and community programming are additional pillars. Sports Overtime covers high-school athletics and has included Saturday college-sports editions. WYMT and WKYT have also carried Kentucky Wildcats programming, CBS sports, and syndicated college football and basketball packages. The station’s public-affairs programs include Issues & Answers: The Mountain Edition. WYMT remains the only full-power commercial station based in Hazard, although its coverage crosses several television market boundaries and its satellite distribution is limited by its overlap with WKYT.

1. 2022Master-control modernization

   Technical upgrades enable HD presentation of additional WKYT-supplied programming.

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2. 2018Satellite-carriage petition denied

   The FCC rules against Gray’s request for a special satellite market area for WYMT.

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3. 2014Local newscasts move to high definition

   WYMT introduces HD newscasts with robotic cameras, refreshed graphics, and new music.

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4. 2009Analog shutdown

   WYMT ends analog transmission and continues digitally on VHF channel 12.

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5. 2004Digital channel assignment

   WYMT’s digital facility is assigned VHF channel 12.

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6. 1993Gray acquires the station

   Gray Communications purchases WYMT and WKYT following Kentucky Central’s bankruptcy.

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7. 1985Bluegrass Broadcasting purchase and rebranding

   The station is sold to the owner of WKYT, changes its call letters to WYMT, and becomes a CBS affiliate.

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8. 1970NBC affiliation begins

   WKYH adds NBC programming to its local schedule.

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9. 1969WKYH-TV begins broadcasting

   The station signs on from Hazard as an independent UHF broadcaster on channel 57.

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A locally focused CBS affiliate combining Eastern Kentucky news, weather, sports, public affairs, and community service with programming and operational support from WKYT-TV and Gray Media.

• WYMT local newscastsLocal television news1985

  WYMT produces separate weekday morning, 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. newscasts focused on the Eastern Kentucky Coalfields. It also carries selected WKYT newscasts and contributes reporting from a Pikeville bureau.

• Sports OvertimeSports programming

  A recurring local sports program covering high-school athletics across the station’s mountain-region service area. The Friday edition traditionally runs during the main school sports season, with additional college-sports coverage offered during some periods.

• Issues & Answers: The Mountain EditionPublic affairs

  A locally oriented public-affairs program addressing regional issues, public policy, and community concerns in Eastern Kentucky.

• WYMT-DT2Digital multicast channel2009

  WYMT’s second digital subchannel has carried several services over time, including a WKYT simulcast, This TV, and Heroes & Icons, together with some syndicated programming.

• 2018Special satellite-carriage requestStrategy

  WYMT serves communities that span several designated market areas but overlaps with WKYT as a CBS affiliate in the Lexington market.

  What changed. Gray asked the FCC to establish a special satellite carriage area for WYMT; satellite operators opposed the request on technical and economic grounds.

  Aftermath. The FCC rejected the request, leaving WKYT as the CBS station generally available through satellite service.

  • DirecTV — Argued that creating a separate spot beam and carriage area would be technically and economically impractical.
  • Dish Network — Opposed mandatory carriage and cited the satellite providers’ ability to decline a duplicate network affiliate.
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• 2009Digital transitionGeneration change

  Federal policy required full-power television stations to replace analog transmission with digital broadcasting.

  What changed. WYMT shut down its analog channel 57 signal and continued digitally on VHF channel 12 using virtual channel 57.

  Aftermath. The VHF digital signal improved practical reception in much of the mountainous coverage area.

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• 1985Rebrand and affiliation changeStrategy

  Bluegrass Broadcasting acquired the financially constrained Hazard station and already owned CBS affiliate WKYT in Lexington.

  What changed. The station changed from WKYH-TV to WYMT and switched from NBC to CBS, aligning it with WKYT.

  Aftermath. The ownership change brought upgraded facilities and established the semi-satellite operating model that continues today.

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• 2022WYMT completes a master-control upgrade for HD simulcasts

  A master-control modernization enabled WKYT-supplied programming carried by WYMT to transition from standard-definition presentation to high definition.

  Product generationOther
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• 2018FCC rejects Gray’s request for special satellite carriage

  The FCC declined to require satellite providers to create a special carriage area for WYMT, accepting arguments that separate carriage would be technically and economically impractical.

  RegulationLawsuit
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• 2009WYMT begins digital broadcasting and ends analog service

  The station completed its transition to digital broadcasting, using VHF channel 12 for its digital transmission while retaining virtual channel 57.

  Product generationRegulation
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• 1993Gray acquires WYMT and WKYT after Kentucky Central bankruptcy

  Gray Communications acquired the two Kentucky stations after their former owner, Kentucky Central Insurance Company, entered bankruptcy proceedings.

  M&ABankruptcy
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• 1985WYMT switches from NBC to CBS and adopts its current call letters

  Following its acquisition by Bluegrass Broadcasting, the station changed from WKYH-TV to WYMT and aligned its network affiliation with sister station WKYT in Lexington.

  Leadership change
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1. WYMT-TV
2. WYMT-TV official website