Origins of WTWV
While working in Syracuse, Spain hoped to build a station in Tupelo. In December 1953, Spain successfully petitioned the FCC to allocate channel 9 to Tupelo, and was granted a construction permit three years later. The station first went on the air on March 18, 1957. The station's equipment--antenna, transmitter, cameras, etc.--had been hand-built by Spain.
Though many NBC executives believed Tupelo was not a desirable place for a local affiliate station because of its rural location, they told Spain that if he could figure out a way to obtain a network signal, he could carry it. After several under-the-table deals with WMC-TV in Memphis, Spain set up a network of microwave relays and repeater systems to carry the WMC-TV signal to Tupelo. WTWV became an official NBC affiliate sometime in the mid-1960s. WTWV changed its call letters to WTVA years later.
Read more about this topic: Frank K. Spain
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