BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Channel 42 has a new network home, a new name, and a new place on Birmingham’s dial — the end of a CBS affiliation that lasted more than half a century.
WIAT, long known as CBS 42, ended its CBS affiliation Aug. 1, 2026, and rebranded as “Alabama’s 42.” The station operated as an independent through August, then became Birmingham’s CW affiliate Sept. 1, picking up CW programming that had aired on WTTO, channel 21.
CBS programming did not leave Birmingham. It moved Aug. 1 to WVTM 13.4, a subchannel of the Hearst-owned NBC station. WVTM still carries NBC on its main channel, 13.1…