WGBA-TV
WLRE, which stood for station co-founder Lyle R. Evans, sought to be operational as early as December 1977. It delayed so that it could put its transmission tower on Scray's Hill near De Pere, the location of other Green Bay market transmitter towers. Ultimately the location was approved, but it meant ground was not broken on the studio and antenna location until June 1980. The station signed on the air on December 31, 1980, broadcasting an analog signal on UHF channel 26. It was the Green Bay market's second independent station, after the short-lived KFIZ-TV (channel 34) in Fond du Lac from 1968 to 1972. It was also the first new commercial station to sign-on in Green Bay itself since WFRV-TV (channel 5) signed on in May 1955. On November 12, 1982, WLRE was able to power up a new transmitter and had plans for further antenna power boosts.
WAGT (TV)
Ever since WJBF (channel 6) had dropped its primary NBC affiliation in favor of a full ABC affiliation in September 1967, NBC had been relegated to off-hours clearances on WJBF and CBS affiliate WRDW-TV (channel 12). Even after WATU signed on, NBC allowed WJBF and WRDW-TV to cherry-pick its stronger shows, most likely because most Augusta-area viewers still didn't have UHF-capable sets (the FCC had only mandated all-channel tuning in 1964). WATU was thus left with most of NBC's news programming, as well as lower-rated entertainment shows. During this time, it was not unusual for tape-delayed NBC programs to air on both WJBF and WRDW between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. before the respective networks' prime-time feeds began for the evening. WJBF also aired the "Today Show" and WRDW-TV ran "The Tonight Show". Another problem for channel 26 came from WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina, which provided at least "Grade B" coverage on VHF channel 10 to most of the South Carolina side of the Augusta market and aired the full NBC schedule. In a market that was just barely large enough to support three full network affiliates, WATU-TV was unable to make any headway, and went dark in 1970.