in 2003, wivt dropped its weekend newscasts due to a loss of viewership. the station eventually closed down its local sports department in 2006 and at the same time reduced its 11 p.m. newscast to a short five-minute update. wivt also began originating its early weeknight shows, featuring unique segments including exclusive musical performances, from secondary studios in the oakdale mall in johnson city. due to a lack of meteorologists (except for a lone weather anchor) based at wwti, wivt's forecasting personnel also produced most weather segments that were taped in advance for that station.