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 in 1979.