From the station:
WBTV to end each broadcast day with the national anthem
North and South Carolinians are proud of our country, and of the men and women who serve or have served.
WBTV will soon join with our sister Gray Television stations across the nation to end each broadcast day by playing the National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Up until television stations went to 24-hour operations in the 1980s, playing the anthem was traditionally how American television stations went off the air and returned back to the airwaves the following morning.
They broadcast 24/7 but:
WBTV will air the National Anthem shortly before 4 a.m. each day, which signifies the switch to a new broadcast day. We will also feature the national anthem during our newscast on the 4th of July.
The Gray Television stations network comprises 34 individual stations. Some of these are popguns: KXJB in Valley City, ND runs at 2 Kilowatts, but a large number of them are full-power 1,000 KW and one: WSWG in Valdosta, GA runs at a blistering 1,700 KW.
I remember growing up that all of the stations would do this. Returning to this tradition is a very nice touch.
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