WSES

WSES
Brand
City of License	Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Market	Birmingham, Alabama
Channel	36 digital Formerly: 33 analog (1965-2009) 33 digital (2009-19)
Network Affiliation	Current: Heroes & Icons Formerly: Independent (1965-70) CBS (1970-96) ABC (1996-2014) Heartland (2014-17)
Founded	1996
Company	Howard Stirk Holdings
President
Current Popular Non-Network Shows

WSES is a television station in the Birmingham, Alabama market, broadcasting on digital channel 36 and displayed as virtual 33. Airing programs from ad hoc network Heartland, its city of license is Tuscaloosa.

WCFT signed on in 1965 as an independent and ran NBC shows bumped by Birmingham NBC affiliate WAPI/channel 13 (now WVTM-TV). At that time, Tuscaloosa was a separate market (rank #170) from Birmingham. They switched to CBS in 1970.

In 1995, the Fox network was wrapping up its henhouse raid of VHF TV stations started in 1994. The network bought then-ABC affiliate WBRC, but the station's contract with ABC didn't expire until September of 1996. Allbritton Communications bought W58CK, a low-powered Birmingham station and beamed it as the new ABC outlet. For the station to reach western and eastern parts of north Alabama, an agreement was reached to make WCFT and Anniston station WJSU/channel 40 satellites of W58CK, which had its call later changed to WBMA.

In May, 2014, Sinclair announced it was divesting itself of three TV stations in order make My Network TV affiliate WABM/ch. 68 a full-power ABC affiliate. The change, to take effect later, would make WABM Birmingham's first full-power ABC station since it left WBRC. WBMA would be retained as a satellite for WABM. WBMA is being retransmitted on the subcarriers of WABM, Anniston's WJSU (main affiliated with Heartland) and Bessemer CW affiliate WDBB/channel 17, retaining the ABC 33/40 brand until a later date. At that point, ABC will move to WABM's primary channel spot. WCFT, now owned by Howard Stirk Holdings, was presumed to have shut down, but it changed affiliation with the Heartland network. Through all this, if and when Sinclair sells WABM, WUOA/channel 23 (Tuscaloosa city of license and full-power satellite of WVUA-CA/channel 7) has applied to assume ABC affiliation. WCFT has now changed their call to WSES. The station now carries the Diginet Heroes & Icons.