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Local viewers of WTVY, in Dothan, and WSFA, in Montgomery, may have woken up to some surprises on Monday morning as the two networks have begun simulcasting certain shows.

WTVY’s new morning lineup saw the inclusion of WSFA’s popular, long-running Today in Alabama, beginning at 5 a.m. While WTVY’s popular “Live at Lunch” broadcast at noon will remain the same, with midday updates and guests bringing attention to local events, the two networks will simulcast their 4 p.m. newscast. WSFA 12 News will air at 5 p.m. and WTVY’s News 4 at 6 and 10 p.m. will continue to air. WTVY is also transitioning to being a First Alert weather station, along with WSFA.

“WTVY and WSFA’s combined resources will assure viewers that they stay up-to-date and always know about breaking news and severe weather,” WTVY said in a statement. “WTVY and WSFA are grateful fro the community support over the past seven decades and believe this collaborative effort positions both stations to serve our viewers best going forward.”

Both WSFA and WTVY are owned by Gray Media, a national broadcasting company that owns 180 television stations across 113 different markets around the country.

Prior to this “consolidation” of sorts, Gray Media announced to its investors on a conference call its plan to “cut back on certain operational-related expenses, a strategy that involves consolidating some of its business units and laying off workers.” In that same conference call, Gray Media CEO Pat LaPlatney laid out plans to simply not fill certain vacancies within Gray Media, the plan to consolidate offices and newsrooms and laying off an unspecified number of workers.

“Every individual, who is directly affected [by the layoffs], has played an important role in the success of our company,” LaPlatney said. “These actions are personally difficult for everyone at Gray and particularly painful for those impacted by the job restructurings. They are, however, looking for the company to operate more efficiently for the long-term benefit of all other employees and the communities that depend on us.”

Gray Media reported an earning of $930 million in revenue in the third financial quarter of 2024 with broadcast operating expenses exceeding $14 million.