It was the first independent station in the Richmond market; TVX sold it in 1985, marking the first of five changes of ownership in four years.

In 1988, Act III Broadcasting acquired WRLH-TV and simultaneously purchased the programming inventory of its only competitor, WVRN-TV, which then shut down for good.

At the start of 1978, two groups applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to build a television station on channel 35.

Like most independents, it initially offered a format consisting of cartoons, sitcoms, movies, sports, and some religious programs.

[19] Times Mirror could not keep both the Sun and the Baltimore television station, a grandfathered combination no longer permissible under newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules.

[27] Close on the sale of WRLH-TV to Act III being announced, rumors began to circulate that the company was talking with Sudbrink Broadcasting about buying out the programming of WVRN-TV.

[28] The rumors were categorically denied by WVRN-TV's general manager, who pointed out that while there had been discussions, the station had just bought new programs for the fall 1988 television season.

That afternoon, it also closed on a purchase of WVRN-TV's programming, some of its cameras and other equipment, and channel 63 left the air for good at 2 p.m. Act III president Bert Ellis credited WVRN-TV with making better programming decisions than WRLH-TV, despite the latter generating more revenue and ratings.

[30][31] Under Act III, WRLH continued to show ratings growth, bolstered by an expanding and more popular program offering from the Fox network.

[38] Sinclair twice attempted to acquire WTVR-TV (channel 6), Richmond's CBS affiliate, which would have required a divestiture of WRLH-TV.

However, the United States Department of Justice, as part of a consent decree in the Lincoln Financial Media transaction, denied Raycom permission to sell WTVR to Sinclair and ordered it to find another buyer.

[41] However, the transaction was designated in July 2018 for hearing by an FCC administrative law judge, and Tribune moved to terminate the deal in August 2018.

[42] On September 19, 1994, NBC affiliate WWBT (then owned by the Jefferson-Pilot Corporation) began producing a nightly prime time newscast for WRLH-TV, the Fox 35 News at 10, from its Richmond studios.