Flint Broadcasting Limited Partnership sought the call letters WSMH, which were given to them on September 27, 1984. On January 13, 1985, WSMH debuted as an independent station with Frederick (Fritz) Mills as general manager. Mills was previously the director of national sales for UPI Media in Chicago. In April 1985, a fire at the transmitter prompted the station to go off the air for almost a month while repairs were conducted. By July 1986, Flint Broadcasting had sold the station to Gerald J. Robinson. It became a charter Fox affiliate on October 9, 1986. The station was purchased by Sinclair Broadcast Group in 1996. WSMH was the Mid-Michigan affiliate of the now-defunct syndication package The Disney Afternoon from 1990 to 1997. It also aired the now-defunct Sinclair-owned children's programming block KidsClick seven days a week from July 1, 2017 until March 31, 2019.