Complex sentence: The station began broadcasting on January 24,1972 as WRIP-TV and aired movies 24 hours a day before shifting to a more conventional independent approach in 1973; at the time, it was the only independent station operating in the state of Tennessee.
Split into simpler sentences: The station began broadcasting on January 24,1972 as WRIP-TV and aired movies 24 hours a day. At the time, it was the only independent station operating in the state of Tennessee.