The Times Union is reporting ABC's Albany affiliate, WTEN, reported this week it will be among 171 Nexstar owned stations nationwide that will start their daily broadcasts with the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner. A recorded national anthem, often played over an image of a waving flag, once signaled the end of the broadcast day, but Nexstar says it is restoring the long-held tradition at the start of the day. The anthem will now be played before WTEN's morning show, at 3:59 a.m. Nexstar says it will have emerging artists record their own versions of the Star-Spangled Banner at Nashville's Belmont University, one of the fastest growing Christian universities in the country. The Nexstar Media Group is headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the second-largest television station owner in the U.S. Read the full story in the Times Union.