A South Carolina low-power station said it was forced off the air by the
digital signal of a full-power station.
Greg Everett, president of GE Media, told the Federal Communications
Commission he had to let WPDF-LP Florence go dark after it was denied class-A
status and Media General Inc. CBS affiliate WBTW(TV)'s digital signal displaced
WPDF's low-power one.
Without class-A protection, a low-power station must give way to a full-power
station.
Everett, who also owns WFXB(TV) in the same market, told Broadcasting
& Cable he believed much of the audience for the station's mix of
locally produced religious and sports programming and its Family Network
offerings was over the air, and continuing as a cable-only channel wasn't
practical.
Local cable carrier Time Warner Cable, which carried WPDF until it went dark,
said it's negotiating with Family Network for a direct feed.
