WTLF - History

History

It began broadcasting operations on May 7, 2003 as a full-time satellite of UPN affiliate WFXU. Although that station had become Tallahassee's UPN affiliate a year earlier, its signal was not nearly strong enough to cover the entire market and WTLF was intended to make up for this shortfall in coverage. WFXU had originally been established back in 1998 as a full-time satellite of WTLH for the same reason. WTLF was one of the first stations in the United States to sign-on as a digital-only station with no analog counterpart. Originally, it was owned by KB Prime Media but operated by Pegasus Communications (owner of WFXU and WTLH) under a local marketing agreement.

Pegasus declared bankruptcy in June 2004 over a dispute with DirecTV (co-owned with Fox by News Corporation) over marketing of the direct broadcast satellite service to rural areas. On April 1, 2005, WFXU/WTLF switched to The WB through The WB 100+. As a result, UPN promptly signed with WCTV which launched a new second subchannel to carry the network. Prior to this, The WB was carried on a cable-exclusive station ("WBXT") which was operated and promoted by ABC affiliate WTXL-TV in partnership with The WB 100+.

On January 24, 2006, CBS and TimeWarner announced that they were "merging" their UPN and WB networks to create The CW, effective September 2006. On February 22, News Corporation announced it would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming Independent. It was also created to compete against The CW.

It was announced on April 24 WTLH would create a new second digital subchannel to become Tallahassee's CW affiliate. These plans were later modified in August to make WFXU/WTLF the primary CW affiliate with a simulcast on WTLH-DT2. This arrangement took effect when the network premiered on September 18 while back on September 5, WCTV's UPN subchannel joined MyNetworkTV. The Pegasus station group was sold in August 2006 to private investment firm CP Media, LLC of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for $55.5 million. Eventually, CP Media formed a new media company, New Age Media. Around this time, KB Prime Media sold WTLF to Mystic Broadcast Group which in turn promptly sold it to MPS Media.

Meanwhile, WFXU was eventually sold to Budd Broadcasting and became a separate outlet leaving WTLF and WTLH-DT2 as Tallahassee's CW affiliate. The station cannot be seen on Mediacom in Thomasville, Georgia due to the presence of fellow CW Plus affiliate "WBSK". At some point in time after being a cable-only station, it had promotional and advertising duties taken over by CBS affiliate WSWG in Valdosta, Georgia. "WBSK" was also added to a new third digital subchannel of the over-the-air outlet to offer more access to The CW. Although technically serving as the network's Albany, Georgia affiliate, "WBSK" on WSWG-DT3 has a coverage area overlapping with WTLF.