WCOM-TV Mansfield Sign-Off (1988)

Here's the sign-off theme from the short-lived WCOM-TV in Mansfield, Ohio. Fred von Stade, longtime general manager of WTVN-TV was one of the owners. Tom Burris, former WTVN-TV station news reporter, is the announcer.

The station broadcast from a 1,600 foot tower in Butler, Ohio. To show you what a monster signal this station had, this was taped in southeast Columbus using an indoor bow-tie antenna!

Sorry for the poor video quality, this is being posted primarily for the great jingle and imaging. It was ahead of it's time.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• WCOM
• WMFD
• Tom
• Burris
• Mansfield
• Columbus
• TV
• Station
• WTVN
• WSYX
• sign-off
• sign
• off

[chernobylFarms]

Hah, ha, ha, ha, ha! Knight Rider forever, three times a week, same episode.

Thanks a BILLION for saving and posting this. I took a download to keep and savor "forever."

[soneyo]

Sorry, The video test card (WCOM-TV) sign-off.

[OhioBuckeyez]

So Robert and Gunther Meisse were the original Owners of Com3 TV, Inc. then?

[elliottbaytowers]

Thanks for posting this video! It brings back memories for me as well. I also remember the massive tower near Butler, Ohio.

[TheKid965]

AFAICT, they bet the farm on being able to expand into the Columbus market, including a strategically-placed transmitter that gave them coverage (in theory) all the way to Franklin County. It didn't work, they couldn't get picked up by Columbus cable systems, and I believe a bankruptcy was involved.

The station went dark in mid-1989, but came back a few years later as WMFD (with a *much* weaker stick that no longer reaches to Columbus).

[wb8976]

Anyone know why WCOM-TV was so short lived?

[jeromeyward]

God, that brings back memories! They had some good shows on that channel.

[dwalex97209]

That's okay on the video quality. It didn't come in that good in Grove City (just outside of Columbus) where I lived at the time.