WPTF-TV sign-off 1988

1988 sign-off for WPTF-TV 28 (now WRDC-TV), Raleigh, NC. Complete with sign-off announcement, SSB and color bars. Courtesy of Matt Sittel.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• sign-off
• wptf
• wrdc

[h01y884]

what's up with the audio at 2:08?

[signoff12]

they cut the audio carrier.

[JeffDeWitt]

Wow, I'd forgotten about that... there were a BUNCH of times I fell asleap in front of the TV and that WPTF-TV sign off woke me up!

[huggyface]

LOL! Sinclair has a duopoly in the Triangle, they own WLFL (CW22) and WRDC "My28" (which sounds less tacky than "MyRDC", which is actually what they call themselves).

[TonyDracon]

i freakin love this! does this happen anymore?

[TrexsterInNC]

Awesome american montage. Reminds me of the great days of our country that have passed.

[LogoAttitude]

WRDC, as a UPN affiliate, did not have as much programming to preempt, as UPN programmed for far less time than NBC. Meanwhile, WNCN, which had been a WB affiliate from 1/95 (before that independent), gave some of its syndicated shows to WRDC (others went to new WB affiliate WRAZ, now a FOX affiliate).

[LogoAttitude]

Meanwhile, WRDC affiliated with UPN, which would have ended up on WLFL, but rather than changing WLFL from FOX to UPN, their owners, Paramount Stations Group, sold WLFL to Sinclair in the Spring of 1994. (Sinclair returned the favor by selling KOVR, Sacramento's CBS affiliate, to PSG's successor, the Viacom Television Stations Group, in 2005).

To this day, it is not known why PSG sold WLFL rather than making it a UPN station.

[LogoAttitude]

WRDU/WPTF/WRDC was the full-time NBC affiliate from 1971-1995. However, the station did not fully take advantage of the fact that there was a now a full-time NBC affiliate in the Triangle. As you said, they pre-empted a good amount of programming, which NBC did not like at all. And so, in 1995, they signed an affiliation deal with Outlet, moving NBC to WNCN, which would be an NBC O&O from 1996-2006.

[mojay11]

I also remember KSNW in Wichita,KS and it's satellite stations used the same SSB to sign off in the 80's, then somewhere around the late 80's/early 90's they used a different SSB to sign off. Also KOKI-TV in Tulsa,OK used that SSB to sign on and different one to sign off.

[Benhalllums1]

WPTF-TV "NBC 28" (now WRDC-TV "My RDC TV 28") of Durham-Raleigh-Fayetteville, NC signoff on 9/2/1988.

[Neuf1965]

ha ha. It was a joke.