Branding TV 26 Affiliations independent | Channels Analog: 26 (UHF) Founded 1992 | |
Slogan Community Television for Northwest Ohio Owner iHeartMedia, Inc.
(Citicasters Licenses, Inc.) | ||
WDFM-LP is a low-power television station (LPTV) licensed to serve Defiance, Ohio in the Toledo DMA. The station is owned by iHeartMedia.
WDFM-LP is operated by iHeartMedia's WDFM radio (98.1 MHz). The station broadcasts from a broadcast antenna tower located in Sherwood, Ohio.
Programming on WDFM-LP is basically local programming, with spotlights of people, places, events and businesses in Defiance, Fulton, Williams and Henry Counties under the All Around... banner, along with local advertising. The station has increased its use of paid "infomercials", in a clear break from the previous "local programming" status. WDFM-LP's signal carries to most of the five Ohio counties of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding and Williams Counties.
It has also been determined to be a "must-carry" station by the FCC which means its signal is on all local cable TV systems in addition to its over-the-air coverage.
History
Lankenau Small Media Network, who owned WDFM-FM 98.1, established WDFM-LP in 1992 on channel 19, as W19BN. In March 1997, its calls would change to WDFM-LP.
In December 1998, Jacor Broadcasting (which would later merge with Clear Channel) acquires WDFM-FM and WDFM-LP from Lankenau.
WDFM-LP would later move its frequency from channel 19 to channel 26, to make way for the digital signal of Fort Wayne's WISE-TV, which broadcasts its digital signal on channel 19.
On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Newport Television. However, WDFM-LP was not included in the sale, as it was operated directly by the radio station, instead of Clear Channel's television group. This, in effect, made WDFM-LP the only remaining television station in the Clear Channel family.