UPN Switches Florida Affiliates

Come Friday, the Tallahassee, Fla., television scene will see some changes in its channel lineup.

UPN is switching its affiliation in Tallahassee, the 109th largest TV market, from WTLS to WCTV-DT, the digital channel for Gray Television's CBS affiliate in Tallahassee. The station will be available over-the-air on digital broadcast and cable.

The move comes after WTLS owner Pegasus Broadcasting decided to change the station's affiliation to the WB network. On April 1, the station will sign on as WFXU and become the newest member of the WB's 100+ station group. Typically, the WB 100+ station—named as such because they are WB affiliates operating in small- and mid-sized markets 100 and up—are purely distributed on cable. In a handful of markets, however, the WB 100+ stations actually have an over-the-air affiliation. Tallahassee will be the latest affiliation to combine over-the-air and cable carriage. All WB 100+ stations air identical programming.

UPN's new arrangement is similar to deals the network has forged with Gray Television in Knoxville, Tenn., Lexington, Ky., and Augusta, Ga. "It is a welcome opportunity to enhance the quality programming service we bring to our Tallahassee audiences and advertisers," Gray Television President and CEO Robert Prather said.

The company says it will add to local programming and sports to compliment WCTV-DT's UPN lineup.