WTOG started using the Eyewitness News moniker in the late-1970s, though its news was still a rather staid, low-key affair, until they established a regular 10PM newscast in 1982.
WTOG's news department was discontinued in 1999 due to financial reasons.
WTOG used to also have repeators in Arcadia, Okeechobee, and Ocala, the first two have since gone dark (the Okeechobee transmitter carried TBN programming before closing down), while the Ocala station (W29AB) has since become a repeater for Orlando's WKMG-TV.
WTOG provides examples of programming directed primarily to the elderly, stating that this group comprises a large portion of the population in the area.
WTVT, WFLA-TV, and WTOG have demonstrated that the communities here in question are logically part of their ADI markets under the factors specified in the 1992 Cable Act, while WFTS has not met its burden in this regard.
WTOG shows a 4 total share with a 45 net weekly circulation figure for cable coverage with a 5 total share and a 44 percent weekly circulation figure for noncable coverage.
WTOG notes that the two stations are licensed to different cities (WWSB to Sarasota and WBSV-TV to Venice), that WWSB is an ABCaffiliate while WBSV-TV is an independent station, and that WWSB achieves a significantly higher share of viewers in Sarasota County than WBSV-TV.
WTOG further argues that the purpose of redefining a station's market is to correct anomalies so as to minimize disruption to viewers, and not to assist fledgling stations to gain cable carriage.
In response to WTOG, WBSV- TV states that the differences between it and WWSB do not diminish their similarity because they are located in the same county and both stations' must-carry market is artificially limited to a single county.
