Originally licensed to Kissimmee,[2] the station began broadcasting as W19AX in March 1989. It branded as "WTTC", "The Tourist Channel", and offered a format of information on weather and attractions for visitors to the area.[3] The Tourist Channel made $85,000 a month in advertising from local attractions.[4] The owner, the Specialty Broadcasting Corporation, was snarled by lawsuits from partners in The Tourist Channel; facing rising legal fees, it filed for bankruptcy protection in December 1990 in order to liquidate.[5]
After the lawsuits, the owners of Specialty, the Namey brothers, revived the permit as a station offering community programming and old movies in 1992.[4] The Nameys had started a similar business, Visitel Network, to offer programs like those aired on the Tourist Channel, which later was broadcast on W27BB.[6][7]
In 1997, the station moved to channel 13 as W13CU. On June 6, 2000, it was reassigned the call sign WSWF-LP. On November 17, 2009, it moved to the current call sign WSWF-LD.[8]
^Strother, Susan G. (December 26, 1988). "Low-power TV moving into market". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. Central Florida Business 5. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^Oliver, Lance (December 22, 1988). "Tourists get their own TV channel". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. pp. D-1, D-13. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
