I noticed recently that scientology has taken over a small local Tampa area TV station and converted it into 24/7 ScientologyTV programming.
They are still paying to have a channel on DirecTV, but have added this Tampa channel so it appears on the guide of cable customers in the Tampa area. It gives them something to tell the whales — “look, we now have a 24 hour a day Scientology TV channel right here in Tampa — give us more money.” It is certainly not attracting new people to come in and “get on the Bridge.” It is likely a knee-jerk reaction to the incessant bad news about scientology in the area — generally everywhere, but also specifically with the court case in Tampa and the coverage of the Clearwater issues by the Tampa Bay Times. This is a typical Mr. Miskiewicz move. When the shit hits the fan, his solution is to buy fans to blow in the opposite direction, never mind they are hand held paper fans fluttering against hurricane force winds…
I was curious about WFTT and Googled it. It’s a bit mysterious. They do not appear to have a website.
Wikipedia says it is now “Scientology TV” and is owned by Entravision Communications.
Entravision does have a website, but it does not list WFTT as one of their stations… And says right up front that their network “has been successfully engaging US Latinos” since 1996. Not a good fit for scientology in Tampa.
I looked for FCC filings by WFTT. The FCC website is out of date. It says their license expires in early 2021…
Did they renew? Did someone else take over the license?
Perhaps some of you internet sleuths out there can find out what the story is.
I cannot imagine any Tampa Bentity being willing to accommodate scientology to pitch their propaganda 24/7. What is going on here?
I don’t have DirecTV but was at a hotel over the holidays that did, and I stumbled across the Scientology Channel. Watched about 10 minutes of a program that featured teasers on a course of how to help heal injuries and ailments, and another about helping people overcome addictions. Honestly, it was the most ridiculous information I’ve ever heard. You couldn’t have made a parody video and had it look any more ridiculous. There are probably 100s of infomercials with more credible content than this.
Screw Scientology! I say we start our own TV station called WWSP and really stick it to Miscavige! In addition to reruns of Leah’s show we could produce the following:
THE BEVERLY SQUIRRELBILLIES-A family of West Virginians become mission holders but keep misapplying the tech with hilarious results.
GILLIGAN’S SEA ORG BERTHING-Danny Gilligan is conned into joining the Sea Org but his clumsiness and failure to follow directions land him in the RPF. Tune in to see comedy, laughter and rice and beans.
LOGAN’S HEROES-Captain Spencer Logan, United States Army and several loyal enlisted soldiers, infiltrate the Sea Org to help the disillusioned escape to the Aftermath Foundation as well as to find an opportunity to apprehend the corrupt and evil COB RTC David Miscavige. Logan’s comical interactions with inept ED Midshipman Jason Clink are an essential feature of the show.
And that’s just me getting started.
Any other ideas?
The Xenu-Files? They visit a different volcano every week.
Great! Let’s add it to the lineup.
Okay. More ideas for our new station WWSP.
How about The Mickey Squirrel Club show. A group of never-in kids explaining to second/third generation in kids why Scientology does not offer what is promised and how dangerous and damaging the cult really in. Explanations done in skit format with singing and dancing.
Hmmm…
🎶 Who’s the leader of the cult that’s bad for you and me?
M-I-S-C-A-V-I-G-E🎶
You know, that might just work.
I wonder if the CofS is paying less to DirecTV due to the collapse in viewership of the broadcast service, down almost 50% in the last 7 years and so probably about a third since the Scientology “network” began. If they negotiated or were given lower rates, they may have felt they had money in their budget to spend to find new broadcast outlets that would keep up the number of viewers they can claim to reach – whatever little good that does them, except of course for internal PR.
It is sort of ironic that the CofS got onboard the sinking ship of a lumbering old corporate entity that has misjudged and mismanaged things, and is probably on its way to going out of business….
Clearwater -Spectrum Cable Channel 5 is in fact WFTT NRB and they did carry just the one episode. When you search all of Tampa area tv channels only WFTT and The CW carry $cientology programs. I find that there are only two available in the whole TV market! Inside Scientology and Destination Scientology.
The CW in Tampa on Channel 44.1 will air Destination Scientology on Jan 14 at 11:30 AM and
Inside Scientology Jan 15 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm.
Perhaps they are paying for spots all over the TV Spectrum
It looks to me that the station WFTT occupies the over the air broadcast Channel 25 (Virtual Channel 62)
In the Tampa area, there are 5 virtual channel operated by WFTT
62.1 is WFTT – NRB which seems to carry a lot of religious programming
62,2 is WFTT – LATV
62.3 is WFTT – Comet TV
62.4 is WFTT – Charge TV
62.5 is WFTT “TheGrio.TV”
It may have been a block of time that $cientology booked on the virtual channel 62.1 which seems to focus mainly on Religious Programs.
W(eird).
F(u–ing).
T(urgid).
T(elevision).
Mike – love the podcast and have listened up through episode 80 on Spotify. Cannot seem to find recent episodes!
“Destitution Scientology” is how I Freudian slip read “Destination Scientology”
I pity those listening to Hubbard
Who suffer through all of that blubber
Then along came Li’l Davy
Who joined the fake navy
And pushed all the stats in the gutter
When is the podcast coming back? I’ve listened to the old ones so many times and can’t wait for new ones!
Clearly some of these dupes like Tom Cummings and Bob Duggan are very good businessmen, and presumably they have a lot of KPIs they measure in their businesses. But they blindly accept what Lil’ Dave tells them about expansion?? I don’t get it.
I found the current licence data here at the FCC’s Efile site – https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=16788
According to this link on the FCC website, the license expires in 2029. https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=16788
I found this link with information on the station and it has several sub stations including a shopping channel.
https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_station&facility_id=16788
It’s simple math. A TV station can’t broadcast anything if they don’t have programs with sponsors. They most likely got a sweet lucrative offer from COS that they couldn’t refuse. The COS has money to burn, so why not? Think of it as one long infomercial. Move over Thighmaster and Sweatin to the Oldies. DM has retooled Ron Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman to snag Scn Whales.
Why buy another station when nobody watches the first one?
I can hear the heavy sigh of stuck in public. “Now I have to watch this boring sh*t too?”
Bullwinkle The Moose used to try multiple times to pull a rabbit out of a hat. He constantly failed. He pulled out a predatory animal every time. What we may be seeing is an example of the “Bullwinkle The Moose” syndrome in action.
What have I missed about this “Mr. Miskiewicz” thing that we have been seeing on recent posts? In other words, who started using this name, and why is it continuing to be used? What is this all about?
See the Thursday Funnies Dave
Actually, I had seen the Thursday Funnies, and that was the first place I saw the fake name, Mr Mickewicz, and I looked at it again because you said to, but I don’t see anything that explains why they are now calling him that. So, I was wondering if you knew what the reason for that was. One thing I thought that it might have to do with, is that he does not anyone to know where he is, so tells them to use that name as a decoy (even though it would be a pretty ineffective decoy, in my opinion). But I wouldn’t know, so I thought you might know.
It is how they spell his name in Ukraine apparently.
Myszkiewicz is given as the original Polish spelling of the name Miscavige, so the Ukrainian variant used by Poland’s neighbors would actually be closer to the original. Presumably the spelling was anglicized when Miscavige’s forebears moved to the US, perhaps in the sort of changes that happened at Ellis Island.
Too bad Ron Sr. is no longer with us as he could confirm that statement about the Miscavige name. Or maybe Ronnie might know something. Well, we sure ain’t going to find out from the Dwarfenfuhrer himself!
Coming up with alternatives to DirecTV is not a terrible idea. DirecTV just lost the valuable NFL Sunday Ticket package to YouTube TV. A LOT of people only had DirecTV to watch Sunday Ticket, so my guess is that they’re going to continue to hemorrhage subscribers.
According to one report, “DIRECTV’s TV services have lost more than 12 million subscribers since AT&T purchased the satellite company in 2015, according to financial reports. That’s nearly 50 percent of the subscriber base from seven years ago.”
Not that it matters — even the hardcore J&D’ers find Scientology TV too dull to watch. But hopefully it will continue to make Scientology TV an even less desirable place for the occasional non-clam filmmakers who allow their programs to air on the service (like the Documentary Showcase people).
Ha Ha! You know you’re in trouble when even the lowly J & D’ers ignore your tedious crap.
Do they have a broadcast antenna?
Possibly not. Most of the Twin Cities television stations broadcasted from the Minnesota Telecenter since 1972 when the IDS Center was constructed.
If you click on the “View other authorization” link on the FCC page you’ll find this:
Renewal of License Authorization
This is to notify you that your Application for Renewal of License 0000123461, was granted on 03/04/2021 for a term expiring on 02/01/2029.
This is your License Renewal Authorization for station WFTT-TV
Facility ID: 16788 ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC
Location: VENICE,FL 2425 OLYMPIC BLVD STE 6000 W
SANTA MONICA, CA 90404
So the station is still owned by Entravision and they have apparently made some kind of channel use deal with $cientology to replace the Univision contract that expired at the end of December 2021.
Yes. And if you go to the Studio address 2610 W. Hillsborough AvenueTampa, FL 33614 and check what is actually there, you will find a deserted building that is for lease/empty. only the unlit station/network sign is still there.
The transmitter site: 27 49′ 10.8″ N 82 15′ 38.0″ W
Modern stations don’t need a studio and often operate a small studio at the transmitter and feed the program content via internet streams on top of some looped playback from a “Trailer” near to the transmitter.
I used to work for and with small independent TV stations. They change frequently. IMHO whoever owns this station now is just selling “infomercial time” to Scientology.
More money down a rathole, just to give an appearance of ‘upstat’ activity. Ho hum.
No doubt COB RTC Mr. Mickiewicz has big plans for WTF, scientology’s new TV station in Tampa.
WTF is what it SHOULD be called, but its call letters are WFTT. Sadly, I couldn’t come up with a pithy expansion for WFTT. It isn’t as obvious as SUMP —scientology useless media productions— was.
That reminds me — Whatever happened to that station Davey purchased in the LA area? This one at least is broadcasting something and gets another mention in the TV programming guide in the local papers.
Back in the day, John Wood was telling all us evil espees on twitter that once the Scientology TV channel went live, we’d all be swept away once and for all.
Yeah, that happened. Any minute now. *eyeroll*
I joke about co$ nonsense, but anyone’s continued abject devotion to this money and labor-shyphoning, grotesque, abusive pack of lies is truly tragic. I escaped an evangelical cult as a teen, so may they all wake up and get out of it. I did!
“labor-shyphoning” seems a good neologism. I like it in this context.
I like being, as A-A-Ron puts it, being an SP or “special person” who is honored to buy a Mike Rinder bobble-head to support the Aftermath Foundation’s work. Rarely does a joke evolve into such a life-saver. I wish I could do more, but I’m retired from active work.
They need to update their website. (Not the they’re going to listen to a SP like me.)
Be assured that they —OSA operatives — are reading, and anything they deem important or interesting will make the rounds of the office, and maybe even up-lines.