WPDE-TV
WPDE-TV is an ABC-affiliated television station serving Florence, the Pee Dee, and the Grand Strand in South Carolina, with additional CW programming on its second digital subchannel.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WPDE-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Florence, South Carolina, and serving the Florence–Myrtle Beach television market. The station operates as an ABC affiliate under the ABC 15 brand and also carries The CW on its second digital subchannel under the CW 21 identity. Its coverage area includes the inland Pee Dee region and the rapidly growing coastal communities of the Grand Strand, including Myrtle Beach and surrounding parts of Horry County. The station was created to provide Florence with a second commercial television service. Eastern Carolinas Broadcasting applied to the Federal Communications Commission in June 1978 for authority to construct a channel 15 station. The FCC granted the construction permit in March 1979. Because the market was relatively rural at the time, the station's backers obtained financing from the Farmers Home Administration. That financing supported the conversion of the former Florence Civic Coliseum into a broadcast facility and the construction of a tall transmission tower near Dillon. WPDE began broadcasting on November 22, 1980, immediately taking the ABC affiliation. Its launch gave ABC a full-time local outlet in a market where WBTW had previously carried some ABC programming outside its primary CBS schedule. During the 1980s and 1990s, WPDE developed a broader regional role. In 1985, Diversified Communications acquired the station. Although WPDE was initially centered on Florence, the station progressively shifted personnel and production resources toward the Myrtle Beach area as the coastal population and tourism economy expanded. It established a presence in Myrtle Beach during the 1990s and later moved major operations and newscast production to Conway. This helped WPDE compete more directly across the entire Florence–Myrtle Beach market rather than functioning primarily as an inland Florence station. Ownership changed again when Barrington Broadcasting acquired WPDE in 2006. The station completed the transition to digital-only over-the-air broadcasting in June 2009. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the acquisition of Barrington's station group in 2013, and the transaction closed later that year. WPDE and co-owned WWMB now share studios on University Boulevard in Conway, while WPDE maintains a Florence bureau and transmits from a site on Pee Dee Church Road in Floydale. WPDE's core business is local television news, weather, advertising, community programming, and the distribution of ABC network programming. The station produces more than thirty-one hours of local news each week, with coverage divided between Conway-based coastal operations and a smaller Florence bureau serving the inland portion of the market. Its news identity changed from NewsChannel 15 to ABC 15 in 2015, alongside a transition to high-definition local news, refreshed graphics, and a studio update. The station has also introduced specialized programming, including a digital Spanish-language segment called Trabajando Por Ti and local lifestyle coverage formerly presented through Carolina & Company Live. WPDE has also supplied programming for WWMB, including several generations of prime-time newscasts on channel 21. Its broader regional role was demonstrated during Hurricane Florence in 2018, when WPDE provided extended coverage and temporarily simulcast its reporting on Sinclair sister station WCTI-TV after flooding disrupted WCTI's facilities. In addition to its local output, the Conway studios have been used for the national Sinclair public-affairs program The Right Side with Armstrong Williams. WPDE remains an active local broadcast brand whose significance is primarily regional rather than national.
History
WPDE-TV originated in an effort by Eastern Carolinas Broadcasting, a group of primarily local investors, to establish a new commercial television service in Florence, South Carolina. The group submitted its application to the FCC on June 24, 1978, seeking channel 15. The FCC approved the application and issued a construction permit on March 15, 1979. At that time, the Florence area remained sufficiently rural that the station's backers were able to obtain nearly $2 million in financing through the Farmers Home Administration. The funds supported the rehabilitation of the former Florence Civic Coliseum on Cashua Drive as a television studio and the construction of a roughly 2,000-foot tower near Dillon. WPDE signed on November 22, 1980. It was Florence's second commercial television station, following WBTW, and immediately became the market's ABC affiliate. Before WPDE launched, WBTW had carried selected ABC programs during periods outside its CBS schedule. WPDE's arrival therefore gave ABC a dedicated local outlet and was expected to make the network available to hundreds of thousands of viewers who had not previously received it reliably. The station was also notable as South Carolina's first new commercial television station since WCIV-TV launched in Charleston in 1962. Diversified Communications acquired WPDE in May 1985. During the 1990s, the station increasingly concentrated resources on Myrtle Beach and Horry County as the Grand Strand grew in population and economic importance. More than half of its employees eventually worked from leased Myrtle Beach space. Diversified explored selling the station in 1993 as part of a broader asset liquidation. General manager Bill Christian reached an agreement to purchase WPDE, but the transaction failed in 1994 when financing could not be assembled. Diversified returned the station to the market in 2000 after receiving renewed buyer interest. The Myrtle Beach expansion also reflected the changing structure of the television market. Historically, WPDE's analog UHF signal was weak in portions of the coast, and viewers in Myrtle Beach could receive competition from WWAY in Wilmington, North Carolina. In the 1990s, WPDE operated a low-power translator to improve over-the-air service in Myrtle Beach and Horry County. Nielsen's reassignment of Myrtle Beach from the Wilmington market to the Florence market further strengthened the importance of local coastal coverage. In 2001, WPDE announced that it would consolidate Myrtle Beach personnel and newscast production in Conway, using a former bank-office facility. The station became the first major market outlet to move most operations into Horry County in 2002. WPDE was acquired by Barrington Broadcasting in 2006. It continued expanding its local news operation and produced programming for co-owned WWMB, including prime-time newscasts and a morning-news extension. The station's analog service ended on June 12, 2009, when WPDE became digital-only. Its local news remained in standard-definition 4:3 format longer than competing outlets. WPDE moved to enhanced-definition widescreen in October 2010 and later completed the transition to high-definition local news in April 2015. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the purchase of Barrington's entire station group on February 28, 2013. The transaction closed on November 25, 2013. Under Sinclair ownership, WPDE continued operating from Conway with a smaller Florence bureau, and it retained ABC as its primary network affiliation. Its branding changed in April 2015 from NewsChannel 15 to ABC 15, with the news operation separately identified as ABC 15 News. WPDE added 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. newscasts in 2016 and continued producing extensive weekday and weekend local news. The station has served as an important regional emergency-information outlet. During Hurricane Florence in September 2018, WPDE provided roughly fifty hours of continuous coverage and shared its output with WCTI-TV in eastern North Carolina after flooding forced WCTI off the air. In April 2020, WPDE became the first station in its market to produce a dedicated Spanish-language segment, Trabajando Por Ti, distributed digitally on Saturdays. The CW affiliation moved to WPDE's second digital subchannel on September 20, 2021, retaining the CW 21 identity. Sinclair later ended WPDE-produced weekday newscasts for WTGS on May 31, 2024, replacing them with The National Desk. WPDE remains an active ABC affiliate and regional news operation serving both the inland Pee Dee and the Grand Strand.
- 2024
WTGS newscasts discontinued
[1]Sinclair ended WPDE-produced newscasts for WTGS and replaced them with The National Desk.
- 2021
CW affiliation moves to WPDE subchannel
[1]The CW affiliation moved to WPDE's second digital subchannel while continuing to use the CW 21 brand.
- 2020
Trabajando Por Ti launches
[1]WPDE introduced a five-minute Spanish-language digital segment on Saturdays.
- 2018
Hurricane Florence coverage
[1]WPDE delivered extended regional coverage and assisted sister station WCTI-TV during Hurricane Florence.
- 2015
ABC 15 rebrand and HD news launch
[1]WPDE adopted the ABC 15 identity and began producing local news in high definition.
- 2013
Sinclair acquisition completed
[1]Sinclair Broadcast Group completed its acquisition of Barrington Broadcasting on November 25.
- 2010
Widescreen local news
[1]The station upgraded its local newscasts from pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition to 16:9 enhanced-definition widescreen.
- 2009
Digital-only transition
[1]WPDE ended analog broadcasting on June 12 and became a digital-only station.
- 2006
Barrington Broadcasting acquisition
[1]Barrington Broadcasting purchased WPDE-TV.
- 2001
Conway facility announced
[1]WPDE announced plans to move Myrtle Beach employees and newscast production to a former bank facility in Conway.
Products and positioning
A regional broadcast and news brand serving the Florence–Myrtle Beach market, positioned around local reporting, weather, ABC programming, and coverage spanning both the inland Pee Dee and coastal Grand Strand.
Local television news · 1980
ABC 15 News
WPDE's principal local-news operation, covering Florence, the Pee Dee, Myrtle Beach, the Grand Strand, and surrounding communities. The operation includes scheduled newscasts, weather reporting, breaking-news coverage, a Conway-centered coastal team, and a Florence bureau focused on the inland portion of the market. The service adopted the ABC 15 News identity in 2015 and completed its move to high-definition production at the same time.
Network television affiliation · 1980
ABC network programming
WPDE has been the Florence area's ABC affiliate since signing on in 1980. The affiliation supplies network news, entertainment, sports, and special-event programming alongside WPDE's locally produced news, weather, advertising, and public-service content.
Digital subchannel network service · 2021
CW 21
The CW service carried on WPDE's second digital subchannel. The affiliation moved to WPDE in 2021 and retained the CW 21 branding associated with former programming arrangements involving sister station WWMB.
Spanish-language digital news · 2020
Trabajando Por Ti
A short Spanish-language digital segment introduced in 2020. The program translates the station's slogan into a community-oriented format and provides selected local information for Spanish-speaking viewers.
Lifestyle and community programming
Carolina & Company Live
A former weekday lifestyle and entertainment program presented in a magazine format. It featured interviews, local business spotlights, and community segments, and was hosted by Cecil Chandler and Amanda Sellers during its WPDE run.
National public-affairs programming
The Right Side with Armstrong Williams
A nationally distributed Sinclair public-affairs program that has commonly originated from WPDE's Conway studios and aired across Sinclair-owned stations.
Brand decisions
2024
End of WPDE-produced WTGS newscastsStrategyBackground
Sinclair reviewed the programming arrangement under which WPDE staff produced local newscasts for Savannah-based WTGS.
Action taken
The WTGS newscasts ended on May 31 and were replaced by The National Desk.
Aftermath
WPDE no longer produced those WTGS local-news blocks, while its own Florence–Myrtle Beach news operation continued.
2021
CW affiliation migration to WPDE's second subchannelGeneration changeBackground
The local CW distribution arrangement was reorganized within Sinclair's station portfolio.
Action taken
The CW affiliation moved to WPDE's second digital subchannel on September 20 and retained the CW 21 identity.
Aftermath
WPDE became the primary broadcast home for both its ABC service and the market's CW programming through separate digital channels.
2020
Launch of Trabajando Por TiProduct launchBackground
The station identified a need for dedicated Spanish-language local content in the Florence–Myrtle Beach market.
Action taken
WPDE introduced a five-minute Spanish-language digital segment presented on Saturdays.
Aftermath
The segment became the station's first dedicated Spanish-language local-news offering.
2018
Emergency coverage and assistance for WCTIOtherBackground
Hurricane Florence caused severe flooding in eastern North Carolina and disrupted the facilities of Sinclair sister station WCTI-TV.
Action taken
WPDE produced approximately fifty hours of continuous hurricane coverage and simulcast portions of its output on WCTI while WCTI personnel contributed from the field.
Aftermath
WPDE's signal provided continuing emergency information to viewers in parts of eastern North Carolina while WCTI worked to restore normal operations.
2015
ABC 15 brand repositioningStrategyBackground
WPDE sought to align its station identity more visibly with its ABC network affiliation and modernize its local-news presentation.
Action taken
The station replaced NewsChannel 15 with ABC 15, renamed its newscasts ABC 15 News, refreshed the studio and graphics, and launched high-definition local news.
Aftermath
The change made ABC the central element of the station's consumer-facing identity and completed its transition to HD local news.
2009
Transition to digital-only broadcastingStrategyBackground
United States full-power television stations were required to transition from analog to digital over-the-air transmission.
Action taken
WPDE ended its analog service on June 12 and continued as a digital-only station.
Aftermath
The change enabled continued over-the-air service through digital transmission and supported later digital-subchannel expansion.
2001
Consolidation of coastal operations in ConwayStrategyBackground
WPDE had increasingly shifted staff and newscast production toward Myrtle Beach and Horry County as the coastal portion of its market expanded.
Action taken
The station announced that Myrtle Beach employees and newscast production would move into a new Conway facility.
Aftermath
The move established Conway as the center of WPDE's regional operations while the station retained a Florence bureau for inland coverage.
Recent events
Sinclair stations receive 28 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards[3]
Reported:
Sinclair Broadcast Group said 18 of its news stations and partner stations were honored with a total of 28 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for journalism.
Sources3 sources
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